Distance Education Hub (DEHub)

Abstract

The University of New England (UNE) is one of the oldest distance education providers in Australia, and has a strong international reputation in this area. UNE has the capacity to respond to the Australian federal government's goal of addressing labour shortages and connecting communities to enhance social inclusion and sustainability of rural and regional settings. UNE already demonstrates how regional communities can be engaged in learning in a virtual, synchronous and asynchronous world through its courses and regional access centres. Distance Education Hub meets the requirement for Australian universities to identify a distinctive strategy that will consolidate sector expertise in the use of technologies and enhance and build upon UNE's reputation for leadership in distance education. As a bold new initiative DEHub aims to provide leadership in undertaking research, developing and implementing models for distance education across the Australian tertiary sector. DEHub intends to engage in national and global collaborations on evidence-based approaches to new teaching technologies.