“Adding an in-person element is a great option,” she said, noting that is not possible or practical for all courses.
Instead, universities can develop longer-term relationships with students for more assurance of learning, Dollinger said.
The risks of cheating, she said, must be weighed against the necessity of remote degrees to Australia’s 330,000-odd online students, many of whom could not access university via a traditional in-person learning model.
One aim of the Universities Accord is to achieve participation parity, reflecting the demographics of Australian society, in higher education by 2050.
“The only way that can happen through online learning,” Dollinger said.
Dollinger said that fully online degrees, often subject to perceptions that they are not as rigorous or comprehensive, can offer the same quality of education.
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“When done well, they can be just as good. They rarely get the resourcing to help become as high quality [as in-person degrees].”
Ryan Morony, 42, graduated from the University of NSW in August with a master’s in cybersecurity that he completed fully online. Juggling his three children, single parenting and a full-time job meant that attending university in person was impossible for him.
“It wouldn’t have worked at all,” he said.
Despite the lack of social life – something he says is definitely more relevant to younger students – Morony said he thinks studying online is better than in person.
“You’re running your own race. For me, it was quite obvious that if I was to have success, I had to plan it. Your external influences are limited.”
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