Distance education students embrace inaugural online induction

A new virtual induction program is connecting more distance education students to university life, even though many will never physically set foot on campus.

USQ’s Faculty of Education inaugural online induction was held earlier this month (February) as an alternative to the traditional and compulsory residential school program.

Special guest was leading educational consultant, author and speaker in Australia and New Zealand, Eric Frangenheim, who presented to both the on-campus and online students.

Program coordinator and Education lecturer, Michele McGill, said the Faculty was experiencing its largest intake of online students this year, with more than 400 students from around Australia and overseas enrolled in the new Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning (GDTL) program.

'Many of these students will never see the campus in person, choosing instead to engage with the online community,' Ms McGill said.

'The induction is a compulsory component of the program, and students who live overseas or interstate can now participate without the financial and time pressures of a week-long, compulsory on-campus induction.

'It is about flexibility and ensuring all have access at a time which suits their needs.

'Virtual participants can access the required information at any time and over a longer time period, meaning they can fit their engagement around work and family demands.'

GDTL student Sue Conolly, who lives in Japan and studies via distance education, said she enjoyed the interactive and personable nature of the virtual induction.

'When I did my Masters (at USQ), I started by very luckily having some time to attend some classes on campus and that really helped me feel connected. Now I’m doing the GDTL here in Japan, being part of this induction, even online, is making it all feel more real to me.'

Ms McGill said this new mode of delivery included the initial electronic welcome, a mailed package with CD introducing staff and the initial introduction to the courses and support services.

'This is necessary as not all students have the bandwidth to access video online,' she said.

The virtual induction started a day after the on-campus event so that organisers could use computer program Camtasia to record the sessions and load these using the mp3 and wmv options in order to cater for students who had dial-up internet or insufficient bandwidth to access the video option.

'It was very important that the presenters presented a human face through photos and their voices, and kept in mind we had two audiences – the ones in front of us and the ones who would join us electronically at a later date,' Ms McGill said.

'Some of the comments from the virtual attendees have been about how involved they have felt and the passion for learning and teaching all of the presenters communicated to their students,' Ms McGill said.

'We have two people who monitor the discussion forums associated with each presentation providing support, answering queries and directing them where to get assistance.

'Each day has mandatory activities to ensure the attendees have engaged with the material and to build up their confidence using the Moodle facilities such as on-line forums and quizzes.'

Both on-campus and distance education students who are studying the program can engage in the virtual induction.

'An added benefit is that students who apply and enrol too late for the on-campus induction can still begin with the same information and preparation to assist them on their success pathway.'

Dean of Education, Professor Nita Temmerman, said USQ’s undergraduate and graduate programs included school-leavers, mature-age, part-time, full-time, students in employ, students with family commitments, international, interstate and local students.

'Our newly reconceptualised programs provide maximum opportunity for all our students to engage with their studies in a mixture of ways to better suit their circumstances – on-campus, online or a mix of both,' Professor Temmerman said.

'The reaction to this flexibility has been enormous this year and has been witnessed most in our flagship one-year Graduate Diploma program that leads to teacher registration. The numbers in this one program alone have doubled in the past couple of years.'