Latest news with #onlinelearning
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Doesn't actually help': University responds to Albo's HECS cuts
Campus vibes or couch convenience? A new report highlights the growing divide in preferences for university learning formats between younger and older Australians, with mature-age students gravitating towards online study while Gen Z remains attached to traditional campus experiences. The national survey commissioned by the University of New England (UNE) and run by Year13 – a digital platform that helps school leavers – examined the motivations, barriers, and preferences of more than 1,000 Australians considering university study. Young vs mature: A stage-of-life divide The study found a sharp divide between how younger and more mature age students preferred to study. Will Stubley, co-founder of Year13, said younger students in their early 20s are drawn to the communal and social aspects of campus life. 'The research shows Gen Zs really want to head into uni and be in class while Millennials and Gen Xs aren't nearly as keen,' Mr Stubley told 'It's a stage of life divide, where most students in their early 20s with more freedom on their side want to be learning with other students, meeting people and having fun around campus like uni is famous for. 'But going into class quickly loses favour for students in their late 20s and 30s when priorities shift from pub lunches between classes with their mates to their career and family, meaning university study needs to fit in around those central pillars of their life and not the other way around,' Mr Stubley said. This shift is reflected in the survey results, where more than 64 per cent of respondents overall, and more than 70 per cent of those aged 25–54, expressed a preference for online learning. For mature students such as James O'Hanlon, 40, who is currently pursuing a PhD in creative practice at UNE, online study is not just a preference but a necessity. 'Changing economies and employment landscapes has meant that I've had to be flexible and take my career in new directions,' Mr O'Hanlon said. When the opportunity came to formalise his decision with postgraduate study Mr O'Hanlon figured he'd try something new, but with kids of his own and work to contend with flexibility in study became a deciding factor. 'Flexibility and ability to learn at my own pace in my own time are a necessity when coming back as a mature aged student,' he said. Motivations and outcomes The survey found that motivations for returning to study vary significantly with age. While younger mature-age students (25–44) often seek career progression or change, older learners (45+) are motivated by personal fulfilment and a chance to re-engage with education. 'These aren't school leavers,' Mr Stubley said. 'They're experienced adults making calculated decisions. They're asking: What will this cost me? How will it fit into my life? And what's the return?' 'People want to study, but they're pragmatic,' Mr Stubley said. 'Universities need to do a better job of showing how courses fit into real lives and what outcomes students can expect.' Financial barriers loom large The survey also highlighted significant barriers to higher education, with cost standing out as the most cited obstacle. More than half of respondents (52 per cent) said financial concerns hindered their decision to study, and 42 per cent worried about accumulating student debt. Other barriers included full-time work commitments (29 per cent) and family responsibilities (22 per cent). 'Taking study seriously necessarily means other things have to step aside, such as full time employment,' Mr O'Hanlon added. 'The only way to make this work as a mature aged student with kids is often through scholarships or other financial support.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ran on the election promise of wiping 20 per cent off student HECS and HELP loans. However, UNE's executive director of future students Dr Neil Durrant said that debt forgiveness is not the same as 'changing the funding structures which allows students to not have that much debt in the first place.' 'I think clearly those things will be helpful to the students, the prospect of having less debt in the future or this messaging around the government's concern about the debts that students have … ,' Dr Durrant said. '[However] it doesn't actually help universities with the cost of providing education,' he said. 'So when you're looking at the kinds of cohorts of students that UNE is particularly expert in providing education to, they generally tend to be students that have a higher touch as far as support and that's more costly to teach those kinds of students. 
 'So changing the HECS model doesn't actually help universities provide the kind of quality education that we would be looking to provide.' Universities respond to changing demands Dr Durrant said the findings of the report justifies the university's longstanding focus on mature-age and online learners, with a huge 85 per cent of UNE students studying online. 'This research validates what we're hearing from our students every day,' he said. 'They want a high-quality university education that works with their lives, not against them.' However, online study poses its own challenges, particularly around maintaining motivation and engagement. Dr Durrant emphasised the importance of creating a robust digital experience that supports interaction and connection. 'There's a little bit of a catch 22 here with mature age students preferring online study where they've also expressed difficulties with online study in terms of staying motivated in terms of making sure that they had the intrinsic motivation to keep going with online study,' he said. 'And so I think what that signals for universities for us is this clarion call to make sure that the online experience that we provide is really high quality. 
 'It's not a simple matter of just taking what you do in the classroom face-to-face and then somehow magicing that up into something online. It's actually having a really strong focus on what it means for students to study online and how we keep students engaged and motivated.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Try the Open University's vintage driving test
Would you pass an historic driving test? Have a go at The Open University's "Driving Through the Decades" online quiz below and see how you get on!Click here for the quiz!, external
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Priced out of private school? I discovered online learning is just as good
When most people think of online learning and Zoom classes, it's with a shudder. Those long days of the pandemic, when parents tried to simultaneously do their jobs while also ensuring their offspring didn't play Minecraft all day, are now, thankfully, a distant memory. But online schools are not. According to a 2024 report by the UK Department for Education, the number of students in the UK currently enrolled in full-time online schools has more than tripled since 2020, and that figure looks set to rise further after Labour removed private schools' VAT exemption. Online and hybrid learning institutions now offer an increasingly viable alternative to traditional schooling. Notably, students with additional needs, those with demanding extracurricular commitments, and families living internationally make up a significant portion of this cohort. And my daughter is one of them. Last year, Ella, 18, left ACS International School Cobham in the middle of her International Baccalaureate course, having suffered from anxiety and poor mental health. She'd always been a more than capable student, but the pressures of traditional schooling – social stress, academic intensity and a rigid daily routine – were beginning to affect her well-being. School had started to feel like a place of dread, not discovery. We briefly considered moving her to a local state sixth-form college, but the thought of large class sizes, unfamiliar environments, and the same rigid structure simply didn't sit right. What she needed was something more personalised. We discovered King's InterHigh (KIH), an independent British international online school. Offering primary, secondary and sixth form education, it caters to students aged from seven to 18. It's one of several online schools operating in the UK, established to offer an alternative option for dissatisfied parents and students (a recent survey carried out by KIH, in which 400 parents across the UK were polled, shows 60 per cent are unhappy with current education services). Others online schools include Minerva's Virtual Academy, Wolsey Hall Oxford, and My Online Schooling – each offering slightly different approaches, from tutor-led learning to independent study formats for homeschoolers. Choosing the right one depends on each child's learning style, the desired curriculum, and how much parental involvement is feasible day to day. How online schooling works Initially, of course, we were unsure. Would online learning challenge and inspire Ella? Would she miss out on the social development that school is supposed to provide? But the more we researched, the more it seemed a viable alternative to the local state school. With me working from home, she would not be at home alone all day, so we took the plunge. Ella is studying the IB Diploma and attends live, timetabled lessons each day, delivered by teachers in real time. Lessons are conducted in small groups, and the digital classroom platform includes features like live chat, screen sharing, quizzes, and breakout rooms for smaller group work. While some content is recorded for catch-up or revision, the focus is on live interaction. Teachers encourage discussion and questions. Students typically have the same teacher for each subject, and lessons are structured to mirror a traditional school day but with more flexibility. Homework is set via the online platform and submitted digitally – it might be a written essay or a presentation. Teachers provide detailed feedback through written notes, voice comments, or one-to-one follow-ups. As with any school, there are assessments and mock exams, plus parents' evenings conducted online. When Ella's feeling anxious, she can step away from class briefly. The constant feedback from teachers makes me feel more (rather than less) involved; post-primary, you do end up feeling more removed from the kids' schooling, but now I can help her catch up with missed classes. Who suits online learning We found that for someone like Ella, who had been struggling with anxiety, online learning took the pressure off (as many kids found in the pandemic, too). It's also good for self-driven learners, families who travel or live abroad, or athletes and performers. Ella's fellow students include Maxwell Whitelock, who played Alfie in the recent Channel 4 crime drama Patience, who found that traditional schooling couldn't meet his needs. 'I wasn't doing very well in normal school because I'd always come home sad or angry,' Maxwell says. On top of the emotional toll, his mother, Emma, says Maxwell also faced negative comments about being autistic. Lillia Turner, star of EastEnders and winner of Favourite Young Actor (Under 18) at the TV Times Awards 2024, is another student whose demanding acting schedule now fits seamlessly around her studies. Meanwhile, Kyle Babbage, an aspiring tennis athlete working toward professional status, has been able to fit studies around his rigorous training and travel schedule thanks to online schooling – something traditional school attendance would have made impossible. On the other hand, online school might not suit children who need high physical energy outlets or thrive on in-person interaction, or who struggle with self-discipline without in-person supervision. Some teens love daily sports or clubs, and would miss that in an online setting. Making friends The biggest question for me was whether Ella would feel isolated and not able to make friends. To encourage kids to communicate with each other, the school offers virtual assemblies and clubs, plus there's a traditional public school-style house system. 'Students are allocated a house and invited to join clubs and societies spanning everything from chess to technology, sculpting, and debate,' says a member of the pastoral team. 'It's about creating a sense of belonging – even in a digital space.' And yes, they meet in real life, too, typically at festivals or competitions. Are online schools accredited? In 2023, the UK government launched the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) to ensure consistent standards across virtual schools. Run by Ofsted, it is designed to provide formal recognition and accountability for online education providers. KIH has applied to the OEAS and is currently awaiting its Ofsted inspection. Critics have noted that the rollout has been slow, and some schools have opted out altogether due to concerns over regulatory fit. Others, like Minerva's Virtual Academy and Academy21, have already begun the process. The accreditation, once achieved, ensures that a school meets the same safeguarding, quality of education, and leadership standards expected in physical schools. Meanwhile, KIH has become a Cambridge International School. The accreditation process involves a detailed assessment of a school's mission, leadership, teaching quality and student-support systems. The biggest question for parents is whether qualifications will be accepted by Russell Group universities or Ivy League schools. Yet, 80 per cent of KIH students secured their first-place offer last year. As for the fees, it obviously pricier than state, but cheaper than an average private school. Primary, GCSE and A-level tuition at King's InterHigh ranges from £3,000 to £6,000 per year, depending on the number of subjects and level of study, and rises to around £10,000 a year for the IB Diploma. Wolsey Hall Oxford offers a variety of options, with A-levels costing approximately £1,800 per course. A calm and confident student A year ago, we were really worried that Ella wouldn't be able to continue with her diploma at all. But now that she's grown in confidence and rediscovered her love for learning, she is mentally prepared for this term's exams. There have also been som unexpected family benefits, too. Having Ella at home has reshaped our routine. Mornings are less chaotic (no school run) and lunches are often shared, which has unexpectedly brought us closer. I work from the kitchen while she studies in the next room. We take breaks at similar times, and I've found we talk more than we did when she was out the door by 7:30am. It's a less fragmented, more connected day for us both. 'When students join King's InterHigh, they don't just join a school – they join a community,' says Catriona Olsen, Executive Head. 'We want every learner to feel seen, supported and celebrated for who they are.' That's what we've found: Ella is thriving, and, as a parent, the transformation has been heartening. How to boost a state education with out-of-hours activities However, full-time online schooling isn't for everyone. And as private school fees continue to rise, many families are making the decision to switch to state, writes Sybilla Hart. Undeniably, as good as some UK state schools are, they may not have the sparkling extra-curricular facilities that private schools offer such as art, languages, sport and drama, which are included in the cost of the school day. But whether your kids have always been at state or grammar, or are moving over because of VAT rises, there are many ways to boost their extra-curricular education and their CV to boot, whether that's through sport, top-up online classes or in-person tutoring. Tutoring Many tutorial colleges offer summer revision courses so that kids can hit the ground running when they start back in September. The Association of Independent Sixth-Form Colleges ( is a good place to start looking. Justin Craig Education offers Easter, May and summer revision courses for most subjects at GCSE and A level at its eight centres, including Hertfordshire and London. Fees start at around £240 for a one-day, one-subject course. Summer residential courses cost £1,475. Meanwhile, Oxford Tutors offers a complimentary series of Maths workshops (also free to download), and provide one-to-one tutoring for students in all subjects, from £50 per hour. Sport Flashy facilities are not only the preserve of private schools – you'll be surprised what's on offer in your locality – but if you do live close to one of Britain's top public schools, remember that they often share access to swimming pools, tennis courts and cricket pitches. Rowing: If you live near a river, you'll likely live near a rowing club that runs a structured junior competition programme. Although race fees can add up, most clubs offer financial assistance to disadvantaged junior rowers. For example, Ross Rowing Club in Ross-on-Wye recruits children from ages 12-18 for its junior club and holds holiday training camps, usually during the Easter and summer holidays. Cricket: Cricket is not just the preserve of the costly preparatory school. Lots of regional cricket clubs offer after-school classes to primary-school age children for free. Visit and use the session finder to find multiple centres in your local area. From there you can follow the registration links and pay online. All Stars is suitable for children aged 5-8 and Dynamo Cricket is for children ages 8-11. The cost of a term's tuition at cricket clubs typically starts at £50 per child for eight sessions, which includes a personalised training top and bag. Riding: Learning to ride is a great skill but it also teaches kids how to look after animals and to muck out a stable. Lots of riding schools run after-school and weekend classes – and you definitely don't need your own pony to learn to ride. British Equestrian has a postcode search tool that will help you to find your local riding school or pony club. Art courses One area where it is hard for state schools to compete is in art school provision. While private schools have pottery studios and printing presses, comprehensives may be lucky to get a dedicated space with natural light. Art K offers classes around the country for primary and secondary students. Meanwhile, for history of art lessons suitable for teens look no further than Kristine T G Hardeberg. She holds online courses that cost £200 (a reduced rate for under 18s only) on subjects such as The Baroque, The Renaissance and Impressionism. She also offers lectures from £19. Cookery Lessons Cook Stars runs weekly lessons for two-17 year olds nationwide, from Brighton to Bridgend and Stockport to Salisbury. The first trial class is free and the course costs £78 per half term (six sessions). Children will learn to cook basic dishes and cakes such as soda bread, mini pizzas, bacon and spinach parcels, and red velvet cupcakes. Drama and Dance Stagecoach is a regional company that offers after school drama classes as well as holiday courses that culminate in a production such as Matilda or Shrek. The 12-week termly classes typically cost £360 for a weekly three-hour lesson. The holiday courses cost around £170. Theatretrain also offers dancing, acting and singing classes in 70 locations costing around £25 each for children aged between six-18. The Royal Academy of Dance is offering a Children's Summer Camp from July 28 to August 1 this year for children aged four to seven in London, costing £133 per week (10 per cent sibling discount) as well as summer courses for more experienced dancers. Book by June 9. Contact participate@ Forest School Camps Forest School Camps is a charity that runs school-holiday camps for children. Its aim is 'to provide opportunities for children from all backgrounds to experience living on the land under canvas and to encourage individual resilience and self-reliance.' Mobile phone use is banned, and cooking is done on wood fires; it's real back-to-basics stuff but lifelong friendships are formed and many child campers return to volunteer as adults.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
‘My plan is ruined': Hong Kong students aiming for US in limbo as visa interviews halted
Hongkongers looking to pursue tertiary education in the US are grappling with uncertainties as the country has halted scheduling student visa interviews, with consultancies expecting possible online class arrangements for remote learning or university applicants changing their choice of destination. Advertisement Kitty Wu, director of Litz USA Student Service, a Hong Kong-based education consultancy specialising in education in America since 1989, said on Wednesday that her company had experienced difficulties in scheduling interviews last week and could not make any reservations on Tuesday, hours before the US government order was reported later that night. According to a diplomatic cable on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed America's embassies and consulates worldwide to stop scheduling student visa interviews as the Trump administration considered more expansive social media vetting of applicants. Wu noted that social media screening had started earlier, with applicants required to leave their usernames for the consulate's inspection. Students still had time to settle their visa applications before the academic year started in September, she said, but only if the scheduling of visa interviews was resumed swiftly. Advertisement 'If students cannot receive their visa on time, I believe some schools will arrange online programmes,' Wu said, noting that institutions also held virtual classes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong students aiming for US universities in limbo as visa interviews halted
Hongkongers looking to pursue tertiary education in the United States are grappling with uncertainties as the country has halted scheduling student visa interviews, with consultancies expecting possible online class arrangements for remote learning or university applicants changing their choice of destination. Kitty Wu, director of Litz USA Student Service, a Hong Kong-based education consultancy specialising in education in America since 1989, said on Wednesday that her company had experienced difficulties in scheduling interviews last week and could not make any reservations on Tuesday, hours before the US government order was reported later that night. According to a diplomatic cable on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed America's embassies and consulates worldwide to stop scheduling student visa interviews as the Trump administration considered more expansive social media vetting of applicants. Wu noted that social media screening had started earlier, with applicants required to leave their usernames for the consulate's inspection. Students still had time to settle their visa applications before the academic year started in September, she said, but only if the scheduling of visa interviews were resumed swiftly. 'If students cannot receive their visa on time, I believe some schools will arrange online programmes,' Wu said, noting that institutions also held virtual classes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
