Abstract
With growth in online education, students gain tertiary qualifications through a mode more suited to their demographics such as work and life balance, learning styles and geographical accessibility. Inevitably this has led to a growth in diversity within student cohorts. The case study described in this paper illustrates strategies based on informed learning design for educating diverse student cohorts in an online program offered by Swinburne University of Technology. The case, an open-access, undergraduate information systems program, attracts mature age students studying while balancing employment and family commitments. The program’s open-access facet is the ‘no entry requirements’ such as prerequisite studies. Hence, many students enter the program via non-traditional pathways bringing significant differences in experience and consequent skill bases. The program’s innovative pedagogy encourages students to engage via active learning with tailored assessments, interactive communication via discussion boards and facilitated real-time sessions and formative feedback which include audio components.
Highlights
The case, an information systems program offered by Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) incorporates a systematic and research-led approach to the design and delivery of its units, online and in partnership with Open Universities Australia (OUA) since 2000
The strategies adopted in the information systems program, the case, cater for diverse student cohorts in the information systems program but more importantly leverages from their diversity
Andragogical theory as explained by Knowles et al (2005) highlights that adult learners bring with them rich sources of learning in the form of their own experiences, but they brings challenges such as pre-conceived views that may hinder a willingness to embrace new ideas and perceptions
Summary
The case, an information systems program offered by Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) incorporates a systematic and research-led approach to the design and delivery of its units, online and in partnership with Open Universities Australia (OUA) since 2000. Meeting an otherwise unmet need by mature age candidates, the case study supports workers who either desire to credential existing work-based experience or are looking to enhance their career and employability prospects. These aspirations are often anecdotally supported, for example:. The case study highlights flexible learning and teaching strategies developed in the information systems program to cater for adult learners with different learning requirements focusing on: engaging students with subject matter; approaches for student engagement with educators and peers; providing assessments with active learning components; and providing students with inclusive formative feedback that supports “feed-forward opportunities for. Anecdotal evidence of student reactions to some of these strategies is provided comprehensive evaluation on their effectiveness is not within the scope of this paper
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