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may tend to forget all of that while enjoying
reminiscing. In any case, the experiences of
20th century university education are but
part of history now, and for most modern
university students the stuff of retro movies
and television.
It may be hard for some of us decisionmakers
to see how profoundly everything
has changed in the 30–40 years since we
were first at university, even if we work
in and closely with universities. Our own
memories and experiences colour our
perceptions.
For example, a much higher proportion
and wider range of students now have the
opportunity to go to university, which is
far from the experience many of us had in
our elite, exclusive and relatively culturally
homogenous cohort back then.
This greater inclusion has not only
widened opportunity for individuals,
their families and communities, it has
enhanced understanding, tolerance and
education itself.
But if this broad range of backgrounds,
socio-cultural capital and cultures is not
part of most of our histories as students,
how well might we understand the needs
of these modern students?
In another example, pre-COVID-19,
many of these students already studied
partly or wholly online. Research shows
that online provision can mean the
difference between access and no access
for some students, and that without
the opportunity to study remotely, they
would not have had the opportunity
to enter higher education nor earn the
qualifications they now proudly hold.
Part of the achievements of widening
university participation, opportunity and
success has come about through online
higher education provision, something
unheard of in the 1980s when the people
now running the world were at university.
It can be tempting to think of this as an
‘add on’ to ‘real’ university education, which
occurs in a building, face-to-face. Not any
longer, and not at all just at this moment.
I’m wondering whether, or to what
extent, we decision-makers from
another era may be at risk of a strong,
possibly unconscious pull to ‘ditch the
clicks and return to the bricks’ once the
first shoots of the new normal begin
to emerge. And given the construction
industry hasn’t stopped during lockdown,
and governments appear keen for an
infrastructure-led recovery, how strongly
might we be led to pursue our physical
capital and infrastructure plans despite an
opportunity to rethink?
Might we consider using the pause
on the current normal in universities
to reconsider capital projects and
infrastructure plans, think carefully
about the educational pivot we have
made and contemplate the potential
of investing further in digital as well as
physical education?
Might doing so enable lower operating
and maintenance costs associated with
multiple campuses and buildings; the
redirection of funding previously used on
such costs to student support, teacher
professional learning, digital equipment
and high quality internet provision; lower
traffic congestion and pollution, given
students don’t have to drive to university
as often; and for these and other reasons,
therefore, be a sensible investment in
our future?
In terms of digital education, we have
plenty of students and staff experiencing
this right now who we could ask, and a
population seeking re- and up-skilling and
career change who might be keen to let us
know how they would like to study.
Might it suit some to continue the digital
journey they hadn’t planned but started
anyway through being forced to study
online, work remotely, socialise with friends
and family remotely on various digital
platforms, shop online and/or support their
children learning at home when schools
were closed?
For a range of reasons, we decisionmakers
need to look at the remote
provision of higher education and consider
deeply to what extent it should be a part of
the post-COVID-19 university model. ■
Professor Marcia Devlin is senior deputy
vice-chancellor at Victoria University in
Melbourne.
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