By Sally Rawsthorne
Publication Date: 2026-01-01 05:30:00
“Adding an in-person element is a great option,” she said, noting that this is not possible or practical for all courses.
Instead, universities could build longer-term relationships with students to increase the safety of learning, Dollinger said.
She said the risks of fraud had to be balanced against the need for remote degrees for Australia’s approximately 330,000 online students, many of whom would not be able to access university through a traditional face-to-face model.
A goal of the University Agreement is to achieve equitable participation in higher education that reflects the demographics of Australian society by 2050.
“This is only possible through online learning,” said Dollinger.
Dollinger said online-only degrees, which are often perceived as not being as rigorous or comprehensive, can provide the same quality of education.
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“If they are done well, they can be just as good. They are rarely given the resources necessary to achieve such high quality (as in-person degrees).”
Ryan Morony,…
