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Singapore, 23 May 2003
(Excerpts from the article published in The Times Higher Education Supplement of Australia) A survey conducted for the federal education department found that in 2001 more than 200 fully online courses were available from 23 of Australia's 40 universities. Nearly a third were delivered only via the web. A report of the survey says subjects such as management and commerce, education, health and information technology are more likely to have fully online units. This may be because most web-based courses have been devised for postgraduates, many of whom are "earner-learners". "Subjects requiring practical and laboratory work, such as creative arts or the physical sciences, are less likely to provide online education," the report states. "Possibly because these do not lend themselves as easily or because students do not have ready access to the necessary technology." All universities in Australia use the web to some extent for teaching
and learning, the report says. More than half of all units offered have
content available on the web, although fully online units represent only
a small percentage of the total. The move to e-learning has been helped
by Australians' near-universal access to computers and the internet. More
than 95 per cent of university students make regular use of the internet
and 84 per cent have a computer at home. An IDP spokesman says there is growing interest in e-learning in India as well. But many Asian countries, with their expanding populations and need to join the global knowledge economy, have also begun moving to online programmes. Singapore allocated S$ 1 billion (Pounds 353 million) to a lifelong learning endowment fund in 2001 to provide an annual income of S$ 40 million for innovative projects. The first of these is national IT literacy scheme. PurpleTrain.com, an e-learning subsidiary of Informatics Holdings, a training and education provider listed on the Singapore stock exchange, now offers 300 online courses. They range from certificates and diplomas to bachelor and masters degrees, and attract 40,000 users across Asia, including Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Vietnam - countries from which Australia draws a majority of its foreign students. Academics at RMIT University say one scenario that has excited and terrified Australian education planners more than any other is the development of the global online mega-university. In a paper at a conference on transnational online education, Christopher Ziguras and Fazal Risvi say that fully online delivery means a worldwide distance-education market where geographical access limitations are overcome and prospective students can choose between courses provided by different nations. "This scenario has sent universities scurrying to create their own versions of such institutions through consortia such as Universitas 21 and the Global Universities Alliance," Ziguras and Risvi say. "Such institutions would draw on the collective strengths of their members to create online programmes." But the academics note that online global delivery has failed to capture the imagination of students in the way it has excited senior administrators. They say that while global online courses are technologically feasible and offer huge investment returns to some providers, educational and cultural factors are hampering their growth. "In the development of transnational distance education in Southeast Asia, Australian institutions have learned the value of local presence, local partners and local teaching staff. There has so far been limited demand for stand-alone offshore distance education (whereas) internet-supported face-to-face programmes are continuing to grow at a rapid rate."  Get
a Curtin BBA Through PurpleTrain
PurpleTrain.com, in partnership with Curtin University of Technology, a top band Australian university, offers a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) programme for school leavers and mature age students who are seeking a broad based degree which offers many opportunities for their future career paths.
Recognition and achievements
Adding to its list of accolades:
The Curtin BBA Programme
Those who will benefit
Those wishing to further their academic career may proceed to a specialist
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ABOUT PURPLETRAIN.COM By combining innovative technology with world-class training content, PurpleTrain.com offers companies and individuals a high value, quality and effective on-line training solution. Over 700 on-line courses are available, offering masters, degrees, diplomas and certificates in business and IT programs. Our online learning community now stands at over 67,000 users. PurpleTrain.com is a 100%-owned venture of Informatics Holdings Limited, a leading training and education provider listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Informatics Holdings Limited is a world class institute for quality lifelong learning services and made the ranking among Forbes Global's 200 Best Small Companies in the world. ABOUT INFORMATICS GROUP The Informatics Group, established in 1983, is a multinational corporation providing lifelong learning services in information technology and business management. Through its international franchising program and strategic acquisitions, Informatics presently has a global network of more than 583 centres spanning more than 47 countries. The company presently offers the following products: Informatics Institute, Thames Business School, Informatics Professional Development Centre, CAL Learning Centre, Cambridge Child Development Centre, RACC, NCC licensing and PurpleTrain.com licensing. For more information, please visit http://www.informaticsgroup.com For more information, please contact : Boey Taik Boon All trademarks and registered trademarks are property of
their respective owners. Certain of the statements in this press release
are forward-looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and
uncertainties. The actual results may differ from those described or contemplated. |
Are
online mega-universities the future or are local courses with internet
support a better option? asks Geoff Maslen in Melbourne
Curtin
Business School (CBS) is one of the largest business schools in the region.
With resources worldwide and a strong team of staff from international
academic and professional backgrounds, the School is able to offer programs
at the cutting edge of business education. CBS offers the most comprehensive
range of postgraduate business programs in Western Australia. Over 1,500
students are enrolled in the 70 postgraduate courses offered at CBS's
Perth campuses.