Online and Down Under

Australian students on our 10-week online courses may be half a world away from Oxford – but they cite a strong sense of community, convenience, small class sizes and a rich learning environment among the reasons they study with Oxford.

Our decision to offer the first-ever ‘Oxford Summer Term’ of online courses went down very well in the southern hemisphere, where June and July are the colder, darker winter months.

We got in touch with four of our online students from Australia: Gail Rich from Neutral Bay near Sydney; Ray Hare from Sydney; Coral Hauenstein from Port Macquarie; and Peter Ingle from near Canberra. We asked them: Why Oxford? Why study nine to eleven time zones away, working when many of their classmates are asleep? Why not take courses closer to home?

Online study brings the world to the classroom

Their answers told us that time and distance don’t matter. Online study is convenient. The fact that the courses aren’t ‘live’ means that one has more time for reflection.

It also means that one’s fellow students come from all over the world, from all walks of life, and from a broad range of ages. This diversity enriches class discussions.

Gail Rich remembers: ‘On my Mesopotamia course there was a student doing a PhD about Enheduanna (the earliest known poet on record, who lived in Sumeria in the 23rd century BC) who was very generous in offering us her research, which of course was a huge benefit to the rest of us. Many students had specific experience, vocational expertise or previous training in the areas of a particular weekly topic, and their contributions were extremely beneficial.’ 

Peter Ingle, who has done nearly 20 of our online short courses, agrees and adds: ‘For example the perspective of working in the visual arts field from a young person, and the encouragement to soldier on from a multi-coursed senior person.’

‘I find the contributions from students who live in regions we are studying especially informed and interesting,’ says Coral, who embarked on her seventh short online course this spring. ‘An example would be in the Art Nouveau in Europe course where we shared the experience with a local of Barcelona, one from Latvia and from Russia.’

In fact, asynchronous learning (i.e., courses not being held in ‘live time’) means that students on our online short courses come from more than 160 countries around the world.

Our Australians collectively remember rubbing elbows online with students from the UK, the US, Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands, India, Singapore, Japan, Ireland, Scotland, France, Russia, Hong Kong, Germany, South Africa, New Zealand, the Middle East and of course, fellow Aussies.

Referring to the wide age range of students on courses, Ray Hare, veteran of more than 15 of our short online courses, remarks: ‘As far as I’m concerned with great experience comes great knowledge. The professions people have worked during their lifetime give insights into topics that the courses examine.’

Building community and diversity online

In a recent article for The Guardian, Shreya Atrey, the Department’s Associate Professor of International Human Rights Law, wrote: ‘In fact, the greatest value of online learning can be in building a community. More importantly, it can diversify the student community by reaching out to learners who aren’t able to be part of a residential university environment, both locally and internationally. This includes mature students returning to university to learn new skills, people with disabilities, or those from disadvantaged backgrounds.’

For student Ray Hare, our online courses offered more than community – they offered independence: ‘I had a rugby union accident which unfortunately rendered me a quadriplegic and put me in a wheelchair. As such I was unable to continue my career as a high school history teacher. Over time technology (iPhone, later iPad) became available that allowed me easily to use the Internet, and as such I was able to pursue my love of history from my home through online courses - which is so convenient considering my condition. I don’t have to get ready two hours earlier before I go if I had to attend class, I don’t have to get into my wheelchair, I don’t have to organise transport, and I can do it all by myself without someone with me. That’s the beauty of online courses, and why I started doing them.’

Community and convenience

Gail Rich, who has taken two of our online courses, values the flexibility to study wherever and whenever she wants to:

‘Ah! That’s the beauty of online courses for me. Any time 24\7 for short intervals or prolonged intervals is my mode, as dictated by my other daily activities,’ she says. ‘I am at a stage in my life when I travel a lot so enrolling in classes at Sydney University just doesn’t work. Online provides the exact flexibility which facilitates learning anywhere, any international time or time of one’s personal day, or night. The length of the courses is absolutely perfect  - 10 weeks.’

‘…gives students more freedom to reflect and respond with deeper thinking and more sophisticated arguments than is possible in a classroom setting.’ – Shreya Atrey, Associate Professor of International Human Rights Law.

More time to think

In asynchronous learning there’s no pressure to come up with questions or answers during the short timespan of most face-to-face classes. This can facilitate a more thoughtful form of study.

In her article for The Guardian, Shreya Atrey points out the benefits of ‘longer-term engagement from students through discussion forums or weblogs which allow sustained, freewheeling conversation. Tutors act as moderators and respond to students outside of class hours, in a way that gives them greater control of their own schedule and priorities. This gives students more freedom to reflect and respond with deeper thinking and more sophisticated arguments than is possible in a classroom setting.’

But why Oxford?

Several of our Aussies sampled other providers before joining us.

Ray Hare says, ‘I chose Oxford because quite simply it is the best learning institution in the world. As such, with a reputation like that I was certain that the online courses would be of similar quality, and I was not disappointed. I have looked at other online courses – Cambridge and some US and Australian universities – but they did not seem as accessible and of the quality of Oxford.’

Peter Ingle tried courses from ‘multiple other sources over many decades including Universities in Australia, Open University, Coursera, and, dare I say it, Cambridge University.’ For Peter, it was Oxford's experience, reputation and prestige, the variety of courses and the attractiveness of a 10-week module that made the difference. Reporting that he is often ‘geographically distant from any face to face possibility’ he enjoys ‘the experience of structured learning and feedback rather than just watching courses or reading (which I do anyway).’

Gail Rich concurs: ‘I had thoroughly enjoyed some courses from Coursera eg “Egyptian History” from University of Pennsylvania,’ she says, ‘but I really wanted feedback - I wanted someone – an expert – to agree or disagree with my deductions from the recommended reading or lectures, tell me if I’m on the right track in my thinking, extend me, correct me. I did my first course, ‘Minoans and Mycenaeans’ with Steve Kershaw last year, and found exactly what I wanted: top level input and feedback. I just loved every day of that course! That’s why I am a devoted Oxford Conted student.’
 

Find out more about our short online courses.