USQOnline, Australia

USQOnline, Australia

Located in Australia, which is one of the most active countries in the export of higher education, the University of Southern Queensland is an example of a traditional university operating as a dual-mode institution. It serves both on-campus and off-campus students, with the latter group comprising about 75 per cent of the student body. This case outlines a planned institutional response to the emerging global higher education market, which has been characterized by increasing competition for students, as more and more institutions offer online courses and programmes. USQOnline is described as 'an E-university for an E-world'. Building upon twenty years of experience in distance education experience, USQOnline was established in 1997 to provide Internet-based courses and programmes, with a commitment to the offer of education anywhere, anytime. In order to finance its development, the institution changed its liquidity ratio and it also invested in a private company for the provision of its software platform and services. Perhaps the most important message is that in this type of initiative, institutional leaders need to take a strong proactive approach and to put in place an organizational development strategy appropriate to the specific institution and e-learning. And a significant financial investment will be necessary, from which the return will not be immediate.

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