Remote students meet in comprehensive video link

March 07, 2008

For the first time, students at all eight of the University of New England's Regional Access Centres have joined each other – as well as students at the UNE Tamworth Centre and a UNE staff member at the University's Armidale campus – in a single video conference.

Twenty-one students at the Tamworth Centre joined five in Inverell, four in Coonabarabran, two in Moree, two in Narrabri, and one each in Gunnedah, Quirindi, Tenterfield and Glen Innes for a two-hour study skills workshop on Wednesday evening.

The workshop enabled the 38 students to overcome the barriers of regional isolation and share each other's experiences, as well as gain information essential for their academic success. Conducted by Academic Skills Adviser Julie Godwin, it covered important aspects of planning, researching, and writing an essay. Although there have been many such workshops through the Regional Access Centres since they opened in 2004, this was the first time that all of them have been involved simultaneously.

Anne Reynolds, one of the students who participated in Coonabarabran, said the interaction with the instructor and the other students – including the ability to ask questions – had enhanced the learning experience for her. "The information was presented right in front of me," she said. "Now I've got a good idea of how to go about my first assignment."

The Access Centres, and the communications network linking them to each other and the University, are much more than a means of delivering information to students throughout the region. They enable students to meet each other – both face-to-face at one or other of the Centres, and at a distance over the network – to discuss ideas and the process of learning.

"We do feel remote here," said Ms Reynolds, who is studying for a Bachelor of General Studies / Bachelor of Teaching degree, "and that's why it's so important to us."

Daniela Ganderton, another of the Coonabarabran students, said that in video links like the one on Wednesday evening "you can see that you're not alone". "It makes us feel part of the University," added Ms Ganderton, who is studying for a Graduate Diploma in Education.

The Access Centres Operations Manager, Frances Munro, said that – altogether – about 1,000 students were using the UNE Centres. "All the Centres are being used," she said, "and some of them – like Inverell (with 104 students) and Moree – are particularly busy. At Inverell they're there all day every day, and Moree gets a lot of out-of-hours use. The Centre in the smaller town of Coonabarabran is also in daily use by a very dedicated group of students supporting each other. And the Tamworth Centre is incredibly busy."

Mrs Munro said that the Centres, in linking remote students with each other and the University, were an important part of UNE's strategy for engaging with - and contributing to the development of - regional communities. The eight Regional Access Centres are all on local TAFE campuses, and were established in collaboration with New England Institute of TAFE. They are linked to the University's Tamworth Centre and the Armidale campus as part of a broadband communications network linking health and education services in the New England / North West region of NSW.

UNE also has a Centre in Taree (the Manning Valley Centre), which is running a face-to-face study skills workshop for students tomorrow [Saturday 8 March]. Forty names are already on the attendance list for this workshop.

Last year, Mrs Munro's Access Centre team won a citation from the Commonwealth Government's Carrick Institute "for going the extra mile: for sustained teamwork that brings geographically remote and disadvantaged students into our UNE learning community through personalised attention in access centres".

Posted by Jim Scanlan at March 7, 2008 04:55 PM