Characteristics of a supportive context for distributed learning

The University of Wollongong opened a new campus and
two education access centres on the South Coast of
New South Wales, Australia. The Faculty of Arts
implemented a new degree as part of this initiative
and the first year of implementation of this new
degree is the focus of this study. The purpose of
the study was to inform policy and practice at the
University of Wollongong and to contribute to the
small body of research in the area.
The study indicated that the distributed learning
context is affected not only by the local
implementation of teaching and learning, but also by
the context of the wider university. The study
revealed the need for an institutional response to
the distributed learning context with documented
procedures and policy developments to reflect the
changing needs of the staff and students. The study
provides recommendations to improve the
implementation process for ne winitiatives to ensure
sustainability. The study may also have relevance to
other institutions embarking on similar ventures,
and areas for future research are suggested.

Autorentext
Dr Geraldine Lefoe is Senior Lecturer at the University of Wollongong. Her research focuses on distributive leadership in higher education and innovative educational technologies. She is Vice-President of ascilite and has co-led invited research on engagement with repositories for the Australian Learning and Teaching Council in Australia.

Klappentext
The University of Wollongong opened a new campus and two education access centres on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The Faculty of Arts implemented a new degree as part of this initiative and the first year of implementation of this new degree is the focus of this study. The purpose of the study was to inform policy and practice at the University of Wollongong and to contribute to the small body of research in the area. The study indicated that the distributed learning context is affected not only by the local implementation of teaching and learning, but also by the context of the wider university. The study revealed the need for an institutional response to the distributed learning context with documented procedures and policy developments to reflect the changing needs of the staff and students. The study provides recommendations to improve the implementation process for ne winitiatives to ensure sustainability. The study may also have relevance to other institutions embarking on similar ventures, and areas for future research are suggested.