Charles Sturt University (CSU) has announced plans to develop a massive open online course (MOOC) to help increase participation in tertiary education by students from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds.
The project to develop the course, titled What’s Uni Like?, is being funded by the Australian Government through its Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP), and is being designed to address the key areas of academic writing and reading, student expectations, and digital literacy and online learning skills.
What’s Uni Like? will provide a free, widely accessible source of information and development by which participants can build pre-tertiary achievement levels and explore aspects of the transition to university.
Developed and piloted during 2014, the course will be launched in Australia in mid-2015. The development of What’s Uni Like? is being informed by current research and best practice, and in particular by the national Office for Learning and Teaching-funded project on the Effective Teaching and Support of Students from Low SES Backgrounds.
Craig Billingham, CSU’s MOOC project manager, is seeking contact with other interested stakeholders, particularly representatives of high schools, tertiary admissions centres, and university aspiration programs.
For further information, please feel free to contact Craig by telephone on (02) 6338 6189 or via email cbillingham@csu.edu.au.
