ICT and the effectiveness of flexible provision of higher education in Australia

There is a widely held view in Australia and elsewhere, that the providers of higher education need to devise more flexible ways of reaching students (see for example The Web-Based Education Commission, 2000). This paper reports on an investigation of the effectiveness of models of flexible provision of higher education in Australia. The study grew out of a concern about the effectiveness of flexible provision initiatives in affording study choices to students, particularly those in non-metropolitan regions of Australia. The ten cases of flexible provision chosen for close investigation were ones that provide higher education programs for students in non-metropolitan regions of Australia. The research questions were framed as: Are differing models of flexible provision of higher education apparent in Australia? Are models identified effective in the provision of higher education? The latter question includes the concept of cost effectiveness. This paper focuses on those aspects of the study of flexible provision of higher education in Australia which relate to utilisation of information and communication technologies (ICT). The paper describes the methodology employed in the study, addresses current understandings of the issues involved, depicts the findings and summarises the conclusions and recommendations arising from the study.