Local, face-to-face support offers a lifeline for uni students in regional and remote Australia
- Written by Cathy Stone, Conjoint Associate Professor, School of Humanities & Social Science, University of Newcastle
For university students living out of reach of a campus and studying online, the growing presence of Regional University Centres is proving to be a lifeline in times of COVID-19. An early evaluation shows these centres in regional and remote Australia are highly effective in supporting students who have been historically under-represented at university and are at high risk of not completing courses. As one student said:
“I probably would not have persisted with the course if I had not seen [their centre’s learning skills adviser] to help me.”
Managed locally by indepedent, not-for-profit boards formed from community members, the number of centres has grown to 26 around the country. These centres collaborate with universities to offer face-to-face learning communities for students in regional and remote areas. Within each centre are quiet study spaces, computers, internet, study support and the company of peers.
Read more: We can put city and country people on more equal footing at uni — the pandemic has shown us how