Following this week’s Regions Rising Summit in Canberra, we explore the role high-quality online education can play in strengthening regional communities, with insights from Economic Development Consultant Paul Cranch and Swinburne Online Director Claire Sadler.
Across regional Australia, people are building skills and gaining qualifications without leaving the careers, families and communities they call home.
Improved digital connectivity, a growing network of study hubs and high-quality online education are expanding access to higher education, helping more people learn where they live and enabling regional communities to retain the talent they need to thrive.
This matters not only for individuals but for Australia. The Universities Accord sets a target of 80 per cent of Australians holding a tertiary qualification by 2050, while the Regional Australia Institute’s Regionalisation Ambition 2032 also highlights the importance of increasing educational participation and workforce capability in regional communities.
Education as a driver of regional prosperity
Education is about more than gaining a qualification. For regional communities working to retain young talent, it also contributes to workforce capability, economic development and community resilience.
Across regional Australia, employers face ongoing skills shortages in areas including teaching, healthcare and community services. Yet many of the people best placed to meet these needs already live in regional communities. For these learners, relocating to study is not always practical. Many are balancing work, family and community commitments, while seeking to gain new skills or qualifications.
High-quality online education provides another pathway, enabling people to access courses that may not be available locally, while continuing to live, work and contribute to their communities. As regional Economic Development Consultant, Paul Cranch explains,
Technology can overcome much of the distance. The next challenge is overcoming the isolation. Digital infrastructure and local support infrastructure need to work together if regional students are not only to access education, but to succeed.”
Online education is expanding access for regional learners, yet misconceptions persist about its quality, the students who choose it and the support they need to succeed.
Over the past 15 years, OES has supported more than 21,000 regional students*, balancing study with work, family and community commitments. This experience has given us a clear understanding of what support regional students need and what drives success. Here we challenge five common assumptions about online education and regional learners.
* Regional students are identified by the postcode of their permanent home residence using the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) system of classification.
Myth one: Online education is a second choice
Online education has long been viewed as a fallback for students who cannot attend a campus. However, many learners actively choose online study because it enables them to pursue higher education while remaining in work, managing caring responsibilities and staying connected to their communities.
Among the regional learners supported by OES, the average age is 34, nearly four in five are women and half come from non-traditional pathways, including VET qualifications and work experience. Many are studying in fields that align closely with regional workforce needs, including education, health, social sciences and psychology.
Claire Sadler, Director of Swinburne Online notes,
Many online students aren’t choosing between campus and online study. They’re choosing between online study and not studying at all. Flexibility isn’t a convenience here. It’s the difference between studying and not studying.”
For Swinburne Online student Beatriz, the flexibility of online learning made it possible to pursue higher education while living and working in regional Victoria.
While completing a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Accounting and Finance, she received a promotion and began working on more complex taxation and finance matters. She credits her studies with helping her develop new skills and confidence in the profession she is passionate about.
Her experience reflects a broader trend among regional learners. For many, online education is not a second choice. When designed and delivered well, it provides a high-quality learning experience that enables people to gain qualifications, develop new skills and pursue new opportunities without putting their employment, family responsibilities or community connections on hold.
Myth two: Regional students need the same pathway
Regional students are often considered a single, uniform group, yet their goals, circumstances, and study preferences vary considerably.
Some students want to attend a regional university campus. Others need access to a specialist course that is offered by an institution outside their region. Some prefer fully online study, while others combine online education with support from a local study hub.
Research from the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success shows that regional and remote students face a range of barriers, including distance, cost, access to technology and practical support from families, schools and communities. These barriers affect students differently, reinforcing the need for multiple pathways into higher education.
Supporting participation therefore requires choice. Regional learners should be able to select a course, institution and mode of study that suit their goals and circumstances.
This does not diminish the importance of regional universities. Regional institutions are significant educators, employers, research partners and civic anchors within their communities. Supporting these universities and expanding options for regional learners are complementary goals, not competing ones.
As Paul Cranch observes,
We should be building a system where strong regional institutions and greater student choice reinforce each other. The measure of success should be whether more regional people can access education, complete qualifications and use those skills to build careers while maintaining strong connections to their communities.”
A strong regional higher education system should enable institutions and learners to succeed, while recognising that students may access education through different pathways.
Myth three: Technology solves the access challenge
Reliable digital infrastructure is essential to expanding access to higher education. It enables regional learners to connect with course content, educators, classmates, professional networks and support services without having to relocate.
But technology alone does not solve the access challenge.
For online education to create a genuine pathway into higher education, it also needs to work for the realities of how people live and study. This means intuitive learning design, meaningful engagement with educators and peers, and support available at times and through channels that fit around work and family commitments.
For over 15 years supporting more than 21,000 regional students, OES has seen how these factors can make the difference between accessing a course and succeeding in it.
Technology can help make learning more responsive to students’ needs but it does not replace human support.
Swinburne Online graduate, Ally completed her degree while travelling around Australia with her partner in a campervan. Technology gave her the flexibility to study from anywhere, and a 24/7 AI learning assistant was available when she needed more information. However, support from her Online Learning Advisors helped her stay connected and engaged throughout her studies.
The OLAs were really helpful and supportive and want you to do well. So, I’ve had a great experience so far.”
Drawing on her experience supporting online learners, Claire Sadler, Director of Swinburne Online, observes,
Technology helps regional students get through the door, but success depends on what happens next. We’ve learned that students are more likely to thrive when they feel connected to their learning, know where to go for help and can access support before small challenges become barriers.”
Myth four: Online students study alone
Online education is flexible, but flexibility does not mean studying alone.
Throughout their studies, online students interact with educators, advisers and classmates throughout their courses. They can also participate in professional networks and peer communities. Many also participate in placements and other local learning opportunities.
For some students, that connection is strengthened through Regional University Study Hubs. These hubs provide study spaces, technology, advice and opportunities to connect with other learners, regardless of where they are enrolled.
Research supported by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success found that dedicated study environments help regional students build confidence and a sense of belonging. It also highlighted the importance of trusted local staff and partnerships between hubs, universities, schools and community organisations.
Drawing on his work with regional study hubs, Paul Cranch explains,
I don’t see Regional University Study Hubs simply as an education initiative. I see them as human-capital infrastructure. They can connect education with employers, career pathways, local workforce priorities and the long-term capability of regional communities.”
Study hubs and online education are not competing models. Together, they can expand access to a broader range of courses while providing the local connection, belonging and support that help students succeed.
Myth five: The benefits belong only to the learner
A qualification can transform an individual’s career, but the benefits of studying in place can extend beyond the individual.
When people can gain qualifications without leaving their communities, employers can retain staff, local industries gain workforce capability and communities retain people with local knowledge, relationships and a long-term stake in their region. Families also avoid the financial and personal costs of relocation.
Research into Regional University Study Hubs supports this broader view, identifying benefits including workforce development, stronger community aspiration and reduced loss of skilled people from regional areas.
Kathryn’s experience illustrates what this can look like in practice. Living in a rural area, she knew regularly travelling to university was not practical. Studying a Master of Teaching (Secondary) with Swinburne Online enabled her to pursue a career in teaching while continuing her life running a 260-acre farm with her husband.
Studying with Swinburne Online has meant that I can pursue something that I really love without sacrificing my lifestyle. Traditional university study was absolutely not an option.”
The fields many regional learners choose to study can also have a direct impact on their communities. Among OES-supported students, many are pursuing qualifications in education, health, psychology, allied health and social sciences—disciplines that contribute directly to community wellbeing and regional workforce capacity.
Studying in place can therefore create benefits that extend well beyond individual opportunity, strengthening the workforce, services and communities that regional Australia relies on.
Expanding opportunity through education
Meeting Australia’s future workforce and skills needs will require many more people to participate in tertiary education. For regional communities, that means giving learners genuine choice about what, where and how they study. Strong regional universities, high-quality online education, reliable digital infrastructure and accessible study hubs each have a role to play.
Together, they can expand educational opportunity while helping regional communities attract, develop and retain the skills they need to thrive.
Reading List
- Australian Universities Accord Final Report
- Regionalisation Ambition 2032, Year 3 Progress Report
- Regionalisation Ambition 2032 full report
- ACSES research on Regional University Study Hubs
- Country Universities Centre Program Evaluation
- ACSES overview of regional and remote student outcomes
Disclosure: AI tools were used to support research and drafting. All content was reviewed, edited and approved by the authors before publication.
