Digital learning instead of face-to-face teaching Australian university abolishes lectures
"Digital learning activities" instead of attending lectures: In Australia, the first major university has announced a move away from traditional campus life. Staff react with horror.
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- A new university created from two large universities will open in Australia in 2026.
- There will be no more face-to-face teaching: Lectures will be replaced with digital learning.
- The South Australian academic workers' union is appalled by the plans: they would mean the "death of campus culture".
In Australia, two of the largest universities are currently being merged: The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia will become Adelaide University. The process should be completed in 2026 and the new university should officially open its doors.
However, it is questionable how many people will even walk through those gates. This is because the university's administration has decided to take a drastic step towards digital learning: traditional lectures will no longer be held on campus.
According to the Guardian, they are to be replaced by "rich digital learning activities" whose "teaching scope will be equivalent to that of traditional lectures".
Union warns of "death of campus culture"
Students would work independently. The program would use "high-quality digital resources that students can access anytime, anywhere". The move is justified by the fact that "most students" would no longer attend readings in person anyway.
Dr. Andrew Miller, a representative of the South Australian Union of Higher Education Employees, described the reaction of the affected teaching staff as "extremely angry". The union called for an immediate reversal of the decision, which union president Dr. Alison Barnes said was "the death of campus culture".
"So many students have contacted me with questions before or after the readings," Barnes said. "What is a 'rich digital learning activity'? The removal of the human from the classroom?" The abolition of traditional readings means an "erosion of academic integrity".
