One of the key recommendations from GAP’s Tertiary Music Education Task Force report to the Federal Government was to improve opportunities for regional music education though the development of a framework for online collaboration between Australia's music teaching institutions, using the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Online learning has blossomed in the past decade, particularly in niche markets such as degrees for mid-career professionals or military personnel, continuing education certificate programs and specialised subject areas such as music.
There is real potential for Australia to host an online facility for music education, offering improved services for students in outlying areas of the country and worldwide.
Ownership
Many of the earliest online schemes evolved from commercial or philanthropic distance learning programs which communicated with students by mail and phone. In the mid-1990s, business corporations recognised the potential of online learning and began to develop these small, boutique universities into much larger concerns.
Walden University in the USA is owned by
Laureate Inc., for instance, while the
University of Phoenix is owned by the
Apollo group and
Kaplan University is a
Washington Post enterprise.
Traditional universities also began to offer programs blending distance and face-to-face education and, in some cases, created whole degree programs online to parallel their traditional offerings. More recently, independent and for-profit companies have taken up contracts with State departments and universities to manage their online programs on their behalf.
The online programs offer flexibility in scheduling, operational efficiencies and compressed time frames. However, because some programs have been of poor academic quality, and students have been able to secure low-interest student loans and grants to support their studies, state and federal governments in the US have been scrutinising commercial offerings and considering legislation to regulate the industry. Keen to protect their academic reputation, the more respected for-profit colleges have welcomed some of the proposed legislation.
Given improvements in broadband provision, an international approach can now be taken in the provision of high quality distance education. Australia could be highly competitive in this area, although visa issues and residency requirements would need to be addressed.
Accreditation
The headquarters of the proposed music institution might logically be located where accreditation is to be sought. Centralised services such as course development, enrolment management, business, registrar and student services, online library and administration should be located at this headquarters, but as the institution grows branch offices to represent particular constituencies or cultural needs would develop. Collaboration and cooperation between business and academic interests should characterise decision-making in the institution.
Faculty
Most online degree programs are initially staffed by part-time faculty, however, over time the percentage of full-time faculty members usually increases. The scheduling of instruction is easier when the availability of key faculty members is predictable and minor administrative and supervisory tasks can be assigned to full-time members. Accreditation bodies often require a minimum number full-time faculty, often around 10% of the total staff.
When online institutions are founded or a new line of degree programs is initiated, 'star' faculty are sometimes hired as a marketing aid. Announcements of such appointments need to be carefully constructed to avoid creating a misleading impression that every student will work with one of these 'stars'. Such faculty members might undertake some broad or occasional instructional roles but often cannot undertake a regular course load. The hiring plan should include a mix of such high profile performers and professionals with a heavier teaching load.
A faculty development program should be designed from the outset to improve the online teaching skills of faculty members and underline their responsibilities. Instituting such measures after faculty members have worked for the program for some time can provoke strong resistance. The success of online programs depends on regular presence in the online classroom, personal engagement with students and effective and responsive feedback. Casual teaching habits that might merely create difficulties in a face-to-face setting can be highly destructive in an online program.
There is no shortage of highly qualified music professors available and skilled in distance learning. The
Sydney Conservatorium of Music has undertaken regular distance teaching collaborations with partners in London and New York and successfully delivered music lessons to Darwin for several years. Such a fresh approach to the supervision of Higher Degree Awards could reap both financial and academic rewards for all concerned.
Media
Start-up programs frequently use open-source software for reasons of economy and accessibility. These include teaching platforms such as Moogle, email programs (Yahoo or Hotmail), discussion forums (Wikis) and portfolio systems (Mahara). However, free software often proves insufficient to meet the communication and administrative needs of a growing institution, leading to the purchasing of propitiatory software systems which can be customised and supported by the vendor. Eventually, these software systems become unique to an institution and offer social media interfaces, sophisticated and differentiated communication systems and learning management systems to track faculty performance as well as individual student progress. There are difficulties and challenges at each transition point, not least because many students and faculty members prove hesitant to try new media methods. Faculty and student training and development programs at these points are therefore indispensable. Platforms such as Epsilon and other software designed specifically for supporting online institutions are now readily available and require only minor initial revisions for particular institutions and international outreach.
A global music institute could draw upon a distinguished range of international professors and meet niche interests with global expertise. Alternatively, a national Music University could leverage opportunities for all students, and reduce costs and overheads without reducing the number of students able to study music.
The Australian music education sector should look to internationalise its market through the use of currently available “High Density Technology” and is well placed to embrace the educational opportunities of the future.
This article was co-authored by Professor Iris Yob, Director of the Center of Teaching and Learning at Walden University, USA.
Prof Kim Walker is the Dean of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and one of the world's most celebrated bassoonists, a prolific recording artist, and a respected teacher and administrator. Trained in the United States and then Switzerland, Professor Walker has toured as a soloist with many of Europe's leading orchestras since 1982, working with such conductors as Ashkenazy, Solti, Bernstein, Rattle and Dorati. With 23 solo CDs to her name, Walker’s interest in both classical and modern composers has also made her a regular guest at many of the world's most prestigious festivals. She was the founding artistic director of the Archigny chamber music festival in France, and before moving to Sydney was both the Professor of Music and Director of Arts and Outreach at Indiana University, Bloomington. Prof Walker gives frequent masterclasses and has seen her students celebrated in orchestras around the world.
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