The University of New South Wales in Sydney has announced a partnership with Keypath Education to broaden its digital learning portfolio.
The partnership will lead to the launch of new fully-online master’s degrees early next year.
“Digital education facilitates a global experience,” says Geoffrey Crisp, UNSW pro vice-chancellor education.
“Our students need to be able to engage with other students, industry, and community groups or organisations all around the world, and our technology will enable them to do that.”
“Digital education facilitates a global experience”
Keypath Education CEO Steve Fireng said the partnership will be powered by the pursuit of a common goal.
“Our partnership with UNSW is exciting because our missions align. UNSW is Australia’s Global University and our mission is to create global access to online learning,” he said.
“Students no longer have to attend a classroom to learn. Today, they can have that experience on their laptop or smartphone wherever they may be and interact with someone in another part of the world.”
A focus on online learning opportunities is in fact part of the university’s strategic vision and is one of the objectives of its Inspired Learning Initiative, a five-year program dedicated to supporting the educational aspect of the UNSW’s 2025 Strategic Plan to position itself as “Australia’s Global University”.
As part of ILI, UNSW has already redesigned 70 courses for blended delivery and it planning to transform a total of 600 courses over the next five years.
Demand for online postgraduate learning, the university said in a statement, is also increasing for mid-career professionals juggling work, family and other commitments.
The first master’s programs to be made fully online next year will be those in Business and Engineering.
Keypath Australia and Asia-Pacific CEO said in a press release that a”user-friendly, intuitive and accessible” is paramount for students to have a quality learning experience online.
“Students aren’t comparing their online education experience to their experience on campus; they are comparing it to their online banking experience or their online real estate experience,” he said.
“With UNSW we have the opportunity to take best-of-breed from an academic and university perspective, and our expertise in online learning, and bring them together to continue to push the boundaries of what can be done in online learning.”
Keypath Education partners include Aston University and the University of Exeter in the UK, Victoria University and RMIT University in Australia and Baylor University and Florida State University in the US.