An analysis of Australian online third-party arrangements: past, current and future.

This paper is a retrospective look at the last ten years of development in online third-party arrangements within the Australian higher education sector. A total of 42 higher education providers are reviewed. The analysis initially focuses on the state of online third-party arrangements in Australian higher education. It then investigates the current scale of partnership arrangements these universities have with third-party companies that offer education technology platforms to deliver online courses. The analysis indicates that online third-party arrangements are likely to grow in post COVID-19 context. However, despite the scale of the activities, this paper reveals that better data collection and reporting are needed to inform third-party education delivery at the national level. The paper highlights the need for universities to set and monitor standards for the courses delivered in an online third-party arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]