Foundations for Good Practice: The Student Experience of Online Learning in Australian Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In response to the emergence of the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic, and actions taken by the Commonwealth and State Governments to contain its spread through restrictions on international and domestic travel and imposition of social distancing in public places, Australian higher education providers had to rapidly transition their teaching programs to online or remote learning and assessment if their students' participation and progress were not to be disrupted. This report is a high-level thematic analysis of summaries of student experience surveys conducted by 118 Australian higher education providers in the first half of 2020. It outlines positive and negative aspects of the transition identified by students, to support providers in addressing concerns. The study shows that a great deal of effort was put into making the transition to online or remote learning as good as possible and that this was recognised and greatly appreciated by students. While the information forwarded by the providers was overwhelmingly positive, a significant percentage of survey respondents indicated that they did not wish to continue with remote study and wished to return to a face-to-face experience as soon as possible.