The urbanization of distance education in Australia

This article explores the changing nature of P–12 distance education, from its traditional roots of rural and remote students to urban students seeking an alternative to conventional school. The present study examined distance education in the Australian context, focusing on Queensland, through a semistructured survey of parents (n = 43) across three distance education schools. This study explored the child’s learning location, context, and academic and social engagement as determined by the parent. In addition, this study examined the reasons why parents selected distance education over a conventional day school. Findings from this study indicated a high uptake of distance education by families residing in large regional and urban settings. This data contrasts the traditional roots and the common understanding of distance education in Australia. This article further explores factors contributing to the growth of distance education. It presents current and future trends that may respond to distance education students' changed demographics and learning needs.