Inspiration for this group

[Gil Hardwick]

What inspired the formation of this group is our success here in Western Australia in establishing regional integrated campus through this vast state in order to service the needs of far-flung communities.

Here in Margaret River I was privileged to have been a member of the Centre for Wine Excellence Policy Board through all the formative years, culminating in 2004 in our having spent some 12.3 million dollars to build an integrated TAFE/University campus attached to Margaret River Senior High School. It barely needs to be said that within the same precinct lies Margaret River Primary School.

The four partners in the project are Curtin UNiversity, Edith Cowan University, WA College of Technical and Further Education, and Margaret River Senior High School.

What has made the project possible, and viable in its day to day operations, is of course the Internet. But secondly and of no less importance is that it takes students out of the major city-based Universities and locates them right here in the midst of their respective industries.

Rather than spending the whole year on campus, inside the traditional lecture theatres, seminars and tutorials with a mandatory five weeks a year field trip to see what is actually happening out here in the real world, our students are now immersed in the day to day practicality of work, attending to their studies during normal class hours and/or lecture times, and of course not forgetting the hours spent in the various laboratories.

It is this experience I would like to share with you all. Student outcomes have surpassed our expectations, and the integration of the whole learning experience now through K12 before streaming off into technical and adult education on the one hand, and undergraduate and post-graduate studies on the other, with the option to swap over at any time.

Above all, the general improvement in the town is both tangible and inspiring. Having come from being a small rural service village 20 years ago the town has become a major centre of learning. The initial $12.3 million investment translated into a $60 million benefit taking the multiplier effect into account, and on top of that the annual trade benefit in education export dollars, student services and accommodation, and flow on benefit to industry, has trebled the local economy within the same period with barely a 25% increase in population.

I would argue that we can export this model to anywhere in the world, and build resilient and capable communities through this same emphasis on integrated life-long learning that has proven so successful here in rural and remote Australia.

I look forward very much to your ongoing enthusiasm and discussion.

Gil

[Gil Hardwick]

What I would like to see here is some discussion on the situation in other countries, primarily across the southern hemisphere since we all share the colonial experience in common, but there are also areas of the northern hemisphere which are developing, as well as developing areas within 'developed' countries.

I think what we are witnessing here is the culmination of the old, Western, centre-periphery model of world development toward a more highly integrated network model of interdependency and mutual collaboration.

For this reason the integrated network approach to education and learning is far more suitable than the remote, often alienated ivory towers of the traditional university campus.

Please let us all know your thoughts and experiences. Looking through the member list I see a great deal of talent, and I am sure the discussion will bear a lot of fruit.

Kindest regards,

Gil