A Pipe Dream? Cost-effective Support for Enabling Students Studying Online

Enabling programs and online learning are two key tools for meeting the Federal Government’s agenda of widening and increasing participation in higher education in Australia. When the two are combined, however, the results are often poor with many enabling students lacking the fundamental study-skills required to operate successfully in the online environment. Providing effective and targeted support for such students in tight University budgetary environments can also be challenging. This paper looks at some preliminary findings from a small pilot program in Tasmania, where community volunteers were recruited to mentor enabling students through their first encounter with higher education. Early indications from this pilot are that the provision of community volunteer mentors does have the capacity to provide efficient and effective support for this cohort.