​Access to good quality, impactful courses that lead to new or improved opportunities for students is what drives Chisholm Online. This is never more so when reflecting on the barriers that face regional students.

Research shows that the barriers regional students face from moving away from home, separating from friends and family networks to the higher cost of living in metropolitan areas are a significant deterrent to higher education (ACER 2011**).

The above is fairly obvious point but what tends to get forgotten is the impact 'brain-drain' can have on our regional communities.

Students who leave regional areas to study in larger cities are unlikely to return to their hometown, with an average of 74% remaining in cities after graduation. (Hillman and Rothman 2007, referenced in ACER 2011**). 

At Chisholm Online we are very mindful of this, thus our key factors when developing our online courses are: 

• Pay attention to who the student is. This includes their background, what their aspirations are and what support do they need to get there.

• Provide students with the opportunity to connect with a teacher and with other students.

• Use appropriate technologies that are available to us and to the student to deliver a learning program that is interesting, engaging and focussed on defined outcomes.

Above all, connected learning and building courses that encourage collaboration provide the best chance of supporting students in meeting their goals and aspirations. This is important for all students and especially so for regional students who now have the opportunity to access  courses that are  respected by industry and delivered by the Australian and Victorian large training provider of the year.​

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** ACER (2011) 'Higher education & community benefits: The role of regional provision', Joining the Dots, Research Briefing, Vol 1, No. 5, September 2011.​