Why would you pay higher uni fees when MOOCs abound?

By Beverley Head. University technology courses are caught in a vice with free online courses squeezing from the left and the government’s planned higher education changes from the right.  While the “demand driven” tertiary education model announced in the federal budget means universities can accept unlimited numbers of students and charge what they want, information and communication technology (ICT) courses are in a bind.  The budget’s extension of tuition subsidies to people studying with registered private providers, coupled with a growing range of free or inexpensive massive open online courses (MOOCs) by reputable providers, means that Australian universities are expecting unprecedented competition and don’t expect to be able to hike ICT course fees. More...