Reflecting on two decades of online and blended learning at an Australian multi-campus university

This article examines the evolution of online and blended learning at an Australian multi-campus university over the past 20 years. Central Queensland University is based in regional Australia, but it has campuses and study centers across the country. The university has served a large population of on-campus and off-campus students since 1972 — well before the advent of online learning. This chapter focuses on developments in online and blended learning within a single course at Central Queensland University, the Bachelor of Digital Media, which was established in 1997. The discussion is presented from the perspective of an insider who co-founded the course and coordinated it for most of its existence. In order to provide a well-rounded picture, this chapter considers several practical aspects of teaching online and blended classes, how those practices have changed over time, and the reasons for those changes.