Online learning and teacher education: The experiences of Indigenous teacher education students

Abstract

Online learning is an integral component of higher education delivery at Charles Darwin University, a regional university located in the Northern Territory, Australia. This paper draws on data obtained through the conversational method of ‘yarning’ (Bessarab & Ng’andu, 2010) with five Indigenous teacher education students about their experiences in online learning at CDU. Analysis of the data revealed their experiences were impacted by issues related to access and mode of study and the advantages of online learning were offset by a sense of isolation when studying fully online. This paper draws from data obtained from a broader Educational Design Research study that explored the experiences of Indigenous higher education students across a range of disciplines and the implications of these experiences for the design of online learning environments.