E-learning: Development of a Fully Online 4th Year Psychology Program

Traditionally, education and training has been restricted to major cities and centers in Australia, and the approach adopted to address the demands in remote areas has relied on migration incentives of already trained professionals to these locations. However, offering education and training directly to remote areas may provide better outcomes. This chapter describes the development of the Graduate Diploma of Psychology Advanced, a final (4th) year accredited program in psychology, which is the first in Australia to offer professional training in psychology in a fully online and flexible mode. The course aims to relieve the bottleneck of 4th year and expand access to education across Australia. The chapter describes the course’s development and structure, and potentially transferable technological and online teaching and learning innovations. The chapter also presents learning analytic data on engagement with learning materials and course satisfaction, as well as provides key learnings as discussion points. It is anticipated that the chapter will aid in the design and development of other online courses that comprise both coursework and research components. The chapter shows that quality education can be made accessible online to those who are unable to enroll in traditional learning courses, due to location, work, and family commitments, or other personal reasons, to meet professional, personal, industry, and community needs.