The online delivery of VET during COVID-19: part 1

About

This project will provide a picture of how the VET system has responded to the changing landscape and uncertainty the pandemic has brought in terms of how training is delivered.

This report, the first of two reports for this project, investigates the extent to which RTOs shifted to online training delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. It compares the incidence of online training delivery during 2020 with pre-pandemic figures from 2019, and includes an examination of training type and subject result during these periods.

The report also highlights key findings from a joint NCVER and ASQA survey of RTOs, describing their journey with regards to how training was delivered pre-pandemic, delivery in 2020 and any implications this has on future plans for training delivery.

Summary

About the research

Efforts to contain COVID-19 through lockdowns and social distancing prompted swift changes to the delivery of vocational education and training (VET), with questions subsequently arising about the impact of this rapid transition on students and trainers/assessors. This report, the first of two, presents the initial findings on the transition to online delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this rapid shift could affect plans for the future delivery of online training and assessment. These early insights have been informed by an analysis of total VET activity (TVA) data for 2019 and 2020, as well as by preliminary findings from an online survey of registered training organisations (RTOs), administered in collaboration with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).

Key messages

• There was a strong response from the VET sector to COVID-19 restrictions, with the number of subjects delivered online increasing by about 24% between 2019 and 2020.
• The shift to online training delivery was more pronounced for government-funded subject enrolments than for those funded via domestic fee-for-service arrangements (increases of 40.4% and 15.7%, respectively):
  • The increase in relation to government-funded subject enrolments in 2020 was more pronounced as fewer of these subjects were delivered online only in 2019 compared with domestic fee-for-service subjects (897 100 and 1 660 000 respectively).
  • In 2020, there were an additional 159 600 enrolments in online-only government-funded stand-alone subjects, i.e. subjects not delivered as part of a nationally recognised program, which increased from 4.7% of all government-funded online-only training in 2019 to 16.0% in 2020.
• This move to online training in response to COVID-19 was further reflected in the survey responses of RTOs, with most (75.2%) having transitioned at least some of their training and assessment online.
• Approximately 12 months on from the commencement of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, online training is still being offered in areas where it had not previously been, with around 71% of surveyed RTOs having maintained at least some of this initial shift to online training.
• The intention to maintain an increased level of online training and assessment is relatively high, with more than 61% of RTOs surveyed indicating they would be more likely to use blended learning in the future.

The next stage of this project will investigate in more depth the transition to online by RTOs, including future plans for online delivery.

Executive summary

This report, the first of two reports for this project, explores the vocational education and training (VET) sector’s response to COVID-19 through the increasing use of online training and assessment. The overall objective of this two-report study is to investigate the immediate response to COVID-19 by examining the transition from a face-to-face learning environment to online training and assessment. The study also aims to understand how registered training organisations (RTOs) navigated the changes necessitated by the pandemic.

The two data sources informing this report are total VET activity (TVA) data for 2019 and 2020 and high-level findings from an online survey of RTOs, administered in collaboration with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). The intention of this report is to provide an initial indication of how the VET sector responded to COVID-19.

Response to COVID-19

The data clearly reflect the VET sector’s quick and decisive response to COVID-19 and its transition to online delivery.^[1] The number of subjects delivered online only (external delivery mode) increased by almost 24% between 2019 and 2020.^[2] Increases in subjects delivered with combined delivery modes, whereby online delivery was included as at least one component of this mode, were also reported.

This substantial shift was also evident in the survey of RTOs, with approximately three-quarters (75.2%) of those who delivered face-to-face training prior to COVID-19 moving at least some of their training and assessment online in response to the pandemic. Around one-third (34.3%) of this group transferred certain subjects/units to online delivery, as opposed to full programs. The main barriers to transitioning to online training and assessment before, and in response to the pandemic, are not dissimilar. These barriers were consistently identified as subject matter being unsuitable for online delivery and online delivery not being suitable for students.

The TVA data identified that the shift to online delivery differed by funding source, with an increase of approximately 40% for government-funded subjects delivered only online between 2019 and 2020, while domestic fee-for-service subject enrolments increased by close to 16%. Although the difference between these two funding sources is noticeable, the number of government-funded subjects delivered only online in 2019 was much lower than for domestic fee-for-service (897 100 compared with 1 660 000), which results in the percentage increases in 2020 appearing more pronounced for government-funded subjects.

Investigations of the type of training associated with these online-subject enrolments showed that for government-funded enrolments the increase occurred in stand-alone subjects, i.e. subjects not delivered as part of a nationally recognised program, which increased from 4.7% of all government-funded online-only training in 2019 to 16.0% in 2020.

Declines in total subject enrolments were noted across most training types in 2020, with the exception of training package skill sets, which recorded an increase of 11.2% (roughly 25 800 subject enrolments). In relation to training package skill sets delivered only online, this increase was even greater, at 193.8%. New South Wales reported the majority (63.7%) of these online-only enrolments in training package skill sets, followed by Queensland (21.4%) and Victoria (10.3%).

In terms of subject result, there was a decline of 5% in the proportion of subject enrolments recording a pass result in 2020, while continuing studies increased by more than 3%. No reportable differences for subject result when examined by funding source were identified.

Now and into the future

Approximately 12 months after the commencement of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, only about one-quarter (25.1%) of the surveyed RTOs who had transferred some face-to-face training online had reverted fully to their pre-COVID-19 approach to training.

The survey findings demonstrate a strong pattern of RTOs continuing to offer online training in areas where it was not available prior to COVID-19. More than one-third (35.5%) of respondents had only partially returned to their pre-COVID-19 approach to training delivery, while 23.3% were expanding online delivery, with a further 11.9% continuing to operate at the same level as their initial shift online.

The ongoing and increased level of online delivery identified through the survey is reflected in the plans held by many survey respondents. More than 61% of RTOs who transitioned to at least some training online in response to COVID-19 indicated they would be more likely to use blended learning in the future.

Stage two of this study

The findings highlighted in this first report, along with ongoing feedback from project stakeholders, are informing the remaining elements of this project. The final report will bring together findings from TVA data, further analyses of the online survey and key outcomes from interviews with RTOs and the National Student Outcomes Survey.

Footnotes

1. The terms ‘online’ and ‘online only’ have been used in this report as a proxy for the AVETMISS field ‘external’.
2. Although the administrative data subject enrolments demonstrate a shift to online training, further investigations of administrative data and survey data reveal that the extent of this transition may be larger than shown in the data if enrolment data is not updated to reflect a shift after commencement of training.