New study hub for regional university students opens in Denmark

The Great Southern Universities Centre has expanded its services to Denmark by opening a new dedicated study space for online students.

The study hub, located within the Denmark Community Resource Centre, opened its doors to online students last week.

Up to six students can access the study room which has couches, desks, monitors, keyboards, free wi-fi and a printer available for use.

All students need to bring is their own laptop to plug into the monitors.

“There is a demand for a dedicated study space for students who are completing university study in Denmark,” GSUC learning support co-ordinator Rumeena Nizam said.

“Before us there wasn’t a free dedicated space for them, they would have to find places to study and it would incur a cost to them.

“There was a need to provide educational support and facilities free of charge for regional students studying an online university course.”

Undergraduate enrolment from regional and remote based students has increased by 48 per cent since 2008, according to the Universities Australia’s 2020 Higher Education Facts and Figures report.

However, people living major cities are almost twice as likely to have a university degree compared with those living in regional and remote areas across Australia.

The educational attainment rate in the regions was 24 per cent compared with 45.5 per cent in major cities in 2019.

Ms Nizam said regional students were more likely to disengage from their studies compared with those from Perth.

“It’s a big thing that they don’t engage as much as the metro counterparts in tertiary study and even after engaging the drop-out rate is much higher,” she said.

“That percentage creates a huge gap in the skill capacity in the region, compared to the metro counterpart.

“We wanted to create a way to bridge the gap and to also increase opportunities for regional students to access university study in an easier and cost-effective way.”

Ms Nizam will occasionally travel to Denmark to provide face-to-face support for students

To access the free study space, register at gsunicentre.edu.au.