While the pain of the pandemic has not been spread evenly over the higher education sector, Professor Tania Broadley said all institutions will be aiming for a mix of quality online and in-person learning experiences which do not compromise student outcomes.

"Questions are being raised around how do we promote the value of the campus experience, and how do we provide the best student experience with a focus on the most appropriate mode of learning?" she said.

"They are big key questions that I don't think we've ever really asked ourselves. We've always intended to do that. But this has really triggered, I think, an immediate response where we need to now start looking at does the learning and teaching need to be in physical specialist spaces for the most success? Or do the staff and students have the best experience in an online or remote way?"

Professor Broadley said over the past 15 years the higher education sector was already on a trajectory of increasingly turning to online and flexible teaching to capture a broad range of student needs, from school leavers to mature-age students. Short courses were also a being used to cater for short-term skills gaps.

"I think a lot of work has been done over many years leading into this pandemic time to be able to ensure that time has been spent wisely in classrooms and in physical spaces," she said.

"And it really does depend on the discipline and the pedagogical need but in a way, the pandemic has really heightened the need for flexibility, and I think has positioned us to be more strategic in our approach to course offerings. And that is really to ensure that they are attractive to students, but also that they meet the evolving needs of our industry and government partners."

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Professor Broadley will commence her new role in mid-February, moving from RMIT where she currently holds the positions of associate deputy vice-chancellor learning and teaching, and interim dean of education.

University of Canberra vice-chancellor Paddy Nixon said Professor Broadley would be driving the way the university taught and engaged students over the next three years.

"The first step at the moment is we'll just be moving a little bit away from large-scale lectures and more to tutorials and workshops, et cetera. But her job is around the framework so that we actually have an exceptional teaching experience," Professor Nixon said.

Professor Broadley's PhD research was focused on rural and remote education and how technology could be used to access quality professional learning for teachers. Her research broadened out to examine the role of government reforms in teacher education, online learning and building resilience in pre-service teachers.

"With my background of coming out of a remote population myself and growing up in one and achieving a university education, I'm really committed to equity and access to all populations in higher education and the University of Canberra aligns with my values," she said.

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