320 Copyright © 2015, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 19 Open Universities Australia: The Evolution of Open Access and Online Education Opportunities ABSTRACT This chapter analyses the history of, and future directions for, higher education studies undertaken through Open Universities Australia (OUA), Australia’s unique higher education conduit. Founded to provide open access to units that allow individuals to undertake individual units or achieve qualifcations from leading Australian universities, and supported by a federal government student loans scheme, OUA’s experience and future plans provide signifcant insight into the potential and pitfalls of the technologi- cal innovation in both higher education distance, and increasingly, on-campus, teaching and learning. The need for an ongoing emphasis on innovation, adaptability, and cooperation in an extraordinarily rapidly changing environment is highlighted. INTRODUCTION The early foundations of Open Universities Aus- tralia (OUA) are grounded in traditional distance education–with OUA’s early beginnings being overlaid with a media centred approach through a specifically developed series of television programs. Since these early inceptions, OUA has grown to be Australia’s largest online higher education provider. Initially founded with the key support of the Australian government, OUA acts as a broker of higher education units for seven shareholder universities (Curtin Univer- sity, Griffith University, Macquarie University, Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology and University of South Australia) and eleven other public and private education and training providers. Offering more Michael Crock Open Universities Australia (OUA), Australia Janet Baker Open Universities Australia (OUA), Australia Skye Turner-Walker Open Universities Australia (OUA), Australia DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-7230-7.ch019