Published: 6th February 2020.
Written by Melinda Irvine
The novel coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, at the end of last year is causing issues all over the globe, with the World Health Organisation declaring a global health emergency on 30 January. Read on to learn a bit more about the outbreak and how it can affect your learning.
What is the novel coronavirus?
The World Health Organization defines a coronavirus as:
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses found in both animals and humans. Some infect people and are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
A novel coronavirus is a new strain of coronavirus never before identified in humans. This current novel coronavirus is known as 2019-nCoV. The outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
How does the novel coronavirus affect Australian education?
Like other countries around the world trying to stop the spread of this dangerous strain, Australia announced it was closing its borders from 1 February to anybody who lives in or has recently been to China. Such actions can have huge impacts on a range of industries and facets of life, one of which is education.
International students make up a massive portion of the Australian university system, with an estimated 200,000 arriving to the country each year. With the newly implemented travel ban barring students from China coming to Australia, the sector could be facing losses approaching an enormous $8 billion with no Chinese students participating in the first semester of 2020.
Of course it's not just the bottom line of universities that could be hurt by the outbreak. Students themselves could see their futures altered. By missing out on a semester of learning, scholarly timelines can be pushed back, with some programs only offering courses at certain times of the year.
What you can do to continue your studies
If you're an international or domestic student already in Australia affected by the novel coronavirus and don't want to pause your learning, you can always turn to taking courses online to stay on track.
One of the benefits of studying externally is you can do it not only on your own time, but also on your own terms. That means continuing your online Diploma of Accounting or online Diploma of Information Technology Networking without interruption or fear of this potentially dangerous virus influencing your scholarly pursuits. Many of these courses are compatible with university degrees in traditional brick and mortar institutions, so you don't have to put your life on hold due to this virus outbreak.
Contact us to learn more about how studying online can help you progress your learning in the face of the novel coronavirus.