Karen Heenan eMummy Interview

Karen Heenan eMummy Interview

Online study has become the digital version of the traditional mothers group. Thousands of women, every semester, are signing up to study degrees online - many re-training to return to work after being the primary carer for kids, upskilling while on maternity leave and others are finally realising study dreams they had in their 20's a decade later in their 30's.

Swinburne Online, one of Australia's leading online universities (joint partnership between Swinburne University and SEEK.com.au) – has noticed this trend of eMummy's over the last 5 years.

70 - 75% of all students studying with Swinburne Online are women with the highest numbers studying in Education, Criminology, Public Relations and Psychology. 97% of students studying for a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) are women, and for many, parenthood has given them real life -learning credits' before they've even enrolled.

Swinburne Online says most of their female students are juggling careers and study or kids and study, or all 3. The eMummy cohort seeks out like minded students in study groups and actively support each other via social media, sharing their concerns and celebrating their successes. The online community provides informal learning opportunities as important as the formal curriculum and has proven to strengthen their capacity to succeed.

The flip side of the trend is' eMummy teachers' – academics and experts in course delivery who are choosing to teach at online Universities to better work their careers around kids. This is the other side of online learning that has seen mothers flock in droves.

Interview with Karen Heenan

Karen Heenan is an unstoppable Mum of five from Alice Springs. She finished her Criminology degree with Swinburne Online in 2015 and is now an Official Visitor within the Correctional Service sector.


Question: What inspired you to look into online study?

Karen Heenan: I wanted something for myself. That is to say, often it is easy to get caught up in the hectic family life, and forget about taking time out for yourself. Studying online was my time; something I was passionate about, committed to and eager to succeed in.


Question: How did you fit online study around your family?

Karen Heenan: I think paramount to overcoming the challenges, was that of having a supportive husband. Often I would study into the early hours of the morning over the course of the weekend. Thus, my husband would watch the kids when he got up in the morning, so I could go to bed and sleep. It's was a juggling act, but I am so grateful that we worked together to make it happen. Now, I am a Master Criminologist and an Official Visitor within the Correctional Services sector. Plus, I am still studying! Hence, it continues to be an amazing journey.

I needed to be my own self-motivator, however the collaborative nature of the coursework ensures you do not feel isolated in your studies and this is a vital component when you are studying fully online. Also, once I got into a study routine that worked around our family commitments, it became easier.

Question: What did you learn about yourself whilst doing online study?

Karen Heenan: I discovered that when you put your mind to such a huge task, strive towards achieving it and when you do, wow the feeling is amazing. I take absolute pride in the fact that I have achieved such success through sheer hard-work and relentless determination. Interacting with like minds was both stimulating and empowering. Ultimately this interaction (as well as my quest in striving towards my chosen career path), has given me a deeper sense of life-purpose.


Question: What would you say to other Mums looking at online study?

Karen Heenan: The advice I would have for other mums thinking about online study is to embrace the challenge, and do something for yourself.

Interview with Sue Kokonis, Academic Director for OES (Online Education Services) who is the provider of online education for Swinburne Online

Question: How does online study differ from the traditional method?

Sue Kokonis: Online study allows students to study when and where they want. With no contact hours required they have the freedom to continue working, travel the world or look after their families while they study. They can fit it around their busy lives, rather than the other way around.

However, studying online doesn't mean studying alone. All Swinburne Online students have access to support 7- days a week and many women are surprised at how supported and social online learning can be.


Question: How many hours a week are required to complete online study?

Sue Kokonis: This depends entirely on the course and how many units you choose to complete per teaching period. For instance at Swinburne Online, they run on a trimester so deliver three teaching periods a year. It is recommended new students take on two units per teaching period and they can expect to spend 8 hours on one unit per week. Some mums choose to study full time or part time depending on what suits them best and so instead of two units, some just take on one. That's the beauty of online study, you can take on as much or as little as your lifestyle will allow.

Question: Why are Mums embracing online study?

Sue Kokonis: Flexibility is the key attraction. Being able to fit study in and around career and kids makes it accessible to many mums who wouldn't otherwise be able to study. It's very common for our students to be juggling careers and study or kids and study, or all 3! Our students are pretty impressive at multi-tasking - clearly a skill they've honed as mothers!

The average age of a Swinburne Online students is 32. They've often left school and gone straight into the workforce, but have had a dream of studying to be something else. They either weren't ready to study earlier, or have hit a ceiling in their current occupation and want to go further, or have been focusing on their families. In their 30's they are looking to realise their dreams.

Mums are so time bound so if they have an evening free or the kids are being watched by family or friends, they don't have time for procrastination. For many it's also a journey of self-discovery, e.g. they never realised they would be good at studying. It's very exciting to hear women becoming empowered through their learning. It's particularly humbling meeting them at graduation with their support team (parents, partners, children or friends) in tow and hearing of their dedication and commitment. Many have overcome setbacks along the way but have persevered and re-entered the workforce with a degree of confidence and resilience they didn't have before. There are lots of discussions at graduation about studying further too!


Question: How does Swinburne Online support parents?

Sue Kokonis: Student support is central to everything at Swinburne Online.

We see a lot of parents studying online courses seeking out like-minded students (often other parents) in study groups. They understand each other's challenges and actively support each other via social media, sharing their concerns and celebrating their successes. Swinburne Online has realised that this type of informal learning strengthens a student's capacity to succeed. We have put in place a very supportive learning environment. Online tutors respond to students within 24 hours and they can access on the spot general academic support via live chat, email and phone 7 days a week including evenings. The last 12 months we have also introduced a Student Success Team that reach out to our students to support them in overcoming any study challenges. Overall students have been very receptive to this, and have commented that support with time management, staying motivated and setting manageable goals has been really helpful.


Question: How can women go about applying for online study?

Sue Kokonis: We encourage anyone thinking of studying online to visit our website, where you can chat to one of our Course Consultants online immediately, or call us on 1300 069 765 to have all your questions answered.

Link: https://www.swinburneonline.edu.au/university/contact-us

Interview by Brooke Hunter