Restrictions ease but remote learning still the norm The Age. A survey of universities by The Age has found they are continuing to lecture online in many of the lessons that were remote last year, with on-campus classes mostly limited to small tutorials. Swinburne University of Technology, for example, has confirmed all lectures in 2021 will remain online, with all tutorials and labs to switch back to in-person in semester two. The Australian Catholic University has told students who do not want a virtual education this year to consider deferring their studies or even seek a refund. The widespread embrace of digital learning has been slammed by some tertiary educators and by students, who resent being denied a face-to-face experience. “I feel very sorry for students,” Swinburne senior lecturer in history and politics Julie Kimber said. “I just feel that they’re being totally ripped off and they know that they’re being ripped off.”