Australasian Council for Online and Distance Education (ACODE)

What Australasian Council for Online and Distance Education (ACODE) does

The Australasian Council for Online and Distance Education (ACODE) is a non-profit, membership-based peak body for tertiary institutions across Australia and New Zealand engaged or interested in technology enhanced learning (TEL) and teaching. Operating from Canberra, ACT, with approximately 7 staff, ACODE runs an annual workshop series (currently in the ACODE 90s numbering), annual inter-institutional benchmarking summits, a biennial Learning Technologies Leadership Institute (LTLI), a mentoring program, the ACODE Forum online community, and an indexed whitepaper library covering AI governance, micro-credentialing, digital badges, learning spaces, and e-assessment. Its flagship methodology asset is the ACODE TEL Framework, co-developed with 15 member institutions and piloted from 2019 to provide peer benchmarking across universities.

ACODE monetizes through recurring institutional membership subscriptions from Australasian universities, supplemented by event attendance fees, awards co-sponsorship (notably Pearson for the Innovation in TEL Awards since 2016), and partner-supported infrastructure (AARNet provides Zoom). Distribution is community-led: institutional representatives attend workshops, contribute to benchmarking, and surface innovations that are then showcased via the annual TEL Awards. Technology enhanced learning award-winners under ACODE's banner include the University of Sydney's Cogniti.ai (2024, adopted by 58 institutions), Western Sydney University's RefQuest (2020, used by 3,500+ students and Silver at the International Serious Play Awards), Griffith University's ExLNT (2018, 9,000+ users across 88 countries) and the University of Southern Queensland's Connecting4Success (2016 joint winner).

The organization positions itself as a convening and standards-setting body rather than a commercial vendor. It has no venture or private equity backing, no disclosed revenue, and is governed by an executive committee drawn from member institutions. Its strategic posture is to maintain relevance by expanding workshop topics into generative AI in higher education (ACODE 88, 90 and 95) while sustaining the recurring benchmarking and LTLI programs that anchor its value to senior TEL decision-makers in Australasian universities.

Name

Australasian Council for Online and Distance Education (ACODE)

Legal name

The Australasian Council on Open and Digital Education (ACODE)

Website

https://acode.edu.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACODE is a non-profit, Canberra-based peak body for Australasian tertiary institutions engaged in technology enhanced learning. It runs workshops, benchmarking summits, the LTLI, TEL Awards, and mentoring programs, funded by institutional memberships and Pearson co-sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership: ACODE operates as a membership organization for tertiary institutions in Australasia. Universities join as member institutions with representatives attending workshops, benchmarking events, and accessing publications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACODE is a membership-based peak professional association for Australasian tertiary institutions engaged in technology enhanced learning and teaching. It delivers a suite of professional development services including a numbered workshop series, inter-institutional benchmarking summits, the biennial Learning Technologies Leadership Institute (LTLI), annual TEL Awards (co-sponsored with Pearson), a mentoring program, and publishes whitepapers. It also maintains the ACODE TEL Framework, an evaluation tool developed with 15 member institutions, and hosts an online forum for member community engagement.

Product overview

ACODE is the peak Australasian organization for tertiary institutions engaged in technology enhanced learning. It does not offer a single commercial product but rather provides a suite of professional development services including workshops (ACODE 92-96 series), benchmarking summits, the biennial Learning Technologies Leadership Institute (LTLI), TEL Awards, and a mentoring program. ACODE publishes white-papers on key topics like AI governance and micro-credentialing, and has developed the ACODE TEL Framework for evaluating institutional practices. The organization also maintains learning spaces resources and hosts the ACODE Forum for community engagement. ACODE showcases award-winning innovations including Cogniti.ai (2024 winner) and RefQuest (2020 winner).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• TEL Awards have recognized innovation since 2016 with winners from institutions including University of Sydney, Griffith University, Western Sydney University, and Monash
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PearsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPearson co-sponsors the ACODE Innovation in TEL Awards, recognizing innovative practice in technology enhanced learning across Australasian higher education institutions.
• THETA (Teaching Higher Education Technology Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a quick link on ACODE website, indicating a collaborative relationship for higher education technology events and initiatives.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Canva for Education: A widely adopted classroom-collaboration and design platform in higher education. Adjacent rather than directly comparable — ACODE sets TEL policy and convenes, while Canva delivers a TEL tool — but they increasingly intersect on the EdTech-tooling surface ACODE evaluates.

Others

• AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education): US national membership association for higher-education institutions, focused on educator preparation. Tangentially comparable as a tertiary-sector membership/advocacy body, though focused on a different sub-vertical than TEL.

Regional players

• EUNIS: European University Information Systems association, convening ICT and educational-technology leaders across European universities. Comparable peak-body role but in a different geography.

Direct peers

• Jisc: UK not-for-profit providing digital, data, and technology services to higher education and research institutions. Comparable mission of advancing TEL practice and policy across a national tertiary sector, with a deeper technology-services component than ACODE.
• EDUCAUSE: The peak US-based membership association for higher-education IT and technology-enhanced learning. Operates conferences, communities, research, and professional development programmes analogous to ACODE's workshops, LTLI, and benchmarking summits — only at much larger scale in the US market.
• THETA (Teaching Higher Education Technology Association): Australian higher-education technology association running the annual THETA conference. Listed as a partner and quick link on ACODE's site; operates in the same institutional audience and topical space.
• AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology): International professional association for educational communications and technology practitioners across all education levels. Comparable professional-development, awards, and convening function for the educational technology community.
• WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies): US-based cooperative focused on digital learning in higher education, including policy, regulatory issues, and emerging technologies. Comparable mission of advancing TEL practice across member institutions.
• ASCILITE: The Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education — ACODE's closest regional peer, focused on academic practice and research in educational technology at Australasian universities. Overlaps directly on audience, mission, and geography, and is even listed as a partner on ACODE's website.
• OLC (Online Learning Consortium): US-based membership organisation advancing quality online learning in higher education. Runs awards, workshops, and benchmarking programmes comparable to ACODE's TEL Awards and benchmarking summits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australasian-council-for-online-and-distance-education-acode-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australasian Council for Online and Distance Education (ACODE)