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Business activities Past activities 2007 Projects Project outline: Inclusive ...
The Inclusive e-learning Project aims to increase the uptake of e-learning as an effective delivery strategy for increasing VET participation by under-represented and priority learner groups.
Research conducted by the project in 2005 and 2006 found engagement, participation, completion and employment outcomes to be major issues for young learners and learners with disabilities, with case studies identifying e-learning as pivotal in providing access and inclusion for these groups.
In 2007, the Inclusive e-learning Project will:
- support the mainstream uptake of e-learning for young people and learners with a disability by consolidating and disseminating
lessons learned on the benefits and adoption of e-learning;
- The 2005 and 2006 projects developed a structure to enable the Framework and the VET system to focus on the needs of these
target learner groups. This structure includes: people, documentation and methods to communicate with a strong network of
practitioners who are committed to e-learning as a choice for VET learners with disabilities, young VET learners and the wider
VET community.
- The 2005 and 2006 projects developed a structure to enable the Framework and the VET system to focus on the needs of these
target learner groups. This structure includes: people, documentation and methods to communicate with a strong network of
practitioners who are committed to e-learning as a choice for VET learners with disabilities, young VET learners and the wider
VET community.
- conduct further exemplar programs that give young VET learners and learners with a disability opportunities to experience
e-learning.
- The 2007 project will be informed by and embed insights from previous projects, contributing to long term sustainability of e-learning. Learners will engaged with interactive and collaborative learning methods and tools, new assessment strategies and career planning options through trial of social computing technologies, personal publishing (audio and video), mobile technologies and other innovations.
The 2007 project will also consider the extent to which e-learning can facilitate learning outcomes for a third target group - mature age workers - identified by COAG as a key group in its national reform agenda. The development of new skills and qualifications for mature age workers is crucial to greater participation in productive work.
An initial step to inform the conduct of 2007 trial projects will be an environmental scan of relevant research, projects and initiatives, both within and external to the Framework, related to the VET training and e-learning needs of mature age workers seeking to re-enter the workforce or maintain employment. Exemplar projects will be conducted to gather data about the impact of e-learning on the training needs of mature age workers in mainstream VET.
Objectives
- to improve employment-related training opportunities for young people and learners with disabilities through the use of appropriate e-learning resources and technologies;
- to learn more about how e-learning can support the needs of mature aged workers.
Outputs
- dissemination of the outcomes of 2006 projects through VTE forums, practitioner networks, publications and events. Create a web-based multimedia format to "publish" outcomes of the Inclusive e-Learning Project;
- exemplar e-learning projects conducted across a broad spectrum of VTE providers, jurisdictions and VTE streams (and levels) that encourage the deployment of e-learning tools and technologies with the target groups;
- dialogue established with specialist VTE providers and practitioners who source assistive and adaptive technology products to create an appropriate learning environment for VTE students with a disability that references Framework reports and projects;
- an environmental scan of VTE and e-learning needs of mature age workers.
Project performance indicators
- uptake of e-learning by targeted learner segments, including young people, people with disabilities and mature age workers;
- % of learners in target groups satisfied with e-learning as an educational medium;
- % of learners in target groups believing that e-learning has enhanced their training and employment outcomes.
Direct contributions of Project to the 2007 Australian Flexible Learning Framework outputs
Funding
Inclusive e-Learning funding for 2007 trials is now available. Grants of up to $25,000 are availble for training organisations
looking to trial the use of e-learning technologies.The trials involve three categories of VET learners:
young learners - up to four trials
learners with disabilities - up to four trials
mature age workers - a new group for 2007 - up to four trials
Guidelines and application documents are available from http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/inclusive
Contact details
Project Manager, Inclusive e-Learning (Learners with Disabilities and Mature Age) Project
Phone: +61 3 9661 8710
Email: mary.schooneveldt at eworks.edu.au
(Replace 'at' with @ to use this address)
Name: Allison Miller
Project Manager, Inclusive e-Learning (Youth) Project
Phone: +61 8 8303 2670
Email: allison.miller at tafesa.edu.au
(Replace 'at' with @ to use this address)
