Well its the end of another big year in my world, how about in yours?
As the NSW E-Learning Advisor, I can happily say 2013 has been big year and some great things have happened in the Australian E-Learning space. In this post I won’t spend too much time recapping all of those events but what I will do is reflect on what I have seen that seems important… maybe they are to you too!
Starting with the NSW VET sector, there has been so much talk about government reforms, reducing government funds and of course ‘Smart and Skilled’. The good news is Smart and Skilled has been delayed to 2015 to give training providers an opportunity to better understand the reforms and get ready for them. Smart and skilled reforms provide funding for subsidised government places in qualifications up to and including Certificate III. Details about the types of programs that may attract funding can be found on the 2014 NSW Skills List.
In Australia, only registered training providers can issue Australian Qualifications Framework qualifications. The body that has the responsibility of enforcing this is, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). A core part of what ASQA’s does is to regulate training courses and training providers to ensure they meet and comply with nationally approved quality standards. On 1 July 2012, the VET Quality Framework became operable in most states and territories in Australia. This framework aims to provide a structure that will result in a national approach to the way providers are registered and courses are accredited (ASQA 2013). ASQA has the power to audit training providers at anytime and many Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) have undergone an ASQA audit in 2013. The word audit can be scary but here’s hoping the experience was positive and there was lots of positive reinforcement for those who underwent an ASQA audit in 2013.
It is important to acknowledge that E-Learning can come under the microscope in any such audit. In 2013 I was privy to many conversations between practitioners discussing how to better demonstrate and improve on e-learning quality and student participation. A tool you may not know that can help is the Flexible Learning Advisory Group’s (FLAG) E-Learning quality model. This interactive model is a great tool to take to your next e-learning team meeting. Start by examining the quality indicators. Use the criteria as triggers for questions at your next team meeting. For example, if you were looking at an existing course you could say ‘How do we know that… the e-learning experience effectively engages our learners’. Having conversations around the quality criteria can highlight existing processes as well as identifying new opportunities for improvement. If you haven’t seen the quality model I suggest you take a moment to have a look. The end of the year is a great time to reflect on existing practice and to explore opportunities for continual improvement.
E-assessment remained topical in 2013. Teachers wanted to know how they could create authentic assessment opportunities for learners as well as reflecting on existing practices for recognition. The National VET E-Learning Strategy (Strategy) has some excellent resources available to you on their website. These resources include National Guidelines for assessment through to a whole host of e-assessment case studies. In the NSW 2013 e-capability program we had an exciting webinar on e-assessment, I am sure you will find it useful if you have some time to listen to it. For those of you working in TAFE NSW an exciting evidence collection tool was launched during Skills Week 2013. Check out SkillsLocker and sign in using your DEC username and password. If you are short of time, checkout my storify page to find out more about SkillsLocker.
E-Capability of individual teachers, trainers and support staff involved in e-learning received a lot of attention in 2013. Both the NSW team and the National team coordinated an extensive free program to build the capability of those interested in e-learning. If you have some time in December and January I suggest you listen to the recordings from NSW and the National Program. Webinar topics included tips to help you get started in e-learning, gamification, augmented reality, cloud technologies…. etc.
So what will 2014 hold for the NSW E-Learning Advisor role? Glad you asked. I am busy working on a new and exciting webinar program with some talented guest speakers. Flyers and details on how you can register will come out in January. I am also establishing an e-learning community for NSW with representatives from right across the VET sector. If you are interested in being involved, enter your details on the e-community webform.
On a personal note, I have moved into the research phase of my masters. There are three phases to this research and I would love it if you would stop by and check out my ‘how you can be involved’ research page.
If you love surveys and you are a teacher using technology in education you might be interested in completing my teacher survey and if you are a student who wants to have a say about your experiences using technology in education, there is a quick survey for you too.
Have a wonderful and relaxing holiday period and I will be back posting in 2014.
References
ASQA (2013) ‘National VET regulation’ accessed online http://www.asqa.gov.au/about/national-vet-regulation/national-vet-egulation.html on 17 December 2013.
State training services (2013) ‘Smart and skilled’ accessed online http://www.training.nsw.gov.au/smartandskilled/ on 20 December 2013.
Technology in Vocational Educaton and Training (VET) 