Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Report

Compiled by Janice Anderson and Elizabeth McPherson

During 2003, there have been three key enabling events or activities for encouraging enthusiasm and e-learning and teaching in the ACT.

•  E-learning week: 14 – 18 July

•  Trial of new e-Staff development and Support Strategy

•  Using LearnScope projects in new ways

E-learning week

During this week, teachers from schools, colleges, VET and Higher Education across the ACT were invited to participate in a ‘Teaching Online Showcase: Teaching with a Range of Technologies' hosted by Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) and organized by Elizabeth McPherson (MC), with assistance from Janice Anderson and John Smith. The showcase was presented by the WebCT Users Group and the University of Canberra (UC), the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and the Department of Education and Children's Services (DECS).

Participants debated whether or not technology enhances flexibility in learning and attended Concurrent Sessions and Show and Tell segments. Here's what they had to choose from:

Concurrent Sessions:

Breaking out of the Box,

Self-building Language Courses – Just Add Water Adrian Burton (ANU)

Using HTML within WebCT Don Munro (ADFA)

Stretching WebCT,

WebCT new features: Campus Edition 4 John Smith (CIT)

Stretching the WebCT canvas: using a diverse range of online strategies Peter Donnan (UC)

Innovative Online Practices

Let's talk about Learning Objects Oklahoma VISION Project – swapping learning objects with US schools using Microsoft Class Server Michael Sisley

Mainstreaming innovation into organizational culture: examples of innovation and excellent practice in VET, Donna Hensley

Teachers Online

An eKit Experience, Kerry Trabinger (CIT)

The ATOM ACT Media Teachers Website – Integrating WebCT components and image databases Stefan Kussy

Show & Tell

Wiki demonstration, Alan Arnold (ANU)

Year 12 Physics course Moir Holmes (CIT)

Good use of the quiz tool Ian McNaught (UC)

Apollo David Berriman (ANU)

Lets talk about Learning Objects in the Classroom Lea Chapuis, Learning Objects Awareness Projects Officer (DECS)

Orientation for New Teachers Coralie Daniels, Digital Environments Officer, DECS

Communication with Librarians using WebCT and Kahootz, Susan Kearns, Information Literacy Officer (DECS)

Hot Topics and Value Adding to the Digital Library Julie Goodall, Research Librarian (DECS)

Customising learning online Andrew Bowman (CIT)

Year 12 Physics, Moir Holmes (CIT)

Interactivity and dynamic content (RSS feeds, weblogs and games) FLS

OH&S: online resources for a simulated work environment Berceuse Thorpe (CIT)

Study Support Course Janice Wain (CIT)

Web page creation and the internet Colleen Badger & Anne Vlaeminck (CIT)

Sean Keelan (CIT)

Music resources online Rodney Holder (CIT)

CIT Cybertots Lisa Beattie (CIT)

Electronic Resources for Numeracy Teachers Elizabeth Kehoe, Noelene Little (CIT)

Study skills course for migrant students Janet Harris (CIT)

One model to build e~learning in schools- Learning Technology Facilitation Philip Bird DEYFS

Stretching the WebCT canvas: using a diverse range of online strategies Peter Donnan (UC)

WebCT new features: Campus Edition 4 John Smith (CIT)

Mainstreaming innovation into organizational culture Donna Hensley

CIT staff members were also invited to attend e-learning activities on three campuses during this week. A varied program was provided with learning activities ranging from those for staff wishing to dab their toes in the water to those for staff keen to use audio or video in their online teaching.

Trial of new e-PD and Support Strategy

In 2002 a group of managers in CIT worked within a LearnScope project to design a Professional Development approach to enable staff to create online resources for use on the WebCT platform no matter what stage they were at in their learning. Janice Wain has trialed this approach in 2003 with support from John Smith. Janice (or Saint Janice as she is affectionately known by the beginners) has complemented her range of courses with an open door approach where she offers to assist staff when and where they need it. If staff members are on the same campus when they are having an ‘online crisis', they just pound up the stairs and sit at a computer adjacent to Janice's desk while she patiently works through the challenge and helps them solve the problem. They can then be the gurus when someone nearby has a similar ‘crisis'.

New approaches to LearnScope

a. Merging LearnScope and Virtual Campus resource projects

Approximately thirty teachers from English as a Second Language programs, Children's Services programs and Communication and Media programs have been using a workbased action learning approach to brainstorm new concepts for improving student access to a range of media rich learning options for their particular disciplines. They have designed solutions, overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers and produced online resources. An enthusiastic teacher who has been actively learning new skills has managed each of these teams. Combining the internal and external funding has empowered the team to seek new ideas from outside the organization and experiment with new technological approaches. While this has brought frustration with firewalls and protocols and incompatible file types, the learning has been tremendous and positive.

The CIT staff members involved in these ACT opportunities are keen to continue their learning and experimentation next year for the benefit of their students and themselves.

b. Extending VET links via LearnScope

The LearnScope Business Project team is a cross education sector team of staff consisting of Ann Nield and Alison Lees from Erindale College, an ACT Senior Secondary College and Anne Cameron and Trish Roseby from CIT (TAFE in ACT). Successes include participation in the LearnScope Online Conference, where each participant wrote an issues paper, and chatted online for the week. Visits took place by team members to respective training sites to view a practice firm and examine different approaches to delivering common units of competency and assessments. Training workshops have been held for team members in recent toolbox development, chatting online and the use of interactive CDs. The meeting of CIT and Erindale College staff members throughout this process has been invaluable in building a successful relationship and enabling a clearer articulation path for students moving from college to CIT, particularly with competencies from the Business Services Training Package.