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The strategy connection

p4pscit — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:30:57 +0000

This blog was developed by Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE (SCIT) with funding and support from the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the National VET E-learning Strategy (Strategy)[1].

The Strategy provides the VET system with the essential e-learning infrastructure and expertise needed to respond to the challenges of a modern economy and the training needs of Australian businesses and workers.

The Partnership for Participation Business Activity within the Strategy provided targeted funding to develop e-learning approaches to improve skills of individuals experiencing disadvantage. The learners who were included for this project needed significant facilitated support to enable them to complete their study. The unit (CHCMH401A) has a strong recovery focus which helps this emerging workforce to reclaim their lives beyond mental illness.

Deborah Sammon, one of the teachers delivering this unit said that this funding provided the opportunity for these Brisbane North Institute of TAFE students ’to participate in a safe learning environment and the e-learning approach provided the flexibility to be absent, to be unwell and yet to still connect.’ This approach supports ‘self-agency, self-management, self-determination and full citizenship’ (Glover 2012 video) for those with a lived experience of mental illness rather than a maintenance and care and protection focus of some service systems that often see mental illness as permanent.

[1] The National Vocational education and training (VET) E-learning Strategy (‘the Strategy’) is a three year program of action with a series of ongoing business activities reflecting its strategic objectives. The Strategy will play a key role in enabling the Australian training sector to take advantage of the roll out of the National Broadband Network (NBN) to make major advances in the achievement of government training objectives. Coordinated action to develop sector-wide capability in using the new technological environment will at the same time, stimulate innovative approaches to increasing participation in training and work and improving the skills levels of the Australian workforce (http://flexiblelearning.net.au).

Update on Project - Wirelessly Connecting Youth for Future Success

gippsTAFE Innovation — Wed, 02 May 2012 05:18:38 +0000

As Project Officer of the iPad E-Learning Project, I have had the privilege to work with many enthusiastic students whilst trialing various apps on the iPad 2. Students have also had the benefit to undertake the literacy and numeracy assessment using the iPad 2. I will endeavor to inform you of some of the outcomes through this blog.

Student 1, let’s call him Peter, has a vision impairment. Previously Peter has used a desk top and laptop to complete the online literacy and numeracy assessment. Peter finds it difficult to see the keyboard and takes a long time to read information on the screen. When I gave Peter an iPad to use, he informed me that the keypad was much easier to see. Also, Peter could pick up the iPad and bring it close to his eyes in order to read the information. This would be quite difficult to do when using a desk top or laptop. Peter also, found it easy to navigate and search for things on the iPad.

Another group of students I worked with had the opportunity to research educational apps that could be used as learning tools to improve, spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, numeracy, multiplication, subtraction, addition, division, fractions, shapes, area, perimeters, mapping, measurement, problem solving and time management. The group of students spent several hours trialing various apps and commenting on their usefulness. All students thoroughly enjoyed the activity and are eager to embark on this activity again. In a later activity the same group of students will be trialing specific apps (that I have researched) which they will rate by completing an ‘app evaluation form.’ This data will be collated and displayed on graphs etc and will be shared via this blog.

I hope to update blog readers on a regular basis about this wonderful project. If you require further information Malcolm Jolly (Team Leader – Innovation, GippsTAFE) malcolmj@gippstafe.edu.au would be more than willing to assist.

Until next time…..

Tanya Joiner Project Officer

Project Overview - ROCIV Activates E-learning

p4pscit — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:44:52 +0000

This project is funded by the National VET E-Learning Strategy (under the Partnerships for Participation initiative) and targets learners who have a ‘lived experience’ of recovery from mental illness to complete a unit of competency through blended e-learning. The project title ‘ROCIV’ relates to Recovery Oriented program in CHC40508 Certificate IV in Mental Health.

This project is a partnership between the Qld Department of Communities, the Qld Department of Education and Training through the Community Services Skilling Plan (CSSP), Sunshine Coast TAFE with educational delivery through Brisbane North Institute of TAFE.

The project supports State and National priorities in the provision of training to address shortages in skilled occupations, as well as Mental Health priorities supporting the recovery process. Additionally, 30% of the target cohort are Indigenous Australian or Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD).

This project supports the principles of recovery oriented mental health practice by providing opportunities for learners with a lived experience to be valued for the unique perspective they bring regarding their own recovery journey to future learners in this qualification, acknowledging that learners bring expertise to this qualification from life experience. This project seeks to provide opportunities for learners to build on their strengths and provide support to maintain and further develop meaningful occupational and vocational pathways.

The initial ROCIV Project is multi-layered. It was established by the Queensland Department of Communities and the Queensland Department of Education and Training (DET) in late 2008. It had a number of key elements which included the composition of a steering group from the two departments already mentioned as well as Queensland Alliance, Health and Community Services Workforce Council and representation from Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). This group scoped the multiple layers of the program and initial professional development for Vocational Education and Training (VET) practitioners occurred throughout 2009-2010. During 2010-2012 writers were engaged and validation and moderation of resources and assessment items occurred. Capacity building workshops were undertaken with additional industry and VET participants. In order to tackle the central issue of service transformation in community mental health and allied areas a program was designed that included a number of stakeholders.

These stakeholders included VET practitioners who deliver the Certificate IV in Mental Health across Queensland, identified staff from the community mental health sector across Queensland, consultants with a lived experience of mental health recovery and expertise in working effectively in the sector and government stakeholders from the two departments in this partnership project. The teacher and learner resources for the unit of competency CHCMH401A came from this initial program and were refined and made available to trial at Brisbane North Institute of TAFE for this current project – ROCIV Activates E-learning.

The two Brisbane North Institute of TAFE (BNIT) teachers Deborah Sammon and Ann-Marie O’Brien (both teachers and RPL assessors in the Community Services Skilling unit) who delivered this unit, were themselves active participants in the capacity building workshops in 2011-2012. The e-learning focus of this current project has enabled Deborah and Ann-Marie to trial a more flexible delivery approach using the recovery focus as a guiding philosophy.

This project supports State and National priorities in the provision of training to address shortages in skilled occupations, as well as Mental Health priorities supporting the recovery process. Additionally, 25% of the learners identify with being Indigenous Australian or Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD).

The principles of recovery oriented mental health practice were reinforced by providing opportunities for learners with a lived experience to be valued for the unique perspective they bring regarding their own recovery journey to future learners in this qualification. This acknowledges that learners bring expertise to this qualification from life experience. This project provided opportunities for learners to build on their strengths and provided support to maintain and further develop meaningful occupational and vocational pathways.