Give credit where it’s due: Student qualification transfer

Students’ requests to use their vocational qualifications as credit towards a university qualification could be managed more effectively, say TAFE and university staff.
Crediting vocational education and training for learner mobility, published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), provides insight from TAFE and enterprise-based registered training organisations into credit transfer arrangements.
View copies of the reports, Crediting vocational education and training for learner mobility     and the Guide to credit transfer  .

Help us to update your Teacher E-learning Toolkit!

Do you use e-learning in your teaching and training?
If you do, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the VET Teacher E-learning Toolkit     (Toolkit), which sets out the minimum web and desktop functionality requirements that teachers need to support the effective use of e-learning strategies.
To ensure that the Toolkit remains an accurate and up-to-date resource, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework    ) is calling for vocational education and training (VET) practitioners to respond to an online survey about their use of e-learning tools and applications. 
The survey takes only minutes to complete, containing seven questions about which web-based, desktop-support and virtual classroom tools and applications you use, and about your experiences using these tools. 
The survey responses will form a vital part of the Framework’s 2010 review and update of the Toolkit.
Complete the survey     or access the current version of the Toolkit    .
E-standards for Training     will also be revising other key e-learning resources, including the m-learning     standards and VET tools for e-learning content     throughout 2010.
For updates, stay tuned to the E-standards for Training website  .

New statistical resource taps into training history

Over one million more students undertook publicly funded training in 2008 than in 1981, when 692 000 student were enrolled.
Covering 27 years, a new statistical resource released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) offers a one-stop shop for historical data and a timeline of important events in the VET sector.
Complemented with apprenticeship and traineeship data stretching back to 1963, the two sets of data tables allow users to gain an overview of training activity over nearly the last half century.
Go to Historical time series of vocational education and training in Australia from 1981     and Historical time series of apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia from 1963     for more information.

2010 E-learning Benchmarking Surveys – coming soon!

Have your say on e-learning!
The Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework    ) is now undertaking its sixth annual national E-learning Benchmarking Survey    , which measures the uptake, use and impact of e-learning in vocational education and training (VET).
This year’s survey will capture information from employers, training providers and VET teachers and trainers, kicking off with the employer survey in May.
Employers and training providers will be contacted directly to participate, and a sample of VET teachers and trainers will be invited to participate by their training providers.
The Framework’s Benchmarking and Research Manager    , Annie Fergusson, said that the survey results will support not only national policy development, but also local VET delivery.
“Access to current and relevant data is a valuable aid in business decision making,” Ms Fergusson said.
“The survey results will allow training providers and practitioners to compare their organisation’s e-learning activities with the rest of the country; find out about the latest e-learning trends; and discover what VET clients think about using e-learning for education and training.”
The findings will be broken down into both national and state and territory results, as well as by provider type and industry. This will help to identify the e-learning trends and demands being made within VET.
The results will be launched at the 2010 National AUSTAFE Conference    , to be held in Sydney from 13-15 October.
Stay tuned to Flex e-News     and the Benchmarking and Research     webpage for updates.
Past survey results are available from the E-learning Indicators     website, including a final report which analyses and breaks down the survey results by response group, demographic and industry area.
The website also contains a range of tools that can assist RTOs to benchmark their own e-learning activity    .

Keynote speaker announced: "ePortfolios Australia" Conference 2010

Participants at the ePortfolios Australia Conference 2010    , to be held in Melbourne from 3-4 November, will gain insight into rich e-portfolio     experiences from LaGuardia Community College in New York City.
In his presentation, Making connections: ePortfolio as a resource for learning, assessment and institutional change, Dr Bret Eynon will showcase LaGuardia Community College’s vast experience with developing and implementing e-portfolio projects, providing valuable insight into lessons learned along the way.
Since 2000, Dr Eynon has helped the college explore new resources to enrich teaching and learning. As Director of the LaGuardia Center for Teaching and Learning     he helped in the development of ePortfolio    , a state-of-the-art e-portfolio system credited with helping more than 9,000 learners enhance their learning each year.
The Center has received the Hesburgh Certificate of Excellence    , the MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Award     and the Community College Futures Association Bellwether Award     for their work in the use of e-portfolios.
Dr Eynon has leveraged the Center’s standing as an international leader in e-portfolios to launch Making Connections: A National Resource Center on Inquiry, Reflection and Integrative Education    . This national collaboration is currently helping a number of US colleges plan and implement advanced e-portfolio projects. 
He has published a number of titles related to learning, including The Difference that Inquiry Makes: A Collaborative Case Study on Technology and Learning     and Capturing the Visible Evidence of Invisible Learning    .
Dr Eynon will be joined at the conference by a host of national and international educators and thought leaders from vocational education and training, higher education and adult and community education.
As one of the first cross sectoral e-portfolio events in Australia, the conference will showcase current e-portfolio practices and the ways e-portfolios support learners to transition between education and training, employment and industry areas.
The ePortfolios Australia Conference 2010     follows the success of the VET E-portfolios Showcase 09    , hosted by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework    ; and past Australian ePortfolio Symposia    , funded by the Australian Learning & Teaching Council    .
Other organisations supporting the ePortfolios Australia Conference 2010 include Queensland University of Technology    ; Curtin University of Technology    ; the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations    ; and the Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning    .
Register to receive regular updates about the ePortfolios Australia Conference 2010    :
For more information, email: allison.miller@flexiblelearning.net.au, or visit: http://flexiblelearning.net.au/e-portfolios    
 

Chief Researcher to lead NCVER’s research effort

Dr John Rice has been appointed Chief Researcher at the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
John will join NCVER after four years at the University of Adelaide. He has previously held academic appointments at a number of Australian universities, including the Queensland University of Technology, the University of Canberra and UniSA.

Don’t skip breakfast, have Research on Toast!

Registrations are now open for the NCVER Research on Toast breakfast presentation, Training the VET workforce: Are we succeeding or failing? on Wednesday 23 June 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Adelaide.
Hugh Guthrie, NCVER and Berwyn Clayton, Victoria University, will share findings from their work and other research on VET teacher training and discuss what is required to build the VET workforce now and in the future.
For more information and to register visit the NCVER     website.