E-learning supports a greener future

November 29th, 2009 by swilson in Article, Resources

24/11/2009

Delivery strategies e-learning environment innovations sustainability vet Learning resources Technologies Assessment Learner groups eStandards Training packages Industries

As Australia seeks to build a sustainable economy, the vocational education and training (VET) system is playing a vital role in ensuring that today’s learners have the skills they need for the jobs of the future.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minster for Education Julia Gillard has confirmed that the Government is taking a National Green Skills Agreement to the COAG (Council of Australian Governments) meeting next month that will:

• set national standards of green practice and teaching in VET
• update existing training for apprentices to include green skills
• assist VET practitioners to learn new green skills to pass on to learners
• develop a program to assist vulnerable workers to develop green skills.

The National Green Skills Agreement has been endorsed by all states and territories, and will give businesses and individuals a valuable opportunity to contribute to a sustainable, low-carbon economy in their workplaces and communities.

Minister Gillard has said that the new green skills program is essential to support the VET system to “re-equip or re-skill millions of Australians between now and 2025”, in order to meet Australia’s sustainability targets and goals.

E-learning and green skills

The flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and just-in-time nature of e-learning means that it is well placed to assist the VET system to deliver green skills to this new generation of learners.

For several years, innovative VET practitioners have been using e-learning to support sustainable practices across a range of industries, with funding and support from the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

Sustainability has been a focus of several of the Framework’s E-learning Innovations projects in 2008 and 2009. These projects deliver innovative e-learning solutions to support a greener future in a variety of ways, including helping businesses to develop sustainable office practices, developing specific training in sustainability for managers, and supporting sustainable change in urban landscapes.

Environmental Sustainabilit-e Online – Skills Strategies International

In 2008, this project used online training to increase the provision of the sustainable land management program delivered by not-for-profit organisation, Great Gardens. The Great Gardens program provides free environmental sustainability workshops across Western Australia which show participants how they can create a sustainable home and garden which uses less water, energy and nutrients, and produces less waste.

In its initial phase, the project used e-learning in a range of ways to supplement and support the delivery of Great Gardens’ face-to-face workshops. This included redeveloping the Great Gardens website, resulting in a 35% increase in use of the site. The revamped site comprised a mixture of:

E-information – Skills Strategies International worked with the Great Gardens trainers to film and edit a series of short gardening instructional videos, which are available for free on the website.
The site also features an article database and soil search database, which allows users to type in their suburb name or postcard to access a document explaining the properties of the soil in their local area, and associated plants suitable for their garden.

E-learning – Skills Strategies International used Ning software to create a social network which is accessible through the website. The network is a popular way for people who have attended a Great Gardens workshop to maintain a community of practice, and currently has more than 300 members.
E-business services – The site includes an online events calendar, and an electronic booking system where users can see upcoming workshop dates, and book in to attend.
Project Manager Steve McVey explained that due to the success of the project in 2008, Skills Strategies International has continued to work with Great Gardens to extend their adoption of e-learning.

“Great Gardens is now working to deliver their workshops in remote areas via Elluminate web conferencing, and they’re also using RFID technology to deliver just-in-time learning to workshop participants,” Steve said.

“Great Gardens also recently negotiated to make the Western Australian Water Corporation’s Water Wise professional level training program available for free online. Great Gardens will transform the delivery of this program, making it more engaging by using Moodle software to give learners access to a range of material including PowerPoint presentations and interactive quizzes.”

Business Sustainabilit-e – Kiama Community College

Business Treading Lightly (BTL) is a project team of sustainability consultants within the New South Wales Southern Councils Group who help businesses in south east New South Wales to implement sustainable business practices.

When BTL recognised they were not using technology to its full potential as part of their sustainability solution, they enlisted Kiama Community College to teach them to use web 2.0 technologies to enhance how BTL networks and communicates with their clients, and to also reduce the need for travel and the associated ecological and financial expense.

Kiama Community College helped BTL to take the step from teleconferencing to web conferencing, using applications including Elluminate, discovere and edna Groups. BTL also learned how to use cost effective web based file sharing options to enhance their organisational communication.

Project Manager Helen Zwicker from Kiama Community College said that the Business Sustainabilit-e project will have an ongoing positive impact beyond BTL, as BTL is passing on their new knowledge to their clients.

“The BTL team have the skills and capacity to introduce these sustainable technologies to their client groups, and will be supported by Kiama Community College, who are continuing to develop resources to help BTL’s clients to embed sustainable e-practices into their business,” Helen said.

For more information about the Framework’s E-learning Innovations projects, visit http://flexiblelearning.net.au/innovations