ALA

Wednesday 24 September 2008

Survey snapshots e-learning across the nation

A nation-wide survey exploring the use and uptake of e-learning will assist the national training system in directing its resources to help address Australia’s skills shortage.

The annual Benchmarking Survey has been conducted for the last four years and assesses the uptake, use and impact of e-learning across vocational education and training (VET), focusing on registered training organisations (RTOs), teachers and students.

Every other year, the survey is also sent out to business and industry; with the next survey going out in 2009.

Survey researcher and author Ian Phillips said that previously the survey has been broken down into gender, age and metropolitan areas, but this year the data is being further broken down by industry including trades, nursing, hospitality etc.

“This year, we’re looking at what industry sector teachers and students are from so we can find out which ones are using e-learning and which are not,” Mr Phillips said.

“What we’re trying to do is see if we can analyse the data in different ways to shed light on any differences that might exist in the uptake, use and impact of e-learning in different curriculum areas.

“It will also provide data on whether students enjoy using technology in their learning, what barriers might exist in the use of e-learning for teachers and students, and whether RTOs incorporate e-learning into their overall strategic directions, amongst other things.”

The Benchmarking Survey is carried out by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

Framework Benchmarking and Research Business Manager Annie Fergusson said the survey assists the Framework in informing the development of new e-learning policy directions and future activities.

“At the same time, it enables the Framework to develop an information base that is accessible to state and territory training authorities and individual RTOs”, she said.

Ms Fergusson said the Benchmarking Survey assisted decision-makers in allocating resources to meet the national skills’ shortage.

“The survey assists the national training system in continuing to develop more effective and flexible ways of engaging people in training,” she said.

This year’s survey gave states and territories the option to include supplementary questions for the first time, an option taken up by Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia.

Queensland used their questions to investigate whether teachers had engaged with technology during their initial training and if they were receiving ongoing professional development in the use of technology in education and training.

South Australia looked into the role of technology in teachers’ professional development and explored the VET sector’s preferred forms of technology, including any barriers to technology use.

The Northern Territory investigated whether RTOs, teachers and trainers were aware of the NT’s e-learning strategy, and investigated the benefits of, and barriers to, e-learning.

The results of this year’s Benchmarking Survey will be announced in the near future and covered in the Framework’s monthly e-newsletter, Flex e-News, at http://flexiblelearning.net.au/flexenews

For more information about the Framework, its products, resources and support networks, contact: (07) 3307 4700, email: enquiries@flexiblelearning.net.au or visit: http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au