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The attitudes and experiences of 18 vocational education and training (VET) practitioners considered to be at the leading edge of online education in technical and further education (TAFE) in South Australia were examined to determine how leading-edge VET practitioners engaged in designing, developing, and facilitating online learning understand their changing roles and professional practice. The practitioners' responses reinforced the fact that online learning is a new frontier pedagogically, technologically, and organizationally. The new tasks of designing, developing, and facilitating online learning both required and stimulated new forms of work organization for VET practitioners. The practitioners generally considered this work a positive experience and credited it with increasing their job satisfaction. However, they also cited negative effects of the introduction of online instruction that call into question the long-term sustainability of online work as it is currently organized. It was concluded that the quality and extent of online education will inevitably be constrained unless the human resource management of training organizations addresses the organization of online work more explicitly. Issues that must be addressed include better job design to accommodate the working conditions associated with online work and institution of sophisticated strategies for building and sustaining work and knowledge networks. (Contains 24 references.) (MN)

A research project was conducted in Australia to assess the use of and attitudes toward online learning by vocational and technical education (VET) researchers. Information was gathered from 18 (13 women and 5 men, aged between 30 and 58) participant-researchers through a workshop in Adelaide, completion of a participant profile, a structured e-mail survey, a structured telephone interview, four online focus group events, and a second workshop to discuss the working paper. The research study found that, on average, the team had 3.4 years involvement in online learning and were involved in a variety of ways. Twelve of the team were involved in the professional development or mentoring of other staff in online technologies; 9 were involved in the development of online modules and training packages; 8 were involved in online delivery; and 3 were involved in LearnScope projects. Multiple roles in online learning were the norm. Most of the subjects learned about online learning matters through colleagues with online learning expertise or discipline expertise, while a significant number learned through formal professional development programs. Six of the respondents thought all teachers could become effective facilitators of online learning, 8 did not think so, and 4 were unsure. Only 3 respondents thought that all students could learn effectively through online activities, 10 respondents did not, and 4 were unsure. Having computer skills was the most common attribute mentioned for students to learn online. Benefits of online learning were considered to be meeting the individual needs of students and promoting access to VET for disadvantaged learners. (Contains 10 tables.) (KC)

The extent of vocational education and training (VET) teachers' knowledge about and experiences of online learning and teaching was examined in a collaborative research project undertaken with leading practitioners of VET online in technical and further education (TAFE) in South Australia in 2000. Eighteen VET practitioners considered at the leading edge of online education in TAFE in South Australia volunteered for the project. Data were gathered through a survey, structured interviews, online research events, and two face-to-face workshops. The study focused on the following aspects of professional online practice: (1) producing new knowledge about online teaching and learning; (2) new professional roles and practices arising from the use of online methodologies; (3) new forms of workplace learning for VET practitioners working online; and (4) new organizational contexts for online practice. The study established that those who are considered leading-edge online practitioners are exploring and experimenting rather than systematically constructing their experiences and knowledge. It was concluded that the use of online technologies to facilitate vocational learning is not simply a matter of updating or refreshing traditional professional practice but instead represents and requires a break with the past and the construction of a new and more complex practice. (MN)

The question of whether apprenticeships and traineeships can survive in Australia's emerging social and economic environment was explored through a review of two bodies of research. The first consisted of recent reviews of the quality of traineeships in Queensland and Tasmania and apprenticeships in Victoria. The second was a study on the future of work that was being conducted by the Research Centre for Vocational Education and Training and Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training. The recent success of Australia's New Apprenticeship system was considered in the context of the structure, content, and skill requirements of the jobs currently being created. The following problems were identified as affecting the long-term survival of apprenticeships and traineeships: increasing detachment from a centralized industrial relations system and industrial awards; increasing reliance on skill opportunities provided by the content and structure of work in individual enterprises rather than within an industry; high levels of employer influence and declining levels of employer investment in training; increasing dependence on a regime of public subsidy and training regulation; uncertainty about how to deal the competing trends of on-skilling and de-skilling; and reluctance to admit that not all workplaces are or even aspire to be learning organizations. (Contains 12 references.) (MN)

Eighteen VET practitioners considered to be at the leading edge of online education in technical and further education in South Australia were interviewed to determine the extent of their knowledge about and experiences of online learning and teaching. Data were gathered through a survey, structured interviews, online research events, and two face-to-face workshops. Responses indicated that, despite a VET policy environment keen to accelerate the take-up of online learning, online teaching and learning remains a very new area of human endeavor and a new area for VET policy and practice. The practitioners were actively involved in constructing knowledge about online learning. However, they were not yet systematically or consciously reflecting on the inferences to be drawn from their individual and collective experiences. Although the practitioners were excited and challenged by their online activities, they were also frustrated and pressured by lack of time, infrastructure, and resources. The practitioners' four main sources of professional learning about online teaching and learning were as follows: learning by doing; learning through work colleagues and teamwork; learning through communities of practice; and learning through formal off-the-job professional development. Organizational culture, policies, and structures played a big role in the VET practitioners' adoption and implementation of online VET. (MN)

Globalization is an evolving concept characterized by economic, technological, social, and political dimensions. Vocational education and training (VET) practitioners and the VET system must make more conscious efforts to lead thinking about the social dimension of globalization. The mission of Australian VET today is largely couched in economic terms--to ensure a skilled work force capable of helping the country's industries become globally competitive. In Australia, much of the debate about globalization has focused on economics and technology, and the social and political dimensions of globalization have largely been side-stepped. The Australian education and training system has worked very hard to ensure that technology is pressed to the service of VET rather than falling for the trap of technological determinism. The challenge is not so much to invest in the technologies but to more quickly and effectively apply the technologies for the purposes of vocational learning and for using them to transact VET business. The following issues related to the social dimensions of globalization remain vitally important to the development and delivery of VET: access; Australian cultural identity; and community. Australia's VET practitioners and leaders must support a community-building purpose for VET and work to enhance the stock of social capital in their communities. (MN)

A study analyzed the role of adult and community education (ACE) in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system. It considered the policy and funding contexts. Three premises formed the framework through which ACE's role was examined: ACE is a provider; ACE providers are community-based providers distinct from public and private providers; and the ACE sector is a network of community-based ACE providers. ACE providers had two fundamental roles in the national VET system. Their generic role was the same as other training providers in the formal VET system--to deliver outcomes congruent with the objectives of the national VET system and within nationally agreed frameworks for VET. Analysis indicated that community-based ACE providers were delivering the following outcomes: having nationally recognized ACE providers; delivering nationally recognized programs; meeting industry needs; providing learning opportunities for individuals and groups; and improving cross-sectoral links. ACE's value-adding role distinguished many ACE programs. ACE sector provision added value in four ways: training market, locality, community, and organizational orientation. Ten areas at the interface between the ACE sector and national VET system where closer cooperation would have mutual benefit were identified. (Half of the report consists of the following appendixes: four papers that map the current scope of ACE activity within the national VET system in these areas--general adult education, nationally recognized providers and programs, meeting the needs of industry, and providing learning opportunities for individuals and groups; policy context; statistical issues; consultancy brief; and 27 references.) (YLB)