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Online to the future of learningA new online learning library promises to revolutionise IT education in Australia, writes GEORGIE RAIK-ALLEN. Information technology educators, from a schoolteacher in remote Queensland to professors at Monash University's high-tech Malaysia campus, are tapping into a new internet library of IT learning resources. Spearheaded by Monash in conjunction with the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland, the Webworkforce Project was recently launched after 18 months of development. The project is a website where teachers and trainers can browse and retrieve materials useful for teaching IT students at university, secondary school, TAFE or in corporate training courses.
The online learning repository is also a sophisticated content management system, allowing different user groups to contribute, update and easily access high-quality learning and training material. The site is available free to teachers and trainers of any type of IT skills from networking to website design and computer graphics. It is currently being offered to Australian educators and their international partners. Mr Bell spent 12 months talking to IT educators to determine the necessary features for the system, and contractors spent seven months building the online repository, which includes a custom-designed database and search engine. So far, the major focus of the project has been designing and building the technology, but creating first-rate, relevant education materials will be just as important to the program's success. "We want to design and incorporate high-quality resources that really help students learn," Mr Bell says. "This is an educational project as much as an IT one." Educators from Monash, the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland have contributed learning materials to the project. Mr Bell says processes are being established to ensure the materials meet high standards, can be updated and meet the learning needs of IT students and workers. According to the project's principal, Associate Professor Phillip Steele, associate dean, Industry, in Monash's Faculty of Information Technology, other online learning systems offer complete courses to students, often in remote areas. The Webworkforce Project, however, is designed to provide exercises and materials that teachers can embed into their own courses. "It's about recognising the importance of teachers and empowering them with superior learning resources," he says. Dr Steele says the project is "technically important" but the bigger picture is "creating a culture of sharing education material". The three universities involved were happy to share resources, and the database has been designed to allow different levels of access to different user groups, he says. Educators who are interested in developing innovative and high-quality resources are ideally suited to creating learning objects for the project, Mr Bell says. "We're looking for people who are excited about creating innovative curricula to contribute their own material to the site." According to Mr Bell, there is also an ongoing need for improvement in IT education in Year 11 and 12. High school computing classes tended to focus on learning how to use computers rather than the more challenging skills of software programming and application development, he says. Providing better quality IT education tools to secondary school teachers should make the VCE courses more interesting, attract brighter students and better prepare them for university. At the launch of the Webworkforce Project in July, Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training Dr Brendan Nelson said the project was "an outstanding result from an excellent partnership between universities and industry". "Online content is creating a new realm and is the future of education," he said. "The Webworkforce Project has the capacity to take the latest IT materials to every corner of Australia." He said the project was of vital importance in an age where information technology would continue to be a decisive force in shaping the economic and social life of the nation. "The project will help train a skilled internet workforce for the next five years and beyond," he said. He said the innovative nature of the system meant that it could be customised for a wide range of applications. The project will run for three years with funds from the Department of Education, Science and Training's Science Lectureships and sponsors Telstra, Compuware, Sun Microsystems and Multimedia Victoria. Ongoing funds will be needed for the costs of hosting and maintaining the technology as well as updating the content and adding new materials. Dr Steele says the next challenge for the project will be to commercialise its assets while maintaining its educational responsibility to sharing materials with IT educators across Australia. Caption Hi-tech curriculum: Secondary school students are among those who will benefit from resources available through the Webworkforce Project, including materials that teach software programming and application development. Caption Best of both worlds: The Webworkforce Project combines the latest thinking and expertise in innovative IT curriculum and education delivery, according to project manager Mr John Bell. Photo: Greg Ford. Action box |
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