Chisholm Institute of TAFE and the Building Industry

Higher enrolments and retention rates, greater student engagement and fast tracking of some completions are key outcomes of best practice e-learning programs implemented by Chisholm Institute's Building and Furniture Department.

The department has more than 40 staff who deliver programs to around 1500 students, including VET in schools, Certificates II to IV in Building and Construction, and Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas in various building disciplines.

Head of Department, Rodger Carroll, says the use of e-learning began in 2004 when group mobile phone deliveries were used as a social integration tool for VET in schools.

The institute is now progressively introducing mobile technologies using mobile phones, computers and 'moblogs' (mobile blogs of working life) to deliver learning, enable students to build e-portfolios including photographs and videos of their work, to gather evidence for Recognition of Prior Learning and to enable employers to submit onsite assessment video footage via mobile phones.

Student use of moblogs for social and learning networks is very high. When surveyed about the shift to e-learning, "86 per cent were thrilled about using this technology in teaching," Mr Carroll said. "It is also working very well with employers who sometimes had problems submitting written third party evidence, but who can submit a narrated video."

Chisholm has taken the standard eight blocks of attendance to four blocks, with the other four completed in the workplace, online and through a combination of assessment methods. Teachers are available one day per week including evenings.

Chisholm's VET in Schools program has now leapt from four or five groups of 14 students in 2004 to 19 groups in 2009, and pre-apprenticeships are also growing. Retention rates are very high, with four year apprenticeships completed by some students in three years and others ready for sign-off in as little as 18 months.

"Mobile technology enables students to learn faster," Mr Carroll said. "They are very aware of what they need to know, and are highly receptive to learning new things. For example, if they were doing a pitched roof with their employer, they can use their phone to access a learning object that tells them how to do it."

New technologies have also allowed much greater flexibility and customised learning, with students able to start apprenticeships at any time, complete an online assessment for RPL such as maths in as little as one hour, and revisit learning they may be struggling with.

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