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Purpose - This case study identifies factors influencing the implementation of e-learning within the Australian Army training context. Design/methodology/approach - A grounded theory approach was used to gain an understanding of the concerns of stakeholders involved in e-learning implementation. This research included interviews with Army managers, course developers, instructional designers and instructors. Findings - The main factors that were important for respondents involved in e-learning management, design, development and delivery could be identified. This case study demonstrates the importance of maintaining focus on organisational priorities and learning goals while meeting the demands of change pressures. Research limitations/implications - This is an initial study to gain an overview of the main issues. More research will be required to understand the Army's e-learning context and to confirm these findings. Further research will include other stakeholders, including trainees' perspectives and extend to other Army sites. Practical implications - For effective implementation there needs to be a process of continual adaptation and alignment of e-learning to reflect changing demands while meeting the priorities of the organisational culture and learners' needs. Originality/value - This paper analyses the first independent external research into e-learning in the Australian Army. Although this is a specialised context for e-learning, the issues raised in this case study will inform research into other workplace e-learning projects.

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A recent large study (a PhD thesis) of the Australian Army's use of e-learning courses indicated the complexities and contentions for researchers and practioners in understanding the factors influencing e-learning effectiveness in workplaces. Rather than approaching the understanding of effectiveness with pre-determined discrete variables, this study adopted an inductive grounded theory approach to understand e-learning effectiveness factors from multiple perspectives. The study indicates that the factors influencing e-learning effectiveness are dynamic, complex and interrelated. An Integrated E-learning Model was proposed, which indicates the main factors and the relationships between them that influence e-learning effectiveness. That is, effectiveness was considered in terms of the alignment of the e-learning culture with the organisational culture. This paper presents an E-learning Comparative Alignment Framework based on this model. The framework provides researchers with a scaffold and a comparative analysis approach to the understanding [of] e-learning effectiveness factors across an organisation. While the model and framework were based on the Army’s experience, the author invites other researchers to examine, apply and discuss them in other [vocational education and training] VET contexts.

Published abstract.

A list of the presentations from this conference may be found at TD/TNC 90.554; available papers are indexed from TD/TNC 90.555 to TD/TNC 90.578. Show less

This study aims to understand the perceptions of soldiers involved in the shift to flexible learning (computer based learning and distance learning) in the Australian Army. This move represents a major shift for an organisation that has hierarchical and authoritarian decision-making and training structures. Interviews and questionnaires with managers, instructors and soldiers involved in flexible learning in an Army Reserve Corporal distance learning pilot course indicated the importance of understanding the organisational context and culture. Students provided reflective insights into their learning experiences that complemented the Army’s more outcomes based evaluation approach. This case study indicates that flexible learning development is not a simple process of introducing a computer based learning package into the organisation. It highlighted the importance of mutual adaptation of flexible learning and the organisation that reflects the learning culture, learners' needs and a constantly changing environment.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 8th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference, 'Emerging futures: recent, responsive and relevant research', are indexed from TD/TNC 81.564 to TD/TNC 81.610. Show less

This study identified the factors that are important in the effective implementation of online learning in the mining industry in Queensland, Australia. Two sources of data and a Grounded Theory approach were used to develop a theoretical model that would inform managers, trainers and educators considering online learning implementation. The first source of data was key stakeholders in the Queensland mining industry, which had yet to implement online learning in any systematic way. The second source was literature case studies of other industries that had reported experiences of implementing online learning that were compared with the field case study. Six major factors were identified from this analysis as important for effective online learning implementation: external influences; organizational culture; organizational structures; training environment; learners' needs and the online learning environment. Implications for further research and the implementation of online learning in other industries are also discussed.

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A project to research existing policies and practices relating to recognition of prior learning (RPL) and to develop cross-sectoral national RPL principles and operational guidelines has been commissioned by the Australian Qualifications Advisory Board. In this paper, the authors aim to provide a framework for thinking about RPL and to test their conceptions with the community of researchers present at the conference. They discuss the rationale for the project and suggest a working definition of RPL.

The volume of proceedings is indexed at TD/TNC 70.679; available papers are indexed from TD/TNC 70.680 to TD/TNC 70.714. Show less

The aim of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Advisory Board is to improve our national approach to assessing a person’s prior unrecognised learning to optimise their chances to improve employment opportunities and continue learning throughout their lifetime. This paper is the final report of a project commissioned by the AQF Advisory Board and aimed at identifying obstacles to the implementation of RPL and at identifying mechanisms that facilitate increased use of RPL. The focus is on how RPL is used to provide access to, or credit in, courses leading to AQF qualifications, including senior secondary school certificates, certificates I - IV, diplomas, advanced diplomas, degrees and post-graduate qualifications. The mapping undertaken for the project revealed that there is a gap between policy and practice, with relatively few students receiving RPL despite the prominence given to RPL in policy. The research also found that RPL has not acted as a mechanism for social inclusion for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It was found that the factors that facilitated or impeded the implementation of RPL were similar across all sectors, including conceptual confusion surrounding RPL; funding disincentives for RPL in all sectors; concerns about quality assurance and the extent to which RPL outcomes are of the same quality and standing as outcomes achieved through formal education and training; implementation issues including the fragmented nature of the psotcompulsory education sector and the lack of public awareness of RPL.

The research report from the project is indexed at TD/TNC 76.554 and a discussion paper is indexed at TD/TNC 76.555. Show less

This study aimed to improve understanding of the factors influencing e-learning effectiveness, particularly in large, dispersed workplaces and to develop a model based on the understanding of these factors. This study represents the first external research into the Australian Army’s e-learning projects. The study was aimed at the understanding of how the Army’s workplace environment was influencing the effectiveness of e-learning courses from multiple perspectives. Using an inductive Grounded Theory approach provided an established analytical method for developing a substantive model. While the field-based research was limited to a single organisation, it included multiple sites across Australia and a cross-section of e-learning activities and respondents throughout the organisational hierarchy. The main data source was 101 open-ended interviews conducted with respondents at Army bases or by phone or questionnaire. Other data sources included Army documents and the researcher’s observations and participation in e-learning classes. While the Army’s internal evaluation processes had justified the adoption of e-learning courses, it was evident in the study that the interaction of factors within the Army’s culture was influencing perceptions and experiences of e-learning effectiveness. An Integrated E-learning Culture Model (IECM) based on the analysis of stakeholder perspectives in the Army is presented. This thesis proposes that by adopting the perspective that e-learning environments are not value-free, it is possible to identify and align the competing priorities and discourses that influence how e-learning effectiveness is constructed and experienced in an organisation.

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This article describes a research based case study that identified that organisational culture is significantly influencing e-learning design in the Australian Army. For organisations with hierarchical and authoritarian management and training cultures, e-learning provides opportunities for standardising content, delivery and course management while challenging traditional priorities, beliefs and practices. This case study focussed on the perspectives of key stakeholders in the Army involved in e-learning, including senior training managers, instructors, instructional designers and trainees. Within this context e-learning design was found to be explicitly designed to enculturate learners and to reflect the priorities in organisational culture. An inductive approach was used to develop a model, which maps the sources of organisational cultural influence on e-learning design. Implications of these findings for further research in different contexts are provided.

Published abstract. Show less

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is an integral component of the vocational education and training (VET) system in Australia. It provides a way of recognising skills and knowledge that already exist, regardless of how, when or where the learning took place, so that they may be counted towards the achievement of a qualification. This paper reports on the research which underpins a project commissioned by the Australian Qualifications Framework Advisory Board (AQFAB) to investigate RPL policy and practice in Australia and to develop national RPL principles and operational guidelines common to all sectors of postcompulsory education and training. A comprehensive picture of RPL policies and practices, as well as the factors that supported or were barriers to the successful implementation of RPL was built up by means of: a literature review; identification of research into RPL in other countries supplemented by case studies; ascertaining the policy of each sector or jurisdisdiction and each peak or representative body by means of interviews with stakeholders; analysis of data on who applies for and is granted RPL; interviews with stakeholders; and case studies.

RPL is important in qualifications frameworks in Australia and overseas, and is a key component in reforms to these frameworks that aim to increase access to, and participation in, post-compulsory education and training pathways. Four key findings shaped the report. The first finding is that there are at least two models of RPL in Australia around which there is considerable debate. The first of these models focuses on RPL as a learning process in its own right. The second focuses on RPL as a mechanism of credentialling. The second key finding is that the approach to RPL in Australia has been to focus on the outcome (the actual assessment and the outcome of assessment) and less on the process of RPL. The third key finding is that funding disincentives constitute a major impediment to the more widespread implementation of RPL in all sectors. The fourth key finding is that the main anxiety about RPL is to do with ensuring the quality and rigour of RPL outcomes.

The final report of the project is indexed at TD/TNC 76.552 and a discussion paper is indexed at TD/TNC 76.555. Show less

The move to online teaching within the vocational education and training (VET) sector has seen the need for staff training and course development to occur within a more formalised project management framework than traditional face-to-face or flexible delivery course development. This paper presents a case study of the eCommerce Online Project, developed by the North Coast Institute of TAFE for TAFE NSW. To address teachers’ skill and knowledge deficit of both online technology and content, a cyclic and flexible training plan was developed that allowed feedback from teachers and modification of the program based on their newly realised training requirements. A structured project management approach modelled on Rapid Application Development (RAD) techniques is described. This training program allows teachers to build up their skills quickly whilst developing and revising prototypes of the eCommerce course. The paper also presents the results of the feedback survey of participants. Show less