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For academics to successfully make the transition to online teachers or learning facilitators, they must do more than develop new technical skills. Online development and delivery requires new pedagogical approaches, challenging previous practices with regard to assessment, group interaction and student/teacher dialogue. Furthermore, it necessitates attention to issues concerning academic work practices. Online delivery challenges traditional notions of academics working in isolation and instead brings together teams of people each with unique skills, into a course design and development team. This paper describes the early phases of a systems change approach being implemented in the School of Social and Workplace Development at Southern Cross University. An ongoing collaborative action learning model is described as a vehicle for staff development and change management. This consisted of twice weekly team meetings and training sessions. These sessions represented a balance of outside expertise and experiences being brought into the group, and reflective and 'idea sharing' sessions amongst the development team itself. A mixture of technological, pedagogical and managerial issues were covered and discussions were fully documented throughout the process.

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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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LearnScope, a national professional development initiative operating in Australia since 1988, aims to assist the vocational education and training (VET) professionals in Australia develop skills and capabilities in the application of new learning technologies. The use of these technologies will provide greater choices to learners, helping Australia’s transition to the information economy. To support this initiative, the LearnScope Virtual Learning Community (VLC) was established and this paper describes the context of the LearnScope project and highlights the significance of interactivity as a major capability needed for developing a successful online learning environment. 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.

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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

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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Notions of competency have dominated the computer education literature, and have underpinned Competency-Based Training (CBT) in information technology at all levels of education and training. The emergence of counter-narratives underpinned by the capability movement, have as yet had minimal impact on practice in computer education. New discourses in educational theory and practice which are founded on non-linear approaches to learning and teaching provide added impetus to engage in the competency/capability debate, and re-examine our approaches to computer education. This paper explores complexity theories and demonstrates how complexity’s pedagogical implications can lead to new models for understanding computer learning and teaching. A new model for conceptualising end-user computer education is presented that was derived from a three-year action research initiative with pre-service teachers.

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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.

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