e-magine Online Campus: VET in schools implementation

The e-magine Online Campus is a core project of the newly established e-magine Centre of Excellence in Online Learning in Tasmania. The Online Campus is designed to empower schools to cross deliver online programs. Rather than the Department investing in centralised delivery, schools are encouraged to form delivery networks. This is the most effective way of supporting rural and isolated schools in achieving curriculum diversity and providing broad learning pathways for students. Schools in rural and remote areas of Tasmania including the west coast and Bass Strait islands are now able to offer students a broad range of subjects and programs, many of which are delivered online by teachers in other schools. Additionally the Online Campus was established to support on-campus flexible delivery. Schools are supported in curriculum restructuring by the use of online approaches. The notion of the school or college campus is broadened to that of an online learning community. The e-magine Online Campus is developing a cohort of teachers in schools and colleges around the state who can teach online – to their own students and to students in other schools. The e-magine Online Campus is thus much more than a virtual or online school. It is a very powerful project based model of professional learning, which is challenging and supporting a diverse group of teachers to move into a new paradigm. The online teachers in the e-magine Online Campus are the early adopters and change agents (or mentors) who are supporting and leading others online. The e-magine Online Campus is challenging schools and teachers, system wide, to reflect on the potential of online learning.

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