Estonia’s Road to a Digital Society

This is not directly related to my study tour but I thought that the lessons learned in Estonia, just 75km south if Helsinki, were so interesting that they were worth noting.
I repeatedly heard about the huge leap that Estonia had made in e-governance while I was in Europe.
This is especially relevant to to the systems disasters plaguing TAFE.

Life in the Digital Society

e-Estonia means voting in elections from the comfort of your own living room. Filing your income taxreturn in just five minutes. Signing a legally-binding contract over the Internet, from anywhere in the world, via your mobile phone. These are just a few of the services that Estonians take advantage of on a regular basis.

Some Do’s and Don’ts, based on Estonia’s experience:

• Do – Create a decentralized, distributed system so that all existing components can be linked and new ones can be added, no matter what platform they use
• Don’t – Try to force everyone to use a centralized database or system, which won’t meet their needs and will be seen as a burden rather than a benefit
• Do – Be a smart purchaser, buying the most appropriate systems developed by the private sector
• Don’t – Waste millions contracting large, slow development projects that result in inflexible systems
• Do – Find systems that are already working, allowing for faster implementation
• Don’t – Rely on pie-in-the-sky solutions that take time to develop and may not work

Estonia’s Road to a Digital Society

https://e-estonia.com/the-story/how-we-got-there/

Vocational Placements in Australia

Work placement if it is not madatory?

When writing a delivery and assessment strategy for a course, can the RTO decide to add a work placement component to the course if it is not a mandatory part of the training package? For example, Certificate IV in hospitality, it is a requirement of one of the units that they complete 36 shifts in the industry so that would be classed as mandatory for that course. A certificate IV in business does not have any requirement like this however in order to fill up some of the volume of learning and to improve their experience in learning, could one include a period of work experience? Would work experience be classed as 'contact hours' that students should be completing?

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4340636/4340636-6138976381205233664?midToken=AQHPQDZP4yzqbQ&trk=eml-b2_anet_digest_of_digests-group_discussions-14-discussion%7Esubject&trkEmail=eml-b2_anet_digest_of_digests-group_discussions-14-discussion%7Esubject-null-u4ad2%7Eioks5e0f%7E2&_mSplash=1

Vocational Placements Fact Sheet
 https://www.fairwork.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/723/Student-placements.pdf.aspx

TAS TAFE ICT teaching department in Hobart

Great meeting today with the TAS TAFE ICT teaching department in Hobart. They are a very progressive department with a good choice of courses that are obviously setting their students up well for jobs. Like us they are getting students "head hunted" into jobs before they can even finish their courses!

It was funny, I was really jetlagged and managed to cut myself shaving just before the meeting. I turned up with a Norman Gunstan styled repair job. Kerryn and her team were very understanding and at least my clumsiness led to a few good jokes and I ensured that I am memorable.  :-)

Kerryn Meredith-Sotiris, Education Manager, ICT State-wide TasTAFE
75 Campbell street, Hobart | GPO Box 2015, Hobart TAS 7001 
kerryn.meredith-soti@TasTAFE.tas.edu.au

Kerryn gave me a tour to show me facilities and a chance to talk to her team and some of the students.
eLearning, project based assessment, clustered project based delivery, web conferencing, TAFE Uni pathways, contact with local employers....I'm really impressed

They are running a great cross section of courses with a mix of generalist and networking specialist courses. I worry at times that my own department is becoming too specialised around networking and we are not covering a diverse enough range of skills eg Support, Programming, DBA, Helpdesk.

• ICT60515 Advanced Diploma of Computer Systems Technology
• ICTSS00033 Basic Computer Hardware and System Troubleshooting Skill Set
• ICT20115 Certificate II in Information, Digital Media and Technology
• ICT30115 Certificate III in Information, Digital Media and Technology
• ICT41015 Certificate IV in Computer Systems Technology
• ICT40115 Certificate IV in Information Technology
• ICT40415 Certificate IV in Information Technology Networking
• ICT40215 Certificate IV in Information Technology Support
• ICT50415 Diploma of Information Technology Networking

http://www.tastafe.tas.edu.au/courses/industry/business-and-ict/

I was really impressed to see them running a joint program with their electrotechnology department. The students are also learning hands on skills with tools as well as IT and telecommunications skills. I met some of the students and this was very popular with them.

They have similar concerns to RI with worries about the future viability of Cert II courses aimed at digital literacy, Cert II courses in IT don't really have a job outcome. We discussed alternate options with running skillsets for digital literacy instead of full Cert II courses, the issue is the wide mix of digital literacy skills for incoming students, some have great skills from their school courses, other students have had very little training in digital literacy.

I saw a webconferenced class being run with a teacher connecting to a classroom of students via Blackboard collaborate. Like RI they are experimenting with a range of eLearning techniques and tools, I think over the next couple of years we will develop some really solid delivery models but we need to work through these trials to identify the best mix.

We talked about Business chambers in Europe and how we can connect to local businesses to ensure we can meet their IT needs. Kerryn told me about the role of  TASICT and what they have achieved for the Tasmanian IT industry.
http://www.tasict.com/about/

TASICT continues to focus on its vision for a large, dynamic and innovative Tasmanian ICT industry, recognised for its significant contribution to the economic and social wealth of all Tasmanians.

We discussed a range of future collaborations for our 2 departments: Assessment validations, resource sharing, comparing delivery models.

I think the IT department is doing a great job, the delivery models and tools really are world class, I think the challenge for all of us is to improve our administrative systems and processes to give our teachers a fair chance to apply those skills to support their students.

I'm looking forward to working with this department in the future. Very impressive!

Draft conclusions and future projects?

I've had this list on draft for the past few week so I can gather my thoughts on where to next...

Study tours and exchange programs are a brilliant opportunity to open your eyes and see your own organisations strengths and weaknesses. This provides an opportunity to focus on positive steps to move forward.

As I reflect back on my own experiences I can see steps that could make a huge improvement in the Australian VET sector.
These steps follow 3 major themes:

• Develop community partnerships to promote and support education
• Develop workplace assessments to encourage work placements
• Promote the professional status of teaching as a career

In detail:

·         Promote a culture of social partnerships where communities and education providers work together for the benefit of their communities. It sounds simplistically easy and obviously we are already doing this but I think the point is we can do more.

o   We need to broaden our definition of communities and ensure we don't exclude people from their opportunity and responsibility to contribute to education. In particular in Australian culture we need to be careful we don't allow our "laid back" style to indicate that education is someone else’s problem, we are all involved and we are all responsible. 

o   Our definitions of community need to cover Business groups, town/regional governance and cultural groups.

o   Practical steps for me will include making more time to meet with Business chambers, shire councils, schools and where possible community and cultural groups

·         Continue to recruit and train great teachers BUT then we must trust them and show respect for their time and judgement.
Plus as a teacher, I and my colleagues must live up to the community trust placed in us.
We need to make sure that our systems and processes are no more complex or time consuming than absolutely necessary so teachers have the time to commit to quality work.

This has been a huge eye opener for me, particularly in Finland, teaching is a highly respected profession. The community respects their teachers and the work and decisions they undertake. Australian education seems to be struggling at times with the status of teaching as a profession where there is an ever increasing level of administration and a continual process of "audit" where teachers have to prove that they made the right decision. Surely we can do better than this! I know this is way beyond my "pay grade" but I intend raising the issue in a positive constructive light and I hope bit by bit we can improve. This is not meant as a criticism of audit and quality assurance processes, but simply that they need to be supportive, constructive, time efficient and focused on employment outcomes. We need to do more than tell teachers what they are doing wrong, we need to show them examples of best practice that they can learn from.

·       

·         Develop workplace assessments so students can choose to be assessed in the workplace.
This is a great opportunity to develop partnerships into the business sector

o   Develop a template for workplace assessments that defines the evidence that needs to be collected and who needs to verify it.

o   Prioritise the units that are more likely to be chosen for workplace assessment and then apply that template to create assessment tools
o   Work with employer to ensure that the projects students complete are relevant to the workplace and preparing students to be great employees in the future

·         Actively seek community projects where our students can work with their communities. I was very impressed with Otto's idea of students working at the local library helping community members with simple IT problems.

·         Trial Otto’s SCRUM pedagogy approach for student projects. I thought this was a beautifully simple approach to encouraging student project work. The scrum sheets ensures that members know who is doing what and the stage of the project.
This would also give us an excuse to collaborate with Otto and the team at Helsinki Business College.
This is a quick win towards a very constructive pedagogical approach.

·         Join international exchange programs for students and teachers. Perhaps they already exist but I have been a teacher in TAFE for 19-20 years and I don't know about them. So we either need to develop opportunities or promote the opportunities that do exist more effectively.
  Collaborate with TASTAFE who are running a great range of courses into a similar environment. We have a lot in common and would be ideal partners for future projects.

·         Cut ourselves some slack! We already have a great education system and the reason we worry about our standards is because we care. We have many great initiates we can contribute that I'm sure other countries would be happy to learn from. This creates an opportunity for international collaborations. I had lots of positive feedback and questions on some of our approaches:

o   Project based learning.

o   The ITPathway program which is a fully partnership between TAFE and Charles Sturt University

o   ELearning models and templates to make it easier for teachers to get online

o  Community consultation through Talking Tech Riverina

o   Support Workshops with peer support models

Thank you email to all my new Finnish and Austrian friends

Hi

I’m ready to fly home again after an amazing study tour of Finland and Austria and I wanted to say Thank you for helping me with my tour.

You and so many others have helped me with introductions, campus tours and conversations that have helped me to better understand the Finnish and Austrian vocational education systems.

I have to say I am very impressed.

Both Finland and Austria have incredibly professional systems where students receive excellent support from their teachers to prepare them for their careers.

I’m also very impressed by the partnerships between the business sector and campuses to ensure that students have the skills and knowledge to be successful.

I hope one day I will have the opportunity to repay your hospitality, if you are ever planning a visit to Australia I hope you will contact me so I can offer any advice or support I can. I think you would enjoy a visit to Australia, we also have a very good education system and I would be very happy to help you arrange visits to campuses.

We use a Moodle learning management system(LMS) to provide resources and tools for assessment submission for students. If you would like to access our LMS as a guest to see the resources and assessments we use in our courses just send me an email and I will send you more information

I will be in touch again later but I thought I would share some links to more information on the Australian vocational education sector that I work for.

Links

·         https://www.rit.tafensw.edu.au My Institutes website

·         http://e-standards.flexiblelearning.net.au/index.php e-standards for Australian flexible learning

·         http://riverinainstitute.libguides.com/content.php?pid=330321&sid=2750653#12963011 – Student information resources

·         https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/blog/908475-libraryblogriverina/ - staff online resources and notifications

·         https://www.facebook.com/RiverinaInstituteLibrariesElearning - Facebook site for our Institutes library

·         http://www.rit.tafensw.edu.au/course-information/recognition-and-rpl/ - Information for students with existing skills for recognition

·         https://learn.taferiverina.edu.au(Moodle learning management system(LMS))

·         https://learn.taferiverina.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1946 my departments LMS landing page

·         https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/ICT - Training package for all ICT courses

·         https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/ICTICT302 - National competency requirements for a common ICT unit

Thank you again for all of your help I am very grateful. Please keep in contact and let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.

George Holt

Head of Department, Information Technology

TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, Wagga Wagga Campus
Cnr Macleay and Coleman Streets, PO Box 2231, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650

M +61 412 962 739   P +61 2 6938 1290   F +61 2 6938 1240  Information Technology Department

Lets follow the leaders...

Here is the link to subscribe to the Ideas on Europe blog.

I think it would be great for Australian teachers to follow this blog as it gives a good overview on current issues right across Europe.

I'd especially encourage teachers to watch for trends from these countries that seem to have an exceptional good educational system: Finland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands. I'm sure there are other great examples but these are the country names that I keep hearing in conversation with teachers.

http://ideasoneurope.eu/newsletter/

eLearnng in Europe.

I've been following this blog site to see what the issues are for development across Europe.

An interesting trend is in eLearning where we are all at predictable stages. Organisations that are following standards and taking steps towards an organisation wide approach to using online resources are making lots of progress, the rest are still debating and saying that, yes, eLearning is important but they are still at the early implementation stage with staff unsure how to proceed to the next level.

i think the answer is fairly simple, individual staff can only proceed so far, after that the organisation must provide leadership to bring support and consistency. Otherwise the efforts of the individuals become lost!

http://uacessf.ideasoneurope.eu/2016/05/09/article-4/

Salzburg University of Technologies - partnerships and international exchanges

You see examples of partnerships and international exchanges everywhere in Austria. Check out this page from the Salzburg University of Technologies.

"The Salzburg University of Technologies, one of the country’s most outstanding educational establishments, has put the student with all his wants and expectations at the centre of its conception of itself. “Welcome to your future” – so runs the invitation, and at the same time the promise, of the FHS to its students.

This unconditional, future orientated approach is supported by a string of additional characteristics of the FHS. The continual striving after new international network connections provides students with easy access to semesters abroad or internships internationally.

However, what really sets the FHS apart from many comparable educational establishments is its unique management structure. The Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Labour are the two pillars of the institution which take an equal share of the load. This example of invigorated social partnership is an absolute model in Austria, and has made an impression far afield. The FHS is a showcase project, which, not the least for this reason, provides the ideal prerequisites for a high quality academic education with all its perspectives."

I think the challenee for us in the Australian VET sector is to developpartnerships that lead to international exchange opportunities.
Working and/or studying with people in a different culture is such a brilliant opportunity for all of us.
http://www.salzburg.eu/en/bildung/fachhochschulen.php

EDUCATION IN SALZBURG

There are choices everywhere in the Austrian education system. They have the most amazingly interwoven system I have ever seen.

Check this summary page and links to see just how much choice students have. On top of these choices students have access to international exchange programs in many countries.

I've spoken informally to several students now and most of them have either been on an exchange program or are hoping to do one before they finish their course..

http://www.visit-salzburg.net/travel/education.htm

Survey questions for employers and workplace students

Up until now a lot of my feedback has come from training providers and the WKO but while they have all given me their perception of the employers and students viewpoint I haven’t had many opportunities to confirm this.

So, I’ve created a very simple survey tool that i will circulate to employers and their workplace students to see if I can gather some direct observations. To protect their privacy I will not record who said what in this document. It will simply summarise the viewpoints. 

I will only make edits to ensure readability.

Survey

Survey questions for employers and workplace students

·         These questions relate to students completing mandatory work placements while they are enrolled in a formal course of study with a VET college or University. 

·         The questions are designed to be answered by students or their workplace supervisors/trainers/mentors 

·         This survey data will be used to assist me in my study tour to understand the workplace requirements of students in the Austrian education system.

All results will be maintained as anonymous and privacy protected. 

How frequently do workplace supervisors/managers/mentors communicate with teachers? 

·         Some very often, some less. This depends of the interest of the workplace-mentor.

·         However, those communications are very seldom curriculum related.

·         The curriculum is given by the government.

·         Most of the times the mentors communicate about the performance of the student.

·         It is in the interest of both (school-teacher and workplace mentor) to be updated about the behaviour and the performance of the student. Therefore many stay in touch.

·         Managers and School-Principals meet on a very different basis. This is then more to discuss needs of the schools ... compare to Industry needs .. and if necessary take those needs to the local government to find cooperative financing of equipment.

How do workplace supervisors/managers/mentors communicate with teachers? meetings, reports, informal conversations.... 

·         All of the above.

·         Mentors and teachers very often with mail or phone. ( best way to inform about behaviour or performance ) sometimes personal contact ( meetings ) in school.

·         Managers and principals in formal meetings.

·         In our state we also have a "Student evaluates the teacher" feedback system. This is on a yearly basis presented as a report to both .. workplace and school.

·         This report shows how a teacher in school or a mentor at work is graded by the students ( fairness, competence etc... )

·         This takes great trust and very good cooperation between school and workplace... and not all feel the same way.

·         However, it is also a tool to bring school and workplace together. The common goal of both institutes is the positive development of the student.

·         In many cases this goal is taken very seriously and the cooperation between both, workplace and school is .. .let's say .. well respected.

·         We both understand that it strongly depends on the people involved .... some cooperate better than others.

·         However, efforts to work together are always very visible.

What workplace supervision arrangements are provided for students? 

 

Do students have a mentor? 

·         Depends on your definition of "mentor".  Students have a designated trainer at the workplace. Call it mentor, call it trainer ...  in all ways .. it is a "psychological parent" figure ... if that is what you mean ?

Are there formal workplace trainers that support the student in conjunction with the teachers at the schools 

·         in many companies .. .yes.  I can not speak for all .. but most companies offer something like an "extra tuition" .. or private lessons. Now .. this can be your designated trainer, this can be a hired person ... that depends on the company the student works for.

·         We must however understand... we have a very clear split of training and teaching contents. –

o   Workplace ..... practical work ,

o   school .... well ... math, writing, accounting ..... in most cases not skills "directly" related to the task on the job ... more the general knowledge and background understanding if you will.

·          Therefore it is not always easy for a good workplace mentor to support a student in "school stuff" for many trainers most of the school topics lie waaay back ... and if not really needed on the job, some of these skills go a bit in the background.

·         I am sure you understand what I mean when you relate to your kids when you support them with their homework. I know that I learned all the names of the different rivers in my state, the names of all mountains and valleys ... however ... I would have a hard time to name them all today ... or point out where they are.

·         Even though I think it is important to learn such things at one point about your country ... most of that space in our brain will then be taken over by other knowledge .. .stuff that you do on a regular basis.

·         What remains is a general understanding.

·         This may be the reason that such school related-coaching is sometimes conducted by the workplace trainer himself ( if he still feels confident about the topic ) .. or it may be "outsorced" ... if you know what I mean.

Are there any formal workplace assessments to be completed? 

Heavily depends on the Company where the apprentice is hired.

it is not a "legal" requirement, hoever, some companies implement such "practical tests" practical means .... building something, not a written assessment. they have enough written assessments in school ;o)

Are there formal assessment documents that need to be completed by the employer to record the students knowledge and skills? 

Yes, there is a governmental record we have to keep.  but this is veeery simply kept.

How much time does the student spend in the workplace? Weeks/ year or weeks/ whole course.
we have basically two systems.

 a) 4 days / week at work + 1 day in School

 b) 10 weeks school in one block ... the rest of the year at the workplace.

What percentage of the total course does the workplace time cover? 

 see above, so it is an approx. Ratio of 4 to 1

What support services are available to students while they are working? 

What learning resources are provided to students during their course eg textbooks, study notes etc 

 All that is needed, this is in the hands of the schools ;o)

Do students have access to online resources to help you with their course? 

·         I get the impression .. that you have the impression... that we have a "school-System"

·         Please understand that when an apprentice is hired, the company takes the responsibility of teaching all technical aspects of the skill ... and the school takes the responsibility of the academic issues.

·         Even though Schoolteachers and Workplace mentors cooperate, there are two different responsibilities.

·         The Majority of the time ( 4 days ) is spent at work ... and 1 day of the week is academic in school.

·         Sometimes the Workplace mentor needs to help or push the student a bit in academic issues.

·         But Please understand the two different responsibilities. That may be like a Math teacher and an English Teacher. Both teach the student but in different aspects.

·         It seems that the basic understanding of apprenticeship in our cultures are totally different. We select an apprentice, register the apprentice with the Dept. of Labor and the School. The government tells us the minimum requirements we have to teach at the workplace.

·         There is a Mid-Term exam ... ( practical an Oral .... build a Workpiece and have an oral exam about practical issues of the job)

·         At the end there is again the final exam, in the same way but at a higher level.

·         The school is "seperately" ... if a student fails the academic.... he/she has to repeat the school exam

·         Compare it to the driving licence.

·         One Part is responsible for teaching and also test the Theoretical knowledge. Another part is responsible for teaching and practicing the driving in different situations ( dark, rain, Autobahn, moutains etc... ) and the also tests the student at the exam.

·         in the end .. the student needs BOTH exam to get the drivers licence. ;o)

·         I also think that the following questions are all "school" related ...

Are students able to submit assessments online to their teachers for marking? 

What types of assessments do students need to complete in their course? Essays, reports, research projects, practical projects, theory tests... 

What do you think are the strengths of the courses you are involved with? 

What do you think are the weaknesses or opportunities for improvement in the courses you are involved with? 

Are students able to do an International exchange as a part of their course? 

If yes, what are the most popular destinations? Why? 

Can you recommend any other employers or students that you think I should talk to?