A new e-learning hub

A new e-learning hub, flexiblelearning.net.au, was officially launched today by Rod Arthur, Chair of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s (Framework) managing body - FLAG (Flexible Learning Advisory Group).The hub, which has been trialled for the past four weeks, allows vocational education and training (VET) practitioners and training providers working in e-learning to connect with colleagues around Australia and internationally.

The site is interactive and user driven, featuring web 2.0 technologies which encourage the sharing of knowledge, experience and learning resources. Earlier this year the OECD noted one of the key challenges for VET is the transformation of unconnected communities of practice into a coherent and dynamic learning environment. flexiblelearning.net.au looks to address this challenge, allowing users to:
network with other VET practitioners to develop their knowledge and use of e-learning, by joining relevant online groups and communities
contribute their own e-learning content to the site, and view content contributed by others
actively build their own site presence, by bookmarking website content and commenting on and rating other users’ content
follow other site users with similar interests (in the same way as Twitter does)
conduct an enhanced search of the site, allowing them to find old favourites and new content quickly and easily.
According to Rod, flexiblelearning.net.au is an essential piece of e-learning infrastructure which will help to meet COAG’s (Council of Australian Governments) objective to halve the proportion of 20–64 year olds without qualifications at Certificate III and above by 2020. “This is the next step in ensuring system-wide innovation in VET, encouraging states and territories to collaborate nationally on e-learning development.“Providing an effective source for knowledge transfer will ultimately help to increase access to training for under represented groups such as Indigenous Australians and people in rural and remote communities. “The mobility of skills across sectors and jurisdictions will be enhanced, allowing VET to promote its work to other sectors. This fits with the Bradley Review’s outline of a more flexible tertiary education and training system.”Through the site, practitioners and training providers can learn to make training delivery more engaging and learners more empowered.Users can access information on organisational strategies which support the uptake of e-learning; the types of learner groups that can be engaged through e-learning; and how to use resources such as digital stories, ARED, LORN and podcasting.“We see this site as the catalyst for inspiration and innovation in e-learning and encourage VET practitioners and training providers to get involved and start contributing and collaborating”, Mr Arthur said.To find out more about the website, visit the August special edition of Flex e-News, for the following articles:
About flexiblelearning.net.au
Getting started on flexiblelearning.net.au
User views on flexiblelearning.net.au
Get inducted into flexiblelearning.net.au
Recordings of online website induction sessions conducted by the Framework, the national training system’s e-learning strategy, can be accessed via the following links:
· Build a community in the new flexiblelearning.net.au e-learning hub, 30 July 2009

· flexiblelearning.net.au - the new Framework website, 16 June 2009