Team+application+form

e-Learning for Tourism Hospitality Event Management teachers Illawarra Insitute.
The information below has been drafted as a submission for funding under the NSW LearnScope 2007 program. The proposed project, titled "e-Learning for Tourism Hospitality and Event Management (THEM) Students", has been created by Rob Long, Jeanne Mcrae, Bjorn Ulfsson, Trish Hearn, Jayne Bachelor and Dom Burriel (THEM teachers at TAFE Illawarra) with the assistance of Steven Parker of TLRU (TAFE Illawarra). The application follows the base line learning of these teachers in web 2 skills in 2006. Basically, the LearnScope program can allow us to gain professional development training in new e-learning technologies that we can use to introduce these skills to students and other teacher .Your feedback is welcomed via this wikispace.

1. The Focus
The project brings together a team of teachers from the TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute, to continue developing skills and processes learnt in 2006, and provides them with the necessary e-learning skills to be able to effectively communicate with each other and to better educate other TAFE staff and students in e-learning processes and skills (via e-learning products such as a training DVD, web-based applications etc.). LearnScope's innovative e-learning techniques are a way to help THEM teachers communicate effectively within their peer network, as well as be able to mentor amongst other staff and students by way of innovative e-learning tools.

2. The Team
The TAFE THEM Team will be comprised of six (6) Illawarra Institute THEM staff. All these staff have a role in introducing Web 2 tools skills and procedures for training staff and students of TAFE NSW. Individuals team members are based at Wollongong TAFE. The TAFE teachers within the Illawarra Institute are working with student groups to introduce and develop e - learning skills for these students and to expand the skill base by mentor services and demonstations to other teachers other.. The project team will benefit from developing the e-learning skills that enable them to share, package and deliver information for thier students and colleagues.

3. Building on Skills and Strengths
The existing skills within the team include broad-based THEM industry expertise, with all members also having done training in e-learning. In 2006 the group has previously implemented e-learning tools and have began utilizing the increasing technology that staff and students are utilising for TAFE studies (e.g. m-learning, blogs, web chat etc.). The Group were keen to learn more about these new technologies so that they may apply them in their teaching and training so the students are exposed and can develop appropriate skills. Particular areas of interest include DVD production (ultimately obtaining the necessary skills to create a DVD on practical management teaching practices that can be shown to staff and students throughout all TAFE NSW), sharing information via the Web (Flickr, delicious, wikis, blogs, RSS etc.) and remote communications/connections (video teleconferencing via computers, Breeze etc.) to improve peer network learning.

4. Capability Development Focus
This THEM team wish to focus on two main areas of e-learning: improving communication amongst themselves with the use of new technology and implementing e-learning to student groups for use in the everyday learning and communication between teachers and students(e.g. videoconferencing, wikis, Flickr, blogs, delicious, Breeze, web sites, face-to-face Group Learning etc.); and creating a DVD on practical management training at Illawarrra TAFE NSW (the DVD will be a compilation of video clips of the students learning and will be produced by individuals within the team once the necessary media skills are gained from the project). Continued training and professional development in these e-learning areas is required for the Team to enable them to utilise these technologies effectively. Online training of the various web-based programs, would be the preferred approach to e-learning given the wide and varied student groups that the team works with. Future production of the DVD may require professional training or mentoring in video filming, video editing (e.g. Movie Maker) and DVD compilation etc.

5. Justifying the Project
The main outcomes of this project are to continue the skills developed in 2006 to implemet technologically-advanced teaching and learning tools that can effectively raise the e-learning skills of the THEM students across he Illawarra Institute TAFE NSW.

Once the process is completed the skills developed will be utilised in a wide range of student groups and with a widers range of teachers in the Insitute which can then be implemeneted across the state.

6. Engaging Clients/Learners
The primary clients for this project will be the TAFE students that are enrolled in the THEM modules and courses. They will benefit from this project as a result of the team utilising 'cutting edge' technology to deliver modules with e-learning tools as the basis of the communication between teachers and students. For example practical management education that has been implemted at Wollongong has changed delivery from traditional classrooms to teachers encouraging students to learner through practical management experience. Far more engaging and effective would be the use of e-technology to visually show them, how this process can enhance their learning and improve thier job prospects.

The team has a proven track record of Industry engagement with workplacement, student projects and now these new skills allows a closer link with industry through use of video and audio. The students can illustrate to industry the skills and learning they experience at TAFe and we can record for a wider range of students and teachers what industry wants from TAFE students. These would feature as experts in the training package by way of video footage, podcasts, etc.

7. Knowledge Sharing
Each team member will connect and share their e-learning techniques with other staff within the Illawarra Institute. The teachers will now be in a position to mentor other teachers in the THEM field. Reports on the project will be communicated via TAFE publications so that staff are aware of the project. Face-to-face Workshops can be conducted on ways to implement the these elearning techniques and bringing together the project team for network bonding.

8. Budget
The LearnScope funding sought for this project will cover such expenses as time for Project Manager and Project Facilitator, time for team participants, technical training/coaching and registration for e-Learning07 event. It is proposed to offer team members release from teaching of 2 hours per week for 18 weeks.