You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Likewise, you can lead students to computers, but you can’t offer them engaging courses – unless VET practitioners have developed and honed the skill sets required to effectively implement e-learning.

In this edition of The Knowledge Tree we expose the vital skill sets needed by vocational education and training (VET) practitioners to offer lively and engaging e-learning and to ensure classroom teachers and trainers aren’t left behind.

Highlights:
Internationally recognized futurist Elliott Masie offers a think-piece, Defining the ‘e’ in e-learning, in which he takes readers on a journey from e-learning’s humble beginnings to current global practices and future possibilities.

Annie Fergusson, Benchmarking and Research Business Manager of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), provides an overview of what must happen on a macro level if VET practitioners are to effectively update their skills to adapt to e-learning environments. She makes her points using recent VET research and the Framework’s 2009 annual Benchmarking survey.

Cathy Moore, an international e-learning instructional designer, soon to tour Australia explains in an interview how we can ‘dump the drone’ of e-learning design and instead create engaging, memorable and lively e-learning.

In addition, we offer several interviews with Australian e-learning practitioners as they consider, among other issues, the differences between skills needed for face-to-face teaching and e-learning, the effective use of Web 2.0 tools, and ‘the how’ in acknowledging new skill sets.

Edition 19 also sees Sue Lapham, Western Australia representative on the Flexible Learning Advisory Group (FLAG), inviting VET practitioners to the new interactive Framework website. Here providers can develop e-learning skills sets and knowledge by finding resources and collaborating with others. To help introduce readers to this new e-learning hub, we offer Flash presentations based on Kim Edgar’s recent ‘e-Gems’ web-conferencing session.

We hope you enjoy ‘Exposing e-learning skills sets‘ edition 19 of The Knowledge Tree and, as always, we look forward to your feedback.

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