ERIC Number: EJ887286
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Aug
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1037-1656
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Satellite Lessons: Vocational Education and Training for Isolated Communities
Twyford, Kylie; Crump, Stephen; Anderson, Alan
Rural Society, v19 n2 p127-135 Aug 2009
At the Western Institute of Technical and Further Education (WITAFE) in New South Wales (NSW), vocational education and training (VET) courses are being delivered to students in isolated homesteads and remote Aboriginal communities by Interactive Distance eLearning (IDL). IDL provides satellite-supported two-way broadband voice, one-way video and Internet access for school-age and adult distance education. Adults commonly access VET courses offered by WITAFE using the equipment provided to their children who are students of a "School of the Air" or through community facilities in remote Aboriginal communities. By providing lessons via satellite to isolated students TAFENSW is helping to counter long-standing inequities in distance and rural education by decreasing the digital divide and assisting with rural renewal. Through a case study, this paper examines the influence of the provision of IDL and Internet access for adult students in isolated homesteads in NSW and also the benefits and challenges of teaching and learning with IDL.
Descriptors: Indigenous Populations, Distance Education, Adult Education, Adult Students, Foreign Countries, Internet, Vocational Education, Rural Education, Telecommunications, Video Technology, Access to Education, Case Studies, Influence of Technology, Computer Assisted Instruction, Rural Areas, Rural Population, Geographic Isolation, Program Descriptions, Program Effectiveness
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A