Case Study - Lowanna College
As computers and computing continue to become ever more ubiquitous in reach and application, government at all levels, commerce, industry, and parents are pressing educational institutions to be more proactive in schilling individuals in Information and Computer Technology. The need to be responsive in a rapidly changing I.T environment, install appropriate infrastructure and “Teach the Teachers” is a financially and time demanding challenge.
For several years the promise of online learning has been to deliver needed training courses to teachers and students who can study anytime their schedules permit, anywhere they can access the delivery network and at their own pace. While realization of that promise may have come slower than anticipated, organizations are now building scalable online learning systems that bring increased training opportunities to individuals and groups at lower cost and using fewer resources than traditional methods of education.
Lowanna College , in Gippsland , Victoria , is one such organization. A thriving high school community with over a thousand students and sixty staff Lowanna offers a comprehensive range of options to students across a broad range of key learning areas (KLAs). In addition to the standard curriculum the school offers a number of Vocational Education & Training (VET) courses. Additional specialist programs are provided such as VCAL, Jobs Pathways Program and Students at Risk Programs. The College also has links with TAFE to enable students to access TAFE courses
From the beginning Lowanna developed a vision for ICT not only in the high school but in the broader education and local community. With a small but dedicated IT staff under the direction of Greg Gebhart the school has forged links with a broad cross section of industry organisations, software and hardware manufactures and suppliers.
Like most educational institutions, Greg and his team needed to stretch limited resources as far as possible and yet still provide a high quality learning environment for both staff and students. Greg was also looking to make sure that teachers, students and his staff could concentrate time and energy where they could be most productive. Early in 2003 Greg introduced LearnKey Network training products at Lowanna College .
In Years 7 and 8 ICT teachers used PowerPoint, FrontPage and Publisher courses in their classrooms to supplement and enhance existing teaching methods. The self paced nature of the training allowed students who were familiar with the programs to lean more advanced features and functions while allowing the teacher to concentrate on teaching the basics to the rest of the class and helping individuals who were struggling. Students developing multimedia projects in SOSE, English, LOTE and Science used the training programs as a support reference.
For Year 9, 10 and the senior school including VCE candidates the availability of the LearnKey training provided an expanded range of elective options including VB.Net, Java, Visual Basic and a range of other topics which were in some cases outside the range of knowledge of the teaching staff but within the students capability.
Students and teachers from Graphics and other art disciplines made excellent use of Photoshop, Illustrator and other multimedia training while Maths and Computing were able to provide an expanded curriculum for advanced skills in Excel. SOSE and English classes used soft skill products to initiate discussion on issues as diverse as Team Building and Sexual Harassment.
“The benefits didn't sop there” said Greg “the teaching and support staff really appreciated having access on an anytime basis to the training programs. The biggest complaint we had was that staff said it was hard to find as much time as they wanted in order to spend more time training!”
The installation of the LearnKey network training has also provided excellent professional Development opportunities for the teachers. “We sometime forget theta the trainers need to be trained” said Greg. “ICT operates in an environment of constant change and it can genuinely difficult to keep abreast of what is available, learn how to use it and then have to teach it as well. With limitations on budget and PD time the LearnKey online solution provides us with a resource and flexibility that we just haven't previously had”.
Greg and his technical team also benefited. “All of a sudden we had all the resources we needed to offer students on work experience and IT extension programs the opportunity to get internationally recognized vendor certifications like A+ and Microsoft Professional. This provided a tremendous boost to our programs without the equivalent increase in costs and of course our own tech people could polish their own skill sets! It has been a fantastic win-win for all involved”
Kathleen Bosworth is LearnKey's Account Manager in Victoria and worked closely with Greg and his team from initial discussion through all phases of installation, rollout and implementation. “For teachers one of the most significant advantages of online learning is that it provides the students with the chance to learn at their own pace”, Bosworth says “teachers can be assured that even if the student is a slower learner they need not be left behind because they can always go back and review a training module as many times as needed to learn new skills. Teachers can also spend more of their time mentoring and coaching students, identifying those who are having difficulty and provide remedial assistance and similarly providing more challenging work for more gifted students.”
"We selected LearnKey because the style of delivery was engaging, interesting, easy to use and the expert instructors give the training real personality” said Gebhart. “The range of courseware available, the cost effectiveness of the solution, the first class technical support, and additional services made this an easy decision.”