Standards to Support National Cooperation in Applying Technology to VET

Table of Contents

1. Purpose
2. Background to the Project
3. Methodology
4. Key Issues
   4.1 Overall Industry Trends
   4.2 Flexible Delivery as a Key Objective
   4.3 Nature and Composition of the VET Sector
   4.4 A Model for Standards Assessment
   4.5 Technology Trends
   4.6 Technology and Standards
   4.7 Consequences
5. A National Technology Standards Policy
   Policy Statement 1
   Policy Statement 2
   Policy Statement 3
   Process for the Determination of Preferred Standards
6. Draft Recommended Standards
7. Standards Identification and Maintenance

Appendices:

1: Communications Flows in the VET Sector
2: The Business Model
3: Technology Trends - the Next Two to Five years
4: The Spectrum of Standards
5: Open Standards and ANTA Objectives and Barriers

List of Figures and Tables

Figure 1: The Online Learning Value Chain
Figure 2: Technology Layers
Figure 3: Standards Classes and Overall Properties
Figure 4: Interoperability Matrix for Detailed Standards Analysis

Table 1: Components of Value for VET Participants
Table 2: List of Standards Classes

1. Purpose

The purpose of the project is to:

• develop a proposed standards policy for the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector; and
• recommend, where appropriate, particular standards to support national cooperation in the use of online technology for flexible delivery.

2. Background to the Project

This project is one of ten Flexible Delivery Projects commissioned by the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) in 1997. It forms part of the Flexible Delivery Implementation Plan which puts into effect the outcomes of the ANTA National Flexible Delivery Taskforce. The Taskforce was established by the ANTA Board in mid-1995 to provide advice to the Board on how to proceed at the national level to make training more flexible. This project is one of a number of projects which were referred to the EdNA VET Advisory Group in its wider role of monitoring the national application of Flexible Delivery as endorsed by ANTA CEOs Committee.

3. Methodology

This project was conducted by the Centre for International Research on Telecommunications and Information Technologies (CIRCIT).

It was important, in determining the directions of the project, to understand and take into account, the requirements of the key stakeholders. Stakeholders identified include:

• ANTA CEOs
• Department of Education Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA)
• EdNA/VET Advisory Group
• State, territory and national VET agencies
• Open Learning Technology Corporation (in its role in relation to the development of EdNA)
• Training organisations - TAFE and private providers
• ACPET
• ITABs
• Industry clients - employers
• Learners.

The project was advised by a Project Reference Group, representing the key stakeholders. Teleconferences were held with the Project Reference Group during the course of the project.

The work undertaken in this project comprised two parts:

• Development of a standards policy and a standards identification and maintenance process and
• Identification of a set of draft recommended standards, which will be the subject of further consultation in 1998 (see Section 6).

Face to face consultations were sought with members of the Project Reference Group in order to identify needs and benefit from the experience of senior players in the VET sector.

A visit was made to each State and Territory. Discussions explored the range of technologies in use in each State/Territory, and also the VET system characteristics and policy frameworks that should inform the policy and recommendations. A key aspect which was considered was the existence of possible hurdles to implementation.

In pursuing the second area of the project as specified above, it was also important to take into account the existing base of technologies and standards throughout the VET sector. Consequently, information on the technologies and applications identified in the Brief were sought. This information included the objectives for the various applications together with the Key Success Factors for each application. The scope of deployment of each technology was estimated from the number of students using it and the number of sites involved.

Comparative analysis of competing standards was then undertaken, taking into consideration the following factors:

• relevant available standards,
• the benefits that the sector requires from the application of a particular technology and the allowable cost,
• appropriateness of recommending particular national technology standards,
• current industry technology standards,
• current technology approaches in the vocational educational and training sector (legacy systems) and
• likely industry and societal developments.

The outcomes of the project will include documentation and publication on a World Wide Web Site of the preferred standards, plus the recommended process for the maintenance of standards within the VET sector.

The work of the team proceeded via face-to-face meetings at CIRCIT. Most of the text was developed by email and online contributions from the team members.

[Top of page] [Next section] [Contents page]

[Home page] [Copyright statement] [Feedback]

Last modified on December 21, 1998.