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 * Aboriginal Community Education Facilitators Project**
 * [photo of team]**


 * Manager:** Jo Sedgers – jo.sedgers [at] tafensw.edu.au
 * Facilitator:** Denise Smyth – denise.smyth [at] tafensw.edu.au


 * Sponsoring RTO:** Orange TAFE, Western Institute


 * Target client groups:** indigenous; community; disengaged

This LearnScope Project will assist in training local Aboriginal community people to work as Community Educational Facilitators to support satellite delivery into remote Aboriginal communities across NSW. It will increase the support available to isolated Aboriginal students increasing the capability and sustainability of the communities’ access to education and training through the Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) network.
 * Project summary:**


 * Online presence:** (blogs, wikis, EdNA Group, websites, flickr tag, del.icio.us tag etc)


 * Postcard from the Field due date:** week starting 28 August


 * Proposed LearnScope visit/s:** Alex's - 24 / 25 August


 * Team events** (focus, date, time, availability to other teams)


 * FURTHER DETAILS:**

This project will build on the successful piloting of delivery via satellite into remote Aboriginal communities by increasing the level of support available to Aboriginal e learning students at a local level. Under the IDL project TAFE NSW now has the technical capacity to utilise satellite and other new technologies to address the digital divide in remote locations. This project will increase the sustainability of such delivery by working with the isolated communities themselves to increase their capacity to support e learning with their own, local, trained facilitators. This will also partly address the shortage of Aboriginal teachers available in remote locations. The further integration of employability skills into the wide range of content delivered via e learning will further increase community capacity building in remote locations including capacity to generate self employment in locations with limited employment possibilities and the ability to utilise technology to reduce isolation and access education. The increased take up of learning opportunities that this project will generate reflects Western Institute’s sincere response to the imperatives of the recent Aboriginal Education Review including the need to urgently address the digital divide in remote Aboriginal communities.
 * Background to the project:**

§ Train Aboriginal people in remote communities to support e-learning § Provide training in e-learning strategies and student support § Link community education facilitators with experienced senior Aboriginal staff for mentoring § Link facilitators to an e-learning community § Build the capacity of remote Aboriginal communities to access e-learning to increase learning opportunities and to reduce isolation
 * Proposed project outcomes:**

This LearnScope project will train local Aboriginal community people to work as Community Education Facilitators to support delivery into remote communities via new technologies. These facilitators will be trained in supporting technology and technical trouble shooting as well as in teaching and support strategies. The outcomes of this project will address the digital divide in remote Aboriginal communities by utilising satellite technology to bring internet access to TAFE courses to these communities for the first time. For the few communities with broadband access, videoconferencing will also be used to enhance delivery. These technologies will give remote communities access to a large range of TAFE courses broadcast from the IDL Assistant studio in Dubbo via the new TAFE satellite studio in Tamworth. By training local Aboriginal leaders to facilitate educational delivery, this project will vastly increase the support available to isolated Aboriginal students thus increasing the capacity and sustainability of the communities’ access to education and training in a cost effective and culturally appropriate manner. It is anticipated that the project will also result in the establishment of an e learning community of practice amongst Aboriginal Community Education Facilitators in remote locations, e learning mentors and senior and experienced Aboriginal educational staff.
 * Benefits to client group:**

Aboriginal students living in very remote communities will experience new levels of support when studying via distance education. Locally trained Aboriginal community Education Facilitators will increase levels of student support, success and completion. The success of this project will be evaluated through increases in uptake of TAFE distance courses and successful completion as well as communities experiencing a wider choice of facilitated TAFE courses.
 * Evaluation strategies:**

In addition to formal evaluation tools, the team will participate in on line discussions and will be able to access the new IDL website. The team will also be linked to evaluation and reflection weekly sessions via satellite which will allow for support and mentoring. The DET Aboriginal Education and Training Directorate have expressed an interest in capturing and promoting digital stories from the project. The team will also connect with other Aboriginal teachers and facilitators involved in IDL delivery across NSW.
 * We are capturing our learning via:**

The establishment of trained Community Education Facilitators who also have ICT expertise, particularly in accessible technologies for remote communities will enhance not only TAFE delivery but successful program reach for a large range of providers. Eg other government departments such a Health and community and support agencies. This new approach to improving TAFE delivery by building capacity in remote communities will be widely promoted throughout the education and technology networks via publications, workshops and presentations as it has the potential to impact on core business principles for education in remote communities.
 * We hope to share our learning via :**

Collaboration and mentoring from the following contacts will enrich the learning for participants: - Len Waters – Aboriginal Development Manager – New England Institute - Nicole Foreshew – Aboriginal Education & Training Directorate – Sydney - Teresa Yasserie – FT Aboriginal Teacher – Fine Arts - Carolyn Arnold – PT Teacher Access/Outreach – North West - Other community networks.

§ This project will result in the establishment of the first NSW team of trained Aboriginal Community Education Facilitators with ICT expertise. This, plus their extreme isolation makes networking and shared learning an imperative with strategies outlined in earlier dot points. § In addition to previously outlined strategies, team members will participate in various e-learning and Aboriginal education forums and events. § The DET Aboriginal Education and Training Unit will assist in recording and promoting the project’s outcomes.
 * We’ll connect with others via:**

· A training manual and trouble shooting guide will be developed for community facilitators and educators supporting students studying via satellite · Digital stories will be recorded and promoted. · Managers and interested parties will be linked to the team via satellite and videoconferencing for discussion, reporting and feedback. · Comments, reflections and evaluations using Janison.
 * Proposed project products/outputs:**