Online study may see students certified in as little as one term
Sonja Larsen
Editorial assistant, Connections
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
Avondale College of Higher Education will begin offering short courses in outdoor recreation online from next month (June).
Mixed mode sees on campus students online: Avondale has been offering a short course in outdoor recreation on campus in mixed mode—students maintain personal contact with lecturers but complete assessment tasks online—since the beginning of the year. Credit: Brittany Kent.
The initiative will allow students to complete theory components electronically and practical components in their local areas, says Michael Bertolacci, a sessional lecturer at Avondale who is helping develop online learning for outdoor recreation.
“It’s more convenient if you don’t have much time to give to your study,” adds outdoor recreation course coordinator David Low. Students can complete each course in as little as one term. He recommends students ensure higher education providers “have the mechanisms in place to keep you motivated.”
Cost and convenience are big motivators, but so is the quality of the course and the way it is taught. Avondale’s online short courses in outdoor recreation will be rich in media—providing students with videos and PowerPoint presentations with voice over—and will provide students with more timely feedback.
Avondale has been offering the bushwalking course on campus in mixed mode—students maintain personal contact with lecturers but complete assessment tasks online—since the beginning of the year. This refining process, as David describes it, is ongoing but will require less work as the courses improve. Avondale plans to offer the bushwalking course off campus from June. Others, including abseiling and flat-water paddling, will come later.
Online courses encourage students to take responsibility for their learning, says dean of the Faculty of Education and Science Dr Peter Beamish. However, he notes lecturers are available if a student needs help. Contact options include email, online discussion groups, phone and video conference.
Avondale has offered training in outdoor recreation since 2000.
It’s official! Avondale now a VET FEE-HELP provider
The end of a 15-day disallowance period means Avondale College of Higher Education now has official approval to offer an Australian Government student loan scheme in outdoor recreation.
Avondale became an approved VET FEE-HELP provider in November last year subject to no reversal of the decision from either of the houses of federal parliament in their first 15 sitting days.
“This is good news for the 19 Diploma of Outdoor Recreation students taking advantage of VET FEE-HELP,” says senior lecturer in health and outdoor education and coordinator of Vocational Education and Training at Avondale Dr Wayne Miller.