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=**E-merge- Online Learning for Regional Filmmakers**= toc

**RTO**
Metro Screen

**Contact**
Bethany Bruce, Project Manager b //dot// bruce //at// metroscreen //dot// org //dot// au 02 9356 1824

**Category**
Empowering learners Indigenous Learners At-risk Youth

**Business Partners**
Screen NSW, The National Film and Sound Archive, West Darling Arts

Metro Screen provides high quality vocational training in the areas of film, television and new media production. Metro Screen is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1981 to provide access to media training and production facilities, especially to those sections of the community unable to access this elsewhere. In tandem with Metro Screen’s social mission is a commitment to meeting industry needs. As a Screen Development Agency and through core funding from the NSW Film and Television Office and Screen Australia, Metro Screen is a hub for emerging practitioners, a place where employers find new talent and creative collaboration takes place.

The Learning Challenge
Regional learners who aspire to join the media industry are at a severe disadvantage to those in Sydney. They lack access to the training, networking and resources that would enable them to gain industry knowledge and to participate in media production. It is important that regional based production is nurtured so that a diversity of stories and perspectives may be heard across media platforms. Through its Mobile Unit, Metro Screen has delivered a range of classroom-based media production courses regionally since 2001. In order that greater numbers of regional learners can participate in media training, we are piloting ways of integrating e-learning into three face to face regional courses in 2009. In the short term this enhances the learning outcomes of those courses as well as their audience reach. For the long term the pilot projects will enable us to embed e-learning into our training activities across NSW.

Key Activities (as at October 2009)
We have been piloting a number of e-learning activities with three different media production learner cohorts. These activites have been evaluated and the most effective and successful have now been integrated into one integrated, media rich website, E-merge. The E-merge site features a variety of e-learning resources that can be used in a range of setting. The site includes guidance for trainers and teachers and will also be made available on CD-Rom for those without high-speed internet.

E-merge
Online Learning in Screen and Media for Regional Learners

Background
Metro Screen is a provider of training, equipment and production support to screen practitioners in NSW

The intent of the Metro Screen E-merge project is to provide access for regional learners to accredited film and media training. This was achieved by creating a website that complemented on the ground training and supported regional learners with networking opportunities, media resources, discussion platforms and video tutorials. The training executed through the creation of E-merge responded to current industry needs and trends to ensure that learners were equipped to face the challenges within the competitive screen industry.

Regional learners wanting to engage in film and media training face a number of challenges. Learner challenges include isolation, lack of access to technical support and facilities, as well as limited opportunities to network with other screen and media practitioners.

Through the creation of E-merge, learners have the opportunity to access screen and media training from their desktop computer and build industry knowledge that will enable them to seek employment. Further to this, the E-merge site has created film and media production hubs within regional NSW.

It is important that regionally based production is nurtured so that a diversity of stories and perspectives may be heard across media platforms. In order that greater numbers of regional learners can participate in media training our project provided a pilot that integrated e-learning into two face-to-face regional courses in 2009.

You can find more information on our company at [| http://www.metroscreen.org.au/]

Project Implementation and Sustainability
The project implementation plan was divided into stages.

Stage 1: Consultation with stakeholders Stage 2: Develop and refine e-learning strategy Stage 3: Build E-merge and learning objects Stage 4: Commence social networking Stage 5: Trial E-merge and learning objects Stage 6: Pilot and modification of E-merge and learning objects Stage 7: Evaluation

E-merge is a pilot e-learning website that was trialled in tandem with two regionally based courses
• The Silver Sun Documentary Project (in partnership with Regional Arts NSW, West Darling Arts, The National Film and Sound Archive & Film Broken Hill). • Queanbeyan Indigenous Sound and Vision Project (in partnership with National Film and Sound Archive).

The success of these trials will provide valuable feedback to ensure that project outcomes extend well beyond the scope of the current project. E-learning will play a valuable role in the development of future courses.

The Solution to a lack of Regionally based Accredited training in Screen and Media
The learner group comprises of photographers, marketing managers, cinematographers and production managers. The skill sets of these people are diverse and all learners are technically savvy. These learners are seeking to complement their existing media skills with film and media training in order to make a documentary to screen in cinemas. For this learner group, having a platform to share professional knowledge was essential to the success of the project and their skills development.

To facilitate knowledge sharing we embedded social networking tools on the Metro e-Screen site utilising web 2.0 technologies such as Blogger and Skype to connect learners through the production phase of the documentary. As a supplement to face-to-face teaching, the learners had access to video tutorials embedded with Vimeo and discussion platforms with a screen and media trainer.

In Queanbeyan, the learner group was composed of Indigenous young people, who had limited experience and access to operating film and video equipment and had not been exposed to any formal media training. This learner group also had limited access to the Internet and required tutorials using E-merge. To assist this learner group we trialled a learning object that was set up as a new teaching resource in the form of a quiz to test the students’ ability at ‘Setting up a video camera.’

Please visit []for a demonstration of our project resource.
Benefits experienced by Learners Benefits to learners included: • access to enhanced, tailored industry training • access to networks of media professionals / organisations • ongoing connection with state-wide and national media industry;

Benefits to Film / Development Agencies (Screen NSW, West Darling Arts, The National Film and Sound Archive) included:
• access to valuable and relevant key learning from project • considerable ‘value-add’ for funding provided • opportunity to pilot relevant e-resources of their own development

Benefits to Metro Screen included:
• valuable professional development opportunity • project in total alignment with organisations overall online strategy • project will prepare MS for future e-learning projects, providing key learning about challenges and opportunities in this area

Framework Resources Developed as part of E-merge
The Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework) provided seed funding and access to an assortment of free resources to assist the project team to develop a suitable e-learning strategy. Some of the resources accessed included:

• Benchmarking and Research • Case studies • E-learning for industry http://industry.flexiblelearning.net.au/ • Guidelines for developing Toolboxes

Each of the above resources can be accessed from the Framework website [|www.flexibleleanring.net.au]

Final Outcomes- Training media practitioners in regional NSW to encourage regional media production
The main outputs of this project include: a live website, which can be visited at: []a learning object in the form of a CD-Rom for use in regions without high speed broadband internet, which is available as a resource from the framework and a case study. These will be made available at the conclusion of the project through the Framework website. If you would like a copy of the E-merge CD-Rom to trial you can also contact Project Coordinator Bethany Bruce b.bruce@metroscreen.org.au

Reflections on a year of ‘E-merging’ Screen and Media Training Content
Over the last year the training department at Metro Screen has been researching and piloting new ways to incorporate online and interactive learning into our programs. With the support of The Framework, we have had the opportunity to develop online resources that have been invaluable to regional filmmaking communities and have trained learners from diverse backgrounds.

We have trained a broad spectrum of learners including professionals looking to up-skill an translate existing skills into screen and media accreditation, Indigenous artists and At-risk youth who had the opportunity to access online learning.

Metro Screen is looking to further incorporate e-learning across all of our training in 2010 and the seed funding from the department has enabled us to do so. Framework connection

The national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework ) funds and supports E-learning Innovations projects which aim to embed e-learning into the national training system by supporting and enabling innovation in training design and delivery, at the state and territory level.

Acknowledgement
This is a NSW E-learning Innovations project output, developed by Metro Screen and supported by Screen NSW, the National Film and Sound Archive and West Darling Arts with seed funding from the Framework.

For more information contact Program Coordinator Bethany Bruce b.bruce@metroscreen.org.au 02 9356 1824 For more information on Metro Screen or the E-merge Project contact

For more information on the Australian Flexible Learning Framework: Phone: (07) 3307 4700 Fax: (07) 3259 4371 Email: enquiries@flexiblelearning.net.au Website: flexiblelearning.net.au GPO Box 1326 Brisbane QLD 4001