Executive+Summary+084

This project is directly aligned to the strategic directions in TAFE NSW Western Institute for 2008 including • Improved engagement strategies to better service a regional and remote region (e-learning) • Skills recognition • Increased delivery to Aboriginal people that achieves social, employment and economic outcomes aligned to their aspirations

The intent of this Project is to build on what has been established from the 2007 project through evaluation and improvement of the text based resources. Consultation and input from the Bourke Community Working Party, the current Governance student group in Menindee and the Indigenous Educator at Menindee, involved in the delivery of this program, has identified some shortcomings with the current resource.

An identified problem with the participants in North-West (NW) New South Wales has been a reluctance to fully embrace the e-learning technology and its acceptance by the Indigenous community, because of the lack of interactive resources and culturally specific content. The previous project was in partnership with an Indigenous community in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, but in this current project we want to go from the general resources to more specifically cultural resources to suit the tribes in the NW of New South Wales.

To overcome this problem, and in order to both engage, motivate and retain the learner the project will develop a range of culturally specific learning objects such as: • MP3 recordings of community and culture members who are providing reflections on governance, with a “local” flavour that participants can recognise and relate to • Short MPEG4 files of brief interviews with Indigenous community members employing governance within their community • Digital Storytelling about culture and governance by local community members

This project will employ project consultants to upgrade the existing Moodle Governance course platform and link it strategically to other Western Institute experiences, because this has proven to be an extensible learning environment for rural and remote Indigenous participants on low bandwidth.

The project will provide the best use and best case examples of governance in communities in this region, which may evolve into a greater model for other regions to create and employ using culturally specific and VET specific learning resources. Resources and experience of participants in the Governance course will be shared through open access to a Moodle enabled body of culturally specific resources.

The project aims to enhance the existing Moodle site by building upon this, based on feedback from identified Indigenous participants and educators and utilising technologies above to improve the interactivity of the site.