Executive+Summary+007

Organic farming is the fastest growing agricultural industry sector in Australia and across the world. A diploma in organic farming is being run from the National Environment Centre and has been developed to provide a training option to isolated farmers intending to develop an organic farming management plan. This plan is one of the main steps in the process of accrediting a farm business as organic.

The learning process of this course focuses on using an online or hard copy learning guide with CD and web based resources that are supported and directed by a remote teacher with specific industry knowledge and a mentor with specific bio-regional knowledge. Each student has a teacher and mentor appointed appropriate to their situation.

This Flexible Learning Framework project will drive the development of an industry network that will support the teachers and mentors involved in the delivery of the diploma in organic farming to remote farmers.

The main part of this project builds on an existing business/RTO partnership. A lead group will be formed out of this partnership. This group will initially identify and develop appropriate technology solutions to enable itself work in an e-learning environment. Once this is done the project will develop e-learning solutions to supporting these remote teachers in teaching, assessing and providing recognition of prior learning in an e-learning context.