Current Delivery

Introduction

This report will describe the current issues that we have with the delivery of Certificate III in Business (BSB30120) to our numerous workplace Trainees as well as putting forward some options for improving the experience for both teachers and the students (trainees). The aim is to apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to update the course and implement it on our Institute Moodle.

While the eventual aim is to have the whole qualification available online, for this report I will focus on one unit BSBTEC302 Design and Produce Spreadsheets. This is the unit that most trainees struggle with as the Learner resource is very large and it is a subject that is hard to learn from reading a book.

Image by Darwin Laganzon from Pixabay

Current system

What is a Traineeship

Traineeships are very similar to apprenticeships. They are based around doing relevant work within an organisation along with completing a qualification. The most common level is Certificate III, but traineeships can be in any level qualification within a training package. Traineeships are administered through an Apprentice Support Network Provider that acts as the intermediary between the employer and the RTO (Registered Training Organisation) that is providing the training. Traineeship wages are usually lower than the standard rate and there are Government incentives for employers that take on Trainees. It also gives Trainees the opportunity to earn while they learn. The usual timeframe is 12 months full time, but can vary depending on qualification and whether the trainee is full time or part time.

Enrolment Process

The enrolment process can take up to a 3 months to be finalised. Generally at Chisholm, we would start the training prior to the trainee being officially enrolled as we are under a strict deadline to have the training completed. Once we know that we have a trainee at a particular location, they are assigned a trainer. That trainer is responsible for providing the learning resources, grading assessments and providing feedback, supporting the trainee throughout their traineeship, visiting the trainee onsite or via Zoom, and sometimes liaising with the employer or supervisor. During this time, the required enrolment paperwork is sent and signed and the trainee becomes officially enrolled.

Learning Resources

Our current system is that the trainees are emailed the resources for each unit of the qualification, usually 2 units at a time. The resources consist of a Learner Manual, an Assessment Guide, and any extra templates or documents necessary to complete the unit. While many of the unit resources are emailed, for some of the larger units, I provide a link to my google drive that allows the trainees to download the resources that they need. This is generally how students/trainees gain access to the resources for this unit, BSBTEC302, as they are quite large.

The below screenshot shows the files that are emailed to the trainees for this unit.

Issues

There are a range of issues associated with this method of delivery that affect both students/trainees and the trainers:

• Some files are very large (20+ mb) so decent Internet access is required (25mps or better).
• The Learner Resources have been purchased from a third party and are not based around the trainees workplace.
• The Assessment Guides are difficult to read and follow and some are very poorly written.
• Trainees email their completed assessments back to their trainer, which means that they can be easily lost in the avalanche of emails. These are stored within Outlook but can also be downloaded to our SharePoint document management system.
• Email is also the usual avenue for Trainees to ask for assistance and can be missed or lost within the trainer's email account. If the trainer is ill or on leave, they may go unresolved for weeks.

Proposed System

This report will outline the advantages of using an LMS such as Moodle and applying the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to each unit.

The advantages of using an LMS are:

• Resources can easily be provided in different formats
• Formative assessments can be used for students/trainees to gauge whether they are understanding the information provided
• Teachers can share trainees and access their assessments if another teacher is on leave
• All assessments are stored securely in the one location
• Students get notification that they have successfully submitted an assessment task
• Students get feedback on assessments once they have been graded via the LMS
• Students can use forums and discussions to communicate with each other (Social learning) and their trainer
• Trainers get notifications when a student submits an assessment, posts to a forum, or send a message requesting help
• Statistics and user reports can be used to determine the level of engagement for each student/trainee 

The advantages of Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

• Provide multiple means of engagement such as interacting in groups or working independently
• Provide multiple means of representation by providing content in different formats such as audio, video, or visual such as images, charts and drawings, rather than plain text
• Provide multiple means of action and expression by utilising a variety of tasks to practice the learning
• Source: CAST UDL Guidelines 

For my project, this will be displayed by

• Allowing students to work with the learner resource in its original format if they prefer i.e. the full PDF manual. 
• Providing the resource in smaller chunks with formative assessments at the end of each section
• Including videos that demonstrate the concepts
• Providing links to other resources such as LinkedIn Learning or Microsoft Excel tips
• Allowing students to demonstrate their learning using a variety of questioning techniques, allowing audio recorded rather than written responses, or provide screencasts to demonstrate their ability with the software. These also allow students/trainees to use adaptive technology if required.

From a design perspective I will ensure that I

• Use meaningful descriptions and names for links and buttons
• Use a font size that is suitable for those that have low vision
• Ensure that colour contrast is suitable for those with vision impairments - light text with a dark background or dark text on a light background
• Use Sans Serif fonts such as Arial or Helvetica
• Ensure that images have an accurate description in the Alt text 
• Use the available heading structure - Headings, subheading levels
• Source: Life of a blind girl blog

Reasonable Adjustment

Legislation and Standards

There are two standards and one Act that RTOs must adhere to when dealing with students with a disability.

• the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015,
• the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), and 
• the Disability Standards for Education 2005

RTOs have to provide education and support services for those students that have a disability or a need for such services as well as informing potential students of their suitability for the course. Suitability could be measured by physical abilities, academic, language and literacy, or cultural. 

RTOs also need to inform potential students of the Reasonable Adjustments that could be applied to the learning and the assessment for the course.

What is Reasonable Adjustment?

Reasonable adjustment is about ensuring that the learning and assessment for a course does not disadvantage any students and to ensure that they are all provided with equal opportunity to successfully engage in and demonstrate the required skills and knowledge for each unit. Reasonable adjustment should NOT cause any hardship for the RTO and must still assess the required skills and knowledge outlined for each unit on the TGA website (training.gov.au).

I often use the example of a competency that states that students must get to the top of a hill. If the assessment is that the students walk up the hill, and walking is not a requirement of the unit, then a reasonable adjustment could be using a wheelchair or even being driven up the top of the hill.

How do RTOs meet their responsibilities?

There are four main strategies that RTOs need to have in place

1. Invite disclosure - ask the students whether there are any adjustments that need to be made for them to successfully complete their course. It is not compulsory for students to indicate that they have a disability, but they are required to if they need any adjustment or support for their studies.
2. Make Reasonable adjustment - for the RTO that I teach at, this is based on providing information and having an interview with a disability support officer. The disability support officer will then provide the relevant teachers with a learning plan for that student that will detail any special requirements.
3. How reasonable is reasonable? - The student must still be able to meet the inherent requirements of the course i.e. the detailed skills and knowledge. If they are unable to do that even with the allowed adjustments, then they should be excluded from that course.
4. Prevent harassment and victimisation - this relates to all students, whether they present with a disability or not.

Source: ASQA information for providing services to students with disabilities