EDUCATORS TO SHARE ONLINE KNOWLEDGE AT THE GOLD COAST

Participants from universities, colleges and other workplaces around Australia will gather on the Gold Coast from Sunday 2nd to Tuesday 4th September for 'Moving Online 2', the second national Online education conference hosted by Southern Cross University.

The conference is aimed at Corporate Human Resource Departments; TAFE trainers, educators or managers; Primary/High School teachers or managers; University lecturers or managers; Corporate Info Tech Departments; Private Training Organisations; Online developers and IT specialists.

Its four key themes are E-teaching, E-learning, E-workplace and E-world. High-profile guest speakers include the Shadow Minister for Education, Michael Lee, who will focus on the Opposition's 'Knowledge Nation' program, Liberal Party Senator John Tierney, a former academic who has a strong interest in regional education issues, Peter Calopedes from Qantas College, Annabelle Sheehan, Australian Film and Television School, Assoc. Prof. Ron Oliver from Edith Cowan University, WA and Tony Brady from TAFE Online.

The conference, to be held at Conrad Jupiters, will be opened by Professor Zbys Klich, SCU's Pro Vice-Chancellor, Academic and Quality. It will have a contemporary emphasis on knowledge nation issues and the increasingly important role of the online learning environment, according to Dr. Michelle Wallace, the Head of Southern Cross' School of Social and Workplace Development.

"Ongoing, or lifelong learning, is now recognised as playing a key role in the development of both staff and diverse workplaces", Dr. Wallace said, "and we have organised an important conference where people at various organisational levels can discuss the role of online technology and the latest developments in this exciting new area."

Amongst the topics under discussion will be an exploration of strategies on how the Internet can best enhance educational access and learning for those not choosing the traditional on-campus experience. 'Moving Online 2' seeks to lead the way in the field of educational online initiatives and research.

E-Teaching -Teaching and training tools and assessment methods.

Pedagogical issues facing teachers; using the technology to enhance student learning; instructional design issues; current teaching initiatives in organisations; online education and flexible delivery; assessment of learning outcomes.

E-Learning - The learners' perspective.

Evaluations of online learning effectiveness; students' readiness for online; students' feedback about online learning experiences; cultural impacts on online learning; student-centered learning experiences.

E-Workplace - Issues for management of staff and work practices

Staff development for online development and delivery; management of online projects; impacts of online training in workplaces; implementation models for online training.

E-World

Implications for a global learning environment.

Impacts of globalisation on education; impacts of business models of education; opportunities for collaboration and competition; issues in teaching to a world market.