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Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in vocational education and training: new perspectives by Alfred Michael Dockery, Centre for Labour Market Research and Curtin University This report provides new evidence on the interrelationships between Indigenous Australians' affiliation with their traditional culture and the nature of their engagement with vocational education and training (VET). It aims to enhance our understanding of the causal channels through which culture shapes VET participation and outcomes, and vice versa, and builds on previous work presented in the author's 2009 publication, Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in education and training, in a number of ways. Most importantly, richer measures of culture are developed which capture separate elements of the broader concept of 'cultural attachment'. Using these measures and more recent data, previous findings relating to past educational attainment and participation in training are reassessed. Evidence is also presented on the links between cultural attachment and current participation in education and on the benefits Indigenous Australians derive from education and training, conditional upon remoteness and cultural attachment.

The use of e-assessment is increasing rapidly in the vocational education and training(VET) sector in Australia. Recent national benchmarking surveys, conducted by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), revealed that over forty per cent of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and more than sixty per cent of teachers and trainers are using some form of e-assessment (Australian Flexible Learning Framework 2010).The most common form of e-assessment appears to be the online quiz (Callan and Clayton, 2010). However the consultations conducted during the development of these guidelines revealed that assessors are using a wide range of e-assessment strategies to collect evidence, provide feedback and record and report assessment outcomes. Both the Framework and the former National Quality Council have been keen to promote e-assessment and to ensure that e-assessment materials and practices are consistent with the principles of good assessment that are embedded in the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF).To this end, the Council and the Framework commissioned the development of this set of guidelines. These are designed to: promote quality e-assessment materials and practices that are consistent with the (AQTF), ensure that e-assessment materials are readily accessible across the VET system,and  encourage further innovation in the design and deployment of e-assessment materials and systems.It is envisaged that a range of stakeholders will use the guidelines. For example: enterprise and industry organisations may use the guidelines to check that eassessment materials meet the relevant competency standards, are accessible to all employees and are deployed in the most efficient manner. RTOs may use the guidelines to inform decisions about the acquisition or development of e-assessment materials and systems.  assessors may apply the guidelines in deciding how e-assessment materials and systems may be used to enha

5th annual survey of learning tools for 2011 - Moodle is in the top 10.