AVETRA DAY 2 - afternoon

 After lunch, Keynote 5 is with Gerald Burke Adjunct Professor from Monash University and supported by Claire Field on the 'future of VET funding research'. Gerald began with a tribute to Peter Noonan. Summarised present and past VET funding - public mainly around delivery (7.0 billion) and private (spectaculative on Gerald's part) - mainly employers, fee for service, fees etc. Ran through a quick history of funding from 1970. One theme is the difference in funding levels across states.  

VET funding research needs to relate to goals - as to whether funding helps achieve political/social objectives. Explained the reliance on markets and competition and observed that there is limited research on markets within the context of education. Summarised the current objectives for VET. 

Proposed future studies on funding - revolving / integrated into studies of equity, employment outcomes, apprenticeships, online learning, markets and effective use of funds, comparative studies of higher education and schools and funding by and to employers. There are limited funds for VET research. Some universities closed VET teacher training due to Cert IV. Some contract research but specialised and often not published. Questioned why there is a VET equity research centre for higher education but none for VET where there are more challenges with equity!

Following on 4 sessions starting with a summary of the ‘enhancing the standing of vocational education as a post- school pathway’ from Griffith University (Professors Stephen Billett, Sarojni Choy and Steven Hodge). Stephen presents on the project. The focus of this presentation is on how young people make choices about post-school pathways as these contribute to their future outcomes. Societal sentiments about the low standing of VET and the occupations it services can unhelpfully distort the decision making. Provision of informed and impartial advise is therefore important.

The topic is off concern globally - with examples from the UK, Germany, Switzerland (where graduates find it difficult post degree and campaign to raise VET has had sucess), Korea (despite it being a high manufacturing economy), and Australia. Work based on Dewey (1916) to assist young people to identify the occupations they are interested in and prepare them for these. Advised of the need to avoid falling into 'uncongenial callings'. This  provides a difficult balance for educators and parent to manage expectations. Therefore attractiveness of tertiary education needs to also go in tandem with status of all aspects of post-school education.

Described the study's process. 3 phases starting with interviews and focus groups, then survey of parents, students and teachers and lastly workshops for teachers, career advisors etc. 

In the first phase, students reported influence from teachers and parents with some contribution from media/internet. Influence differ in being authoritative, level of influence and engagement. Undecided students generally went to university. VET specific occupations focuses are a barrier to the undecided. Students who are unable to get into university unable to then decide on VET due to its specificity.

The survey revealed key influences - parents, teachers, peers and school guidance. Both teachers and parents under-estimate the influence of each with both actually having strong influence. Schools can actually provide important support.

In phase 3, parents often not knowledgeable about VET. Guidance officers misunderstand their roles etc. Students do not use printed material and teachers became more conscious of how they refer to occupations. 

Findings suggest public education process, promoted by government effective, actions by schools to promote, inform and advise impartially about diverse post-school pathways; VET institutions offering attractive environments; a concerted effort to promote occupations from government and industry.

Specifically for schools - exposure to tertiary institutes and educational facilities; exposure to a range of work situations, provide more personalised career information about VET jobs. The SET process needs to be considered. information and guidance provided before the meeting; provide opportunities to draw on students' work experiences to discuss occupation choice. Closed by reiterating the rationale and importance for supporting students on post-school choices.

The Dr. Deniese Cox on ‘do we need to be seen to be believed? The impact of video feed format on learning. Applied project on perceptions of on-line learners across several disciplines. Asked participants to comment on 3 video themes - #1 visible presenter framed by content; #2 voice over only, #3 visible presenter separate/adjacent to the content. Carried out a poll with majority voting for #1 and the opportunity for seeing the presenter being of importance. 

Detailed the objectives of her study - to find out how to hook the learner in how the content/sessions is introduced, nature of the content, visual formats and the duration of the video. Visual formats were important. 30 students maintained a digital diary (on screencast matic) to capture their learning and appending a brief description. In the next stage, 3 visual formats and diverse sets of consistent slides and scripts were used. Student attention rates were gauged through observation. Assimilation was tested through participation in discussion. Retention through a quiz, beliefs captured and engagement rhrough learning analytics. Connection with the educator through eye contact was important. Connection of educator to content through body language also enhanced engagement. The view of the torso important as a talking head does not provide sufficient body language. Small number of students liked captions. Video embedded in presentation should be full screen. If only talking head, the content and the educator is separated and requires more cognitive energy to attend to. Having the torso tends to reduce the size of the educator. Just a voiceover was not seen to be engaging. Closed with the logistical resources required to set up #1 option. Provided guidelines for the process. 

After ‘afternoon tea’, I present an update on the Aotearoa NZ VET system with ‘ Te Pūkenga: Progress on meeting the ambitions and scope of its charter. I detail the rationale and outcomes of the Aotearoa NZ Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE). Then provide background on the formation, charter and implications on Te Pūkenga including description and critique of the 'service concepts' and the 'operational plan'. 

 Last presentation of the day with Eileen MacMahon from Box Hill TAFE on ‘expert advisory groups assisting a TAFE in maintaining industry currency for educators teaching the accredited family violence training'. Began by providing a background and the Victorian context for provision of training in this area. This unit is available to all universal service workers (i.e. hairdressers, teachers, child care workers etc.). Covers - identify and provide initial response to family violence risk. Detailed challenges. Not a professional development workshop but an accreditated course with assessment requirements. Summarised aims of the research project. Detailed the self study reflective research method with analysis in terms of MARAM framework and best practice education model for primary prevention and family violence training. Shared the rationale for the study. Benefits of having the panel summarised - mostly to ensure teacher currency and enhance industry engagement.

Steven Hodge closes the conference with the announcement of AVETRA awards and a short plenary supported by Professor Llandis Barratt-Pugh, Linda Simon, Dr. Elizabeth Knight and Kira Clarke. Each provided their reflections on the various presentations/papers across the 2 days of the conference.