ARMIDALE is leading the nation in the development of digital learning according to Minister responsible for TAFE NSW and Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall.
Mr Marshall visited the TAFE Digital Learning Lab last Friday, along with TAFE NSW Managing Director Dr Caralee McLiesh, to unveil a new interactive online template being introduced to students in the Diploma of Nursing next year.
“The TAFE Digital Learning Lab is an agile centre of best-practice innovation, focused on exploring the application of emerging technologies in education and industry, and developing industry-first training platforms,” Mr Marshall said.
“Increasingly, we are using new technologies to give up and coming carers the opportunity to gain a taste of the practical skills needed in their profession, before entering the workplace.
“OSCA – a new clinical assessment tool – is a game-changer for training the next generation of nursing students, especially across regional NSW.
“OSCA incorporates live video, audio recordings and self-reflection tools to simulate real life scenarios in the clinical environment.”
Mr Marshall also trialled two Virtual Reality (VR) worlds, currently being tested with students to identify how new technology can enrich and deepen a students’ learning outcome.
Previous research projects from Australia and around the world have demonstrated students who engaged in VR learning experiences scored an average of 27 per cent better on their first test and 32 per cent better on their second test.
“Emerging technologies like VR have an increasing role to play in optimising student outcomes and it is TAFE NSW leading the pack testing these advancements,” Mr Marshall said.
“’Play Safe’ and ‘Trade Safe’ are two new VR experiences developed in-house by TAFE Digital, which are now entering the testing phase to assess how this immersive technology may deliver measurable returns on investment, along with improved student performance.”
Dr McLiesh said TAFE NSW was not only Australia’s largest provider, but also the leading education and training innovator.
“We’re investing in the latest learning advancements to ensure regional and remote students have equal access to knowledge through technology,” Dr McLiesh said.
TAFE Digital is Australia’s largest online training provider, with over 250 courses open for enrolment right now at www.tafensw.edu.au/digital