Simplicity is at the heart of a new national teaching and learning initiative to provide online education material for primary and secondary schools in Australia and New Zealand.
DUIT Multimedia, the commercial arm of the Faculty's Centre for Learning Technology, is playing a significant role in developing the science material for the The Le@rning Federation (TLF).
Centre director Roger Dickinson said the TLF concept is based on chunks of digital material called learning objects, specifically designed to give students education opportunities not normally available in the classroom. Students either work individually or in groups, exploring, experimenting, manipulating, solving problems and making decisions.
As well as learning objects, TLF offers a variety of digital resources, including audio files, line drawings, maps, photographs and film footage.
The online interactive materials span six curriculum areas: science, maths and numeracy, literacy for students at risk (years 5-9), studies of Australia, languages other than English (Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian), and innovation, enterprise and creativity.
For primary school students, DUIT devised a learning object using sports shoes to teach biomechanics.
"It's an attractive way into a kid's mind," Mr Dickinson said.
"They discover basic physics concepts by exploring how sports shoes protect the human body."
A scenario of a disease outbreak is used to teach secondary students.
"An epidemic breaks out, the student is in control of a city and has to decide what steps to take," Mr Dickinson said.
"Through the context of an epidemic, the student learns about disease. This is practical, real world science. A highly standardised system where quality control is paramount to make sure the concepts are educationally and technically sound and that all forms of disability are catered for."
The development stage should be completed by next year, after which teachers will learn how to best use the material.
