The purpose of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and perceptions of representatives of the vocational education industry (as represented by teachers, trainers and RTO managers) about how the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment adds value to their skills in training and assessment.
1. On initial completion, do practitioners believe that the TAA04 qualification provides them with an effective foundation for the delivery and assessment of training in the VET environment?
2. As practitioners gain experience applying the knowledge and skills gained through completion of the TAA04, do the initial perceptions of practitioners about the utility of the qualification change?
3. Do practitioners believe that the TAA04 qualification enables practitioners to make confident judgments, over time, about the kind of training and the assessment strategies needed to meet the needs of diverse student groups in a range of training settings?
This project will involve a staged examination of the views of teachers and trainers who have recently completed the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. The particular focus of the study will be to explore practitioner expectations and experiences:
* upon initial completion of the qualification
* after approximately a six month period of application in the field, and
* a final reflection on the usefulness and impact of their training in TAA04 approximately twelve months after completion
The researchers will undertake a review of the relevant literature to identify key themes and issues to direct the enquiry and support the development of the data gathering strategy.
The researchers will answer the research questions using a structured, online questionnaire for practitioners, and a range of semi-structured telephone interviews aligned to the initial online questionnaire.
The researchers' communication strategy to attract respondents to the online questionnaire will involve direct contact with a purposive sample of RTOs who are delivering TAA04 to enlist their support for the research. The sample will include participants from metropolitan, regional and rural/remote organizations and ranging in size from large to small and from a variety of settings including enterprise, public, private and community RTOs. Participants will have recently completed the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment via either face-to-face, distance or online delivery.
The Workbased Education Research Centre is a newly established research centre within Victoria University (VU). Designed to build on the capability of VU as a significant dual sector provider, the centre will conduct research well grounded in practice into important questions about how learning takes place in, through and for the workplace. It will also transfer the outcomes from this research into innovation in practice across the University and the broader VET sector.
Bateman & Giles Pty Ltd is a specialist consultancy focused on enhancing quality approaches to teaching, learning and assessment policy and practice in vocational education and training. The key services provided by Bateman & Giles Pty Ltd include the conduct of educational research, evaluation and definition studies; conduct of audits related to contract compliance, AQTF and ESOS Act; and the provision of expert advice in the areas of training, assessment, recognition and qualifications, particularly about qualification frameworks and development, transnational education and quality education systems and audit. Bateman & Giles Pty Ltd provides these services to education, training, industry and government agencies in Australia and internationally.
As part of the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), the Centre for Educational Excellence provides educational leadership by:
* facilitating the development and accreditation of high quality vocational and higher education programs;
* broadening the use of innovative pedagogies and learning technologies; and
* developing and sustaining the educational capability of teachers to facilitate learning in changing contexts. CIT's vocational research capability (previously known as CURVE - Centre Undertaking Research in Vocational Education) is part of the Centre for Education Excellence.
