Welcome to support!

We hope to answer any and all of your questions here but if you don't you can call us on 1300661164 or email olcsupport@childaustralia.org.au

Let's begin your learning journey. This page gives you an overview of how to get started and some basic information of what to expect when navigating through your courses.

Online Learning overview video

Share this overview video with friends and colleagues http://vimeo.com/userchildaus/online-learning-centre

Support

The Support menu at the top of each page has a couple of other links to other information you might find useful...

• • Questions and Answers: simple answers to questions we often get asked
  • Learning tips: some general helpful information on how to get the most from your learning sessions
  • All students have access to a telephone help line (08) 92 70 66 27 and a toll free number 1800 783 768
  • Self-paced courses a peer-to-peer chat forum and a self-paced assessment
  • Tutor led have a Tutor to guide your learning.A café collaborate sessions once a week,peer chat options, and inclusive folders to meet your own personal and service educational requirements. Assessments are short,student tailored and authentic and mapped to the Diploma of care and Education.

Getting around

Our Online Learning Centre is set up so that you can jump straight in and get learning.

• • There is a 'landing page' for each course, which lists all the topics .    
  • Course module pages walk you through the concepts for that page's topic - building your understanding and using dynamic multimedia activities to assist your learning.   More info below...
  • The Available Courses and Workshops page lets you see what other courses may be of interest to you, and helps you get registered for the ones you want to do.

Each course has its own 'home page', which gives you all the information you need to complete the course successfully!
These landing pages can be opened from the Courses menu

1. 1. 1. The menu bar lets you go to all of the pages of the Online Learning Centre.
      2. Course title: so you know that you're actually doing the right course.
      3. Course introduction: a brief overview of the course, and tells you what the main outcomes are.
      4. Course modules: this is the table of contents for the course - you can click on a module (or a listed topic in a module) to jump straight to it.
      5. Reflection and Inspiration tab which has a cafe -self paced is a peer-to-peer forum only.
      6. The Conclusion of course link opens a page about how the course concludes, and what reward you get when you successfully finish.
      7. Extras block: This panel is where you look for links and resources that extend course information; or for other information about the page you're on.
      8. Course timeline: Course modules and main events are listed here - each listed item is a link that takes you straight to that module or event.

The courses are set up as a sequence of modules. We build your learning, topic by topic, through to the Course Conclusion - by which stage you should have completed all your tasks, interactions and assessments.

1. 1. 1. Module title: these are numbered, so you know where you're up to.
      2. Module outcomes: these define what your acquired knowledge and understands will be at the end of each module.
      3. Concepts are set out in numbered strips that usually include text and something to look at or do.
      4. There are lots of links to other information and activities in each module to keep things interesting.
      5. Supporting Documents Block : This panel is where you look for links and resources that extend course information 

Learning Elements

To make sure your learning is as easy and dynamic as possible, we have a number of different ways you can interact with our course materials.
Online learning provides you with tools to assist in accessing and understanding the topics in your courses.

Text content

Most of the information you will need to learn will be minimized in the  form of words. 
We try to make our text content brief and interesting. If you don't understand a concept, make sure to ask your tutor to help you.

Videos

We have a number of video segments throughout each of our courses. They work the same way as YouTube or Vimeo movies - use the controls to play, pause, and adjust the volume. You can go back and replay them anytime you want. Some of the videos are demonstrations for activities or tasks.

 Assessment

During your courses you will be required to demonstrate your learning - we want to know that you understand the topics, and that you can use the information effectively. 

• All of the assessments relate directly to the topics in the current module and reflect the outcomes.
• Self paced have a self assessment.

Cafe forum

Remember - always be courteous and professional as you express yourself - and enjoy the input from the other members of your group! 

Self paced are peer to peer forums.These are  conversations  with peers.You can participate any time during that period - and you can come back into the forum and participate in the discussion as often as you like during that time. You can share your thoughts from the Reflections and Inspirations module in the cafe' forum also. 

Online learning is an easy way for you to access our courses and offers you the flexibility of anywhere, anytime learning.  Online learning offers you better retention of knowledge by allowing you the opportunity to revise and extend your learning at your own pace. And best of all, you have control over your learning schedule!

 Below are some proven methods for gaining the most out of your online learning experience.

1.   Motivation is the key to success!

 Your commitment to online studying demonstrates that you are organised and motivated in furthering your knowledge and skills in your field of expertise, early childhood education and care. This shows employers that you are committed, can work independently and that you are efficient. 

2.   Create a study schedule

 Make your study a part of your routine, just as you would do if you were attending a class. It is important however to be realistic about scheduling your time. Your study will need to fit in with your lifestyle, family and work commitments so it is important to consider what time works best for you and when you will be best able to focus on your learning.

• Consider your family’s routine and schedule and think about when these will have less impact on your study allocation.
• Are you a night person or morning person?
• Factor in time for breaks. This allows you to reflect on your learning, gives your mind and eyes a break and also gives you an opportunity to stretch.
• Allow enough time to complete the course so that it doesn’t cause you stress or mean that you have to cram. Both of these will hinder your ability to learn new information.

 We all learn at different rates. Some people learn quickly, whilst others need to take the time to ponder and reflect. Be aware of your own learning style and accommodate this into your schedule. It will help you have a better learning experience.

3.   Create an effective and appealing learning space.

 A learning space that is uncluttered, easy to use and organised allows you to focus on the learning and not be distracted or disturbed by the work environment. Consider the following elements of your workspace:

• Your desk and chair: are they comfortable and suitably located.
• Lighting should be sufficient so as to avoid eyestrain.
• Temperature of the room: if you are too hot or too cold, you cannot focus effectively on your learning

4.   Familiarise yourself with how the Online Learning Centre works.

 Whilst you are studying you want to be able to concentrate on the content of your course and your learning journey.  It is, therefore, important that you make yourself familiar with the following aspects of the OLC before you begin studying:

•  How to navigate through the course pages
• How the Chat Café works
• How to submit assessments and answer quiz questions
• What to do if you need technical support 

You will feel more in control and will retain knowledge more effectively when you understand how your online learning environment works.

5.   Have confidence in your own ability!

 You have shown your commitment to your profession as an Educator by enrolling in a course to further your knowledge. As part of your reflective practice, you are able to contribute to the Chat Café and take part in a professional conversation and sharing. 

You can also use the knowledge you gain from your course in your current daily practice and contribute to discussions with your colleagues with added confidence.

 Child Australia’s online learning courses provide you with a great deal of up-to -date content knowledge. You can extend your own learning by using our links to the references we have used and also to other supporting documents and websites.

6.   Reward yourself for your own success!

Set yourself reasonable goals and reward yourself when you reach them. Your goal might be to finish a module per week, or to finish the whole course before the end of the month. And your reward may be to indulge in a treat or go for a walk on the beach when your scheduled study time is completed. Working towards a goal will motivate you and give a feeling of accomplishment when you are done.

7.   Online etiquette

 Online study requires different types of social courtesies than those we use when we attend a traditional classroom or workshop environment.

 The following websites will give you further tips regarding online etiquette:

https://esafety.gov.au/esafety-information/esafety-issues/digital-reputation

http://madisoncollege.edu/online-etiquette-guide

Strategies for Learning

Any type of studying requires you to implement strategies that work best for you.

Below are some methods of study that work to assist you in retaining information and to put that information into perspective.

1.   Visual representations and mind mapping

Create a visual image of the information in a sequence or scaffold the information visually as it becomes more complex. An example of this, with which you might be familiar, is the food pyramid which depicts foods we should eat a lot of along the bottom of the triangle and foods we should eat in moderation at the apex of the triangle.

2.   Create a framework for your study

Before you begin a new course or unit of study, set out a framework to guide you through it. Your framework should have the following headings, which will serve to navigate you through the new topic and organise your knowledge.

• What do I know already?
• What do I want to/need to find out?
• How can I find out what I want to learn?

And finally,

• What did I learn from this unit of study?

3.   Comprehending and retaining new knowledge

 Actively reading assists you in comprehending the main ideas from a body of text. It is important that you summarise these ideas in some way to help you remember them.

 You can do this by:

• Taking written notes, or typed notes if this suits you better
• Write a list of the main vocabulary- this will trigger your memory
• Paraphrase the written content- rather than copying the information, writing it out briefly in note form demonstrates and tests your understanding of the main ideas
• Take notes of the main ideas or headings on sticky notes and stick them around your computer screen. This will remind you of what you have read about.

4.   Re-reading and skimming

 The courses in which you will enrol in the Child Australia Online Learning Centre are all relevant to your professional practice. They contain up-to-date information that you can use in your daily practice to improve your skills and knowledge and will help you to expand your contribution to your workplace in many ways. It is always easier to retain information that is relevant to you and which has a purpose for you in your daily life. When you read the information in your course, re-read and skim the information before you go onto the next module and whilst you do so, think of how you observe this in action or could implement this in your daily practice. This might become part of the learning framework we looked at above. 

If you need extra help, troubleshooting, or just extra information. Watch our short, instructional videos for some simple how-tos.

How-To: Log In

How-To: Blackboard Collaborate Ultra

How-To: Navigate through Course and Print/Save Certificate

How-To: Get a New Password and Find Lost Courses

11 November 2015

Research indicates that the quality of education and care programs is influenced mostly by the leadership that the service director can provide to staff within the centre. In this webinar we will help you to build your capacity in identifying key business concerns and develop sustainable operational strategies that will enable you to focus on what matters most in your service.

23 September 2015

Self-regulation in early development is influenced by a child’s relationships with the important adults in their life. Providing the experiences, support, and encouragement that help very young children learn to self-regulate is a critical element in quality care. In this webinar we will guide you with practical strategies that will help children to self-regulate.

26 August 2015

How do you get from an externally reviewed standards process to a meaningful and useful internal review? How do you zero in on: - an area you want to grow - a problem you have seen emerging, or - just sort out how to apply a new idea? How do you do this using the resources, knowledge and staff you have now? Internal audits help you with that ‘zeroing in’ and it doesn’t take anything but the knowledge of how to do it

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Checking yourself

Courses are self-paced and Learners are invited to check their own progress for each module. This can be done by clicking on the "tick icon" for Lessons and Activities once completed. The Lessons and Activity boxes are located at the bottom of each course page.

Once checked the tick icon will appear green.

Your progress for the course will now be updated in your My Courses section and the Unit Table of Contents when the page refreshes.