Workshop I

Develop your capacity to:

identify, select and apply knowledge and skills to  perform appropriate workplace tasks, in any industry.

Through a PBL (problem-based learning) study program this and other workshop projects will develop a "real world" relevance in your overall learning experience.

These Workshop modules/courses provide the same outcomes as would normally be achieved by attending face to face or residential workshops. By utilising a PBL approach to learning which has been tried and proven over many years, we have been able to refine this module to create a very effective program that can relate to any discipline in a specific and very practical way. In short, it works and it can be undertaken from anywhere in the world, with the student working in one to one liaison with an academic member of our staff.

CONTENTS

There are 3 lessons, each involving a PBL project, as follows:

1. Workplace Tools, Equipment and Materials: Identifying and describing the operation of tools and equipment used in the workplace; routine maintenance of tools and equipment; identifying and comparing materials used in the workplace; using different materials to perform workplace tasks.

2. Workplace Skills: Determining key practical skills in the workplace; identifying and comparing commonly-performed workplace tasks; determining acceptable standards for workplace tasks; implementing techniques for improving workplace efficiency.

3. Workplace Safety: Identifying health and safety risks in the workplace; complying with industry  WH&S standards; developing safety guidelines for handling dangerous items.

What is PBL?

Problem-based learning has been defined as: “A learning method based on using problems as a starting point for acquisition and integration of new knowledge.”

Three Major PBL Projects

This course will challenge you with three major PBL projects

Each project begins by telling you what learning outcomes you are aiming for, then defining the project you will be tackling. A typical project definition may be:

You have been given a three-month contract to upgrade and expand the operations of a small business. The business normally employs three staff:

• a manager 
  
• an office assistant
  
• a technician
  

The manager’s position is currently vacant as the previous manager left at short notice. You will be temporarily filling this role during your three-month contract. 
Your job is to:

• Determine the range of tools, equipment and materials commonly used in the workplace in your industry.
  
• Compare the tools, equipment and materials in terms of availability, cost, suitability to use in your workplace, ease of use, maintenance and storage 
  

After making an initial assessment of the workplace, you realise that essential equipment and tools for the businesses operation are outmoded and will hamper the planned expansion. You decide to purchase or lease the necessary items, but firstly you must justify your acquisitions to the owner of the business. 

You will then need to prepare a proposal for the business owner that explains or justifies the items you wish to acquire for your workplace. As part of your proposal, you will need to physically demonstrate the use of one item each that the office assistant and the technician will commonly use in the workplace. For example, if you are basing your project on a nursery business, you might choose to demonstrate how to use a software package and a grafting knife.

You will learn very similar things doing this, as what you would learn by attending face to face workshops for two weeks.