VU Polytechnic and Victoria University's digital learning innovation has been internationally recognised for excellence, with seven top honours at the 2019 LearnX Live Awards.
The education institutes received six peak Platinum and one Gold Award for eLearning projects. The awards reflect its engaging, collaborative education and training for VU students, VU staff and industry clients.
VU has recently overhauled its learning environments to support its Australian-first Block Model of single-unit intensive course delivery. The model will be rolled out across all levels and areas of the university by 2022 as part of VU's ‘New Way To Do Uni’.
The Block Model is supported by the newly launched Victoria University App – a handy portal for students to access all essential digital systems on their mobiles, including timetables, campus maps, course content, grades and more. The talented design team (which includes students) was recognised through a LearnX award for the project’s significant impact on empowering students and staff.
VU Polytechnic has offered an award-winning blended learning model for several years that replaces paper-based learning with flexible and user-friendly eLearning. In 2017, VU Polytechnic received a Platinum and Silver LearnX Award for its Project 100, an organisation-wide program to transform 100 vocational education qualifications into high quality, technology-rich modular programs for students, and training for 600 staff.
VU Polytechnic General Manager Learning & Innovation Gail Bray said the strong international recognition of VU’s blended learning, connected learning, and industry training programs across VU reflected its strong leadership in learning innovation.
"These achievements reflect the passion, creativity, dedication and experience of the learning and teaching designers across the University. We are proud to be at the forefront of learning innovation that engages students at all levels and adds value to the workforce of our industry clients."
The LearnX Awards uncover the best workforce learning practices across Australasia in a field of multinational corporate, education, and public service sectors.
LearnX awarded several honours for VU's industry partnership projects, including a coach-training program developed by the Polytechnic for Swimming Australia Limited, the country’s peak governing body for competitive swimming. The project is the world’s first to design, develop and evaluate a coaching program for an entire sport across all levels, from novice to elite.
VU and VUP LearnX awards:
- Best Learning Learning Design Team (Connected Learning) – Platinum (VU)
- Best Learning App Design (Connected Learning) – Platinum (VU)
- Best Online Model – Platinum (VU Polytechnic with Healthpro)
- Best Talent Partnership – Platinum (VU Polytechnic with Swimming Australia/VU)
- Best Shift it Online Design – Platinum (VU Polytechnic with VicHealth/The Behavioural Insights Team/VU)
- Best New eLearning Adopter Project – Platinum (VU Polytechnic with Swimming Australia/VU)
- Best Bespoke/Custom Model – Gold (VUP with VicHealth/The Behavioural Insights Team/VU)
Gail Bray, and Michael Sturmey, Associate Director of VU’s Digital Learning Environments, will each be featured speakers at the FuturistiXLive! Summit and Awards Show on 15 October in Melbourne.
Note: As of 2021, the blended learning model is now known as the interactive e-learning model.