This case study looks at the design and implementation of the Disability Standards for
Education 2005 (the Standards) eLearning initiative developed by the University of
Canberra in collaboration with ten funding education authorities covering a range of sectors and jurisdictions. This initiative is the largest online professional learning programme ever produced collaboratively in Australian education. Over the three years of the MSSD initiative , fourteen authorities used the online resources to provide professional development to their staff on their obligations under DSE 2005. The case study examines the impact of DSE 2005 eLearning in the participating authorities and the major elements that were successful in improving the knowledge, attitudes and professional practice of school staff regarding barriers to education and ways of creating better learning environments for students with disability.
The Education Institute University of Canberra was commissioned to produce an eLearning resource to support the implementation of the Standards, through the MSSD initiative under the National Partnerships agreement. Ten government and non-government education authorities sponsored the development of the DSE 2005 online resource to educate and inform education professionals about their roles and responsibilities in respect of the DSE.
A Content Management Group (CMG) was set up to oversee the development of the eLearning resource, to maintain continuity and consistency of all elements , and to ensure that the resource was applicable to all Australian schools and related contexts. The CMG comprised the University of Canberra and senior representatives from government and nongovernment education authorities. These members were effectively clients of the project who contributed to the research and development of the DSE 2005 eLearning resource through a contract with the University of Canberra.
The key responsibilities of the CMG were to:
 guide the overall strategy of the initiative (needs analysis, lesson development, quality assurance)
 review and advise on key deliverables
 guide and facilitate access to parents/community organisations
 facilitate and support access to jurisdiction material, facilities and personnel for project activities, including photography and videotaping scenarios
 facilitate and support piloting of materials through access to the resource by trainees
 provide advice on issues relevant to teacher registration and accreditation processes.
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The research and development phase involved undertaking a needs analysis through a survey of potential learners to guide the development of the resource.
The purpose of the eLearning resource was to support the authorities to create more inclusive learning environments in classrooms, to increase the awareness of the rights of students with disability, and to eliminate disability-based discrimination in education. It was designed for staff working in different contexts, such as prior to school settings, early childhood settings and primary schools, as well as the junior secondary and senior secondary schools and to meet the needs of key groups, primarily school teachers, administrative staff, educational leaders, parents and caregivers, built around a common core of content material. The resource was designed to develop the practical skills and strategies of school staff in regard to meeting the Standards through interactive, experiential learning, such as scenario-based problem solving.
A suite of seven online courses is available for teachers, school staff, and educational leaders, focused on the following specific student age groups or teacher career stages:

Early Childhood Prior to Fulltime School

Early Childhood School Course

Education Assistants Course

Educational Leaders Course

Junior Secondary Schools Course

Primary Schools Course

Senior Secondary Schools Course
Participants choose the course that is relevant to their context. The courses are of equal value, take the same amount of time to complete, address the same teaching standards and content but use different scenarios and examples depending on the context as listed above. Each course focuses on the legal obligations of staff under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992
(DDA) and contains interactive scenarios on how to implement the DSE 2005 in everyday practice. The online learning is assessed and a certificate is awarded upon successful completion of Part One (Lessons 1-3) or Part Two (Lessons 4-8). Part 1 of each course covers compliance learning of the fundamental principles of the Standards. Part 2 follows students as they navigate the school system and consider the consequences of different decisions of educators, illustrating Standards 1 – 5, that is:
1.
Standards for enrolment
2.
Standards for participation
3.
Standards for curriculum development, accreditation and delivery
4.
Standards for student support services
5.
Standards for (the elimination of) harassment and victimisation.
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At the start of each course participants complete a pre-course questionnaire in order to establish a baseline of their knowledge, attitude and professional practice. A post-course questionnaire measures the impact of the course on their learning.
Elements of the DSE eLearning resource
Baseline: Pre-course questionnaire
Part 1: Compliance learning
Fundamental principles of the DSE 2005
Lesson 1. Concept and definition of disability

The DDA

DSE 2005
 Why we have the DDA and the
Standards
Lesson 2. Provisions of the DSE 2005
Lesson 3. Reasonable adjustment
Part 2: Scenario based learning
Follow students as they navigate the school system and consider the consequences of different decisions of educators, illustrating Standards 1 – 5.
Lesson 4. Enrolment (Standard 1)
Lesson 5. Participation (Standard 2)
Lesson 6. Curriculum development (Standard 3)
Lesson 7. Student support services (Standard 4)
Lesson 8. Harassment and victimization (Standard 5)
Impact assessment: Post-course questionnaire
Figure 1: Structure of the DSE eLearning courses
Access to the resource is available at http://dse.theeducationinstitute.edu.au
on the basis of a licence agreement.
The online modules include videotaped scenarios showing a student with disability in the setting of the chosen course (e.g. early childhood school or junior secondary school) to illustrate a particular issue for the student and how the teacher, support staff or school leader responds to the issue and looks for a solution. Along the way, the video scenarios are interspersed with information about the DSE 2005 with links embedded in the text leading to more specific information, which must be selected and read before participants can continue through the module.
Below is a screen shot from Lesson 4 of the Education Assistants Course showing the introductory text on ‘Standards for participation’ with embedded links to further information
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related to: ‘on the same basis’, and ‘reasonable adjustments’ where the additional information ‘on the same basis’ has been accessed.
Image 1: Screenshot showing information from Lesson 4 of the Education Assistants Course
Each course addresses the same teaching standards and content but includes different examples of videotaped scenarios appropriate to the context. As the participant progresses through the lesson they are asked to apply what they learned from the videos and the information pages before completing the lesson, as illustrated in the screen shot below.
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Image 2: Screenshot showing a question from Lesson 4 of the Education Assistants Course
The CMG also developed and provided the open access online resource, ‘Disability Standards for Education: A Practical Guide for Individuals, Families and Communities’. This resource aims to increase awareness and understanding of the DSE 2005 among individuals, families and communities throughout Australia. It is a general resource about the rights of students with disabilit y and how schools can work with students and their families to support them
( http://resource.dse.theeducationinstitute.edu.au
).
Table 1: Authorities using DSE 2005 eLearning, Government (G), Catholic (C), Independent (I)
NSW VIC QLD SA WA TAS NT ACT
G C I G C I G C I G C I G C I G C I G C I G C I
DSE 2005 eLearning              
Ten education authorities committed MSSD resources to facilitate the development of the
DSE 2005 eLearning initiative , with fourteen authorities using these resources through a licence agreement. Two authorities used the DSE 2005 eLearning modules under other MSSD outputs, Queensland DET (Output 7) and ACT CEO (Output 13). Eight authorities used the eLearning modules in conjunction with a range of other strategies, and seven authorities did not use the eLearning modules but chose instead to implement other strategies for training in the DSE 2005, including for example, the Northern Territory CEO which implemented DSE
2005 training under Output 13.
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Authorities using DSE 2005 eLearning
The following provides some examples of the ways in which authorities supported and used the DSE 2005 eLearning modules. It illustrates the flexibility built into the design and delivery of the courses and the potential for application in diverse system contexts. :

For the Victorian government sector , the initial rollout of the DSE 2005 eLearning modules in the second half of 2013 , focused on the Education Leaders course. DET also played a key role in the development and release of the parents and communities resource.

The Queensland government sector purchased a licence agreement for the DSE 2005 eLearning modules in the first phase of the MSSD initiative under Output 7
(leadership). Completion of the DSE 2005 eLearning modules is a mandatory prerequisite for all leadership teams in Queensland government schools. DET contributed extensively to the development and testing of the first three compliance modules and took responsibility for the research and development of the Junior
Secondary module.

In South Australia the suite of seven courses was used for government schools performing different professional roles specifically targeted to each level. DSE 2005 training also formed part of the prerequisite training for all South Australian government schools implementing the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on
Students with Disability. All Catholic schools in South Australia were required to develop an implementation plan with goals related to both the DSE 2005 and NCCD in order to access resources including a limited pool of funding for teacher release.
For eight authorities the DSE 2005 eLearning was the cornerstone of their Output 6 strategy but was supplemented by other strategies to suit local needs and contexts as the following examples show.

In New South Wales the Catholic sector established a multi-faceted approach involving almost all schools in DSE 2005 training. Diocesan-based education officers used the DSE 2005 eLearning course as a foundation for building understanding of the
DSE 2005 and the requirements for the NCCD. The officers also used the CEC’s online module, Disability Plans (IPs) e-Learning, for targeted professional learning on developing quality personalised planning for students with disability.

Some authorities provided the DSE 2005 eLearning as an option for staff to choose in addition to other professional learning sessions. Independent Schools in Victoria (ISV) took this approach with a series of professional learning sessions for classroom teachers as well as specialist school staff. ISV also provided support where necessary for staff who chose to access the DSE 2005 eLearning modules through the Victorian
DET which made the DSE 2005 eLearning modules available to all Victorian schools.

The Western Australia government sector provided staff training on the DSE 2005 combined with workshops run by consultants, teleconferencing , and participation in the DSE 2005 eLearning modules.

The ACT Education and Training Directorate aligned its use of the DSE 2005 eLearning package with the OnlineTraining Ltd (OLT) disability education inclusion training courses (see Case Study 1). Staff who enrolled in an OLT course were expected to
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complete the DSE 2005 eLearning module, and this could count towards participant’s registration maintenance with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute. The modules were supplemented with presentations and a set of resources to promote the DSE 2005 eLearning modules.

In Tasmania the government sector approached training for all school staff on the DSE
2005 in two ways: through a series of face-to-face workshops targeted at specific groups of staff including principals, and with the development and provision of the
Standards eLearning modules. In collaboration with its Professional Learning Institute, the Department of Education and Training (DoE) designed and provided a four-day professional development programme for all support teachers in each region.

The Tasmanian Catholic and independent sectors partnered with the DoE to purchase the licence to access the University of Canberra Standards eLearning modules. The
CEO and IST required leadership teams to complete the first set of modules.
As a project of national significance with an innovative approach to cross-jurisdictional collaboration, the development of the DSE 2005 eLearning modules by the University of
Canberra provided the basis for significant reforms in a number of authorities. It demonstrated the benefits of jurisdictions working together towards a common goal. It was also an important learning experience for all jurisdictions. The rollout of the eLearning initiative took longer than anticipated to get underway. This was due to the unanticipated high demand from schools. Therefore it took the full three years of the MSSD initiative to achieve its goals.
The eLearning modules were most effective where they were accompanied by systematic approaches to school leadership development. Authorities that made completion of the modules mandatory for principals and leadership teams in advance of whole of school participation reported strong levels of commitment and completion rates for teaching and support staff. A key lesson for initiatives of this kind is to build the confidence and competence of principals and teachers by informing them clearly of their obligations. This is a prerequisite to developing positive partnerships with parents to address the needs of students with disability.
Impact of the DSE 2005 eLearning
Data from the December 2014 report, ‘The impact of eLearning about the Disability Standards for Education (DSE) on staff in Australian schools ’ , 1 based on the first 46,822 participants, indicate that the DSE eLearning was having a positive impact on the knowledge, attitudes and reported professional practice of course participants. The report analysed responses to a questionnaire completed prior to undertaking the two-hour eLearning course as well as the responses when the questionnaire was re-administered immediately after successful completion of the course.
1 Kilham, C. & Watson, L. (2014), The impact of eLearning about the Disability Standards for Education (DSE) on staff
in Australian schools, University of Canberra.
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After completing Part One (Lessons 1-3) of the DSE eLearning course for Educational Leaders, a significantly higher proportion of participants understood their legal responsibilities under the DDA. A positive change in attitudes towards making adjustments for students with a disability was also observed among course completers, as well as improvements in their reported professional practice.
On all measures participants’ disability awareness improved upon completion of a DSE eLearning course. The biggest change was in response to the following statements:

In my work, I can recognise and eliminate barriers to education for students ’ disabilit y , as required by the Standards (from 83% to 97% agree)

The Standards help me to provide a better learning environment for students with disabilit y (from 81% to 98% agree)

I am adequately informed, about my legal obligations under the DDA and the
Standards, to carry out my work (from 60% to 97% agree)

I always consult with students with disabilit y and/or their parent/carer prior to determining a reasonable adjustment for that student (from 85% to 97% agree)

According to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the Disability Standards for
Education (“ t he Standards”) “ disability ” relates only to persons with a diagnosis (from
61% to 83% disagree).
Participation in the eLearning courses by the authorities will be sustained if not expanded in the mid-term. Most authorities plan to continue to focus on training for school principals and/or school leadership teams to strengthen teachers’ ability to assist students with disability in the first instance through the DSE 2005 eLearning modules.
The strategy developed by the University of Canberra in collaboration with the Content
Management Group, could be adopted in other contexts in part or as a whole of system strategy. At the same time, it is clear that the successful outcome was more than the sum of the parts, due largely to the highly collaborative nature of the enterprise, and the commitment of the participating authorities.
The case study is informed by interviews with the key staff from the Education Institute,
University of Canberra through 2013 and 2014 and reports provided by them at various stages of the development of the resource. Observations in this case study are also drawn from reports from the authorities and interviews with senior officers in each jurisdiction, a meeting of the CMG , and presentations shared at the MSSD information seminars in 2014 and 2015 and the National Showcase in May 2015.
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