Virtual Situated Learning Environments - Information Communication Technologies for Human Services Education and Delivery - page 79

Figure 1. Inter-disciplinary employability skills

as participant-learners may be either identifiable
to other participants or they may engage in the
ICT activities anonymously. Finally, students as
participant-learners may self select their particular
engagement in the ICT activity, or be appointed
by the academic. Each of these choices will be
influenced by the inter-professional activity be-
ing modelled. Figure 2 provides a model of these
decisions.
The VSLE can be used in either a full or part
(blended) on-line learning environment. When
designing the learning environment it is necessary
to recognise the importance of providing oppor-
tunities for students to debrief as a group as well
as individually. This enhances the development
of reflection by students on the skills they have
developed, and enables them to become disassoci-
ated from the reality of the role-play or simulation
in which they have been engaged.
Finally, the use of VSLEs can be used to more
effectively constructively align learning aims,
ICT activities and assessment, with the assess-
ment combining peer, self and expert review. This
enables new types of formative assessments to be
designed with new forms of industry participation
in assessment encouraged. For example industry

representatives can both assist with assessment
from a “real-world” perspective while at the same
time, be provided with the opportunity to reflect
upon their own disciplinary practice and to explore
the challenge of inter-professional practice. This
adds a further element of realism to the learning
environment. Table 2 presents an example of
such a potential constructive alignment against
employability skills.
Examples of how VSLEs have been used to
engage students in activities that are real world
and that exist at the intersection of disciplines are
presented in the second half of this chapter.

DeSign of vSle anD
ScenarioS for uSe in
an inter-profeSSional
buSineSS context

I have used VSLEs to engage students of Employ-
ment Relations and Negotiations in real-world
learning challenges (Jones 2005; Jones & Rich-
ardson 2002). Using the categorisation introduced
earlier human services lies both within the sciences
and social sciences, while Employment Relations