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Flexible Lifelong Learning in Professional Education

Universities are continually seeking effective responses to the challenges created by the increased demand for continuing professional education from a diverse client group responding to the pressures for lifelong learning. The growth in information and communications technologies has created new environments in which learning can occur. New technologies open up possibilities for bringing together distributed learners and the opportunity to support interaction between learners from diverse geographical and life contexts. The challenge for educators is to develop teaching-learning approaches that support learners and develop the skills and knowledge necessary to perform more effectively in the workplace and to continue to learn. The professionally oriented subject Contaminated Sites Management was re-developed to incorporate electronically supported problem-oriented learning. The new subject integrated professional understanding and practice with existing subject content and incorporated flexibility into a subject that had traditionally been taught face-to-face. Subject design was based on principles of problem-oriented and experiential learning and included individual and team-work and a polluted sites simulation conducted within a webbased learning environment. The incorporation of computer mediated communications technologies provided flexible and responsive support for student interaction and communication. Students responded positively to these flexible teaching and learning approaches and the subject developed students’ professional skills and knowledge successfully.