Background: Building Circles of Support is an innovative strategy for developing natural support networks. This study explored some of the ambiguity in the conceptualisations, operational elements, and perceived outcomes of Circles of Support programs. Method: A comparative case study of three Australian Circles of Support programs was conducted.…

In spite of research demonstrating conceptual weakness in many child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programmes and outdated modes of delivery, students continue to participate in a diversity of initiatives. Referring to the development of a games-based approach to CSA prevention in Australia, this paper examines empirically based attributes of…

Background: Adults with severe challenging behaviour can achieve good "quality of life" outcomes in small supported accommodation services. Yet, the research indicates that they typically experience poorer outcomes than other adults with intellectual disability. This raises questions about the degree to which research has informed…

A restructured postgraduate teacher education programme is described specifically with regard to its commitment to prepare educators to work effectively with deaf and hard-of-hearing children in inclusive settings. The focus of the paper is on the design and development process rather than on the evaluation of the outcomes. Background information…

The University of Sydney is a large, research-intensive, campus-based Australian University. Since 2004 a strategic initiative of project-based eLearning support has been creating teams of non-academic and academic staff, who have worked together to develop online resources to meet identified needs. The University's aims in continuing to provide…

Documents some issues surrounding the development of the Grand Diploma in distance education at the South Australian College of Advanced Education and contrasts critical features of this program with that offered at the Fernuniversitat in Hagen, Federal Republic of Germany. Outlines of the two distance education courses are included. (MBR)

This report describes a pilot program of the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Education to develop community transition teams as part of an effort to provide transition education to people with disabilities. The project is based on a model developed in Oregon and stresses assisting each community to work cooperatively to assess local…

The Australian engineering company, Jaques, and Swinburne University of Technology conducted a joint project to write more than 190 operating instructions for the company's 77 employees. First, the university's Workplace Skills Unit (WSU) interviewed 75 production workers to identify their language, literacy, and training needs. The WSU negotiated…

Research on quality assurance (QA) in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia over the past 6 years was reviewed. Three factors responsible for growing interest in QA were identified: close connections with industry sectors that have gained from the introduction of QA measures; the more competitive training market that has been…