AIFA News Article

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New Instructor-led Web Based Training Brings Training to Your Home or Office

06-07-2010

Busy bookkeeper professional Sam Woolf didn't have time for further studies. With a clutch of valuable clients at her A-Z Accounting and Admin Services business and as a mother to five-year-old Hannah and Charlie aged two, she just couldn't find the time to attend college, nor the extra cash to fund study. However, with the Government's new national registration regime for tax agents, Sam needed to attain the Certificate IV in Financial Services (Bookkeeping) qualification in order to continue to prepare Business Activity Statements(BAS) for her clients. So for Sam there was no option, she had to meet the requirements of Certificate IV if she was going to continue to have a business. 

The notion of bringing the trainer home rather than having to go out to attend class was something that really appealed to Sam when she considered her training options at AIFA. "I loved the idea of having the training fit around my needs, my lifestyle. AIFA's training via their WebLT platform meant that I could participate in live training where and when it suited me" explained Sam.  

One concern Sam held before starting WebLT was the quality of the streaming video. "My biggest reservation about the course was how well the live streaming environment would work. Would it really be smooth and feel real?" wondered Sam. "But my early scepticism was totally unfounded. In practice, the near HD quality video creates an amazing viewing experience."

Another aspect of training that Sam questioned was whether the trainer would be able to engage with the students in such an environment? "I was worried that the training would be remote and robotic and I was going to feel isolated and disconnected." But Sam found quite the contrary is true. AIFA's trainers who conduct the courses on the WebLT platform are all highly experienced facilitators who are also highly skilled at exploiting the dynamic nature of the web platform to bring the course material to life.  

They enhance the learning experience with rich content, and sharing. Applications, documents, PowerPoint slides are presented with the trainers actively involving each student and asking for observations and feedback. Experiential, hands-on learning is facilitated with students performing assignments and exercises in front of the group, as if on a whiteboard. Students are further empowered by having their assignments actively explored and discussed within the class. 

For Sam the content and its delivery are all adding up to a great new way to study. "It's a far less intimidating and a much more convenient way to learn" said Sam. "As a mature age student, I've been able to continue to run my business and be around for my kids, and study, all without skipping a beat. So rather than having to waste valuable time stuck in traffic on the way to North Sydney, I just switch out of work mode, make myself a coffee, log into the classroom and switch into study mode."

AQUA - AIFA's eLearning platform 

AQUA is the name of AIFA's web based e-learning platform, powered by Moodle.  The AQUA platform is an entry point to your virtual class, providing an efficient system to keep students and teachers connected. AQUA gives students a place to share ideas, work collaboratively and seek help when it is needed. It's a personalised learning space where a student can read and respond to messages, a place to access, save, return to and submit their work, monitor their progress, and so much more. AQUA is based on the features of the physical classroom - it is intuitive to use. Students will find everything they need to assist and complete their studies including class plans, schedules, learning materials, assessments and all are available online 24/7. Students can even chat and leave messages for anyone of their classmates or their trainer. 

Web Learning Technology - WebLT - a classroom in the cloud

External study and work place training has been transformed with AIFA's WebLT. Traditional external students have always struggled to gain the full benefit that training should bring because of the lack of any personal exchange with the trainer. Many people have missed out on the benefit of training simply because of time scarceness, or geographic challenges, or because of the high cost of travelling to training and being absent from work. 

The WebLTtraining mode, with AQUA as the entry point, delivers live and interactive training sessions through your PC or Mac desktop. Sessions can be attended from your place of work or in the comfort of your own home. If you miss a session a recording is made available, so you needn't ever miss a class. AIFA's WebLT option has had critical success since its inception in 2009 and continues to bethe most popular option for both corporate and private students alike.

Within a live and interactive WebLT session students and trainers communicate online via webcams and a microphone, supplied by AIFA. Each session is lead by one of our professional trainers and involves interactive presentations, collaborative working, and an opportunity to discuss and debate current issues relevant to the course and industry. After the live session students are encouraged to continue thediscussions through the AQUA platform.

Web Lecture Series - WebLS - Access 24/7

As an alternative to WebLT, the WebLS offer is independent learning with a difference - designed for people who can never get their schedule to coincide with our WebLT or classroom schedule. WebLS is a Lecture Series to support our learning material. You can access WebLS through AQUA 24/7.

Upcoming Programs

Take a look at the range of available Professional Development Programs. 

Interested in Qualifications? Our National Recognised Qualifications could have the specific qualification you need today. 

Call an AIFAConsultant for further information - 1300 785 775