The Indigenous Pre-IT Program

Abstract

From January 12-24, 2004 the Faculty of Information Technology, at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), conducted the first Pre-IT program for indigenous students in Australia. The program was run successfully for a second time in July 2005, with a another planned for 2006. The Pre-IT grew out of the Indigenous Participation in Information Technology (IPIT) Project which began at UTS in 2002. The purpose of the IPIT Project is to increase the participation of indigenous Australians in IT studies and careers (Robertson, Dyson, Norman, & Buckley, 2002).

Key Factors for the Development of a Culturally Appropriate Interactive Multimedia Informative Program for Aboriginal Health Workers

“…Gjedde (2005) indicated the narrative format has been a traditional way of teaching in many cultures, and using a narrative cultural appropriate interactive multimedia learning environment could support the learner toward the understanding of the events and the meaning they hold, and not just achieving knowledge of factual events. Story telling is considered an integrated learning approach, with a holistic view in which knowledge is integrated into social contexts, and it has been proven to be successful in Indigenous education (Grant, Hendriks, & Dyson, 2007; Werner & Bower, 1982). Story content should be meaningful, capable of engaging the learners, and should take into consideration possible differences in social and cultural background (Gjedde, 2005).…”