UOW researchers win ASCILITE awards for road safety package

Dec 24, 2004

Just weeks after a group of Corrimal High School students trialled the first comprehensive road safety education resource in NSW, developed by the University of Wollongong's emlab (educational media laboratory), the package has won a number of significant awards at the Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) conference held in Perth.

'Road Risks - Your Choice' was developed by UOW researchers for the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) and is designed to help high school students think more about safer behaviour on the road, particularly using skateboards, travelling in cars and as pedestrians. It is based on key messages about identifying and reducing risk, making safe decisions and being proactive about personal safety in the road environment.

The package won the ASCILITE award for 'exemplary application of ICT to teaching and learning in tertiary education' for appropriateness to target audience, learning design, creativitiy and innovation, impact on teaching practice and learning outcomes and overall quality.

The UOW team also won the 'ASCILITE president's award for excellence', based on the overall quality and content of the road safety package.

The package contains interactive CD-ROMs, video and activities which all link to the mandatory Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Syllabus for years 7-10.

Emlab Director, Mr Rob Wright (pictured foreground, right), said it all started when the RTA conducted research into the key messages they needed to get across to Year 7 and 8 students and then called for tenders to design and produce the teaching resource.

“We won the tender with our initial concept design and then produced each of the resource elements which included work with Relativity, a local film production company, to produce the video elements,” he said.

“The CD-ROM interactive activities and Teaching Ideas Resource Book were developed by emlab designers and the resource was then fine-tuned with information gained during testing. We received feedback from a wide selection of curriculum managers, teachers and students.”

Dr Gregg Rowland (pictured foreground, left), a Senior Lecturer in UOW's Faculty of Education, was involved in the writing and production of the package and said it was designed to look at all the elements of risk -- human, vehicle and environmental factors.

“We wanted students to be informed while having fun, so we tried to make it as flexible, modern and relevant as possible,” Dr Rowland said.

“The video scenarios are all filmed around the Illawarra and the students have already picked up on this. The package is very interactive and really stimulates thought.”

The research team consisted of (pictured back row left to right) Owen McKerrow (web designer), Karl Mutimer (graphic designer), David Elsner (programmer), Grant Farr (senior programmer), Russel Sinfield (technical support), Matthew Fifield (support manager), Dave Skoumbourdis (programmer) and Karl Rudd (programmer).

The road safety package will be incorporated into the new PDHPE syllabus being implemented throughout all NSW high schools next year.

-RP