About us

The Le@rning Federation, a project of Education Services Australia, manages the national resource collection and infrastructure of digital curriculum resources. These resources are aligned with the curriculums of the Australian states and territories and will be aligned with the Australian Curriculum as it develops.

Since 2001 these high-quality, innovative resources have encouraged and supported schools to embrace 21st-century education and to implement the Digital Education Revolution.

The collaborative nature of the project stimulates cooperative arrangements among states and territories and avoids duplication of costs. It also:

• contributes to creating intellectual capital about using digital curriculum resources in classrooms;
• has developed content management and distribution systems, and an intellectual property management system;
• has developed an interoperability framework, standards and specifications that ensure all education systems and schools can access the resources within their standard operating environments.

During the transition year July 2009 to June 2010, The Le@rning Federation will widen the sources of procurement of digital curriculum resources. Other priorities include:

• resources to support Indigenous students' learning;
• resources for the early years of schooling;
• supporting teachers to implement digital curriculum resources into their teaching;
• facilitating the exchange of resources between jurisdictions;
• mapping resources to the Australian Curriculum.

The Le@rning Federation also conducts research and trials to evaluate the teaching and learning effectiveness of the resources and their use. The focus of the research includes special needs groups, disengaged students and the evaluation of new technologies.

Funding

The transition year is funded by the Australian, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australian, Tasmanian, Victorian and Western Australian governments. Approximately half of the funding is provided by the Australian Government, with the remainder provided by participating states and territories.

Governance

Education Services Australia manages The Le@rning Federation project. The Education Services Australia board oversees the project and reports to the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) through the Australian Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs Senior Officials Committee (AEEYSOC).

History

The Le@rning Federation was established in 2001 as part of the Backing Australia's Ability: Innovation Action Plan. The Australian Government, all states and territories and New Zealand participated in the previous phases of the project, from 2001 to June 2009.

Education Services Australia has been responsible for the management of the project since March 2010. Prior to that, management had been the joint responsibility of Curriculum Corporation and education.au limited from 2001 to 2006, and the sole responsibility of Curriculum Corporation from 2006 to 2010.