Using the Internet to enhance post secondary renewable energy education

There is a pressing global need for more trained scientists, engineers, policy makers, technicians and tradespeople with the knowledge and skills to develop, implement and maintain renewable and energy efficient systems and policies. This training requires the development of high quality, flexible renewable energy training courses that can be delivered by both face-to-face and self-paced distance education. The Internet’s unique features, including its ability to display not just static, but dynamic, information to anywhere in the world almost simultaneously means it can be used to significantly enhance the learning experience of students. In the light of this the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy (ACRE) in conjunction with Murdoch University and the Brisbane Institute of Technical and Further Education (BIT) are developing a number of internationally focussed distance education and Internet based post secondary, and tertiary level renewable energy courses. The individual modules, or units, that make up these courses have been developed for maximum flexibility with the option of delivery face-to-face or through distance education. There are a number of challenges in delivering renewable energy training by conventional correspondence based distance education. These challenges can be reduced, and the quality of learning significantly enhanced by the use of the Internet. Some of the advantages of using the Internet to enhance post secondary renewable energy education will be discussed. A number of examples of how the Internet has been used to enhance ACRE's post secondary and tertiary level online modules and units will be shown. A number of Internet based resources useful for renewable energy training will also be given