eLearning Education in ICT for a Digital Opportunities Project

CPIT (Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology) has recently started offering the Diploma in Information and Communications Technology (DipICT Level 5) in a blended delivery, or distributed learning format to a small group of students under the Ministry of Education’s Digital Opportunities Community Technicians Project (DigiOPs). This article documents, reflects on and reviews the initial set-up, preparation and start-up of delivering this beginners' diploma to groups of students located in remote rural areas throughout New Zealand. The results of this initial review, along with the two further stages of evaluative research, will help towards supporting the growth of flexible delivery methods that include eLearning and allow us to ensure effectiveness of such blends for future projects or instances of delivery.