Genetics Education Networking for Innovation and Excellence The Virtual Genetics Education Centre: networking, collaboration and innovation Mark Goodwin Cas Kramer, Nicola Suter-Giorgini and Annette Cashmore GENIE activities Range of project work: teaching materials outreach programme. Pedagogical research. Input into strategic policy making. National Network of genetics educators. VGEC:Virtual Genetics Education Centre Current site Who?: teachers plus learners, general public. What?: evaluated open content, GENIE resources... sector and topic title, description, software, approach, age range. Why?: effective teaching materials evaluation and sharing of good practice networking, collaboration and innovation. Virtual Genetics Education Centre Development Resources: open content, GENIE, Department, Network. Networking: resources, information... Collaboration: evaluation, development, commissioning. Innovation: teaching approaches teaching technologies pedagogical research. Virtual Genetics Education Centre Competition: infodiversity Formal Content: OpenLearn, MIT OpenCourseWare... Finding content: Google, Intute, MERLOT, GLOBE. Subject-specific sites: biochem4schools, scibermonkey. Informal Online forums, blogs, wikis,groups. Virtual Genetics Education Centre Challenges Resources: quantity, quality and processes. Organisation: digital assets to learning design. Evaluation: context v. re-use, qualitative v. quantitative. Success factors: use and audience engagement motivation. Virtual Genetics Education Centre