Categories: Education

Innovative e-learning programme helps international students settle in

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-157" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2011&sol;10&sol;e-learning&period;jpg" alt&equals;"e-learning" width&equals;"200" height&equals;"150" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Macleans College&comma; one of New Zealand&&num;8217&semi;s largest secondary schools&comma;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>is leading the way with its innovative use of a New Zealand e-learning programme&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The school will be among the first to utilise a Pre-Arrival Learning &lpar;PAL&rpar; product from Vital English&comma; created by New Zealand software company Intuto&comma; for a group of close to 100 Chinese students who arrived in the country in September&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Adrian Sallis&comma; business development director of Vital English&comma; says the school&&num;8217&semi;s use of PAL highlights how it is a leader in the uptake of new technology&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Macleans has a reputation for producing academic excellence&comma; which has attracted interest from a wide array of international students&period; By bringing PAL on board&comma; Macleans continues to foster its forward-thinking approach and ability to cater to a broader student market&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Providing inbound students with the skills and confidence they need helps with the transition to a new country and school&comma; which for many is a daunting prospect&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Mr Sallis said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Vital English&&num;8217&semi;s PAL product works to both inform and prepare students for life and study in New Zealand&comma; while also providing the host school with information on the students&&num;8217&semi; level of English&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>PAL tests students&&num;8217&semi; English through an interactive English course designed to match their level of understanding&comma; while also providing them with a customised orientation of their host school and life in New Zealand with a home-stay family&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Byron Bentley&comma; principal of Macleans College&comma; said they were pleased to be working with a New Zealand-based company on the design and customised PAL programme for the school&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Intuto has been fantastic to work with in creating PAL&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Mr Bentley said&period; &&num;8220&semi;New Zealand companies produce some superb IT programmes&comma; rivalling many of the international products and we have been especially impressed at the speed of turnaround and cost- effectiveness&period; We are really looking forward to the benefits of this training solution&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>PAL is currently used by over 50 high schools&comma; language schools and tertiary institutions worldwide&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Since partnering with Cambridge University to develop further online educational courses&comma; Intuto has further expanded its international network of distributors to include Australia&comma; Canada&comma; Taiwan&comma; Thailand&comma; Poland&comma; Switzerland and the UK&period;<span id&equals;"&lowbar;plain&lowbar;text&lowbar;marker">&nbsp&semi;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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