Designing Resources for the Corrections Sector
Late last year, a large TAFE engaged Parachute Education to develop customised learning and assessment resources to support delivery of the Certificate I and II in General Education for Adults (CGEA), for use in a Victorian correctional setting. Given the realities of correctional education—including rolling intakes, no internet access, restricted resources and interrupted attendance patterns—we determined that off-the-shelf materials would not adequately meet learner or delivery needs.
Working closely with correctional educators throughout the project, we designed a suite of resources that balanced learner engagement with rigorous compliance. Every component was mapped to the CGEA curriculum and the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF), creating an audit-ready suite that was practical to deliver within the constraints of a correctional environment.
Equally important was ensuring the content reflected the realities of the learner cohort. Topics, scenarios, activities and images were carefully selected to engage learners without inadvertently causing frustration, alienation or disengagement.
The resulting resource suite was built around four key design principles:
Self-contained, low-tech delivery – Resources require no internet access and are designed around the spaces, materials and facilities typically available within correctional settings.
Standalone, unclustered modules – All 32 units are standalone, allowing learners to complete learning and assessment activities within shorter participation windows and reducing the impact of interrupted attendance.
Scaffolded learning – Content is broken into concise, carefully sequenced learning segments that support varying literacy levels, fragmented schedules and learner engagement.
Single-session assessments – Assessment tasks are aligned to short learning segments, enabling learners to complete assessments within a single session while allowing teachers to progressively gather valid evidence over time.
The result was an audit-ready suite of resources that gave the client confidence in both compliance and delivery.
If your organisation is facing similar challenges—whether in correctional education or another complex learning environment—we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how customised resource development could support your learners and educators.