2023-2024 HarvestED Victoria 

Asia Education Foundation is proud to announce our latest cohorts of the Victorian HarvestED program open to all Victorian students (any sector) in Years 7 to 9.

This 3-day, immersive, online, cross-curricular, agricultural learning program with optional one-day face-to-face event hosted at the University of Melbourne is fully funded thanks to the generous contribution of The William Buckland Foundation.  

HarvestED connects Victorian students across the State virtually and an in-person event for collaborative, investigative, and innovation-driven learning. Students explore agricultural opportunities and challenges and develop their own solutions to agricultural issues. 

Students will meet and hear from agricultural experts and professionals across the state, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region and from a range of agricultural industries.

Apply now (link below) but places are limited.

What is HarvestED?

HarvestEd is designed and delivered by educators at Asia Education Foundation (AEF), Asialink at The University of Melbourne. It is as a cross-curricular online learning experience that brings students from across Victoria together to learn collaboratively about the agricultural sector, its significance to the state, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. 

HarvestEd is agricultural education for global citizens. Students hear from a range of guest speakers, experts and professionals. They explore current opportunities and challenges in agriculture, and develop their own solutions and action-oriented ideas. Students will explore cross-curricular content in agriculture such as sustainability, environmental consciousness, technology, automation, ethics and urbanisation. 

The program has been intentionally designed to support the Australian and Victorian Curriculum Cross-Curriculum Priorities and strengthen the General Capabilities in all students. All Australian Cross-Curriculum Priorities are supported within the program design with content focused on Indigenous agricultural practices, environmental sustainability, and in particular, Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia.

The program design also utilises a range of pedagogies including, design-thinking, inquiry-based learning, collaborative-inquiry, visible thinking routines and dialogic learning, students are supported to develop global competence, skills and capabilities. Students are scaffolded through activities that require them to utilise and strengthen Critical and Creative Thinking Sills, Intercultural Understanding, Personal and Social Capability, ICT Capability, Ethical Understanding. 

The Phases of Learning:

The program runs in 4 distinct phases of learning across 3 days –

1. Past, Present and Future Farming - Exploring agricultural industries past, present and the potential of the agricultural future in Victoria, Australia and the Asia-Pacific
2. Connecting Communities - Hearing firsthand from agricultural professionals, experts and guests - students collaborate and reflect on the opportunities, insights, and problems worth tackling.
3. Seeding Change- Using design-thinking processes, teams generate ideas to problems or opportunities in agriculture that they have explored through the program, developing initial prototypes of solution-oriented ideas
4. Harvesting Potential- Students pitch their prototype ideas to each other and a guest panel for feedback and further actions. 

How will it be delivered?

The program will be delivered online synchronously using our secure Learning Management System (LMS) and Videoconferencing. It will be delivered over 3 days with an optional face-to-face event hosted at the University of Melbourne to celebrate learning and connect with peers. Commencing in Term 4.

Teachers will not need to facilitate any of the learning sessions, but teachers are asked to actively supervise all students in the program, just as typical excursions.

Who can participate?

HarvestEd is open to all Victorian students from Years 7-9. The program may form part of a school cross-curricular program, curriculum elective program, careers pathway program or through the VET or VCAL program.

Each cohort will have up to 100 students participating together online. Applications from schools Victoria with regional and rural applications and applications for female students strongly encouraged.

What is the cost?

Thanks to the generosity of The William Buckland Foundation all costs are covered. As such, places are limited and interested schools must submit an expression of interest.

How do we apply?

To express your interest in participating in the TERM 4 cohort of this program please click the link below and submit your expression of interest form.