Mike I did a bit of work on the assessment of resource based learning in
networked environments, (it was a PhD actually!) which I think has
parallels with what you are talking about. The indications from that
study were that networked students need to develop the critical
approaches which we traditionally expect graduates to attain at the end
of their course of study, but that online study which often involves
resource based and collaborative approaches tends to bring the timetable
forward: we often have higher expectations of them at an earlier stage.
Consequently, activity linked to assessment needs to be designed so
that students' learning development can be supported in incremental
stages. I wrote a number of papers on this work at the time; and my
book Blended learning and online tutoring which was written for
practitioners contains three chapters which were based on this work and
describe designs for discipline embedded activities in e-writing,
e-investigating and e-collaborating. No doubt an over simplification of
reality, but there you go..
Best wishes
Janet
---------------------------------
Dr J Macdonald
Learning & Teaching Coordinator
Open University in Scotland
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0131-549-7915
-----Original Message-----
From: Networked Learning in Higher Education
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Johnson
Sent: 28 June 2007 07:27
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Assessing the 'networked learned'(?!)
First of all, apologies if this reads like 'A thought from the shower'.
I
have been thinking about the definition of networked learning and what
it
means for assessment - especially the central notion of 'promoting
connections'. I've come to a question I think might be worth pursuing -
what
does it mean to be 'network learned'? That is, if one had gone through a
degree programme that was designed to 'promote connections', what would
characterise the students who graduated from it? Perhaps they would just
be
the 'embodiment of critical thinking', or some other commonly held
aspiration for a modern graduate...
I've checked the Guidelines and the Manifesto but not done any other
trawling yet. Those documents, especially the first, talk about
assessment
of discussion forum threads and the incorporation of these into other
artefacts for assessment. The Guidelines talk about epistemic fluency,
is
that a demonstration of 'networked learningness'?.. is that measurable?
Sorry if this is rather half-baked - perhaps I'm trying to
operationalise
the impossible.
Best wishes,
Mike
--
Mike Johnson
Lecturer Information Management and Teaching
School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies
Cardiff University
2:16 Ty Dewi Sant
Heath Park
Cardiff
CF14 4XN
Tel. 029 20743208
Mobile: 07950 030106
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