Hi Mike and Janet,

This is another thought re: Networked Learning and assessment. Networked
learning assumes a sort of distance and connection over a network. As a
result the kinds of assessment are somewhat different and imply the
kinds of considerations that applied to traditional forms of distance
learning even if the learners are co-located e.g. on a campus. A ampus
student following a course in a study bedroom may need some of the kinds
of support a distance learner does.

I am currently interviewing staff at the OU who are involved in the
deployment of the new OU VLE. A comment that is often repeated is that
the OU is different and the difference then identified is related to the
OU tradition of teaching at a distance. Convergence however is making
this difference more common in that networked learners do not have the
same kinds of links (allowing 'on the fly' feedback etc) that learners
in conventional face to face settings have.

In terms of OU assessment this has meant:
	1.An emphasis on formative assessment and self-assessment as the
course progresses (rather than summative at the end of
sections/blocks/modules and courses)
	2. A concern with relatively rapid feedback (early adoption of
computer marked assessments etc)
	3. Single questions as opposed to banks or sets of questions
(often set within the course material as it progresses.

Technologies are making learners in networked settings more like
distance learners. They need rapid formative assessment (how am I doing
- did you uderstand that etc) linked to material as it is learned. The
OU is linking its work on OpenMark
http://www.open.ac.uk/openmarkexamples/ with its work on Moodle to
develop this kind of assessment.

Best wishes,

Chris

Dr Christopher Jones, 
Reader in the Institute of Educational Technology, 
The Open University, 
Walton Hall, 
Milton Keynes 
MK7 6AA. 
[log in to unmask] 
http://iet.open.ac.uk/pp/c.r.jones
Tel: +44 (0) 1908 652530


-----Original Message-----
From: Networked Learning in Higher Education
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of J.R.Macdonald
Sent: 28 June 2007 09:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Assessing the 'networked learned'(?!)


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
[log in to unmask]
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