No abstract

No abstract

We know assessment plays a major formative role in driving student learning appropriately, but what implications does this have for online courses? Is it more important than in a face to face context, or less so? Should we reconceptualize the ways in which we assess students, or are existing methods, tried and tested in conventional teaching and learning situations, appropriate? This paper discusses the practical implications of implementing these online pedagogies and illustrates the powerful formative effects, both intended and unintentional, of assessment on student learning and behaviour. It draws on examples from recent research on two e-learning courses at UK Open University.

No abstract

Electronic information resources are increasingly in use for courses at all levels of Higher Education. They may be employed as reference material when researching particular topics for assignments, as part of a conventionally structured course, or alternatively their use may be a central part of resource based course philosophy. Whilst the use of these resources may offer many advantages in terms of developing more independent learners, there are also information handling skills which students must acquire. This paper discusses the relevance of these skills and the factors influencing their acquisition for students on two networked resource based courses at the UK Open University. Electronic information resources and information literacyThe use of electronic information resources, underpinned by information and communications technologies, has led to an explosion of interest in networked environments, which offer the potential for greater independence and more open ended study. In some cases this open approach to study is restricted to particular parts of the course, where researching information from electronic resources may be associated with project work. Other courses, described here as resource based in a networked environment, use a combination of access to a wide variety of resources in electronic form, with the construction and negotiation of meaning through online collaborative interaction as a central part of constructivist course philosophy.The use of electronic information resources presents new opportunities, in terms of the extent and choice of resource available, and also in the possibilities for tailoring searches, and accessing or combining information to meet particular requirements.However, the scale and diversity of the information available, coupled with a general lack of bibliographic control, and concerns with a lack of authenticity and reliability