In this article, we explore the intersecting concepts of fairness, trust and temporality in relation to the implementation of an online peer-to-peer review Moodle Workshop tool at a Sydney metropolitan university. Drawing on qualitative interviews with unit convenors and online surveys of students using the Workshop tool, we seek to highlight a complex array of attitudes, both varied and contested, towards online peer assessment. In particular, we seek to untangle convenors' positive appraisal of the Workshop tool as a method of encouraging 'meta-cognitive' skills, and student perceptions relating to the redistribution of staff marking workload vis-à-vis the peer review tool as 'unfair', 'time-consuming' and 'unprofessional'. While the Workshop tool represents an innovative approach to the development of students' meta-cognitive attributes, the competitive atmosphere that circulates, and is quietly encouraged, within the tertiary education sector limits the true collaborative pedagogical potential and capacities approach built into peer-to-peer review initiatives like the Workshop tool.

Purpose -In their 2007 article, "Miranda in the brave new world: learning in a Web 2.0 millennium", Barnes and Tynan tell the story of an imaginary British student who uses technology seamlessly to stay connected almost 24 £ 7 with friends, peers and teachers in a global learning environment. Whether she is representative of the majority of university students is a topic of debate in the literature. This paper aims to explore how students use technologies in their everyday lives, whether on-or off-campus, to support their learning. Design/methodology/approach -There were two phases of the study; a photo ethnography to enable a detailed exploration of ten students' technology uses and then a university-wide survey in which 1,104 student responses were gathered. Findings -The findings of both phases of the study suggest that students' use of technologies for their learning and in other facets of their lives is largely conservative, with a predominance of familiar and easy-to-use tools such as e-mail, text and mobile phone. For their learning, their preference is for tools to provide access, efficiency and connectedness. Originality/value -This paper contributes to the development of a better understanding of student issues in the context of their overall IT experience at the university, suggesting a more holistic approach to designing technology infrastructure. There are also insights into the power of mixed methodologies in research, with significant parallels between the qualitative and quantitative results.