Web 2.0 and learning at universities
Attending a workshop / roundtable as part of the “Web 2.0 Authoring Tools in Higher Education Learning and Teaching: New Directions for Assessment and Academic Integrity” Project (wiki here). [Discovering the difficulty of jumpong between twitter and blogging: need to learn to use RSS feed from my twitter stream! Raises the question: how the hell can students and academics keep up with the opportunities when so much changes, so rapidly? It requires a remaking of the everyday business of knowledge work - eg do I read that article or learn RSSing twitter] Summary of morning session Several

Assessment: reports from the ATN Conference (V)
Assessing with Technologies Panel, ATN Assessment Conference E-learning and role-plays online (Fang Law et al) The presentation begins with the now-discredited, or at least heavily contested, concept of the “net generation”, including quoting Kennedy’s report (2009) which is part of the research showing that the net generation is not a particular useful concept, nor empirically sustained. It then provides the goal for the learning: employability (including quoting Gillard on the need for skills that work for work). The particular emphasis here is negotiation skills The research described in this paper is based on discussions with

Assessment: reports from the ATN Conference (IV)
Panel: Assessing in the disciplines The panel, two papers, both focus on what staff are thinking about assessment, especially in response to institutional change. How do they make decisions? What do they think about assessment in a lived way? Importance of disciplines emerges strongly here. Assessment for learning, learning through assessment: perspectives from creative industries (Hong and Vaughn) We assess all the time as we make our journey through life; perhaps we need assessment for better living. A key principle – quality – what and how to students know it? They need to be provided with evidence and examples of quality work

Assessment: reports from the ATN Conference (III)
Assessing in the disciplines: focus is on self and peer assessment Three papers, across three disciplines (nursing, media, education), each providing an example of how these assessment forms are working. Using peer and self-assessment with academic moderation… (Warland) This approach was based on literature that asserts peer and self assessment improves quality of learning; generates reflection on learning; gives increased confidence and independence and responsibility. Literature also provides some negatives – lack of comfort and confidence from students in judging; worries about doing it accurately and correctly for grading. Thus

Assessment: reports from the ATN Conference (II)
Authentic Assessment of Authentic Tasks ATN Assessment Conference Keynote; Jan Herrington Opens with the maxim “We assess what we value and we value what we assess”. Uses it to show how assessing time online, numbers of posts to forums, doing MCQs values lower-order knowledge repetition, the time spent online, and quantity of participation. Cites Angelo “educative assessment tasks” – that should be the focus of our attention. Anything which is ‘to do’ – the task – that matters most. Tasks and assessment are inseparable. Reprises the classic ‘from this to that’ movement for online learning – eg from instruct