The opening keynote speech by Andrew Feenberg, which touched on the desire of some to use of technology as a method to mass-produce education (as it has in the automotive industry) struck a chord with me.  E-assessment often seems to be viewed as a great way to save hours of marking that could be better used elsewhere (probably doing reams of other paperwork instead).  I don’t doubt that it can, in some instances, as described earlier in this blog.  However, this can not be the driver of e-assessment; it’s too crude a brush to apply liberally.  Like any assessment, e-assessment must be considered and targeted to the objectives, and not a way to turn learning into a production line.  500 students are not like 500 wingnuts – they don’t come into education uniform and identical and treating them as such will not result in a effective education, or even cost-effective.

The conference was also of note for one of the most unpleasant puddings ever concieved (filo-wrapped rice pudding), and the Genesis of Eduprog, a useful term for some of the more self-indulgent ideas in the field.

It was a very interesting meeting, with a variety of different topics and directions.  Two aspects were relevant to this project, one especially so.   A chance to review JISCs ‘Effective Practice with e-Learning‘ document ahead of a new version, was interesting.  It was something I hadn’t looked at in about 3 years, and a re-examination showed just how far the implementation of e-learning had progressed in that time, but also that the underlying approaches taken in the document were still valid.  It would be good to see the the new version include more aspects about e-assessment, as even though a sister publication on e-assessments exists, some material in the more general publication would be welcome.

The aspect that was particularly relevant to this project was the exposure tp a wider of draft report to which this project contributed.  I’d seen this at a project meeting previous, but that was with people who were also contributing to the report.  On this occasion, it was examined by people not involved with JISC e-assessment projects, so it was interesting to hear their views.  Broadly speaking, the response was positive, and seemed to reflect the Practice Experts own views and experiences.  It certainly reflected my experience on this project.

Especially relevant to this project were informal discussions regarding problems engaging external parties.  Although the discussions were about work-based learning, the experiences and challenges faced echoed some of the issues encountered with the FE colleges.  One resonated particularly – that very often a single contact between someone at the university and a specific employer supports the entire relationship between the institutions.  If one leaves, is ill, or finds they no longer have the time, then relationship itself can be lost.

While not exactly an original insight, it does suggest that any collaboration needs to be cemented not just at the level the contact was made, but integrated further into the structure and culture of the various partners.  In terms of this project, strong links were created at the top level, driven by JISC requirement to have written support from the FE college principals, but at a lower level they were less formalised and consequently reliant on individuals.

Another element of this meeting of particular relevance to this project was Web-PA, a very useful looking tool for allowing students to carry out peer assessment on each other contributions to group work.  This is exactly the sort of tool that truly broadens the scope of e-assessment, and makes it more relevant to the learning outcomes.  It may be too late to use in this project, but I will be sure to add it to the armoury of available assessments approaches!

The final important element of the meeting was a chance to examine an early draft of JISCs evaluation findings from the e-assessment projects.  Although obviously not yet complete, it looks like this will be a useful document.

In the same month UWIC will also have installed the real-time conferencing tool Adobe Connect, and the Project are hopeful that they will be able to include a small pilot as part of the E-Assessment in Wales Project.

More as it happens …

More to follow …

More on this as work is completed …

Work has also begun investigating the issues of rolling out personal development profiling across a franchised course, in this case first year BSc Sports students. More on this as the work progresses during autumn 2008, although a number of resources have already been completed, including an online support module, Information & Academic Skills Resources, incorporating teaching content and self assessment.

Denise and myself were delegates at Alt-C (Leeds, Sep 2008).  There were relatively few sessions targeted specifically at e-assessment especially in the traditional forms.  However, there was plenty of more relevance to the future nature of e-assessment.

Many papers were presented on the use of new technologies for learning, for example games, Web2.0 technologies. mobile learning, projects producing software for specific learning needs (for example peer tutoring, audio feedback, personal learning spaces) and much else besides.

As the number and scope of methods and technologies used in e-learning expands, it would be anomolous to persist solely with e-assessment that mirrors current assessment practice, but using a computer.  For the outcomes, content and assessment of a piece of learning to be truly aligned, thought need to be given to the alignment in the method of delivery for both content and assessment.  For example, if a module is delivered using a mobile learning technology, is it sensible to assess progress by by sitting the cohort in an computer room and asking them to complete a series of short answer questions?

Alt-C didn’t provide any answers to how we can effectively assess the emerging ideas in e-learning, but did provide a great deal of food for thought.  Certainly it emphasised the need for assessment to be continually chasing these developments in order to keep both sides relevant and useful for staff and students.

In terms of the project, a feature of the conference was the rise and rise of Web2.0 technologies for learning, including wikis, blog, social networking and to some extent PDPs as well.  These were things already in use within the university, and we had planned to use them for the HE in FE collaboration aspect of the project.  There were useful presentations relevant in the conference relating to the development of communities of learning and how to reduce the digital divide for franchise students.

This aspect of the project’s work has benefitted greatly by collaboration with Rachel Bardett, the LTDU’s Quality Enhancement Officer (E-portfolios). The team has undertaken background research in this area, noting the importance of the QAA Guidelines for HE Progress Files, including Cottrell, S. (2003). Skills for Success: The Personal Development Planning Handbook. Macmillan. London.

2.    External issues – One of the greatest issues has been the difficulty of forming and then maintaining partnerships with FE tutors willing to be part of the Project. It is clear that a part of this can be explained by the very different cultural environment of the FE sector itself, the hours taught for instance and the availability of onsite support. This situation has not been helped by localised industrial action from April 2008 and low morale within the Welsh FE sector.

However, none of these issues are insurmountable, and the Project team are confident the second year will be as much of a success as the first.