Mastering the Online Summative-Assessment Life Cycle

This chapter focuses on the use of computers for online summative assessment, in particular for objectively marked items. The aim of this chapter is to try and address the concerns of individuals wishing to pilot the introduction of online summative assessments in their own institutions. A five-stage development life cycle of online summative assessment—item development, quality assurance, item selection, examination delivery, and results analysis—is presented and discussed.

A Methodology for Integrating Information Technology in Software Engineering Education

The discipline of software engineering has been gaining increasing significance in computer science and engineering education. In this chapter, the goal is to describe a systematic approach toward integrating information technologies in software engineering education (SEE), both inside and outside the classroom. A methodology for integrating IT is proposed and explored in the context of SEE, particularly related to the Internet and the Web; in this context, SEE supports a heterogeneous combination of objectivism and constructivism, and aims to be feasibility sensitive. In doing so, the prospects and concerns of incorporating IT in SEE are presented. The potential of integrating IT in SEE is illustrated by examples.

Modeling Best Practices in Web-Based Academic Development

This chapter makes a case for the importance of preparing e-teachers by requiring them to have an experience as an e-learner. The chapter begins with a review of the challenges and criticisms of e-learning. Some of the literature indicates that e-learners have been dissatisfied with their learning experiences. Some academics have concerns about the rigour of courses offered through e-learning. The literature of academic development and e-learning is used to link theory with practice. The chapter provides examples of best practice in the preparation of academic staff for e-teaching. Two case studies of lived examples of e-teaching preparation are provided from a North American perspective. Future research directions are outlined, with research questions to be explored regarding the link between the preparation of eteachers through e-learning and the quality of the e-learning experience for students.

The Role of the Tutor in Blended E-Learning

This chapter reports on an implementation of blended e-learning within three modules in the School of Health and Social Care at Oxford Brookes University. All preregistration students within the school are required to take an interprofessional education module in each year of their study. These three modules have undergone a radical redesign, prompted by the school and university strategies for e-learning and the European and UK National Health Service IT skills agenda. The redesign resulted in a blended-learning strategy that combined face-to-face teaching with online work of increasing sophistication during each of the three modules. In each module, there was an emphasis on collaborative, interprofessional learning. Interviews were conducted with seven members of the course teams to ask them about their perceptions of their roles as tutors in this blended environment. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed five elements of the tutors’ roles: relationships with students, supporting group work, supporting professional learning, managing the blend, and developing new tutoring skills. The implications are discussed for improving staff development for tutors in this case study and for our understanding of blended learning more generally.

A Reflection on Teachers' Experience as E-Learners

This chapter explores the insights gained by a group of teachers from their lived experience as e-learners participating in a blended module on designing e-learning. An understanding of the student perspective on online learning was obtained, but we were also able to reflect on our participation in the module on the basis of our other roles: as teachers and potential e-tutors, and as course designers. As a result, important considerations were identified for the design and facilitation of online courses. These include the support provided to online learners, particularly over the first few weeks; appropriate assessment methods; the facilitation of online collaboration; access to the Internet; time management; and contextualising and scaffolding learning activities. Some issues relating to the implementation of effective e-learning in higher education institutions were also considered. Our lived experience as e-learners was invaluable to our development as e-tutors and module designers, and this approach is strongly recommended to achieve effective learning on how to be an effective online tutor and facilitator and how to design and develop online programmes and activities that make full use of the strengths of online learning.

Instructional Design for Class-Based and Computer-Mediated Learning

Blended learning occupies a prominent place within higher education teaching strategies, yet there is no clear definition for what we mean by this term as an instructional approach. In this chapter, we present a working definition for blended learning that is based around a learner-centred framework, and outline three instructional models for blended course design in support of student-centred learning. We have applied these models to a series of course experiments that were undertaken at two international business schools: Nyenrode Business University (The Netherlands) and Euromed Marseille École de Management (France). Common to each course design was the use of e-tools to solicit and share knowledge for the out-of-class phase of student learning. We discuss the reception of these models by students and their relevance to Net Generation learners in promoting socially active learning through collaboration and experience sharing. Drawing together the lessons learned from these experiments, we present an instructional framework for course designers, focusing on the key phases in the delivery of a blended course and the accompanying instructional responsibilities that underpin this instructional approach.

Enhancing Students' Transition to University through Online Preinduction Courses

This chapter proposes online preinduction courses as an innovative method for preparing students for learning in higher education. It is argued that such courses would be most effective as components of a comprehensive learning support framework. One specific online preinduction course, which was created for undergraduate students of management, is presented. The design principles as well as the rationale and content of its five modules are discussed. The design of the course is based on constructivist, experiential, and situated learning theories, which determined the choice of subject-specific materials and authentic activities. The second part of the chapter focuses on the pilot study in which students were observed and asked to think aloud while working on the course’s materials and tasks. Findings from the pilot study show that the instructional design principles were successful in helping students to achieve the various learning objectives.

Access and Accessibility in E-Learning

This chapter considers some of the major questions around access and accessibility, beginning with the most basic: just what is meant by access and how this relates to the notion of accessibility since the assumption is so frequently made that we all know so much what access and accessibility are that few writers ever bother to define them or even to set under which terms of reference they understand the words. In this respect, as we shall show, there are parallels between the e-learning access debates and issues and those surrounding access to other forms of education, in particular, higher education.

Online Communities of Inquiry in Higher Education

The primary purpose of this chapter is to explore how online communities of inquiry can be developed to facilitate students to engage in reflective practice. The discussion begins with a critical review of the literature, examining the role of educational technology within higher education and the need to develop pedagogical frameworks for its use in practice. An overview of an action research study is presented that used communities of inquiry to facilitate registered nurses to critically reflect on clinical practice. The preliminary findings from focus group interviews indicate that learners viewed their participation in online communities of inquiry as a beneficial aid to reflection. The chapter concludes with recommendations for practice and for further research in the area of online communities of inquiry.

E-Learning for All? Maximizing the Impact of Multimedia Resources for Learners with Disabilities

This chapter examines some of the tensions that may exist between e-learning and accessibility in higher education, and aims to redress the balance between them. The chapter necessarily involves some significant technical detail. It examines and reports on the accessibility issues associated with particular e-learning technologies that are either current or emerging in this dynamic field. Nonetheless, the discussion attempts to provide practitioners with practical advice that will assist them in designing multimedia-based e-learning that is both innovative and inclusive. Integral to this is a framework for best practice for the development of accessible educational multimedia.