Computer Conferencing and Assessment: New ways of writing in higher education

Lea, Mary R.

doi:10.1080/03075070120052099

Cited by 47 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…As discussed earlier, Dennen (2008) stresses the need to assess the 'products of learning' rather than the 'process of learning' and argues that the discussion contributions represent the latter, whereas post-discussion exercises are a better representation of the 'products of learning'. Several studies that examined the assessment of discussion contributions have reached similar conclusions and advocate the use of a reflective piece of writing that assists students in evaluating and synthesising the information presented in the discussion contributions, thereby developing critical thinking skills (Clark, 2000;Geer, 2003;Greenlaw & DeLoach, 2003;Lea, 2001). Further research into the use of a post-discussion assessment will help to clarify the benefit of this type of exercise.…”

Section: How Does Having the Student Contributions Assessed Affect Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Likewise Geer (2003) did not assess the contributions themselves, but required subsequent submissions of a 300-400 word response to each discussed topic over the prescribed weeks. Lea (2001) also advocates a post discussion assessment, suggesting that if students use the online discussion to gather their information and then subsequently incorporate the information into a reflective essay, it will also help them in developing their writing skills.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of assessment on the outcomes of asynchronous online discussion as perceived by instructors

Klisc

McGill

Hobbs

2009

AJET

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Asynchronous online discussion is used in a variety of ways, both in online learning environments and in traditional teaching environments where, increasingly frequently, a blended approach is adopted. However the anticipated benefits of this tool in improving student learning outcomes are still being debated. One of the many factors affecting the outcomes of asynchronous online discussion is that of assessment. This study investigated the influence of assessment of discussion postings on the achievement of discussion outcomes as perceived by instructors. The findings indicate that the incorporation of assessment results in higher levels of discussion outcomes than if no assessment were used. The use of a subsequent assessment based on the online discussion was also examined, but the results were inconclusive.

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Section: How Does Having the Student Contributions Assessed Affect Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of assessment on the outcomes of asynchronous online discussion as perceived by instructors

Klisc

McGill

Hobbs

2009

AJET

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“…All communication is asynchronous and students have to adapt more familiar study practices to this context (cf. Lea, 2000Lea, , 2001Goodfellow et al, 2004).…”

Section: Broadening the Contexts For Academic Literacies Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An email list could also serve a similar purpose to those of conference debates in VLEs, in providing the permanence of the written text and the opportunities for reflexivity which students report they find useful when they are returning to an electronic debate at a later date (cf. Lea, 2001). However, it is not only VLEs which offer these opportunities.…”

Section: Icts and Academic Literaciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academic literacies: a pedagogy for course design

Lea

2004

Studies in Higher Education

251

117

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This article examines how research findings from the field of academic literacies might be used to underpin course design across the broad curriculum of higher education. During the last decade this research has unpacked the complex relationship between writing and learning, and pointed to gaps in students' and tutors' understanding of what is involved in writing for assessment. The article takes this as its starting point but suggests that the focus on particular groups of students and on student writing alone might mask the relevance of the research findings for teaching and learning in higher education more generally. In addition, the increasing use of information and communication technologies and virtual learning environments add dimensions which are only beginning to be recognized in the academic literacies literature. The article uses a specific case study of an online, postgraduate course to explicate some principles of course design, derived from academic literacies research, which take account of the different texts involved in student learning, and do not focus merely on assessed writing. This case study also pays some attention to the ways in which the use of new technologies can be used to the advantage of course designers adopting these principles. IntroductionHow can research on academic literacies have any relevance for course designers? This article sets out to explore this question and also suggest some possible answers. I begin by outlining academic literacies as a research field, and consider how its findings could have more widespread value and applicability. The main body of the article is concerned with outlining and explicating the principles of an approach to course design which is based on the outcomes of academic literacies research, and the possible ways in which these might be implemented in practice. I illustrate this through the use of a specific case study, a postgraduate online course for practitioners in post-compulsory education.Supporting the relationship between writing and learning is not generally regarded as the remit of course designers. As subject specialists they are usually primarily concerned with course content and, therefore, often overlook the ways in which 740 M. R. Lea writing and textual practices more generally are central to the process of learning. At the same time, research in the field of academic literacies has gone a long way in unpacking the complex relationship between writing and learning; this understanding now needs to be brought more centrally into mainstream course delivery. This article is an attempt to respond to both of the above by suggesting a pedagogy for course design based on principles derived from research in the field; the focus on pedagogy-the science of teaching-brings to the fore the relationship between the institutional practices of teaching and course design. The increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and virtual learning environments (VLEs) in today's higher education offers new opportunities for imple...

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“…Some students treated the evidence of their peers as sources similar to published works (c.f. Lea, 2001). In essays, students appeared to be comfortable stating their own finding if they had support from the experiences and opinions of another member of the group.…”

Section: As Thinkermentioning

confidence: 99%

Writing in multi-party computer conferences and single authored assignments: Exploring the role of writer as thinker

Hewings

Coffin

2007

Journal of English for Academic Purposes

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BionotesAnn Hewings is Senior Lecturer in Language and Communication at the Open University. Her broad research area is disciplinary academic literacy particularly at tertiary level and in electronic environments. She is currently researching argumentation in computer conference discussions in the field of Health and Social Care.Caroline Coffin is Senior Lecturer in Language and Communication at the Open University. Her area of expertise is functional linguistics with much of her research focusing on the insights afforded by linguistic theory and methods into educational dialogue, disciplinary knowledge construction and argumentation. AbstractThe increasing use of computers to enable or replace face-to-face tutorial discussion groups in higher education is creating a new form of academic writing. This smallscale study of 43 students and three tutors identifies ways in which students present their opinions in a forum which allows greater time for reflection, but also creates a permanent record. The notion of collaborative learning in computer conferencing militates against taking a strong, possibly controversial, stance. Opinions are therefore hedged, or located in the peer discourse community rather than the individual. Through a corpus analysis of the use of the pronouns I, we and it we identify ways in which student writers are representing themselves and their views in both computer conferences and in single-authored essays. A powerful authorial voice was often associated not with the individual I, but with the collective we. In their singleauthored essays, students drew upon the consensual voice developed in the conference discussion to support their personal points of view. In both genres, students made use of impersonal it-clauses, but frequently preceded them by personal frames such as I think, thereby resisting the impersonal, but powerful, voice of much academic discourse. This paper contributes to our developing understanding of evolving student writing practices in disciplinary settings.

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Computer Conferencing and Assessment: New ways of writing in higher education

Cited by 47 publications

References 3 publications

The effect of assessment on the outcomes of asynchronous online discussion as perceived by instructors

The effect of assessment on the outcomes of asynchronous online discussion as perceived by instructors

Academic literacies: a pedagogy for course design

Writing in multi-party computer conferences and single authored assignments: Exploring the role of writer as thinker

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