[Yr7-10it] RE: online learning....

[Meadows, Roslyn M]

Beautiful Tony - a perfect example of the advantages of collaborative
learning!!

And in Kent's course - how are the lecturers to know whether students
are getting "undue assistance" from others privately via email or MSN
chat etc?? Better to be all out in the open, where everyone can LEARN
from others - IMHO

Cheers
Ros


Roslyn Meadows
ICT Coordinator
Head of Assessment and Reporting
Bentleigh Secondary College | 9579 1044 | 0412 614 062

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-----Original Message-----
From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Tony Forster
Sent: Tuesday, 13 November 2007 10:30 PM
To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] RE: online learning....

Kent wrote

"often when we students discuss a particular question in our 'discussion

forum' we have been know to be told to stop it as it is seen by the uni
as 
'undue assistance'. "

I am an energy management consultant, unpaid game making enthusiast and 
sessional lecturer in the RMIT Masters of Sustainable Energy. Kent's
comment 
on the discussion forum really dismays me. Last year I encouraged the 
students to use the RMIT online Blackboard discussion forum. This year I

included contributions to the forum in the assessment, something like
15% of 
the subject's marks.

I told them that they would not be penalised for asking for help, no
matter 
how stupid, and that quality contributions on the forum would count
towards 
the assessment. Nothing was off limits, assignments etc..

I have absolutely no regrets. The level of peer tutoring was great, I 
learned a lot from the discussions and I am sure the students did too.
Some 
might say that assessment through the assignments was compromised by 
students getting "undue assistance". I would compromise assessment every

time in preference to compromising learning. The assessment still
worked, 
the better students produced the better assignments, made the most and
best 
contributions to the discussion forum and the best contributions during 
class.

So I am really astounded and dismayed that any uni would try to limit 
discussion forums.

Tony 

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