Web 2.0 pedagogies: new texts and assessment challenges Siân Bayne, University of Edinburgh

online MSc in E-learning Higher Education Academy project Putting Web 2.0 to work: new pedagogies for new learning spaces National Museums Online Learning Project

key questions What forms of ‘technoliteracy’ do we need to work in these spaces? How can assessment regimes be re-crafted for these volatile spaces? What digital pedagogies work in these environments? How do these texts and technologies change the way academic knowledge is produced and distributed?

The house was quiet and the world was calm. The reader became the book; and summer night Was like the conscious being of the book. … The words were spoken as if there was no book, Except that the reader leaned above the page, Wanted to lean, wanted much to be The scholar to whom his book is true… Wallace Stevens 1923

“These sections of the web break away from the page metaphor. Rather than following the notion of the web as book, they are predicated on microcontent. Blogs are about posts, not pages. Wikis are streams of conversation, revision, amendment, and truncation.” Alexander, 2006

two issues ‘Essay’ texts which challenge the way academic knowledge is produced and distributed Re-crafting assessment regimes

‘“Essay” is really institutionalised shorthand for a particular way of constructing knowledge which has come to be privileged within the academy.’ Lillis 2001

Essays as exploration a simple web essay a weblog in a web essay The American dream An imitation of an imitation

Essays as exploration a simple web essay a weblog in a web essay The American dream An imitation of an imitation

‘A text can make a claim on you even if it does not support a particular proposition or present a particular abstract structure of argument’ Kolb 1994 ‘the argument comes into focus gradually, as a whole’ Kolb 2004

‘If hypertext’s greatest educational strength as well as its most characteristic feature is connectivity then assessed exercises must measure the results of using that connectivity to develop the ability to make connections.’ Landow 1997

Essays as space an assignment in Second Life The Learning Game

‘The logic of the image dominates the semiotic organization of the screen’ Kress 2003 writing as temporal, image as spatial

On what terms do we assess? criteria for assessment Ventura 2002 Landow 2004 McKenna 2007

— Using the visual to make arguments, rather than as background — Logical organisation — Achieving the standards the class established for successful public art — Writing descriptively, colorfully, and correctly Ventura 2002 Landow 2004 McKenna 2004

— Adequate number of links — Following links is satisfying — Coherence — Individual lexias should satisfy readers and yet prompt them to want to follow additional links — Multiple lines of organization Ventura 2002 Landow 2004 McKenna 2004

— Persuasive writing — Good development and structure — Logical and critical — Excellent handling of multimodality — Incorporates linking with skill — Coherence Ventura 2002 Landow 2004 McKenna 2007

MSc in E-learning Knowledge and understanding of concepts Engages critically with the main concepts and theories dealt with in the course. Knowledge and use of the literature Uses most of the key references in the reading list, has drawn on other sources, and has integrated the ideas from this material into a sound and critical framework. Constructing academic discourse Quality of the writing, rhetorical effectiveness and expression of ideas are consistent with the quality required for publication in an academic/professional journal. Conventions of referencing are attended to, and any media- specific deviations from conventional discourse are acknowledged, reflected upon and rationalised.

Some self-nominated criteria Usefulness as a framework to continue to develop and apply to other e-learning projects Antithesis of core criteria #2: non-use of course literature and references where they are not felt to have direct and useful relevance to the discourse (i.e. namedropping) Produce collaborative work, with successful negotiation to produce something meaningful for both team members Evidence of active learning, knowledge construction Production of a deliverable that other members the community can benefit of and eventually build upon for future years Evidence of ability to set up a weblog Incorporating hyperlinks within text Relating content to a relevant, current work situation Visually interesting Personal It should make you smile at least once The relationship between technology and content – does method of delivery aid the effectiveness of the argument? Innovation – is the assignment novel in its issues or manner?

“The great drama of the next few decades will unfold under the crossed stars of the analog and the digital.” Johnson 1999