Report: Focus on Formative Feedback (March 2007)

An interesting report from ETS and a comprehensive literature review on feedback, particularly formative feedback on student learning:

Focus on Formative Feedback
By Valerie J. Shute
Available at www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-07-11.pdf

From the POD listserv

ePortfolios in New Zealand

Check out this paper on the ePortfolio needs of New Zealand schools, released in August 2009

http://mle-reference-group.googlegroups.com/web/ePortfolio+Report+Final.pdf?hl=en&gda=wsCcL08AAAC0CorbPfKoXK2BeDq1dBV-bpFx-1NUZRdsNTul8ooFP0YmUvFrh7GcXRwcamDsJTbRtsn-EBfyydwKE3a4I4E645yMLzqmPGYUbW7dRNGHXA

Report: Investigating the Application of Social Software to Support Networked Learning

From George Siemens' eLearning Resources and News (6/8/09)


Investigating the Application of Social Software to Support Networked Learning (.pdf at http://eprints.qut.edu.au/18476/1/c18476.pdf) suggests that "university students need to learn new network and software literacies to become digital citizens". In addition to being literate (and therefore be able to participate in the consequential conversations occurring through, or mediated by, technology), authors state students spend surprisingly limited time in socialization (p. 17).

As background, Vincent Tinto has produced a model that promotes academic and social integration as key requirements to student retention. Students who feel connected to each other an the institution are less likely to drop out. I'm not familiar with studies to date that have looked at social networking services as a resource for reducing attrition...but it's a worthwhile concept to explore... Later in the report, the authors share a view that innovators on many campuses likely hold: "Centralised ICT Services departments have proved a barrier to the exploration of innovative emerging online technologies and services being explored in this project."