The ‘strategic learner’ goes digital

Web 2.0 and the implications of assessment when transferring from distance education to online learning

Abstract

With the rapid move by many Higher Education Institutions to an online mode of teaching, the changes in pedagogy sometimes result in new means of communication with students. Whereas previously in a classroom setting, or paper-based distance mode, students may have been encouraged to develop their thinking from a study guide, with the introduction of online learning new opportunities have arisen for students to engage in learning both with a text and in dialogue with other students. The chance to share knowledge, develop ideas and formulate new thinking has been a feature of many initiatives in online engagement. While some students may wholeheartedly engage in such interactive learning, others are less inclined and remain more detached in their learning. This group were identified in a study of a cohort of students undertaking an online learning course at a private tertiary college in New Zealand. This paper outlines the response of students who resisted the opportunity to engage in a more interactive approach to their online studies.