Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World: new report

Thanks to Lyn Parker for alerting me to this story in the Guardian today and thus tracing a very interesting report. (Quoting the Guardian) "Melville's year-long study, published today, finds "patchy" use of social networking in university learning and teaching, but he says UK institutions are well served with broadband width. Students still want face-to-face contact with staff, but more use of the kind of technologies they have grown up with, though they need to be persuaded to use them to study. They also need to learn how to critically evaluate online sources, while academics need more help in using the technologies."
The actual report Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World (not linked from the Guardian article, annoyingly, so I had to use my Advanced Google skills to find it) is published by JISC.
I haven't read it, but I note that two of its recommendations as regards learners are:
- JISC develops an ongoing research and support programme for institutions in best practice in developing information literacies and web awareness.
- Becta increases its support for colleges and schools in developing all aspects of information literacy and web awareness.

Committee of Inquiry into the Changing Learner Experience (2009) Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World. JISC.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/documents/heweb2.aspx

Lipsett, A. (2009) "Time to get with the program?" Guardian, 12 May. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/may/12/computer-science-it

Photo by Sheila Webber: Bluebell wood (again), Hellingly, April 2009

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