Feedback and Assessment

This article examines the way in which issues of feedback and assessment were approached in the design of the e-Educator materials as part of a HEFCE funded Sino-UK project. Early work on the development of e-learning materials tended to have a rather restrictive approach to such issues, with most attention being given to summative assessment processes transferred from traditional face-to-face settings. However, more recently the importance of feedback as part of formative assessment processes has been recognised as a crucial factor in influencing learning in all settings and the participatory design process discussed in this chapter sought to reflect this through an integrated approach to developing work in this domain. In modelling practice, the chapter focuses in particular on issues of feedback and assessment in the context of social constructivist engagement in online learning environments, as these appear to present particular challenges for tutors. In so doing, specific attention is given to the way meta-level processes were given a sustained and explicit focus in the tasks developed. The chapter describes the way this process occurred and the impact of the contributions on the nature and form of the materials.