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Harvey Mellar

UCL Institute of Education, Department of Psychology and Human Developemnt, Emeritus

UCL Institute of Education, London Knowledge Lab, Emeritus

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Noel B. Salazar

KU Leuven

Ataturk University

Douglas H Clements

University of Denver

Margarida ROMERO

Université Nice Sophia Antipolis

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Nicolas Coltice

École Normale Supérieure

UCL Institute of Education

Radhika Gajjala

Bowling Green State University

Kansas State University

University of Cologne

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Papers by Harvey Mellar

Pattern

Practical Design Patterns for Teaching and Learning with Technology, 2014

Scoping a Vision for Formative E-Assessment (FEASST) [IOE Research Briefing N°26]

This research aimed to delineate a domain map for formative e-assessment. At a conceptual level t... more This research aimed to delineate a domain map for formative e-assessment. At a conceptual level this includes a description of key processes involved, and at a practical level this includes examples of existing practice as well as some technical system requirements. IOE Research Briefings are short descriptions of significant research findings, based on the wide range of projects carried out by IOE researchers.

From Pedagogic Research to Embedded E-Learning

Integration of TeSLA in Assessment Activities

Engineering Data-Driven Adaptive Trust-based e-Assessment Systems, 2019

During Large Scale Pilots of the TeSLA system, teachers in six European universities constructed ... more During Large Scale Pilots of the TeSLA system, teachers in six European universities constructed case studies of the use of the TeSLA instruments in assessment activities in authentic courses. A thematic analysis of these case studies identified seven common categories of TeSLA instrument use, which varied according to the design of the assessment activity and the teacher’s purpose in seeking to authenticate student identity and/or check the authorship of assignments. These seven categories are described in detail in this chapter. These descriptions are intended to provide a starting point for teachers new to the use of student authentication and authorship checking instruments to identify appropriate ways to integrate the instruments in assessment activities in their courses. The chapter goes on to identify some of the issues arising from the context of the collected data and implications of the study for the future implementation of TeSLA and similar systems incorporating instrume...

Evaluation of the Skillsbuild Project: report of the Institute of Education evaluation team

The aim of the Skillsbuild project was to develop a framework, curriculum, assessment and deliver... more

The role of research in institutional transformation

Higher Education Academy eBooks, 2009

&amp;amp;quot;In the public statements of research-led universities the idea that there is a ... more &amp;amp;quot;In the public statements of research-led universities the idea that there is a strong link between research and practice is either taken as axiomatic or, at the very least, as a goal to be achieved. However, there are those who argue that there is little connection between research and teaching, or that the relationship may actually be antagonistic, or that in the changing university we must face a more complex world with a range of kinds of research with different forms of relationship to teaching, and a variety of teaching paradigms implying different relationships between research and teaching (see, for example, the range of contributions in Barnett, 2003). There have long been those who have pointed to the difficulty faced by academics in trying to maintain commitment to both teaching and research, seeing them as competitors for time and resource rather than as complementary aspects of scholarly endeavor (Fox, 1992). An examination of the reports and briefings produced by the Pathfinder projects showed that three-quarters of the reports referred to research in one way or another, and there were many different ways in which research was seen as connected to the Pathfinder projects and/or the implementation of e-learning: —— Pathfinder projects were often conceptualised as research; —— projects often saw their work as being informed by research, as building on previous research, or identified pieces of research that they needed to carry out before they could implement their Pathfinder project; —— projects sometimes identified areas of research that needed to be done, and this sometimes led to new research projects starting up; —— the Pathfinder work was sometimes seen as enhancing the institutional research capacity; —— teams often saw their role as to inform teaching staff about research in the field of e-learning, so that staff could incorporate this research in their teaching. This was sometimes conceptualised as the construction of evidence-based practice in the area of e-learning; —— technology was seen as enabling the dissemination of research, and as enabling access to research expertise situated elsewhere (e.g. via video-conferencing); —— action research was sometimes developed by projects as an aspect of professional development, and as the basis of the development of e-learning communities of practice; —— some projects used technology in support of the teaching of research methods. This chapter explores some of the discussion in the literature about the nature of the teaching-research link, and then goes on to discuss two examples of ways in which these have been related within the e-learning context: the Pathfinder project From Pedagogic Research to Embedded E-Learning (PREEL) and EvidenceNet, developed by the Higher Education Academy.&amp;amp;quot;

Adult Learners and ICT: An Intervention Study in the UK

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2006

The study's aim was to develop effective ICT based teaching strategies through a series of trials... more The study's aim was to develop effective ICT based teaching strategies through a series of trials using theoretically grounded ICT task designs targeted at specific adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL learning objectives. Both the development of literacy skills through the use of ICT and the acquisition and development of ICT skills were examined. Working with a group of nine practitioners who agreed to participate both as teachers and as action researchers, we developed nine teaching interventions based on schemes of work that embedded ICT literacy within adult Literacy, Language and Numeracy classes as well as introducing new pedagogical techniques. Seven of these projects were taken into an intervention phase were the approaches and strategies employed were evaluated. Involvement of tutors was a key element of this process, both in deciding on the development of the ICT interventions and in the research process through reflection on their developing practice using ICT. Participants were, interviewed, observed, and the learners were assessed at the start and end of their 8 week course for attainment in reading and listening skills in English, as well as background, attitude and attainment in ICT literacy through bespoke questionnaires and assessment materials matched to the Skills for Life ICT curriculum. Findings support hypotheses that use of ICT boosts adult learners' confidence in learning as well as rapidly gain ICT skills and double the value of study time by acquiring two sets of skills.

Introduction: Modelling and Education

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2013

IT in post-graduate teacher training

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Dec 1, 1992

The IT capabilities expected of all students training to be teachers are now laid down in governm... more The IT capabilities expected of all students training to be teachers are now laid down in government guidelines but time on one year postgraduate courses is limited. It is therefore important to be aware of the IT skills that students bring with them to help develop the courses on offer. A questionnaire survey of nearly 400 PGCE primary and secondary students was completed for a 1989/90 cohort. This study set out to find what prior IT experience students brought with them, and what they perceived as their IT training needs. Two thirds of these students were found to have little experience of using computers either at home, school, college or work, and there was a very low level of experience of some of the more high priority National Cumculum software packages (e.g. electronic communications, modelling software, control software). Most students gave high training priority to learning how computers can be used in teaching. These results are discussed in relation to other surveys of IT in teacher education, and the implications for PGCE course development.

New Technologies and Adult Literacy and Numeracy in the UK

Revista de Ensino, Educação e Ciências Humanas, May 1, 2004

In this paper I shall be concerned with the issue of adult literacy and numeracy, what is often n... more

Expressing the Student's Concepts versus Exploring the Teacher's: Issues in the Design of Microworlds for Teaching

Journal of Educational Computing Research, Feb 1, 1993

This article discusses the concept of a microworld and the role it might play in education. Three... more This article discusses the concept of a microworld and the role it might play in education. Three questions are asked of previous descriptions of microworlds: what does the microworld look and feel like, what are its design features, and what sort of learning happens? It is argued that most microworld designers begin from a desire to teach particular ideas, and design for an “exploratory” mode of learning in which the student explores the microworld to find hidden nuggets of knowledge. An alternative design strategy is described in an account of a microworld intended to help improve understanding of proportion. The design of this microworld, which arose from a commitment to helping with a specific learning difficulty, was based on research about the nature of that learning difficulty, and was designed for an “expressive” mode of learning in which the student is provided with tools to express his/her own ideas.

Effective Teaching and Learning: Using ICT

The findings of this project lend strong support to the claim in the Moser Report (DfEE, 1999) th... more The findings of this project lend strong support to the claim in the Moser Report (DfEE, 1999) that 'Learners who use ICT for basic skills double the value of their study time, acquiring two sets of skills at the same time'. We suggest that it is a priority to support the use of ICT in the teaching of Skills for Life, as students can double the value of their study time. To enable the best use of ICT, further development of resources and exemplar materials is needed, together with the development of appropriate forms of tutor training. Research Further research is needed to determine the best ways of using collaborative work with technology in provision for adult learners. Literacies are changing as technology develops, and the relationship between ICT and other literacies continues to change and evolve-this has implications for the use of ICT in teaching Skills for Life courses, which requires continuous research.

Learning With Artificial Worlds

Routledge eBooks, Jun 3, 2014

From the Publisher: This book is about modelling in education and providing children with compute... more From the Publisher: This book is about modelling in education and providing children with computer tools to enable them to create their own worlds, to express their own representations of their world, and also to explore other people's representations. It is about learning with artificial worlds. With the advent of the National Curriculum computer-based modelling is now an integral part of the school curriculum. Teachers are increasingly being encouraged to seek out opportunities for CBM in their own subject and across the curriculum. These new demands have left teachers and teacher trainers concerned as to their lack of experience in this area. This book sets out to provide a comprehensive guide to the area through a very novel approach by classifying modelling into three different kinds, dependent on what is involved in the activity: quantitative, qualitative and semi-quantitative modelling. This books goes beyond any present published work in the area of computer modelling.

Quality enhancement for e-learning courses: The role of student feedback

Computers & education, Apr 1, 2010

The collection of student feedback is seen as a central strategy to monitor the quality and stand... more The collection of student feedback is seen as a central strategy to monitor the quality and standards of teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions. The increasing use of technology to support face-to-face, blended and distance courses has led managers as well as practitioners to become increasingly concerned to identify appropriate ways of assuring the quality of this e-learning provision. This paper presents a study of the collection of student feedback in higher education elearning courses and the use of this feedback for quality assurance and enhancement. We carried out a series of case studies of the procedures in place in four e-learning courses, and in each case study we collected the quality assurance documentation and interviewed stakeholders (administrators, educational technologists, tutors and students). The comparative examination of these two sets of data showed that the main strategies for collecting student feedback-module evaluations and student representation-were both strongly affected by the distinctive features of the mode of delivery in e-learning courses, and as a consequence they were not able to adequately support quality enhancement. The remote location of the students impacted on both student representation and on the response rates for module evaluations. The enhancement function of the module evaluations were adversely affected by lack of appropriate course management arising from the disaggregation of course processes and the resulting ambiguity in the allocation of responsibilities.

Modelling students’ thinking on a proportional reasoning task

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 1991

Production system models are presented of the thinking of a group of young adults on a proportion... more Production system models are presented of the thinking of a group of young adults on a proportional reasoning task in which the subjects were asked to compare the strengths of various mixtures of orange concentrate and water. The production system models were created in order to describe accurately learning gains made by the students as a result of a teaching experiment. A number of proportional strategies are identified: naive, addition,&amp;#x27;doubling within&amp;#x27;,&amp;#x27;doubling between&amp;#x27;,&amp;#x27;simple multiplication within&amp;#x27;,&amp;#x27;simple ...

Playing the literacy game: a case study in adult education

Learning, Media and Technology, Dec 1, 2006

Educational tools for computational modelling

Computers & education, Oct 1, 1993

Abstract The paper reports both a theoretical analysis and a comparison of educational tools for ... more Abstract The paper reports both a theoretical analysis and a comparison of educational tools for computational modelling, and describes three prototype tools developed in the Programme for use in empirical studies of children reasoning with the aid of computational tools, together with an outline of the result obtained by using the tools with children.

Learning and teaching adult basic skills with digital technology

Taylor & Francis eBooks, Feb 16, 2010

Lack of basic skills has been seen as a key factor in disadvantage, high levels of unemployment a... more Lack of basic skills has been seen as a key factor in disadvantage, high levels of unemployment and social exclusion. This linkage has been demonstrated across a number of Member States within the European Union (Basic Skills Agency, 1999) and also worldwide. The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), a 22-country international study of adult functional literacy conducted between 1994 and 1998 (OECD and Statistics Canada, 1995, 1997, 2000), showed that there was substantial variation in literacy and numeracy ...

Integration of TeSLA in Assessment Activities

Lecture notes on data engineering and communications technologies, Oct 19, 2019

During Large Scale Pilots of the TeSLA system, teachers in six European universities constructed ... more During Large Scale Pilots of the TeSLA system, teachers in six European universities constructed case studies of the use of the TeSLA instruments in assessment activities in authentic courses. A thematic analysis of these case studies identified seven common categories of TeSLA instrument use, which varied according to the design of the assessment activity and the teacher’s purpose in seeking to authenticate student identity and/or check the authorship of assignments. These seven categories are described in detail in this chapter. These descriptions are intended to provide a starting point for teachers new to the use of student authentication and authorship checking instruments to identify appropriate ways to integrate the instruments in assessment activities in their courses. The chapter goes on to identify some of the issues arising from the context of the collected data and implications of the study for the future implementation of TeSLA and similar systems incorporating instruments for student authentication and authorship checking.

Towards a Modelling Curriculum

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2013

Pattern

Practical Design Patterns for Teaching and Learning with Technology, 2014

Scoping a Vision for Formative E-Assessment (FEASST) [IOE Research Briefing N°26]

This research aimed to delineate a domain map for formative e-assessment. At a conceptual level t... more This research aimed to delineate a domain map for formative e-assessment. At a conceptual level this includes a description of key processes involved, and at a practical level this includes examples of existing practice as well as some technical system requirements. IOE Research Briefings are short descriptions of significant research findings, based on the wide range of projects carried out by IOE researchers.

From Pedagogic Research to Embedded E-Learning

Integration of TeSLA in Assessment Activities

Engineering Data-Driven Adaptive Trust-based e-Assessment Systems, 2019

During Large Scale Pilots of the TeSLA system, teachers in six European universities constructed ... more During Large Scale Pilots of the TeSLA system, teachers in six European universities constructed case studies of the use of the TeSLA instruments in assessment activities in authentic courses. A thematic analysis of these case studies identified seven common categories of TeSLA instrument use, which varied according to the design of the assessment activity and the teacher’s purpose in seeking to authenticate student identity and/or check the authorship of assignments. These seven categories are described in detail in this chapter. These descriptions are intended to provide a starting point for teachers new to the use of student authentication and authorship checking instruments to identify appropriate ways to integrate the instruments in assessment activities in their courses. The chapter goes on to identify some of the issues arising from the context of the collected data and implications of the study for the future implementation of TeSLA and similar systems incorporating instrume...

Evaluation of the Skillsbuild Project: report of the Institute of Education evaluation team

The aim of the Skillsbuild project was to develop a framework, curriculum, assessment and deliver... more

The role of research in institutional transformation

Higher Education Academy eBooks, 2009

&amp;amp;quot;In the public statements of research-led universities the idea that there is a ... more &amp;amp;quot;In the public statements of research-led universities the idea that there is a strong link between research and practice is either taken as axiomatic or, at the very least, as a goal to be achieved. However, there are those who argue that there is little connection between research and teaching, or that the relationship may actually be antagonistic, or that in the changing university we must face a more complex world with a range of kinds of research with different forms of relationship to teaching, and a variety of teaching paradigms implying different relationships between research and teaching (see, for example, the range of contributions in Barnett, 2003). There have long been those who have pointed to the difficulty faced by academics in trying to maintain commitment to both teaching and research, seeing them as competitors for time and resource rather than as complementary aspects of scholarly endeavor (Fox, 1992). An examination of the reports and briefings produced by the Pathfinder projects showed that three-quarters of the reports referred to research in one way or another, and there were many different ways in which research was seen as connected to the Pathfinder projects and/or the implementation of e-learning: —— Pathfinder projects were often conceptualised as research; —— projects often saw their work as being informed by research, as building on previous research, or identified pieces of research that they needed to carry out before they could implement their Pathfinder project; —— projects sometimes identified areas of research that needed to be done, and this sometimes led to new research projects starting up; —— the Pathfinder work was sometimes seen as enhancing the institutional research capacity; —— teams often saw their role as to inform teaching staff about research in the field of e-learning, so that staff could incorporate this research in their teaching. This was sometimes conceptualised as the construction of evidence-based practice in the area of e-learning; —— technology was seen as enabling the dissemination of research, and as enabling access to research expertise situated elsewhere (e.g. via video-conferencing); —— action research was sometimes developed by projects as an aspect of professional development, and as the basis of the development of e-learning communities of practice; —— some projects used technology in support of the teaching of research methods. This chapter explores some of the discussion in the literature about the nature of the teaching-research link, and then goes on to discuss two examples of ways in which these have been related within the e-learning context: the Pathfinder project From Pedagogic Research to Embedded E-Learning (PREEL) and EvidenceNet, developed by the Higher Education Academy.&amp;amp;quot;

Adult Learners and ICT: An Intervention Study in the UK

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2006

The study's aim was to develop effective ICT based teaching strategies through a series of trials... more The study's aim was to develop effective ICT based teaching strategies through a series of trials using theoretically grounded ICT task designs targeted at specific adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL learning objectives. Both the development of literacy skills through the use of ICT and the acquisition and development of ICT skills were examined. Working with a group of nine practitioners who agreed to participate both as teachers and as action researchers, we developed nine teaching interventions based on schemes of work that embedded ICT literacy within adult Literacy, Language and Numeracy classes as well as introducing new pedagogical techniques. Seven of these projects were taken into an intervention phase were the approaches and strategies employed were evaluated. Involvement of tutors was a key element of this process, both in deciding on the development of the ICT interventions and in the research process through reflection on their developing practice using ICT. Participants were, interviewed, observed, and the learners were assessed at the start and end of their 8 week course for attainment in reading and listening skills in English, as well as background, attitude and attainment in ICT literacy through bespoke questionnaires and assessment materials matched to the Skills for Life ICT curriculum. Findings support hypotheses that use of ICT boosts adult learners' confidence in learning as well as rapidly gain ICT skills and double the value of study time by acquiring two sets of skills.

Introduction: Modelling and Education

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2013

IT in post-graduate teacher training

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Dec 1, 1992

The IT capabilities expected of all students training to be teachers are now laid down in governm... more The IT capabilities expected of all students training to be teachers are now laid down in government guidelines but time on one year postgraduate courses is limited. It is therefore important to be aware of the IT skills that students bring with them to help develop the courses on offer. A questionnaire survey of nearly 400 PGCE primary and secondary students was completed for a 1989/90 cohort. This study set out to find what prior IT experience students brought with them, and what they perceived as their IT training needs. Two thirds of these students were found to have little experience of using computers either at home, school, college or work, and there was a very low level of experience of some of the more high priority National Cumculum software packages (e.g. electronic communications, modelling software, control software). Most students gave high training priority to learning how computers can be used in teaching. These results are discussed in relation to other surveys of IT in teacher education, and the implications for PGCE course development.

New Technologies and Adult Literacy and Numeracy in the UK

Revista de Ensino, Educação e Ciências Humanas, May 1, 2004

In this paper I shall be concerned with the issue of adult literacy and numeracy, what is often n... more

Expressing the Student's Concepts versus Exploring the Teacher's: Issues in the Design of Microworlds for Teaching

Journal of Educational Computing Research, Feb 1, 1993

This article discusses the concept of a microworld and the role it might play in education. Three... more This article discusses the concept of a microworld and the role it might play in education. Three questions are asked of previous descriptions of microworlds: what does the microworld look and feel like, what are its design features, and what sort of learning happens? It is argued that most microworld designers begin from a desire to teach particular ideas, and design for an “exploratory” mode of learning in which the student explores the microworld to find hidden nuggets of knowledge. An alternative design strategy is described in an account of a microworld intended to help improve understanding of proportion. The design of this microworld, which arose from a commitment to helping with a specific learning difficulty, was based on research about the nature of that learning difficulty, and was designed for an “expressive” mode of learning in which the student is provided with tools to express his/her own ideas.

Effective Teaching and Learning: Using ICT

The findings of this project lend strong support to the claim in the Moser Report (DfEE, 1999) th... more The findings of this project lend strong support to the claim in the Moser Report (DfEE, 1999) that 'Learners who use ICT for basic skills double the value of their study time, acquiring two sets of skills at the same time'. We suggest that it is a priority to support the use of ICT in the teaching of Skills for Life, as students can double the value of their study time. To enable the best use of ICT, further development of resources and exemplar materials is needed, together with the development of appropriate forms of tutor training. Research Further research is needed to determine the best ways of using collaborative work with technology in provision for adult learners. Literacies are changing as technology develops, and the relationship between ICT and other literacies continues to change and evolve-this has implications for the use of ICT in teaching Skills for Life courses, which requires continuous research.

Learning With Artificial Worlds

Routledge eBooks, Jun 3, 2014

From the Publisher: This book is about modelling in education and providing children with compute... more From the Publisher: This book is about modelling in education and providing children with computer tools to enable them to create their own worlds, to express their own representations of their world, and also to explore other people's representations. It is about learning with artificial worlds. With the advent of the National Curriculum computer-based modelling is now an integral part of the school curriculum. Teachers are increasingly being encouraged to seek out opportunities for CBM in their own subject and across the curriculum. These new demands have left teachers and teacher trainers concerned as to their lack of experience in this area. This book sets out to provide a comprehensive guide to the area through a very novel approach by classifying modelling into three different kinds, dependent on what is involved in the activity: quantitative, qualitative and semi-quantitative modelling. This books goes beyond any present published work in the area of computer modelling.

Quality enhancement for e-learning courses: The role of student feedback

Computers & education, Apr 1, 2010

The collection of student feedback is seen as a central strategy to monitor the quality and stand... more The collection of student feedback is seen as a central strategy to monitor the quality and standards of teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions. The increasing use of technology to support face-to-face, blended and distance courses has led managers as well as practitioners to become increasingly concerned to identify appropriate ways of assuring the quality of this e-learning provision. This paper presents a study of the collection of student feedback in higher education elearning courses and the use of this feedback for quality assurance and enhancement. We carried out a series of case studies of the procedures in place in four e-learning courses, and in each case study we collected the quality assurance documentation and interviewed stakeholders (administrators, educational technologists, tutors and students). The comparative examination of these two sets of data showed that the main strategies for collecting student feedback-module evaluations and student representation-were both strongly affected by the distinctive features of the mode of delivery in e-learning courses, and as a consequence they were not able to adequately support quality enhancement. The remote location of the students impacted on both student representation and on the response rates for module evaluations. The enhancement function of the module evaluations were adversely affected by lack of appropriate course management arising from the disaggregation of course processes and the resulting ambiguity in the allocation of responsibilities.

Modelling students’ thinking on a proportional reasoning task

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 1991

Production system models are presented of the thinking of a group of young adults on a proportion... more Production system models are presented of the thinking of a group of young adults on a proportional reasoning task in which the subjects were asked to compare the strengths of various mixtures of orange concentrate and water. The production system models were created in order to describe accurately learning gains made by the students as a result of a teaching experiment. A number of proportional strategies are identified: naive, addition,&amp;#x27;doubling within&amp;#x27;,&amp;#x27;doubling between&amp;#x27;,&amp;#x27;simple multiplication within&amp;#x27;,&amp;#x27;simple ...

Playing the literacy game: a case study in adult education

Learning, Media and Technology, Dec 1, 2006

Educational tools for computational modelling

Computers & education, Oct 1, 1993

Abstract The paper reports both a theoretical analysis and a comparison of educational tools for ... more Abstract The paper reports both a theoretical analysis and a comparison of educational tools for computational modelling, and describes three prototype tools developed in the Programme for use in empirical studies of children reasoning with the aid of computational tools, together with an outline of the result obtained by using the tools with children.

Learning and teaching adult basic skills with digital technology

Taylor & Francis eBooks, Feb 16, 2010

Lack of basic skills has been seen as a key factor in disadvantage, high levels of unemployment a... more Lack of basic skills has been seen as a key factor in disadvantage, high levels of unemployment and social exclusion. This linkage has been demonstrated across a number of Member States within the European Union (Basic Skills Agency, 1999) and also worldwide. The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), a 22-country international study of adult functional literacy conducted between 1994 and 1998 (OECD and Statistics Canada, 1995, 1997, 2000), showed that there was substantial variation in literacy and numeracy ...

Integration of TeSLA in Assessment Activities

Lecture notes on data engineering and communications technologies, Oct 19, 2019

During Large Scale Pilots of the TeSLA system, teachers in six European universities constructed ... more During Large Scale Pilots of the TeSLA system, teachers in six European universities constructed case studies of the use of the TeSLA instruments in assessment activities in authentic courses. A thematic analysis of these case studies identified seven common categories of TeSLA instrument use, which varied according to the design of the assessment activity and the teacher’s purpose in seeking to authenticate student identity and/or check the authorship of assignments. These seven categories are described in detail in this chapter. These descriptions are intended to provide a starting point for teachers new to the use of student authentication and authorship checking instruments to identify appropriate ways to integrate the instruments in assessment activities in their courses. The chapter goes on to identify some of the issues arising from the context of the collected data and implications of the study for the future implementation of TeSLA and similar systems incorporating instruments for student authentication and authorship checking.

Towards a Modelling Curriculum

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2013

Learning With Artificial Worlds: Computer-Based Modelling In the Curriculum

Transforming Higher Education Through Technology-Enhanced Learning

Higher Education, Jan 1, 2009

Transforming Higher Education through Technology-Enhanced Learning

by Martin Oliver and Harvey Mellar

This book represents an important snapshot of higher education’s current thinking about the impac... more This book represents an important snapshot of higher education’s current thinking about the impact of technology on its own teaching and learning. Although this volume was first conceived as dissemination for the Benchmarking and Pathfinder Programme, the final edited collection is somewhat broader in scope, and more reflective in tone, than a straightforward account of the outcomes. The aim of the Benchmarking and Pathfinder Programme, in which 77 institutions participated between 2005 and 2008, was to help them assess their progress and then develop their priorities for the development of technology-enhanced learning. Some policymakers have placed great store by the potential of technology to transform the trade-off between cost and quality in higher education, an issue that resonates only too strongly in the face of an inevitable financial constraint on development. The programme was initiated by the Higher Education funding Council for England in the immediate aftermath of a rather traumatic event for UK e-learning – the demise of the UK e-University – and the programme represented a welcome opportunity to return the key responsibility for development back into the hands of policy-makers and practitioners in the institutions themselves. At the same time as Pathfinder, the Scottish sector enjoyed a similar opportunity with its e-Learning Transformation Programme. Latterly, Wales has initiated its own enhancement programme, with institutions again leading the development activity. nstitutions across the whole UK HE sector have therefore had a recent opportunity to think hard about the opportunities offered by technology. The contents of this edited volume of articles offer both some results of their current analysis, and a reflection on the direction for future policy.

Formative e-assessment: case stories, design patterns and future scenarios

by Norbert Pachler, Yishay Mor, and Harvey Mellar

In Kohls, C. and Wedekind, J. (eds) Investigations of e-learning patterns: context factors, problems and solutions. IGI Global, Hershey, PA , pp. 119-219, 2011

"This chapter presents findings from the JISC funded project ‘Scoping a vision for formative e-as... more "This chapter presents findings from the JISC funded project ‘Scoping a vision for formative e-assessment’ (FEASST). The project was motivated by the increasing recognition of the importance of formative assessment and the need to identify effective strategies for incorporating it into e-learning. This chapter is particularly interested in the human-centric, social dimensions of e-assessment. The project used the participatory pattern methodology to engage a group of practitioners in developing case studies of formative e-assessment across a range of settings (from Primary to Higher Education) through a series of Practical Enquiry Days. Next, the design patterns were extracted from these cases and the outcomes were analysed against the literature. Patterns were subjected to the scrutiny of a group of software developers who used them as the basis for pedagogical and technical scenarios of use. Finally, the case studies and the design patterns were mapped to a domain map. This chapter provides an overview of the project and highlights an illustrative number of patterns."

Evaluation of the Skillsbuild Project: report of the Institute of Education evaluation team

by Harvey Mellar and Maria A Kambouri

Modeling with young studentsQuantitative and qualitative

Journal of Computing in …, Jan 1, 1999

Evaluating learndirect games for learners with skills for life needs-Final Report

by Harvey Mellar and Maria A Kambouri

Kambouri, Maria and Schott, Gareth and Thomas, Siobhan and Pavlou, Victoria and Mellar, Harvey (2... more

Scoping a vision for formative e-assessment: A project report for JISC

by Norbert Pachler, Yishay Mor, and Harvey Mellar

"Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. If the relationship between teaching an... more "Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. If the relationship between teaching and learning were causal, i.e. if students always mastered the intended learning outcomes of a particular sequence of instruction, assessment would be superfluous. Experience and research suggest this is not the case: what is learnt can often be quite different from what is taught. Formative assessment is motivated by a concern with the elicitation of relevant information about student understanding and/or achievement, its interpretation and an exploration of how it can lead to actions that result in better learning. In the context of a policy drive towards technology-enhanced approaches to teaching and learning, the question of the role of digital technologies is key and it is the latter on which this project particularly focuses. The project and its deliverables have been informed by recent and relevant literature, in particular recent work by Black and Wiliam (e.g. forthcoming). In this work, they put forward a framework which suggests that assessment for learning – their term for formative assessment – can be conceptualised as consisting of a number of aspects and five keystrategies. The key aspects revolve around the where the learner is going, where the learner is right now and how she can get there and examines the role played by the teacher, peers and the learner."