Building Evaluation of Collaborative Learning into a WWW-Based Course: Pedagogical and Technical Experiences.

An important aspect of collaborative learning is developing efficient and effective skills of self- as well as group-evaluation. Self-evaluation is important, so that one's contribution to the group can be objectively assessed. Group evaluation is important so that the group has a mechanism to check its own progress and a basis for constructively revising its work. In a first-year course at the University of Twente, in which student begin a four-year study as designers of computer-based educational media, the WWW is used as an integrated course environment and collaborative group-based learning is the basis of the course pedagogy. The development of evaluation skills - related to educational media, to one's own work, to the work of one's own group, and to that of other groups - is built into the course as an explicit focus from its start. The WWW is used in a variety of ways to make these to make these evaluation-oriented activates part of the on-going experience of the students. Different pedagogical strategies, and the ways that the course WWW-environment is used to carry them out, are illustrated in the article. The students respond in a mature and positive way to the on-going evaluation activities in the course and consistently rank the course and its emphasis on collaborative learning supported by a WWW environment as a highlight of their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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