McAvinia, Claire (2002) Key Skills by Design: adapting a central web resource to the departmental context. Association for Learning Technolgy Journal, 10 (1). pp. 11-23.

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Abstract

Web-based delivery of support materials for students has proved to be a popular way of helping small teams to implement key skills policies within universities. The developement of 'key' or 'transferable' skills is now encouraged throughout education, but resources tend to be limited. It is difficult for key skills teams to see learners face to face, and not feasible to print or distribute large amounts of paper-based material. Web-based delivery presents a means of overcoming these problems but it can result in generic study skills material simply being published online without due consideration of the needs of different groups of learners within different subject disciplines. Therefore, although a centralized website for skills provision can overcome logistical problems, it may be perceived as irrelevant or unusable by the student population. This paper presents a model for web-based delivery of support for key skills which incorporates two separate approaches to the design of these resources. The model was implemented as part of a wider key skills pilot project at UCL, over a period of one year. It includes a 'core' website, containing information and resources for staff and students. These can be accessed via customized, departmental key skills homepages. This paper presents the basis for the design choices made in preparing these materials, and the evaluation of some of the pilot department using them. It then draws some wider conclusions about the effectiveness of this design for supporting skills developement

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Key Skills; Design; central web: resource;
Academic Unit:	University Library Centre for Teaching and Learning
Item ID:	869
Depositing User:	Claire McAvinia
Date Deposited:	03 Apr 2008
Journal or Publication Title:	Association for Learning Technolgy Journal
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/alphalis...
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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