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The introduction of new online technologies in Higher Education brings many challenges for staff, not only in learning new functionality, but in deciding how to use tools in pedagogically effective ways. This JOUR study describes an initiative at the Open University (UK), which set out to provide professional development in the use of an online synchronous tool. It focuses on the teaching potential in a number of different disciplines. The account describes the development of this resource, together with the perspectives of those engaged in producing it. We have illustrated a systematic approach to activity design inspired by threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge. We found that the demonstrators appreciated both the approach and the peer support available. The approach helped with identification of appropriate areas for intervention as well as in the design of activities and authentic use of tools. We suggest that the protocol adopted here is of great relevance to those adopting a blended approach, when deciding what tutor-student interventions should take place, and when. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic A wide range of factors influence the way a discipline is taught., Professional development needs to integrate these factors if it is to be relevant., Teachers need to understand why they should use online tools before they are likely to adopt them., Theories of threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge can help to identify significant or difficult areas of curriculum. This can be helpful in deciding when to intervene and facilitate learning., What this paper adds It highlights the teaching potential of an online synchronous tool using example activities within various disciplines., It illustrates a systematic approach to identifying areas of student need, before planning appropriate times in the course for facilitation using online activities., It highlights the potential for a community approach to online activity development and for sharing activities amongst tutors., Implications for practice and/or policy In blended learning strategies staff need to shift their thinking from presenting content in a lecture to putting content online and devoting their time to facilitation., This paper provides a systematic approach to deciding at what stages staff may need to facilitate understanding of significant concepts or skills in the course. It also helps in identifying the aims of any learning activities., Online activities for synchronous tools are time consuming to develop and benefit from collaborative effort in the development and sharing of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Networked environments offer new scope for presenting activity based courses, in which activities and reflection form the central backbone of course pedagogy. Such courses promise an enriching approach to study, but there are also challenges for the design of assessment. This paper describes a qualitative study of student and tutor perspectives on the assessment of an innovative undergraduate course at the UK Open University which has employed an activity-based approach. It discusses the relationship between assessment, student participation, and the development of skills, and then outlines the priorities for the design of assessment for such courses.

Electronic information resources are increasingly in use for courses at all levels of Higher Education. They may be employed as reference material when researching particular topics for assignments, as part of a conventionally structured course, or alternatively their use may be a central part of resource based course philosophy. Whilst the use of these resources may offer many advantages in terms of developing more independent learners, there are also information handling skills which students must acquire. This paper discusses the relevance of these skills and the factors influencing their acquisition for students on two networked resource based courses at the UK Open University.

Despite nursing's enthusiastic endorsement of the applicability of qualitative research approaches to answering relevant clinical questions, many nurse researchers have been hesitant to depart from traditional qualitative research methods. While various derivations of phenomenology, grounded theory, and ethnography have been popularized within qualitative nursing research, the methodological principles upon which these approaches are based reflect the foundations and objectives of disciplines whose aims are sometimes quite distinct from nursing's domain of inquiry. Thus, as many nurse researchers have discovered, nursing's unique knowledge mandate may not always be well served by strict adherence to traditional methods as the "gold standard" for qualitative nursing research. The authors present the point of view that a non-categorical description, drawing on principles grounded in nursing's epistemological mandate, may be an appropriate methodological alternative for credible research toward the development of nursing science. They propose a coherent set of strategies for conceptual orientation, sampling, data construction, analysis, and reporting by which nurses can use an interpretive descriptive approach to develop knowledge about human health and illness experience phenomena without sacrificing the theoretical or methodological integrity that the traditional qualitative approaches provide.

CONTEXT The Association for the Study of Medical Education states that its aim is to improve the quality of medical education. As a consequence, it commissioned through its Education Research Group a small-scale project to explore the quality of the research methods elements in currently available UK master's and doctoral programmes. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the breadth, depth and diversity of the research methods provision of those programmes currently available to course participants. METHODS The study comprised a 3-phase approach which utilised: a web-based search of curricula format and content; semi-structured interviews with key informants, and case studies and site visits to conduct documentary analysis of dissertations and in-depth interviews with core personnel. RESULTS The study revealed wide variation across taught programmes. These discrepancies applied to length of course, requirements for the dissertation in terms of both length and time allowed to complete the study and, crucially, a wide variance in the quality and quantity of the levels of supervision provided for students during this research phase. DISCUSSION This study raises concerns about the aims and functions of courses offering qualifications in medical education. It identifies a number of obstacles to the development of educational researchers who are skilled in the philosophical underpinnings of research activity or equipped to undertake educational research that is of a quality sufficient to withstand the scrutiny of the authors' scientific and clinical counterparts. We argue that if research into medical education is to thrive, it requires the full commitment of all those who are engaged in teaching the topic and supporting researchers.

Summary A sample of 16 boys, with specific reading retardation and behavioural disorders, was compared with a sample of 16 boys without these problems, using a form of repertory grid testing. Problem boys saw less positive responses to reading from self, adult and peer-group figures; their own judgements of their behaviours were closer to the peer-groups', and further from those of adult figures, than was the case with controls; but they did not see any greater discrepancy between the judgements of adults and peer-group figures, nor between the judgements of parents and teachers, than did control boys. Lesser identification with adult values may contribute to the cause and persistence of reading and behavioural difficulties.