Spark We believe that the ability to reflect, make public your reflections and receive feedback on them is key to learning. One of the best ways of doing this is through online tools such as discussion forums, blogs and wikis. For further information click here.

Purpose This exercise is designed to: encourage reflection on the nature of online participation; develop your understanding of the importance of valuing contributions through effective feedback.

Task Using the group wiki, create a template for assessing online contributions. Use the notes or comments boxes of your wiki to reflect on your template, highlighting any strengths and weaknesses.

Response Provide constructive feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of at least one other template. Alternatively, reflect on how you would act on feedback given to you. With the feedback the teacher/trainer should appreciate the work done by the learner. A large part of the feedback should be very positive to motivate the learner to continue his/her work. Peer reviews should appreciate the contributions of others, too. Critical elements in feedback should be formulated very precisely and clear to be understandable.

Resources Please start with our model template (also available as a PDF) for assessing online participation. See other resources for links to articles and papers on the assessment of online interaction.