The learning design comprises a sequential weekly tutorial structure where students are required to complete a variety of tasks and are supported by resources such as a subject web site a Computer-Assisted Learning program to encourage them to have more autonomy of their learning.

View the Learning Design Sequence for a graphical representation of the learning design.

The activities students conduct in this subject are organised around discrete weekly episodes where a new topic relating to the subject is introduced on a weekly basis...

Constant accessibility of the web site is very important, as students do not rely on paperwork which is easy to lose. The communications aspect - FAQ and Announcements page - gives security as students can always find out what is going on, ask questions, etc...

As this subject takes place in first semester, first year, its support strategies are enormously important in easing the school to university transition...

This is an independent subject which is the first of six subjects related to professional practice that go across the three years of the course...

Early student independence; Essay writing skillsLibrary / other information collection skills; Ability to work as a member of a group; ...

Formal assessment, that is, how the grades of students are determined, focuses explicitly on 2 of the learning outcomes...

The web site integrated everything that was done in the subject so there was no confusion - everything (learning materials, administrative details, communications) was in one place...

My own theory was that if it was made clear that students had to work independently to a large degree, but were well supported...then they would rise to the occasion...

The initial aim was to overcome communication problems, then it was realised that the web site could help with student independence as well...

An evaluation was carried out at the completion of the first offering in 1999...

The assessment results from the the first implementation of this learning dsign suggests that students achieved the intended outcomes...