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

Comments from the Evaluation Team...

The evaluators summarised the learning design as follows:

"Students work in small groups online to investigate a topic. However there are offline activities presentations and lectures that would allow opportunities for networking beyond the online environment. They reach consensus as they construct a single report on their investigation. They then share their knowledge with other students who have investigated different topics. In order to prepare for their final exam they are expected to develop knowledge in all topic areas."

...Over a period of five weeks, the groups met online to discuss key issues and identify problems and solutions relating to their topic. Over the five weeks students were directed to carry out searches to gather information on their topic...

Computer laboratories...WebCT site...set textbook...

The main support mechanism was the organisation of students into collaborative groups and the defined process to undertake the activity...

The broader context of the degree is to train the students to become primary school teachers. The Bachelor of Education degree aims to develop communication skills and information technology skills as well as other attributes of a graduate...

...develop an appreciation of the advantages of interdependence and collaborative constructed understanding; develop skills of autonomous learning; develop a knowledge base for teaching and learning through group project...

The contribution to the online group work is not assessable. However, students will undertake writing an essay under test conditions at the end of the semester...

Some of the challenges...have come about through the adoption of an inappropriate model for use in the digital environment...

The Jigsaw approach was first developed by Elliot Aronson in 1978... One main strength of this approach is its ability to develop interdependence among students...

The learning design was developed for a first year Bachelor of Education course run in 2001, at the University of New England...

At the end of the subject, students were asked to evaluate the Online Jigsaw in several ways...

The premise for the development of this learning design was that the application of activity based processes that required students to participate with one another in focused discussions on a bulletin board, would result in improved outcomes for student learning...