Background

This Integrated Report is based on a meta-analysis of a review of the literature on online learning as well as evaluation data and the findings presented in the six service reports for AnyQuestions, Studyit, and WickED educational web services undertaken by Nielsen/Net Ratings and Core Education for the Ministry of Education during 2006 and 2007. This report provides comment on the overall impacts of the use of educational web services on student learning and the implication for service providers and policy development in this area.

The report addresses the following questions

1. What overall impacts are these emergent web-based learning services having on diverse young learners?
2. What is the variability of these impacts? – i.e. are particular impacts more apparent for certain users?; are impacts more apparent for all users when certain conditions and practices exist?
   
3. What is the nature and extent of the comparative advantage of these services? i.e. in what respects are the impacts of these services unique to or more likely in these environments?
4. How do these impacts align with the New Zealand curriculum and effective teaching, and what are challenges and opportunities for alignment?
5. How are these services aligning with the practices of schools and other providers, and what are the challenges and opportunities for alignment?
6. How are these services supporting the organisational objectives of the various project partners and what are challenges and opportunities for alignment?
   
7. Are there unanticipated benefits or issues arising for learners, teachers, schools, school libraries and project partners, and what are the implications of these for service providers and policy making?
8. How do these services align with young people’s preferences for their learning?
   
9. In what ways does it appear that these web services are changing how young people access and manage their learning?
10. In what ways does it appear that these services are impacting on children and young peoples’ expectations of learning and schools?
11. What is required for these services to be successful for learners and sustainable in terms of ownership, management, pedagogical development, operation, resourcing, and alignment with the wider learning network of young people?
    

The analysis was undertaken by Ann Trewern and Derek Wenmoth, CORE Education Ltd.