Evaluation of Student Facing Web-Based Services: Final Integrated Report (Nielsen/NetRatings)

Service Success and Sustainablity

The success of web based services will be contingent on achieving:

• Use across a broad spectrum of the population including those without home access to the Internet and those less pro active in their own learning
• More regular use of the services among the intended audience to optimize the degree to which they promote learning and fulfil their objectives
• Better levels of usage of all of the content and tools on offer through web based services to ensure a more efficient use of resources

Increasing Reach And Frequency Of Use

Encouraging and stimulating trial and continued use of these services across a broader spectrum of New Zealand students is a great challenge for project partners, policy makers and in some cases, teachers.  To some degree success is hindered by the lack of equality of Internet access across socio economic groups; with a great degree of online learning now taking place in the home among those children and young people whose families can afford a home Internet connection. To bridge this inequality, strategies such as dedicating more actual class time to unstructured Internet use may help facilitate independent learning via web based services.  For example, students could be encouraged to trial online communications tools like online forums, and to upload and publish content online or to generally interact through games, quizzes and the myriad of other resources on offer on the Internet.

This unstructured use would allow students to follow their own interests to create a positive, informal learning environment which could then be carried through outside of school time, in school or public libraries or other Internet access points available to those without a home connection. Note that online applications like messaging services and forums can be very addictive and engaging, stimulating much repeat use once trial has been successful.

Such strategies may also prove beneficial in encouraging more use of web based learning services among those ‘lower achieving’ and less pro active students. Allowing them to seek out their own interests online, rather than dictating use, will likely be more conducive to stimulating their trial and repeat use of such services; again, creating an avenue for pedagogical development through less formal methods of teaching.

The second strategy required to improve the reach and usage of web based services is widespread communication and education aimed at adults (teachers, librarians, parents, carers etc) to not only improve their awareness of the services on offer, but also to educate them as to the merits of these services for children and young people’s learning. It is not surprising that adults of relatively low Internet sophistication and confidence do not yet understand the value that interaction through online forums, or the ability to publish content, can have on their student’s learning and development.

This education can help in shifting perceptions, and ultimately behaviours, of the older generation toward greater recommendation and accompanied use of the Internet as a learning device and not one to be avoided. Of course, education for both adults and students surrounding safe use of the Internet must also remain a priority to ensure the success of these services.

Increasing Engagement And Depth Of Use

It is apparent that a number of content areas and tools currently provided through web based services are achieving little use and this results in an inefficient use of resources dedicated to developing, maintaining and hosting such content. A decision needs to be made as to whether to continue maintaining all of this content or to pare back and deliver a more focused set of options; this is of particular consideration for the WickED website which currently offers a broad range of content and features - some achieving little use among the intended audience.

As discussed in each individual service report, tactics can be put in place to encourage better exploration and use of more areas of content on each website; through improved usability practice as well as stimulating greater use among teachers as a class preparation tool and / or an in-class teaching resource.  Again, in some cases this is reliant on more communication to teachers to ensure they are aware of what is on offer and how it can assist their preparation and teaching; in other cases the introduction of more education for teachers to shift their methods toward the online channel may be required. In any case, it is a challenge for policy makers to better ingrain web based services into teachers’ every day ‘tool bag’; particularly those without the luxury of widespread Internet access (ie, numerous PCs with a connection) in their classroom or school library.

The sustainability of web based services will largely be contingent on proving (and continually improving) each services’ reach, across a broad cross section of the New Zealand population and in particular, increasing uptake among those from a lower socio economic background. In addition, it will be important to continue to gather evidence to measure and prove the value of such services for New Zealand children and young people’s learning and development, and reinforce web based services’ role and unique positioning as an effective and efficient tool for such development.