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Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

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A variety of methods are necessary to assess student performance and learn<strong>in</strong>g.Evaluation and assessment is an <strong>in</strong>tegral part of the teach<strong>in</strong>g-study<strong>in</strong>g-learn<strong>in</strong>gprocesses. Formative evaluation is embedded <strong>in</strong> activities and <strong>in</strong>teraction betweenstudents and between students and teachers. The teachers use the <strong>in</strong>formation gatheredto make corrections and changes <strong>in</strong> the study plan. Teachers can also use e-mail,bullet<strong>in</strong> boards, chat rooms, self-evaluation and product evaluation for assessment.At the end of the course the students have summarised evaluation tests. This evaluationis based on numerical values. Teachers also make a summarised evaluation ofthe students <strong>in</strong> the form of the f<strong>in</strong>al grade. The students´ progress measured us<strong>in</strong>gformative assessments throughout the course is taken <strong>in</strong>to account <strong>in</strong> the f<strong>in</strong>al evaluation.Also this is given <strong>in</strong> numerical form.ConclusionDevelop<strong>in</strong>g ICT with distance education as a part of it <strong>in</strong> schools is a long process.It requires an effective technical <strong>in</strong>frastructure, psychological and cultural changes<strong>in</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>g and learn<strong>in</strong>g. It seems that schools are <strong>in</strong> the middle of this process.Teachers do not resist implement<strong>in</strong>g ICT, but it seems that they are not completelyconv<strong>in</strong>ced of its advantages. In order to fully utilize ICT, they require better learn<strong>in</strong>gmaterials and digital content <strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>nish. In addition, the teachers have problems<strong>in</strong>tegrat<strong>in</strong>g ICT <strong>in</strong> the curriculum, and they feel that the schools lack both effectivetechnical facilities and support to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> these environments (Niemi, 2003).However, distance education is becom<strong>in</strong>g an important component <strong>in</strong> all educationalsectors <strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>land. In this article, some pedagogical features have beenpresented that are good to consider when teach<strong>in</strong>g on distance education. In orderto create a reward<strong>in</strong>g onl<strong>in</strong>e learn<strong>in</strong>g experience, evaluation needs to be comb<strong>in</strong>edwith an effective learner-centred pedagogy. When teachers set clearly def<strong>in</strong>edlearn<strong>in</strong>g goals and expected outcomes, develop criteria for evaluation, and usemultiple methods of assess<strong>in</strong>g learn<strong>in</strong>g and teach<strong>in</strong>g, they promote an environmentthat is conducive to learn<strong>in</strong>g. By provid<strong>in</strong>g activities and leav<strong>in</strong>g time for discussion,a dynamic community of learners can be constructed.F<strong>in</strong>ally, course organization strategies, such as scheduled activities and messagesfrom students and teachers form an <strong>in</strong>tegral part of the learn<strong>in</strong>g experience. Ongo<strong>in</strong>gcommunication and <strong>in</strong>teraction is imperative to support students and help assessmentand evaluation made by teachers. That way distance education can also be agood personal experience and give stimulation and <strong>in</strong>teraction as much as traditionalcontact teach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a classroom.References1. Discendium. 2002. Discendum Optima´s flexible architecture 2002. Available:http://www.discendum.com/english/optima/<strong>in</strong>dex.html (30 th April 2005)2. M<strong>in</strong>istry of <strong>Education</strong>. 1995. <strong>Education</strong>, Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g and Research <strong>in</strong> the Informationsociety: a national strategy. Hels<strong>in</strong>ki: M<strong>in</strong>istry of <strong>Education</strong>.3. Available: http://www.m<strong>in</strong>edu.fi/eopm/strategi/2.html (30 th April 2005)149

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