JISC

A JISC-funded project that developed a free and mature open source application for online education has been shortlisted as a finalist for a major international technology award.

The ‘WebPA Project’, led by Loughborough and Hull Universities, was nominated as an international finalist for its work on online peer and self-assessment methods. Development of its application was considered particularly significant as it was designed as an institution-independent tool, allowing other universities to adopt the system and exploit its potential.

The IMS Learning Impact Awards – delivered by international standards organisation IMS Global Learning Consortium - recognise educational organisations that have developed innovative learning technologies to support education and enrich the learning experience.

Developed within the context of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), the new ‘WebPA’ system was res"The Web-PA project is a testament to the excellent work being carried out to produce web based peer assessemnt tools that enhance the student learning experience"ponsible for significant enhancements to the existing peer and self assessment system, incorporating changes based on pedagogic research undertaken at Loughborough and Hull Universities. The new system, a fully documented web service, will be freely available for use by the UK HE sector. The project benefits students by allowing access to valuable forms of assessment outside the campus, and will be of particular use to non-traditional groups of students at home or in the workplace.

The project addressed two main technical elements. At the application level, an object-oriented design supported maintenance and future updates to the code - of particular use for institutional adoption and localisation. At the enterprise level, the service-oriented approach was designed to assist institutions with deployment of the application, specifically when integrating with a VLE or other information system, where interoperability had not been developed.

The ‘WebPA Project’ was funded under the JISC e-Learning Capital Programme, and was developed to enrich learning experiences through innovative teaching and assessment tools.

JISC Programme manager David Kernohan said the project was an important part of “cross institutional life-long learning attempts to support innovative ways of delivering and supporting student learning amongst non-traditional students.” He also noted that “these interventions, given the Leitch agenda, are both timely and welcomed by institutions.”

David continued: "It’s a pleasure to support quality projects such as ‘WebPA’, and I’m very proud that their work has been recognised internationally by a major organisation like IMS. The online self and peer assessment tools developed by this project are exemplary, and I would urge others to take a look!"

Professor John Dickens, who is the WebPA Project Director, commented that: "The Engineering Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Loughborough University is delighted that the JISC funded Web-PA project has been selected as a finalist within the prestigious IMS Global Learning Impact Awards.” He believes that “it is a testament to the excellent work being carried out by academics, developers and researchers in producing the online web based peer assessment tool to meet the needs of practitioners and enhance the student learning experience."

The finalists have been asked to exhibit at the IMS GLC Learning Impact Conference, in Austin Texas on May 12-15, where the winner will be announced for outstanding applications of technology and for addressing the most significant challenges facing the global education and training industries.

For further information on The WebPA Project 

For more information of IMS GLC Conference and the Learning Impact Awards