Dr Emma Wood and Dr Stephen Henderson have recently had their work "Large cohort assessment: depth, interaction and manageable marking" published in Marketing Intelligence & Planning Vol. 28 Iss: 7, pp.898 - 907.
This case study based research suggests that asynchronous discussions in an online environment can be used effectively in the teaching, learning and assessment of large cohorts of campus-based students. However, in order to be effective, they need to be structured and monitored, include the creation of a "learning community" through group sign-up, encourage user autonomy and improved writing skills as well as allowing for some self-regulation.
