Editorial: Evaluation as the “Eternal” Challenge: Opportunities and Innovations in Demonstrating Value in Ever-Changing Peer Learning Environments

Welcome to Volume 14 of the Journal of Peer Learning

Minder maaien, meer natuur

Ook in grootschalige landbouwgebieden is het mogelijk om natuurwaarden op relatief eenvoudige wijze te vergroten. Dit kan onder andere door de vegetatie in de kavelsloten minder vaak te maaien. Dit hoeft niet tot hogere kosten of problemen met de waterafvoer te leiden

Meer zoogdieren bij minder vaak maaien van slootkanten

Meer natuur langs perceelranden hoeft dus niet altijd te leiden tot een verminderde agrarische productie op de percelen

Exploring the views of students on the use of Facebook in university teaching and learning

Facebook use among students is almost ubiquitous; however, its use for formal academic purposes remains contested. Through an online survey monitoring student use of module Facebook pages and focus groups, this study explores students’ current academic uses of Facebook and their views on using Facebook within university modules. Students reported using Facebook for academic purposes, notably peer–peer communication around group work and assessment – a use not always conceptualised by students as learning. Focus groups revealed that students are not ready or equipped for the collaborative style of learning envisaged by the tutor and see Facebook as their personal domain, within which they will discuss academic topics where they see a strong relevance and purpose, notably in connection with assessment. Students use Facebook for their own mutually defined purposes and a change in student mind- and skill-sets is required to appropriate the collaborative learning benefits of Facebook in formal educational contexts

Issues of belonging, pedagogy and learning in doctoral study at a distance

In this paper we present a case study of doctoral study at a distance, and we explore issues of belonging, pedagogy and learning as part of that process. As a team of one doctoral researcher and three supervisors, we critically reflect on the place of belonging in the context of doctoral study by distance. In this case study, the importance of belonging was heightened due to a high-risk and highly volatile context in which the doctoral researcher lived, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. We further explore the elements that developed a sense of belonging, aided by a range of digital technologies. Our findings suggest that the place of belonging in learning needs further examination in higher education contexts, especially when universities are keen to increase distance enrolments