Using StudyNet to facilitate students’ learning

This article discusses the utilisation of StudyNet to facilitate students’ learning on a Level 3 Physiotherapy module. The students’ perceptions of StudyNet and its usage were evaluated by questionnaire and also by an analysis of the ‘traffic’ on the discussion forum. A separate questionnaire was used to evaluate the computer use and confidence of students from all three cohorts of the degree. The module incorporated a variety of incentives that encouraged the students to engage with StudyNet – tutor-generated materials, student-generated materials, seeded discussions and assessment based on electronic papers. Although two cautionary messages emerged, the questionnaires and other sources of data suggested that overall this has been a successful implementation.