A study of the effectiveness of a web resource in supporting student learning on a General Certificate of Secondary Education course in information and communications technology

Abstract

Web‐based technologies are increasingly being used in schools to support teaching and learning. With a similar increase in access to computers and the Internet by students away from school, the opportunities for providing resources for enhancing their studies out of classtime is increasing. This study focuses on one such example of a web‐based resource and examines its effectiveness, from a student perspective, in supporting learning on a General Certificate of Secondary Education course in information and communications technology. The research adopted an interpretive case‐study approach for a small‐scale study and was informed by the relevant literature. Underpinning the work was a consideration of teacher behaviours and learning styles associated with theories of learning, and how different components of the web resource supported different teaching and learning styles and approaches. The findings show that students feel the web‐based resource does support them in their learning and has the potential to support them even further. One specific outcome was student interest and support for the suggestion of making lesson outlines available on the web resource to enable them to access these from home. Other ideas included students being actively engaged in the further development of the site. The findings and recommendations presented in the conclusion are specific to the case‐study school, yet have relevance to similar educational contexts elsewhere.