Here is an example of how one can integrate a number of knowledge and network construction processes to assess learners using blogs:

The activity requires students to engage others through an iterative progression of four blog posts that explore the online learning environment for relevant resources for assignment topics:

draft one - explores useful keywords used in tag clouds of Me2U (or other learning communities external to AU Landing), other users of AU Landing, the instructor's and peers' internal/external blogs, and external blogs of knowledge experts;

draft two - explores the AU Landing resources using keywords to identify files, blog posts, wire posts, members' profiles, polls, and groups;

draft three - explores useful journals using AU Library through use of Google Scholar and AU library database search tool.

draft four - complete the following tasks: a) explore Delicious bookmarks by keyword; b) identify five relevant external blogs by following blogrolls; c) use Technorati or Google BlogSearch to identify relevant RSS Feeds;

This type of exploratory blogging activity encourages collaborative interaction and sharing among peers - everyone wants to be following what others are doing and incorporate and comment on others' contributions. The activity builds in the motivation for students to track each others' posts.

The four iterations that each student has developed over a two week period are built up into an assignment that can be assessed based on specific posting criteria. Scaffolds would include the use of a design schema using headers or questions as a content guide, or an exemplar can be introduced for students to use as a model. Formal assessment might take the form of a rubric for the instructor/tutors to evaluate posts, or can take the form of a peer review activity based on a checklist which is then moderated by tutors. Or it can involve a learner self-assessment, in which  students follow-up the blogging activities with a summative reflective post. In this post, students engage in path-sharing, explaining their experiences and processes and reactions while completing the blogging assignment. This can then lead to a sharing of experiences, providing a more close-knit group of students using blogging as a tool for collaborative problem-solving and mentoring.

I think that the role of assessment needs to be based on a combination of pre-selected learning objectives using rubrics and checklists, as well as have room for more open assessment such as summary reflections by students.

The above activity can be integrated into the MDDE605 course, for example, to encourage collaborative resource-sharing, a key element in successfully completing the business plan.

The above activity can also be very useful for MDDE601 as a preliminary introduction to online resources. For example, it would be a great preliminary task before students put together their own critiques of an article.

In addition, the preliminary exploratory blogging activities are an excellent base for students to build upon while engaging in forum discussions, in which they can weave others' (and their own) ideas from blog posts to support and elaborate on points discussed in Moodle forums.