Reviews

edited by Philip Barker

Brian Clegg, Mining The Internet — Information
Gathering and Research on the Net, Kogan Page:
London, 1999. ISBN: 0-7494-3025-7. Paperback,
147 pages, £9.99.

Nowadays, in this current era of the Web,
searching the Internet is probably as important
(if not more so) as using conventional libraries
and the facilities that they contain in order to
locate sources of sought-after information.
Indeed, the Internet (as an information resource)
is now so important that virtually all students
(both in schools and colleges) are given some
exposure to it at some stage during their
education. Because of its importance, there is a
'veritable multitude' of books on searching the
Internet. For me, this book is a particularly
attractive one because of its low cost, its scope
and coverage and, most importantly, the style in
which it is written.

The author has organized the eleven chapters
contained in this book into two basic types:
skills and focus. The seven 'skills chapters'
(namely, 1 to 6 and 11) are intended to provide
helpful information on how to find things on the
Internet. The four 'focus chapters' (7 to 10) are
then used to offer help with specific information
topics such as quick reference, locating people,
expertise, archives, and so on. Throughout the
book the author employs four different types of
display box (these are labelled Zoom In, Try It,
Sample Sites and Miner's Tales) in order to
provide useful additional, sometimes anecdotal,
material to accompany (and amplify) that
contained in the main textual narrative. At the

80

end of the book there is a useful appendix
entitled 'Getting onto the Internet'. This
discusses connection techniques (modems,
ISDN, and so on) and the type of software that
is needed in order to use the Internet.

Because of their introductory nature, the first
three chapters of the book are aimed at
newcomers to the Internet and the Web. These
chapters describe what the Internet is (and is
not), how and when to use it (using a Web
browser, ftp and Telnet) and some of its
important attractions and limitations. The real
substance of the book commences in Chapter 4
(entitled 'Search Engines and Indexes'). This
chapter discusses the basic ideas underlying
Web-based information retrieval using, both
portals and specific search tools. As well as
outlining techniques for improving the quality of
a search, the author describes many of the
pitfalls to be wary of. Chapter 5 ('Agents and
Ferrets') discusses meta-searching and various
tools to support this activity (such as DogPile,
MetaCrawler and Ask Jeeves) while Chapter 6
('Information from People') homes in to the use
of electronic mail, newsgroups, conferences and
online chatting for gleaning information from
other people. The final 'skills chapter' (Chapter
11 - 'Getting Launched') acts as a sort of 'super
recap' which pulls together the various key
aspects of the material that was presented in
previous parts of the book.

The 'focus chapters' commence at Chapter 7. The
first of these - 'Quick Reference and News' -
describes the Web as the world's 'largest



ALT-J Volume 8 Number 2

encyclopaedia' and then goes on to discuss how to
obtain reference information from various
sources such as electronic books, virtual news-
papers, e-magazines ('e-mags') and broadcasters'
sites (containing TV and radio listings). For some
reason, even though e-mags are described, the use
of electronic journals is not considered - either in
this section of the book or in the later part that
deals with education. In the following chapter the
author focuses his attention on finding people (by
looking for contact details such as email
addresses), locating places (by using online maps)
and obtaining details of organizations (primarily,
businesses and educational establishments). The
focus of Chapter 9 is on locating and using Web-
based expertise and archives. This chapter
contains a useful section on 'digital libraries' as
sources of multimedia information such as
photographs (and other forms of static image),
sound files and video clips. The section concludes
with a cautionary reminder about the complexity
of copyright law with respect to Web-based
resources. Chapter 10 (entitled 'Buy, Buy, Buy') is
the final focus chapter. Here the author discusses
electronic commerce - that is, buying and selling
on the Web. Some of the important issues
discussed in this chapter include: techniques for
locating items of interest (for purchase); security
issues relating to using credit cards with a Web
browser, buying software packages from the Net;
and, of course, virus protection.

Overall, this is a very useful book, which I
commend very highly. However, I do have some
minor reservations about the limited depth to
which some of the topics are covered. Indeed, I
believe that many readers, having been through
this book, would probably want to graduate on to
a more advanced treatment of Web searching -
that could build on the basic introductory
material that Clegg's book presents. Therefore, for
anyone who might want to seek out some 'follow
up' reading on Internet searching, I would
strongly recommend the 'Web search engines'
book by Randolph Hock. Hock's text would be a
very useful supplement to this book as it goes into
the underlying mechanisms of search engines in
considerable depth. Details of Hock's book can
be found at http:llwvnv.onstrat.com.

Philip Barker, University of Teesside

Danny Saunders and Jackie Severn (eds.), The
International Simulation and Gaming Research
Yearbook, Volume 7: Simulations and Games for
Strategy and Policy Planning, London: Kogan
Page, London, 1999. Hardback, ISBN: 0-7494-
2956-9, xiii+284 pages, £35.00.

This is the latest in a series of yearbooks
supported by SAGSET, the Society for Inter-
active Learning. SAGSET is a professional
organization, which aims to develop the use of
games and simulations in education and train-
ing.

The editors' introduction provides essential
information on a variety of definitions for the
terms 'simulations' and 'games' and an overview
of the book's contents. This book contains six
sections with twenty-five articles called chapters.
Each chapter has accompanying biographical
information and either references or recom-
mendations for further reading.

Section 1 deals with theory and strategy; it
consists of five chapters, the first of which looks
specifically at strategic planning in higher
education. The use of simulations to deal with
real-life scenarios is dealt with in a simple
straightforward manner. The second chapter
looks at the use of games and simulations in
education, training and research whilst provid-
ing a theoretical model and framework for a
taxonomy on gaming. It covers a breadth of
information and places the use of games and
simulations into a structured framework.
Chapter 3 focuses on a case study to link the
theory and practice of simulation, whilst
Chapter 4 uses the case study to develop hypo-
theses regarding the contribution that gaming
and simulation can offer in a research context.
Chapters 3 and 4 use examples from educational
settings to provide believable, practical articles.
The final chapter in this section, in contrast to
the first four, looks at an interactive procedure
used by the gaming machine industry called HI-
LO. The results of a survey on the probability of
winning using either a rational or irrational play
strategy are given.

Section 2 looks at business and commerce within
five chapters, numbered six to ten. Chapter 6 is
concerned with student expectations of a
computer-simulated business exercise in the
service management industry. It is easy to read,
using real-life case study examples. It looks at
the realism of the simulation exercise and how
students made use of their past theoretical
knowledge. Chapter 7 provides an evaluation of

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Reviews

a specific expert system to assist in high-level
strategic decision-making. The expert system is
thoroughly reviewed through the development of
a prototype and feedback received from students
using it. Chapter 8 focuses on the design and
authoring of two CD-ROMs for business educa-
tion. It considers the needs of the learners and
the appropriate context mix required, and then
states the experiences of the author in its
implementation. Chapter 9 outlines a game
designed for the licensed trade industry. It
describes how the system was developed and its
practical uses. A list of the type of team
decisions available and past participants'
responses are given. Chapter 10 outlines the use
of an activity called a 'war game'. This
mechanism is used to pre-test a product prior to
its launch to assess the potential effects that the
product or service will have in the market place.
Students, working in groups, undertook a range
of roles and became involved in the 'war' either
to attack or to defend the company. Specific case
studies are illustrated and evaluated in terms of
the game's usefulness as a learning activity.

Section 3 looks at communication and culture,
subdivided into three chapters numbered eleven
to thirteen. Chapter 11 outlines a game that
attempts to cross language barriers. During the
game players cannot use known languages as the
game emphasizes communication issues to create
a neutral language platform. An outline of the
game's philosophy, direction and development
provides intensely interesting food for thought.
Chapter 12 looks at the teaching of psychology
using the Internet, not as an information store,
but as a tool for developing critical questioning
and discussion skills. It concludes that the
Internet is a valuable tool for student reflection as
it encourages discussion. Chapter 13 provides
instructions for a card game and an insight into
the benefits that may be achieved by playing it.
The setting is politics but the game could be used
effectively in other situations. The chapters in this
section form an extremely important part of the
yearbook as they describe and analyse real games
and simulations in context.

Section 4, covering Chapters 14 to 18, looks at
management and group processes. Chapter 14
describes the rationale and the results of the use
of a game within a large organization wishing to
effect change. Chapter 15 provides a critical
evaluation of how simulations can be used by
the business community to consider organiza-
tional change and effectiveness strategies. In
Chapters 16 and 17 simulations are used to assist

82

in problem-solving and decision-making situa-
tions. Both chapters highlight the use of a
project management plan to facilitate group
problem-solving activities in organizations.
Chapter 18 examines how different role-play
experiences can be de-briefed. It uses particular
theories and practices taken from a theatre arts
background.

Section 5 covers Chapters 19 to 23 and looks at
the areas of science, engineering and technology.
These chapters describe the application of games
and simulations within specific environments.
Chapter 19 looks at a business environment using
case studies to enable the acquisition of skills and
knowledge to improve communication, numeracy
and learning how to learn. Chapter 20 uses
simulations within a nursing context where sim-
ulations are a safe and effective training vehicle.
Chapter 21 outlines the use of games and simula-
tions for management decision-making in a
microcomputer-based information system to
support teaching and team-building in an
interactive scenario. The TV show 'Countdown' is
the main focus for Chapter 22 where, using
artificial intelligence, a mental arithmetic game is
modelled. In Chapter 23 two approaches to
address the need for a changing curriculum,
where usable professional and social skills are
required for graduate construction managers, are •
outlined. These approaches involved integrating
simulations into project work and introducing
problem-based learning techniques.

The final section of the book provides yearbook
information in two chapters. The first details
relevant recent articles and the second provides
contact addresses and sources for further in-
formation.

This yearbook provides a breadth of informa-
tion on games and simulations. It will appeal to
those currently researching this area and to
organizations wishing to use effective learning
tools. Educational researchers and lecturers will
find much of interest in this easy to read and
practical handbook.

Anne M. Brown, Heriot-Watt University

Tim Russell, Effective Feedback Skills, Second
Edition, London: Kogan Page, 1998. ISBN 0-
7494-2569-5. Paperback, 155 pages, £16.99.

Assessment remains one of the least researched
areas of further and higher education practice.
Assessment might be seen to have a number of
functions, for example to:



ALT-] Volume 8 Number 2

• provide evidence of academic quality at a
range of levels;

• provide data to support judgements about an
individuals academic attainment or vocational
competence;

• support learners understand and apply
relevant academic or vocational standards,
knowledge or competence;

• establish a context for, and evidence to
support, meaningful feedback to encourage
subsequent learning.

Feedback from tutors, peers and through mech-
anisms of self-review and reflection are essential
if effective learning is to facilitated. This view of
the importance of feedback is explicit in Tim
Russell's informative and practice-orientated
book: 'Feedback is an essential skill for learning
knowledge and skills and there are many
different circumstances when feedback will be
given within a training and teaching context' (p.
33).

This quote also offers a concise insight into the
specific orientation and focus of the text. The
book itself is part of the Kogan Page 'Practical
Trainer Series' and offers a practical review of
'feedback' as something the 'trainer' provides to
the 'trainee'. As such, it is an essentially uni-
directional process designed to support the
acquisition of competence: 'Probably the single
most important skill for any trainer is being able
to give feedback to trainees on their perform-
ance. Unless trainees can find out what they are
doing right, they will not know how to do it
again. Unless they can find out what they are
doing wrong, they will see no need to change.
Unless they are shown the correct way to
operate, they will not know how to change... If
we give too much of the wrong sort of feedback,
we can sour the relationship between trainee and
trainer, if not the whole concept of training for
life'(p. 10).

Within this context the book offers a number of
short chapters focusing on aspects of feedback
and debriefing, a more problematic concept for
Russell and intriguingly employed in 'areas of
training where there is no right or wrong', the
purpose of debriefing being 'to explore options
rather than confirm any particular course of
action' (p. 11). Specifically the book explores:

• issues and terms, with a particular focus on
how people can and do learn and on defining
the 'feedback' and 'debriefing';

• summary analysis based on experience of the
contexts for feedback, how to give feedback,
how people might receive such feedback, and
how feedback might be turned into a
debriefing;

• summary analysis of the contexts for and the
means of delivering a debriefing session;

• and finally, practical advice on reporting back.

All of this is presented in 153 pages of text,
checklists for trainers, figures and illustrative
training documentation.

The one-side summary on page 154 repeats and
reinforces the focus and rationale for the text.
Specifically, that feedback 'is probably the most
important of all trainer skills... the content of
the message might affect the rest of a person's
life'.

The list of suggestions for further reading
identifies a number of the better-known texts in
the field but lacks a contemporary feel, the most
recent text identified being another from the
Kogan Page stable published in 1993.

There is much of value in this book. It explains
its subject matter with commendable clarity and
is clearly based on extensive practical training
experience. It is focused, practical and concise.
There are clearly complexities within learning
and assessment on which the author is silent.
The uniqueness of, and the idiosyncrasies
typified by, any individual leaning interaction
tend in the writing to be subsumed into the
established wisdom of training practice. Feed-
back, for Russell, is either 'right' or 'wrong' - no
post-modern ambiguities here! Certainly, the
reader seeking a more critical and learner-
focused exploration of the topic will need to
look elsewhere. However, those readers who are
seeking a short, introductory text designed to
'train the trainer' could do far worse than start
with Tim Russell's readable guide.

Peter Funnell, Suffolk College

Graham Chapman (ed.), Computer-Based Learn-
ing in Science - Proceedings of the CBLIS 99
International Conference, University of Ostrava,
Czech Republic, 1999. ISBN: 80-7042-144-4.
Hardback, 600 pages, £20.00.

Computer-Based Learning (CBL) is by no
means a new topic, however, its scope and
complexity have ensured the subject remains at
the forefront of academic discussion. It is
expected, therefore, that this extensive edited

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Reviews

work, comprising 63 fully refereed conference
papers, will be of interest to many within the
sciences. Contributors are drawn from fifteen
nations and although the majority are from the
Czech Republic and central Europe, there are a
number from as far afield as China, Australia,
USA and Canada. Thus, the volume's contents
can be considered as a reasonably wide
representation of academic research and opinion
in the field of CBL. The papers were presented
at the fourth international conference for
Computer-Based Learning in Science, CBLIS
'99, held at the University of Twente, Enschede,
The Netherlands. Focusing on 'developments in
computer technology to assist learning in
science', the articles within this publication cover
many aspects of this subject. Reflecting this,
Computer-Based Learning in Science is divided
into a general section and eight topical sections,
namely teaching and learning, intelligent
software, teaching packages, simulation pack-
ages, virtual reality and laboratory in science
teaching, multimedia techniques, distance learn-
ing, and evaluation and monitoring of perform-
ance.

"The computer promises my students an endless
supply of information, but what good will that
do if they can't make sense of any of it?
Technology promises to help my students
express their ideas better, but what good is that if
they don't have any ideas to express?' (Lowell
Monke). This quote is given by Jana
Kapounova, in An Approach to Information
Education of Teachers. This and the paper by
Peter J. Wright are the two that perhaps best set
the scene and reflect the title of this book. In
total there are four articles that discuss
background issues contained within the initial,
general section, which also contains two more
specifically directed papers.

The teaching and learning chapter contains eight
papers. Those more general in nature discuss the
integration of CBL within the Polish education
system, the practical adaptation of traditional
courseware into Web-based instruction to afford
multifunction teaching in China and the
development of automatic auditing within viable
learning systems. The more directed papers
report on the implementation of specific CBL
examples, including problem-solving, databases
and computer knowledge. These tend to focus
rather more on the practical aspects of teaching
than on the evaluation of use and outcome. A
further three papers can be found in the related
intelligent software section.

84

Indicative of the ever-growing influence of CBL
is the chapter on teaching packages that contains
16 papers. Not only are many nationalities
represented, but so too are many fields. Topics
are indeed wide-ranging, covering, for example,
geometry, soil mechanics, stock price fore-
casting, biology and digital photogrammetry.
Some packages discussed are now in educational
use, while others are still in the developmental
stage. The reports vary in scope from those that
are purely descriptive regarding the nature of
implementation of a particular package, to
specific case studies providing examples of use
and those reporting on usability and evaluations
of learning. Findings by and large, suggest
students responded favourably to the introduc-
tion and use of these packages, especially for
those that offered students active engagement
within simulations and models. In addition,
there were some indications that learning could
be enhanced, albeit where measurement was in
terms of pass rates and times to complete for
short questions. However, such extraneous
effects as motivation levels and increased study
time were not eliminated from the results.

Four simulation packages are next described.
Each focus on the construction of interactive
applications with a high degree of 'real-world'
topical relevance, for example air pollutant
dispersion, optics and logistics. In a similar vein
the following section describes four case studies
using virtual reality or virtual laboratories.

The chapter on multimedia techniques features
seven articles. Wide-ranging in nature, they discuss
both background issues and individual case
studies. The use of the Web for material delivery
and assessment is reviewed and the design implica-
tions of large file sizes, common in multimedia,
are considered. Case studies report on the use of
computer graphics, transferral of a ToolBook
development to the Web, computer-based
instruction in Matlab, the integration of subject-
specific features within a general framework and a
tool for implementing object- orientated models.

As well as a general review of information tech-
nology in social sciences, the distance-learning
section includes papers on the development of
design frameworks for situational and/or
networked learning, the use of CBL for seminar
preparation, a database course and an evalua-
tion of teamwork and video-conferencing within
two international projects.

The final chapter contains seven papers regarding
evaluation and performance monitoring. Most



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studies used questionnaires to obtain student
feedback; however, a few provided evaluations
based upon increases in learning as determined by
pre and post test results. Perhaps of most interest
to lecturers are the findings relating to
comparisons between computer and paper-based
materials. Gosper and Love reported higher
response levels for online questionnaires, but
content was not the same as that for the paper
version. Learning using the ESP programme
versus paper-based instruction was reported by
Oliver and Oliphant A slight advantage
(statistical significance not given) was recorded
for ESP. Educational content was deemed the
same; however, details regarding such aspects as
course structure and integrated questions and
answer sections were not provided.

Any publication aiming to provide com-
prehensive coverage of computer-based learning
requires consideration of, and reflection on, not
only the computer/technological tools used to
facilitate learning, but also the cognitive pro-
cesses of learning. That this work does not
neglect the latter creates a rather more balanced
view of this topic than is frequently achieved
through conference compilations. Aspects that
detract to some extent from the overall presenta-
tion, are the lack of consistency in text format-
ting and style of referencing, the rather low print
quality for many of the figures and some
observed difficulties in translation. The sixty-
three papers not only suggest a variety of ways
in which computer-based learning can be used
effectively, but also highlight areas of develop-
mental overlap and indicate many future
directions and enhancements to teaching and
learning. The proceedings comprise a mixture of
background or topic review papers, evaluation
studies, empirical research reports and instruct-
ive reports; consequently the strength of theoret-
ical underpinning varies considerably from
paper to paper. Notwithstanding this diversity,
there is much to interest the computers-in-teach-
ing enthusiast and much to encourage those still
not totally convinced of the benefits of using
computer technology in science teaching.

Kate Garland, University of Bristol

Leslie Rae, Using Evaluation in Training and
Development, London: Kogan Page, 1999. ISBN:
0-7494-2805-8. Paperback, xi+243 pages, £19.99.

Leslie Rae's latest handbook aims to provide
everything a trainer needs to evaluate training,
from the design of the evaluation process to the

use of particular types of test. In typically
readable fashion, Rae produces practical
guidelines for the busy professional which
quietly broaden perspectives and challenge
assumptions. His style is succinct and his text
liberally interspersed with boxed lists, diagrams
and summaries.

Rae's main concern is to bring a more
considered and professional approach to
evaluation, which he believes is one of the least
practised subjects in training. Despite the
potential cost and time of his proposals, he
regards evaluation as essential to demonstrating
the effectiveness of training and the amount
invested in it. His audience are the trainers and
managers he believes have a stake in evaluation.
He also caters for those working towards
Investors in People or Training and Develop-
ment NVQs. In an era of accountability, any-
body preparing and presenting data about
training should find Using Evaluation in
Training and Development a valuable source of
ideas and evidence.

The book offers a range of practical ways for
embedding evaluation in the training cycle. Rae's
focus is broad and the frameworks he presents
build on the work of influential authors like
Kirkpatrick, Honey and Newby. He considers
evaluative measures that take place before,
during and after training, including long-term
follow-up. He offers guidelines and practical
resources for the wide range of people
responsible for the success of the training
process. He deals with direct training, self-
instruction, open, distance and programmed
learning. Although he is not concerned with the
evaluation of education programmes, many of
the techniques Rae outlines are adaptable for
education or training.

The opening chapters discuss the place and
function of evaluation and rehearse familiar
reasons for its neglect. These range from an over-
reliance on end of course 'happiness sheets', to a
failure of stakeholders to take responsibility for
their role. To address this, Rae underlines the
need actively to involve key players in all stages
of the cycle. Line managers, for instance, should
help establish learning outcomes and play more
part in briefing learners before and after
programmes.

Chapters 4, 5 and 6 are some of the most
interesting in the book. They begin by intro-
ducing non-specialists to current approaches to
testing. Rae outlines a variety of techniques

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Reviews

including the use of likert and Thurstone scales
in multiple-choice tests. Complementary methods
of assessing knowledge and application are
explored. His insights often strike a chord. His
advice against using experts to set practical tests
will be familiar to those who have tried to elicit
knowledge from experts who suggest short cuts
which do not correspond to complete and agreed
practice. Once or twice his touch deserts him -
experienced educators may cringe, for instance, at
the advice to avoid using notice boards to publish
league tables of test results.

He regains his poise as he considers tools for
observing interpersonal behaviour in groups. By
devoting almost a chapter to Behaviour Analysis,
he introduces tools for the quantitative and
qualitative profiling of individual activity in
groups. He covers simple contribution scoring,
directional sociograms and reflective, self-report-
ing techniques. He handles the area well and,
though he avoids being drawn into conceptual
debate, his approach to group interaction is lively
and provides useful background for those keen to
research it. It is a chapter to return to.

Chapters 7,8 and 9 cover evaluations which take
place during and after training programmes. I
enjoyed reading about thermometers, speedo-
meters and progressive blob reviews. The limita-
tions of end-of-course reactionnaires which fail
to illuminate the extent of learning or its transfer
to the workplace are underlined well. The
chapter on Interim Evaluations contains the
sensible advice to avoid undertaking them unless
you are prepared to address the issues they raise.
It also presents some thoughtful variations on
learning logs.

Educational developers will probably find the
chapter on evaluating open and distance
learning disappointing. It runs to just ten pages
and focuses on instructional packages. Although
the absence of frameworks for evaluating
networked learning or the quality of dialogues
for iterative design is understandable, it is
perhaps surprising that Rae's earlier interest in
group dynamics does not prompt him to look at
asynchronous, collaborative work. The short
section on media-based learning offers less to the
learning technologist than the dedicated tools we
now have available through LTDI and TLTP.
Even at ten years old, the reliable MEDA
materials offer a richer framework for evaluating
educational software.

Despite this, like most of Leslie Rae's books.
Using Evaluation in Training and Development is

86

very readable. It offers those new to training a
framework for evaluation and experienced
trainers practical solutions, using tested re-
sources. It supplies staff or educational develop-
ers with materials that can supplement
increasingly specialized resources. It provides a
sound evidence base for those putting together
portfolios for accreditation. Its great strength is
to suggest ways of evaluating staff development
interventions more strategically by involving a
wider number of stake-holders. In a busy world,
including all members of Rae's Training Quintet
(learner, trainer, line manager, training manager
and senior manager) may be unrealistic but, for
organizations with the time, he provides the
tools to do so.

Using Evaluation in Training and Development
is a useful addition to the trainer's bookshelf.

Paul Haslam, King Alfred's, Winchester

Alistair Inglis, Peter Ling and Vera Joosten,
Delivering Digitally: Managing the Transition to
the Knowledge Media, London: Kogan Page,
1999. ISBN: 0-7494-2933-X. Hardback, xiv+210
pages, £35-00.

Delivering Digitally 'is designed for those with
responsibilities for managing the transition from
traditional approaches to education and training
- whether face to face or at a distance - to forms
of digital delivery. This includes everyone from
the chief executive officers of educational and
training organisations to heads of departments,
course co-ordinators and technical and
educational specialists' (p. xii). The book is
divided into four sections: 'Context', 'Imple-
mentation', 'Quality Assurance' and "The
Future'. Each of these sections is intended to
stand on it own; and, indeed, most of the book's
thirteen chapters are reasonably self-contained
and each provides valuable insights into manag-
ing this process of change.

In an industry that is changing as rapidly as that
of digital educational media, it is not surprising
that the first section of the book, 'Context', is
not its strongest section. None the less the initial
three chapters do contain some useful material.
In these chapters the authors seek to context-
ualize the issues and provide a foundation upon
which policy can be built. In the first chapter,
"The Origins of the Knowledge Media', they set
forth a definition of digital media that is perhaps
a little too computer-centric. The phrase 'know-
ledge media' was coined by Marc Eisenstadt at



ALT-] Volume 8 Number 2

the UK's Open University (p. xiii). They, like
Eisentstadt, use it to refer to Web and CD-ROM
based material. Given the convergence of digital
broadcasting with Web and other computer-
based media, this perhaps needlessly narrows the
book's perspective, but doesn't detract too much
from its central focus on managing the process
of change.

As the title suggests, the second chapter, 'Social
Forces Driving Educational Change', examines
the role of the university in modern society and
considers how that role has evolved from
Cardinal Newman's rather elitist view in the nine-
teenthth century to the more populist, market-
driven model of the present The chapter also
contains a series of useful tables that set forth a
series of premises and policy implications with
respect to managing the change to digital media.
Indeed, one of the book's greatest strengths is the
inclusion of a range of tables, flow diagrams,
checklists, and so on, that can serve as valuable
models to inform decision- making.

The final chapter in the opening section,
'Learning in an Electronic Environment',
unsurprisingly, offers a fairly 'constructivist'
view of education and considers what an ideal
virtual learning environment (VLE) should be
like. Significantly and, to this reviewer's mind,
rightly, they argue that a VLE should include a
full range of teaching, learning and administrat-
ive functions. They list these as: 'enrolment/
registration of students; provision of course
advice; provision of course materials; provision
of feedback; provision of responses to
administrative and academic queries; conduct of
assessment; [and] provision of assessment
results' (p. 37). This list alone should suggest to
managers just how great is the scale of change
implicit in the digital delivery of higher
education.

The second section, 'Implementation' is by the
far the largest. Its eight chapters occupy more
than half the book and in their titles provide a
reasonably comprehensive list of the issues
facing management in this period of change. The
first two chapters, 'Counting the Cost' and 'A
Cost or an Investment?' make a number of
valuable points about the cost implications of
digital delivery. By no means the least important
of these points are that managers need to be
careful to count the hidden costs as well as the
more obvious ones and that the case for
'economies of scale' is by no means transparent.
However, the most important point in these two

chapters is that financial management in higher
education needs to become more adept at
recognizing when an expenditure is a 'cost' and
when it is an 'investment'. The expense involved
in migrating to digital delivery is as much an
investment in the future of higher education as is
the creation and maintenance of the building
stock; and will similarly require continuous
maintenance in the future.

The next four chapters, 'Re-engineering
Technological Infrastructure', 'Reskilling and
Supporting Staff', 'Reorienting the Teaching
Programme' and 'Redesigning Learner Support
Services', address in detail some of the more
obvious things that need to be considered. The
first emphasizes the importance of establish-
ing clear and manageable targets for the re-
implementation of the technical infrastructure.
For example, it is pointless adopting a VLE,
however good, that cannot run over key systems.
The crucial issues of staff development and
support are addressed in the next of these
chapters. Digital delivery is novel and staff will
need to be trained to exploit it; and, even when
trained, they will require new levels of support.
Still further this staff development process might
be described as a 'bootstrapping' one. As the
authors put it, 'You can't recruit experience in
tomorrow's technology' (p. 85).

The next of these four chapters addresses the
issue of how far institutions should engage in
courseware development and provides some
useful guidance about how to choose material
that is not created in-house. Although this is a
very useful chapter in many ways, it should
perhaps be noted that it takes little account of
the good work in this area that has been done in
the UK in recent years. However, it does make
one very important point that harks back to the
issue mentioned in the last paragraph. This is to
do with the corporate memory. Not only are
universities going to need to create the experi-
ence and expertise to exploit digital delivery,
they are also going to need to find ways of
keeping that expertise within the university
community. The last of these four chapters
considers the wider impact that digital delivery
will have on learners and on those, from
librarians to student counsellors, who provide
them with supportive services. The impact on
these services is easily overlooked, but by no
means any less important.

The last two chapters of this section as well as
the single chapter in Section 3, 'Quality

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Assurance', address the issues of evaluation,
change management and quality control. Both
'Developing an Evaluation Strategy' and
'Managing the Transition' provide a range of
checklists and other instruments that can be
used by managers (and others) to measure how
effective the process has been and how far an
institution has progressed along the path from
traditional to digital modes of delivery. The
third of these chapters looks at how one
maintains standards during this process and
offers, as the title suggests, 'A quality assurance
framework for achieving best practice in new
learning technologies'.

The single chapter in the final section,
'Anticipating Tomorrow's Innovations', is, like
the opening chapter and for much the same
reasons, a little disappointing. However, this
does not take away from the book's real
strengths. 'Delivering Digitally' provides an
insightful overview of the managerial issues
involved in meeting the challenges of the digital
age; and, still more importantly, it provides a
range of practical instruments to support
managers engaged in meeting those challenges.

Bruce Ingraham, University of Teesside

A. H. Miller, B. W. Imrie and K. Cox, Student
Assessment in Higher Education - A Handbook
for Assessing Performance, London: Kogan Page,
1998. ISBN: 0-7494-2797-3. Paperback, 288
pages, £19.99.

Assessment is such a ubiquitous concept. It is
helpful to know that this book only addresses
'student' assessment in 'higher education'. Of
course, if we are to understand what assessment
is and how it can be used, we really need to
generalize to some extent. Higher education
does have its peculiar attributes. Standards and
progression vie with subject mastery and
transferable skills. The isolation of 'students',
with regard to assessment, is illusory. Higher
education is a complex community where
teachers help learners assess their own and each
others' performance, and students provide
useful evidence for staff who need to show their
developing professionalism for accreditation.
This applies throughout education. A final
thought, as a prologue - the book suggests it is a
'handbook' for assessing 'performance'. I will
deliberately ignore the definitive and practical
nature of a 'handbook' and comment that
'performance' is probably the most misunder-
stood concept, apart from 'competence', used in

88

higher education. I still find that the assessment
of what some call intellectual skills is excluded
from the ambit of 'performance'. Students per-
form activities, tasks, and even duties - but sel-
dom is performance attributed to intellectual
skills. It seems to me from what I hear, that
subject knowledge is not 'performed' and is
therefore invisible to scrutiny by assessment.
Perhaps the book will help clarify this point - if
so, it will serve this reviewer well as I have my
suspicions.

What is the book about? The authors, part of
the 'Aussie Mafia' who have made such an
important contribution to curriculum design,
professional development and communications
and information technology (CIT) over the last
two decades, are well known for their writing in
innovation, curriculum matters and student
learning. The aim of the book is to provide an
authoritative reference to relevant assessment
literature. It is also for those reflective teachers
who are dissatisfied with their current practices.
Maybe it is part of the reading list for a 'fast
track* to Institute of Learning and Teaching
accreditation.

The book falls into three parts - a broad brush
pedagogic background; a more practical 'How it
is done' section that includes a good chapter on
theses; and an 'issues' section that even includes
matter such as ethics and plagiarism (see below).
So the cloth is broad - but, is it well-cut? The
best way to test this is twofold. First, ask a
question and see if the book provides an answer
that is authoritative, useful and that generates
reflection in the reader. Second, allow the
authors to offer something that the reader did
not know he/ she did not know they did not
know! In other words a proactive question and a
reflective response. The question first: 'Do
examinations hinder student learning?' If one is
to be honest, this is not a question that is often
heard in common rooms and 'quality assurance'
visits. Rather, it is implicit in many of the
comments made sotto voce on these occasions.
One hears of the efforts that go into making
sure that grades are as reliable as possible; that
self-assessment is an 'off the wall idea' - best
consigned to the 'soft sciences'; or that the use
of CIT will revolutionize marking by removing
the tyranny of the examination paper and free-
ing up so much precious academic time!

The trouble with books is that authors do not
necessarily think of answers in the way readers
pose questions. I think the answer to my



ALT-J Volume 8 Number 2

question is there. Chapter 3 offers some guid-
ance. Apart from the usual citations to the
Marton et al. work along with Entwistle, the
authors offer a brief guide to a serialist vs. holist
dichotomy they infer from Gordon Pask. While
accurately reporting the essence of this oft cited
distinction, they miss the range of approaches to
learning that Pask recorded - for example,
'globetrotting as a pathological' approach. I do
not think there is too much mileage in this
analysis - in a book on assessment. They need to
consider the tasks that bring about the response
identified. I don't think the authors suggest that
approaches or styles are stable - which would be
a fallacy; rather they tell me about a classifica-
tion related to learning (e.g. Bloom - again!)
without explaining how this is effected by assess-
ment tasks. On the other hand they drew my
attention to the work of another Australian
writer John Bowden. The citation on page 43
which reads 'unfortunately there is a good deal
of recent evidence to suggest that the quality of
student learning . . . is adversely affected by in-
appropriate assessment methods' rings a bell! It
suggests that the issue is about the 'quality' of
learning - as opposed to a fixed or static style,
and the interaction of this with different
methods. As a reader, I will follow up the
Bowden surveys and analysis and I take seri-
ously the advice offered by the authors (p. 45):
'involving students in discussions of learning
style and learning strategy would provide a
sound basis for both students' intellectual devel-
opment and quality assurance of the teaching
program'. So, I am encouraged by the book's
response to my question. I reason that there is
some interaction between the methods used in
assessment ('examinations') and the quality of
the learning that occurs. A good start. Now,
what can I learn from the authors and what does
it mean to me?

I am going to take the issue of 'academic
(dis)honesty' (Chapter 15, pp. 241-52). I really
had not thought too much about this until the
authors stopped me in my tracks and made me
wonder how I would answer a quality
assessment style of question ' . . . umm . . . can
you tell us . . . umm . . . what procedures you
have in place to make sure that the judgement
you make of student abilities a r e . . . u m m . . . in-
deed judgement of abilities rather than
judgements on what the students have found
out?' We need to consider the ethics and codes of
conduct and procedures by which those involved
in assessment come to a valid conclusion on

performance. CIT and the ubiquitous Internet -
when it is working! - are forcing us to consider
'what does an assignment handed in by a student
tell us about that student's cognitive abilities -
rather than his/her abilities to find an appropri-
ate essay and pay for it?' The authors are right to
identify the 'qualified trust' (cf. Dealing) that
needs to operate between society and institutions
with regard to student abilities. I take away from
the book an idea and some useful citations plus
a nice twist on the interesting idea 'copy from
one, it's plagiarism; copy from two, it's research'
(citing Wilson Mizner (1876 -1933)). I judge the
book to be useful and stimulating. It gave me
answers to questions I posed and it offers ideas I
had not thought about. So, this is a book to be
recommended.

Thinking of assessment, I would offer Kogan
Page some advice on the Index. Too short with
insufficient cross-indexing - a beta minus on my
personal utility scale!

As a final question - I wonder what criteria the
authors set themselves in order that they could
evaluate the success of this book? Any self-
assessment question is at the heart of effective
learning and assessment. If students are unable to
know the criteria that are being used in order to
make a judgement or if teachers are not explicit in
what they value - so that students know what is
valued - we have a system that will not develop or
improve. Self-assessment must be one of the
under valued issues in higher education and what
is now called personal development.

Now, where in the book did the authors make
reference to this issue.. .umm . . . ?

Ray McAleese, Heriott Watt University

David Lowe and Wendy Hall, Hypermedia and
the Web - An Engineering Approach, Chichester:
John Wiley & Sons, 1999. ISBN: 0-471-98312-8.
Paperback, xxiv+597 pages, £27.50.

Hypermedia authoring software such as
ToolBook, Director or FrontPage, can appear all
too easy to use. The temptation to design and
develop, using a visual interface, at the computer
monitor, can prove too strong for many. This
book emphasizes the need for a systematic
approach to development, particularly of large-
scale hypermedia. It suggests that there is a crisis
in the development of hypermedia, which - like
the 'software crisis' identified in 1968 - requires
the formulation of 'engineering' approaches.
Concepts from software engineering are brought

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Reviews

together with several abstract reference models
specifically for hypermedia. Three sections deal
in turn with hypermedia Fundamentals, Practice
and Research.

Hypermedia development is assumed to be so
distinct from software development that software
engineering is referred to analogously, as some-
thing that, serendipitously, may hold lessons for
the 'emerging discipline' of "hypermedia engineer-
ing'. While the requirements of hypermedia
information models are acknowledged to be
'similar' to those of general application develop-
ment, hypermedia is apparently different enough
to spark off its own 'hypermedia crisis', and to
necessitate the new discipline of hypermedia
engineering. A substantial amount of the material
covered, however, reflects standard software
development, and aspires towards software engin-
eering qualities and characteristics of main-
tainability, modularity, adaptability, portability
and abstraction.

The combination of visually driven development
environments, often inherently irregular and
exploratory structures, and disparate and
dynamic media types, would certainly appear to
require new and different approaches. The earlier
chapters contain some illuminating taxonomies
and nuanced definitions in relation to hyper-
media. And the most cogent parts of the book -
mainly, but not exclusively, located in the
substantial Research section - are those that set
out design methods and reference models that are
specific to hypermedia. The overview of several
key reference models is both representative and
clearly summarized, as is the Relationship
Management Methodology (which adapts entity-
relationship design from software engineering,
and does not necessarily lend itself to educa-
tional hypermedia). Among others, the Dexter
reference model and the Amsterdam model are
covered, along with valuable insights from the
authors' own Microcosm and Matilda.projects.
Each of these research development chapters
adopts the same structure, following up the
product and process issues identified in the pre-
ceding section. This helps to sharpen the focus on
these issues, and allows the reader to compare
and synthesize the different approaches. The
material presented constitutes a useful theoretical
resource, particularly given the rapidly expanding
role of hypermedia in the form of the Web and of
computer-based learning.

Rigorous models and methods are necessitated
by the size of projects. In the taxonomy of what

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is large and not large, educational material is
generally considered to be 'large'. As such, ad
hoc approaches are rejected in favour of abstract
models of node and link structures. Also side-
lined are less formal constructivist approaches
that so often inform the development of inter-
active educational material. There is little
recognition of a need to 'engineer' correct
algorithmic content for user activity and other
functionality within nodes or components. It is
the links that are said to give functionality to
hypermedia, rather than anything inside the
nodes, which are seen essentially as information
units within a browsable document database. An
indication of how a document-based psychology
might constrain expectations of the analytical
functionality of non-textual media, is perhaps
given in the use of image-maps as an example of
an operation that analyses pictures (rather than
as a means of interactive presentation). For
educational material - where the functional and
interactive richness of media should ideally take
particular precedence over their presentational
role - a hierarchical structure, enhanced by 'links
to a glossary and references', is said to be
suitable.

In spite of the acknowledged debt to software
engineering, assumptions are made about the
prevalence of hacking in software development
that appear to overlook thirty years of applied
method: where the 'product model' is based on a
programming language, it is claimed that there is
no means of visualizing the information struc-
ture; that it would be difficult to maintain; and
that it will be coded 'from scratch' by isolated
individuals. The implications of hypermedia
production paradigms that combine screen-
driven authoring with scripting and program-
ming could be explored. With visual authoring
software packages, the comments regarding their
inability to separate information from interface
implementation are not strictly applicable to
Macromedia Director. And while not capable of
Microcosm's full decoupling of link information
from data, with a little scripting effort at a high
level - and a program-engineering approach -
ToolBook, for example, can facilitate a sig-
nificant degree of generic associative and naviga-
tional linking.

The book is, at 600 pages, long. There is a narrat-
ive tendency to ask questions (What is hyper-
media? What is hypermedia engineering? How is
material to be structured and accessed?) on several
occasions, and to defer answering them until later.
Indeed, several important chunks of text are



ALT-J Volume 8 Number 2

repeated verbatim at different points. This - and
the numerous apostrophe and typo errors - is a
reflection on the copy-editing rather than the
authoring of the book.

This book is visionary rather than prescriptive -
pointing in directions rather than giving direc-
tions. Concerned with large-scale hypermedia
development principles in general (rather than
hypermedia-assisted learning in particular), it
will be particularly useful for academics teaching
hypermedia design; for researchers seeking an
introduction to the theory of hypermedia
development methodology; and for developers -
including Web developers - who wish to gain a
theoretical understanding of high-level develop-
ment issues in order to move towards more
systematic methods for the design and develop-
ment of hypermedia.

Peter McKenna, Liverpool Hope University
College

Brian Tucker (ed.), Handbook of Technology-
based Training, Aldershot: Gower, 1997. ISBN: 0-
566-07809-0. Hardback, x+437 pages, £75.00.

The use of technology in training (and learning)
is a constantly changing field continuously
affected by developments in various applicable
fields of technology. This handbook provides
both a description of the history and develop-
ment of technology-based training (TBT) and a
compendium of available courses.

The handbook consists of two parts. The first of
these addresses technology-based training and
the second comprises cross-indexed listings of
TBT courses available.

The nine chapters in Part 1 contain a description
of Tucker's view of technology-based training
and some real-life examples of its use. The case
studies are useful in defining the context and
main thrust of the handbook - training staff
using self-paced and automated computer-based
techniques.

Chapter 1 introduces and defines TBT, Chapter 2
discusses possible organizational benefits of utiliz-
ing TBT, and Chapter 3 comments on the possibil-
ities for implementing TBT. How to use TBT in
distance learning, pre-course work, course work,
and post-course work is outlined in Chapter 4. It is
not possible to generalize effectively in relation to
TBT; indeed almost all applications in this field
have their own specialities and require careful
consideration with respect to customization of
pre-packaged (generic) solutions.

Generic training is covered in Chapter 5, whilst
Chapter 6 addresses bespoke training issues such
as in-house versus outsourcing. Chapter 7
provides guidance for the evaluation of TBT,
and includes considerations of other factors that
may be considered in course appraisal. One way
to gauge the suitability of TBT solutions may be
to analyse carefully the requirements, leading to
the generation of a requirements specification.
This process would benefit markedly from the
inclusion of factors described in Part 1 of the
TBT Handbook.

The future of training utilizing technology is the
subject of Chapter 8, while Chapter 9 sets out
case studies from large organizations which have
implemented successful TBT programmes. I
found the case studies most useful for a number
of reasons. Firstly, some measure of confidence
is gained in reading about successful implement-
ations of TBT; and secondly, actual cases serve
to put the handbook into a real-life perspective.
By comparing case studies to a particular need,
the reader may be able to access their own needs
and include relevant factors that may have
otherwise been overlooked.

Part 1 is, in places, a little thin on the discussion
of issues, but does provide an excellent overview
to TBT by listing readily categorized areas that
must be considered.

Part 2 lists some 700 generic courseware titles
indexed by category, alphabetically, by delivery
method and by supplier. Each course is
summarized in a template format, providing
information under the following headings: Title,
Purpose, Suitable for, Prerequisites, Description,
Delivery method, Minimum hardware require-
ment, Price and Supplier. This is an excellent
format, as it provides a basis for comparing
possible outcomes from each course.

An address is included to allow TBT producers
to add their courseware to the handbook's
database for future releases. With the type of
material contained in this handbook being so
dependent on currently available courseware, it is
apparent that regular updates will be essential to
ensure its ongoing appeal.

Overall the book is a good starting point for
someone in the market for pre-packaged TBT
courses. By addressing some of the best points,
and some of the limitations, the handbook
prepares the reader to evaluate the courseware
titles listed in the directory section of the book.
Most of the commercial packages listed would

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Reviews

appeal to larger organizations, and in some
cases, they could provide flexible cost-effective
TBT in broad areas such as management,
customer services, induction training and the
like. The reader would at the very least be able to

ascertain the availability of material, and be at a
point to commence negotiations with suppliers
for courseware to suit their particular needs.

Lindsay Offer, Anglia Polytechnic University

Erratum for Volume 8, Number 1

We apologize for not including an appropriate acknowledgement to the publisher of
ActivStats in the paper entitled 'Active learning of statistics: a case study', by Erica Morris
and Eileen Scanlon, which appeared in Volume 8, Number 1 of this journal. ActivStats is
published by Longman Software Publishing. The ActivStats screen shots shown in Figure
2, Figure 3 and Figure 4 of that article are reproduced by permission of Longman
Software Publishing.

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