Many observers believe that, when it comes to adopting the latest web-based learning techniques, the FE colleges and red brick universities have been the ones setting the pace. But now the spotlight has fallen on Exeter University, one of our older 'grey brick' institutions, and the success of its new integrated web based education system.

Exeter University has united the web-based managed learning software WebCT with the Questionmark Computing Perception assessment suite to create its own best-of-breed virtual learning and assessment environment.

The project is handled by Exeter University's Learning and Teaching Support Centre (LaTIS). Explains LaTIS technical co-ordinator Paul Thornton, "When I joined LaTIS, one of my objectives was to develop flexible and distributed learning. Like many of the 'grey brick' universities, our server technology is based primarily around UNIX systems. So WebCT, which runs on a range of UNIX platforms, was a natural fit with our existing technical knowledge and equipment."

Web-CT would provide Exeter with the backbone for its web-based learning environment enabling lectures and administrators to create and deliver their own courseware online. But Exeter also wished to include testing and assessment within its virtual learning environment. Paul had already seen Questionmark in action, and had been impressed with its capabilities. But if LaTIS were to use Questionmark Perception, it meant adding a Windows-NT webserver.

Continued Paul: "Although there is some testing and assessment within the Web-CT system, its quizzes tend to be fairly simplistic, partly because of the complexity involved in generating them and partly because the system doesn't have anything like the required functionality. It's fine as a revision tool but we don't use it for much else. So, together with my colleagues, I attended one of the Questionmark demonstration road shows at Plymouth University. This convinced us that Perception had the depth of functionality that we really needed to enable us to create a rounded online testing and assessment system."

As a result the WebCT system now runs on a Unix, Apache based Web Server whilst the new Windows NT4 webserver has been added to run the Perception tests. The respective servers are on the same local area network, and the link between the programs is provided by Questionmark's Perception Integration Protocol software (PIP) that allows other programs to start Perception sessions and for Perception to call other programs at the end of the session. Explained Paul: "The link between the systems is all do to with validating the user for the course. Once that has been completed, then the data is treated like any other web page."

Both WebCT and Perception are now used independently by many of Exeter University's departments. But three departments, the Schools of Engineering, Education and Business & Economics have now picked up on the opportunity to integrate high-powered assessment with online learning delivery. In each case, the lecturers design their own course materials and tests. Most lecturers are using the Perception question and assessment authoring applications and completing their assessments ready for publishing. Where more complex activities are needed for the course material, like creating web pages containing multimedia, the lecturers may pass it to the administrator to enter and publish on their behalf.

Last year, around 200 students took courses in the WebCT - Perception linked format. Explained Paul Thornton: "The nature of the courses vary but typically a WebCT course module will be completed with an equivalent Perception test. The tests are offered for both formative and self-assessment purposes. As a formative choice, the tests are both timed and set for specific due dates."

Exeter makes impressive use of the functionality of its system. The University has made a conscious effort to make full use of both WebCT's and Perception's ability to include streaming audio and video to provide an extra edge to its learning and testing materials that could not even be matched with face-to-face tuition.

They have also conquered another hurdle - that is the delivery of mathematical expressions over the web. Explained Paul: "We're using a plug-in, originally developed by Hewlett Packard, called EzMath which enables us to include maths notation on the web in both course modules and assessments. We also looked at Math ML, but EzMath is much less complicated in its notation, and consequently more user friendly. Moreover, EzMath uses an embedded expression making it easier to insert into both assessments and courses and edit if necessary afterwards."

Exeter has been delighted with the response to the launch of its completed virtual learning environment. Concluded Paul: "The feedback we get from our students about the way we are running the online courses - that is with a learning module finished by a formative and/or self assessment test to complete it - has been extremely favourable. Comments like, 'this is brilliant, why wasn't this available years ago?' are not uncommon. What that means is that we're making learning at Exeter more effective and enjoyable than ever and we can't ask for more than that."

Questionmark was founded in the UK in 1988 and was one of the first software companies to provide an authoring framework to create tests and assessments to run on PCs. Today the company offers a full range of software for the testing and assessment marketplace spanning Windows 3.X and 95, DOS, Macintosh and web environments. Businesses, governments, and universities in over 40 countries now use Questionmark software.