Online help for the Leaving Cert

Top marks for innovation and optimism go to Padraig from Co Limerick, who emailed WebWorld last week to ask whether it was likely that by the time he takes the Leaving Cert in 2003, students would be allowed to sit the exams in the comfort of their own homes, using an "online exam hall".

Sorry, Padraig: the relationship between education and the Internet is not quite that cosy. However, as we saw last week, it's warming up quite nicely.

Yes, a race is on between book publishers, online publishers, educational institutions and others to take advantage of the rapidly growing number of students who have Internet access.

The greatest problem, according to book publisher Gill & Macmillan's educational editor Adam Brophy, is "convincing teachers that the Internet is a useful and appropriate medium, and that by using it to provide additional content we may be able to keep the cost of books down as well as constantly providing more up-to-date material".

School textbooks are like the Manchester United strip - new editions come out too often. With this complaint in mind, Gill & Macmillan has several websites directly related to particular textbooks, providing additional material, including teacher notes and regular updates where appropriate, and there are plans for several more.

With only five weeks to go the big exams, let's focus on the Leaving Cert, a key area in the online battle for the attention of the State's learners.

Currently leading the field is LeavingCert.Net, published by the Pre-University Centre (PUC) in Dublin (See Site of the Week). It was launched at the Young Scientists Exhibition in January of this year, following a year of research and preparation by some 28 teachers and other experts.

The man behind it, Keith Rowe of the PUC, explains why he committed so many resources to the project: "The educational market was crying out for something like this. And you can't half-do websites: they have to have quality and depth.

In Rowe's view, "the future of study and education is on the Internet. There is a wealth of fantastic material and resources on the web for Irish students, but not all related to curriculum.

"You have to trawl through too much to find the really good stuff. So we wanted to pick out what was good, and put it in the context of the syllabuses, and also to show students how to use Internet as a research tool."

Leaving Cert students are a serious bunch, according to the results of a survey of visitors to LeavingCert.Net. Asked what they wanted to see added to the site, very few wanted a chat room, compared to a clear majority for more subject notes and study tips. Experience in the US has shown that high-school students are in the main looking for chat rooms and other fun elements.

Elsewhere, the broader Topstudy (www.topstudy.com) includes a database of past exam papers and interactive subject quizzes, games and problems.

The Department of Education site, ScoilNet (www.scoilnet.ie), which has recently been revamped, provides a helpful and clearly presented guide to the Leaving Cert, with past papers, marking schemes and previous results.

Freely hosted, or amateur, sites can often provide some great surprises. Louise Lahiff, who got seven higher-level As in the Leaving Cert in 1996, has compiled her notes into a "Guide to the Leaving Certificate 2000" (www.geocities.com/Athens/ Cyprus/1169), with analysis of previous questions, a discussion forum and a question-and-answer service. To date Louise has entertained more than 40,000 visitors.

Finally, last week's warning is worth repeating: the biggest potential barrier to successful research is not being able to wade through the vast swathes of material to find the useful stuff which is out there. For help with searching, go first to Search Engine Watch (see site review at bottom of page).

William Hederman is a senior journalist with the Irish Times website, ireland.com, and lectures in online journalism at Dublin City University.