Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2001) 17, 314-321 314  2001 Blackwell Science Ltd Experiences of assessment: using phenomenography for evaluation C. Jones & M. Asensio Departments of Educational Research & Management Learning, Lancaster University Abstract The aim of this paper is to explore the use of assessment as a tool for structuring students’ experiences within a networked learning environment. It is suggested that this investigation may have a wider bearing on issues raised by the idea of aligning teaching approach with the students’ approach to learning. The methods used are broadly phenomenographic and the use of this approach is proposed for the evaluation of networked learning in higher education. The work is drawn from the initial phase of a two-year study being undertaken at Lancaster University. The choice of phenomenography as the preferred methodological approach is explained and how this is appropriate for evaluation. An emphasis is placed upon the evaluative aspects of phenomenography, its focus on varieties of experience and the relationship between approaches adopted to learning and the outcomes of learning. The example, drawn from the research, examines student approaches in relation to the declared intentions of the course designers. Keywords: Collaboration; Distance; Evaluation; Illuminative; Interview; IT-use; Conferencing; Phenomenography; Qualitative; Undergraduate Introduction The experience of a student in a networked learning environment is clearly related to the design of the environment and the course. It is not clear however, what the relationship is. For design to be successful practitioners in the field have to be clear what the consequences of their activity and practices will be for the students who experience their course. The problems of interpretation and the understanding of others’ intentions are fundamental to collaboration (Schwartz, 1999). In order to work together there has to be an understanding of each other’s intentions. This affects students in collaborating groups but it also affects tutors in a networked environment that depends on coordination amongst dispersed teaching staff. In a networked environment, where staff and students are distributed either spatially or temporally, documentation and the interpretations given to documentation become critical. It has been argued that there is a relationship between the approach adopted by a teacher and the students’ experience. Accepted 24 May 2001 Correspondence: Chris Jones, CSALT, Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YL. Email: c.r.jones@lancaster.ac.uk