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Executive Summary

1 Introduction

2 Context

3 Methodology

4 - 9 Findings, Analysis and Discussion

10 Summary of Findings

11 Discussion of Findings

12 References

13 Case Studies

Acknowledgments & Partners

Case Study Map 

Institution H8

8 Impact of networked learning on teaching, learning and assessment

An emphasis on learning and teaching in this university is suggested by the fact that a strategy for teaching and learning exists. The importance of e-learning seems to be recognised by the university as it is developing an e-learning strategy and this strategy is referred to by some of the respondents.

Now we have just taken through our senate … a teaching and learning strategy for the university and within the teaching and learning strategy, we have agreed that we will have an e-learning strategy... (H8I4)

Blended learning

Whilst the e-learning strategy signalled further developments in this area it was not considered that the institution would abandon other forms of teaching and learning:

I think that it’s going to be a blended model, I don’t, this is my view and it could be very different in the Schools because it is going to be academics that come forward and develop this, but at the moment I don’t see us doing a great deal that will be wholly e-learning. (H8I4)

Whilst the term ‘blended learning’ is not used, that approach is also suggested by two of the other respondents:

There are benefits and there are drawbacks. I think it should never be looked at as a replacement; it should always be looked at as something to enhance the way that the learning is delivered. (H8I5)

There is unfortunately a misconception … within [elements] of the [wider] academic community that you can apply Blackboard or WebCT or any of these tools to every teaching situation, and that is just, that’s nonsense, you just cannot do that. (H8I2)

Changing role of teacher

There was recognition of potential for a changing role though only one respondent mentioned this.

Well I think we’re already seeing that, that it’s much more about supporting and facilitating learning and guiding students in how they learn, rather than, coming into my 9 o’clock lecture... (H8I4)

However, the potential of the engagement in networked learning for prompting reflection on teaching was noted and may possibly have an impact in terms of changing the role:

It has had a positive impact... we have developed high quality learning materials... I think it has also been positive from the point of view that it really has given the staff the opportunity, again maybe the catalyst, for staff to think about how they actually teach. (H8I3)

Impact on pedagogy

Issues in relation to pedagogy were considered in terms of staff examining principles underlying teaching and learning:

Again it is interesting because when we looked at how that would transpose to an online environment, we actually went back almost to first principles and looked at why we were assessing the module in that particular way, so why were we asking students to do a presentation … (H8I3)

In addition to this comment the section above on the changing role of the teacher also suggests that issues around pedagogy are at the forefront at least for some of those involved developing networked learning.

Development of teaching materials

The development of materials for networked learning is clearly an important aspect of the process. It was noted in a range of different ways – from the need for high quality materials to the problems of ‘dumping’ of notes in the learning environment.

So we went through a development cycle. We put together essentially a template for what we wanted our e-learning modules to look like so we decided that we would take each of our modules, we would divide each module up into a series of ten units and then each unit would have a particular structure... we looked at the online support mechanisms that we might want such as quiz programmes, conferences... We designed the online website … (H8I3)

In addition, it was noted that only modules that were tried and tested would be developed for online delivery:

… one of the other rules, if you want to call it a rule, that we stuck to was that we wouldn’t develop an online module in online format unless we had already run it face to face... (H8I3)

This process also engaged others in the institution:

So our staff would essentially draft out a unit … we would have it internally reviewed … then what we would do is we would send it to the technical writers... They had experience of things like copyright so if there were ever any copyright issues... then they would advise us. (H8I3)

However, it was also noted that this process did not apply across the institution:

And there is an issue about are we using it properly? And are staff being properly directed or led to use it properly or are they just pasting up their lecture notes and walking away and saying I have got stuff on [the VLE]? (H8I6)

Another respondent also reflects this sentiment in the comment:

Our VLE is still at the stage where some staff is using it as a repository where they are putting material and dumping it and that isn’t making the best use of it but then that is back down to this department or other individuals to explain the advantages of using it. (H8I5)

This suggests a difference between the more general use of the new VLE and those that developed a package out of the website and FirstClass. It was noted earlier in relation to funding that the first example included here had received external funding and had been developed for a specific business market. This perhaps raises issues about how resources are used and what is seen to be required.

Discussion and interaction

The potential of the online environment to stimulate discussion and interaction at different levels was noted and also the different types of areas for communication:

What we have are essentially three communication areas: we have communication area for online conferences which is going to be between the tutor and the learners so a tutor might ask a question, the learners can submit that to a particular conference, they will all see each others’ responses, the tutor can moderate that at any particular point in time. We also have one to one communication between the tutor and a learner, which would obviously be a private communication, and it wouldn’t be open to the public.... and then thirdly we actually have a private communication area specifically for the students. So it is for the students to actually talk amongst themselves and we essentially, as academics, we don’t go into that particular area. (H8I3)

It was also noted that students did interact using these means and that the communication was different from the face to face tutorial:

So yes, it is reasonably high [student to student interaction], as I think are the online conferences and private communications between tutor and student... but it is a different type of communication to a face to face tutorial. It is not the same as the students sticking their hand up and saying ‘oh I don’t really understand that’. Equally well it is not the same as a face to face tutorial where there is one or two students that perhaps hog the floor … What you are looking for is a much more even distribution of students contributing to the conference… so it is a much more equitable environment. (H8I3)

One respondent thought that the type of interaction also differed in online discussion, in that students’ questions tended to be more specific and focussed than in face to face situations:

The online students tend to be much more specific about what s/he doesn’t understand. You don’t get this vague email saying ‘I am lost’ or ‘I just don’t understand anything here.’ It is more ‘I am having difficulty understanding the following concept, could you perhaps give me additional reading, or could you give me an example that might help me’ … So yes, it is much, much different type of level of support that you are giving the online students. (H8I3)

The role of online communication was also contrasted with face to face interaction with both benefits and disadvantages noted:

I think even if you look at the Open University …they still have a summer school element... and they always had tutor groups... so you would always have some sort of communication and I think that (communicating) electronically hasn’t removed that but it has enhanced it as well because you can use chat rooms and things now … Generally you get a good level of interaction in these things and you will get people saying things they maybe wouldn’t say in a face to face environment so you actually bring out more.. but you have got to be able to look and see, because there will always be people called lurkers, who aren’t – they are sitting on their back doing nothing. So I think you have to be able to identify them and draw them out somehow. I think even non instant communication like email can give the student the opportunity for considered response as well … I think it should never be looked at as a replacement, it should always be looked at as something to enhance... (H8I5)

Changing practices in assessment

Assessment is one area where the online learning environment offers potential for changes in relation to the handling and marking of assessments. However, this was seen generally as an area where developments would occur in the future:

Assessment is an area where again there are few colleagues who are in this, at the moment we don’t really have a great deal, and I don’t think we have the right infrastructure support for them to take it forward... (H8I4)

No. The [VLE] assessment tool is being used for formative assessment, not summative. … The mode of delivery of course works and the receipt of course work has changed and not a lot of it is coming through the [VLE] system, but really it is used as a file handling system and that but in terms of assessment per se, but summative assessment, no. (H8I2)

However, it was noted that there had been some impact on formative assessments too and this was mainly due to the perceived limitations of the online environment:

It has had a little bit of an impact on assessment but more from the point of view that things like group based course works are perhaps slightly more problematic in an online environment but… face to face students usually have had the option of doing a group based assessment or doing an individual assessment … The only one assessment that I can think of that did have to change was that in one of our modules … the academic got the students to do a presentation on a topic … (H8I3)

Online assessments are clearly being explored but on a limited scale and the difficulties of infrastructure support is noted in relation to the development of large scale summative online assessments. It was also felt that there are some assessments that are not suitable for online delivery.

Student experience

The student experience was mentioned on a number of occasions and was clearly important to the majority of the respondents. It was noted that students’ experiences were likely to change, or that the process of change was underway:

I think what we’ve already seen with the move towards learning outcomes is that 20 years ago, lecturers used to think, gosh what can I do next Monday morning, I think I’ll give a lecture on... and they had a huge amount of freedom in that which many people enjoyed enormously. However, from the students point of view, it was much less clear about where am I going with that and what is it that I am doing... I think the design of learning has already changed, it is much more structured, I think here we’ll be moving further towards before we even see a student, we’ll have designed what the learning package looks like... (H8I4)

In addition there was some comment on student support and the possibly different experiences afforded by face to face and online courses:

Yes I think student support is an issue because, as far as I understand, one of the key issues was retention for students – is face to face contact and feeling support and part of a community? (H8I6)

... I think potential students, before they sign up, will have a definite idea of what they want – whether they want an Open University type experience or an Oxbridge type experience, whether they are very closely monitored and looked after and seminars weekly, one to one, that kind of thing and I there is a diversity of student anticipation and it is whether you can meet those anticipation needs I think that’s the issue. (H8I6)

It was felt that students generally liked the experience of online learning. One respondent reported on findings from an institutional survey that had been carried out during 2003:
However, what has come out of the survey from the students... 840 students replied to it and they all said, the majority said, yes it has changed the way they study, and it has improved the way they study… Some say they don’t like it but they are [in the] minority. (H8I2)

However, it was also noted that there were some student experiences that could not be achieved in the VLE.

For example, if you are going to do chemistry laboratories... geology field trips... you can watch films of it on [screen or] if you have the resources [you can] stream media, but they really do not allow you to … get the student experience that you would want a student to get... (H8I2)

Achievement

This issue was raised by one of the respondents who offered some interesting results from the early (1998) postgraduate programmes which use a website linked to FirstClass.

… we have actually found that essentially we have got three types of students now; if we cover post graduate level to start off with: we have got postgraduate (full time) students that we teach face to face; we have got part time postgraduate students that we teach face to face; we have got part time postgraduate students that we teach fully online. Whenever we compared those three cohorts after two to three years, we actually found that the part time online students were performing … better than part time face to face....one of the reasons we think that the online students are actually performing better is that the students really have to take more responsibility for their learning, it promotes deep learning essentially … (H8I3)

This issue was not raised by any of the other respondents and it does relate to post graduate students; however, it poses some challenges in terms of delivery of teaching and learning at this level.

Skills development

Issues surrounding the development of transferable skills and progress files were also considered and that technology may be of assistance here.

I think one of the areas that that we are particularly interested in, is the kind transferable skills area, for example. And students do come in, because of their variety of experiences, from very different starting places. And staff have responded to that, and responded very well, by trying to embed skills into their courses. But again that kind of means, there’s an assumption about where students are... It would help us perhaps to be able to address that issue if we tailor to a student’s needs by using individual programs that are built up that start where a student is at... that’s quite a long way off... (H8I4)

Questionnaire data

Four respondents were asked to comment on aspects of teaching and learning. Out of these three felt that networked learning had added value to teaching, research or academic support. Reasons for this response included that it had provided published research and that students appreciated access to the online resources. In relation to development of materials it was noted by the two respondents that were asked this question that in house developed materials were most commonly used but that there were no incentives for staff to develop networked learning materials. All four respondents who were asked whether networked learning had changed students’ learning experiences felt that this was the case. Reasons for this response varied. One respondent stated that online students performed better than face to face students. Two of the other respondents cited access to resources as an added benefit for students. These responses do reflect the interview data

Summary

Within the networked learning provision, blended learning was seen as the preferred option with online learning identified as adding value to other modes of learning. The role of the teaching was expected to change from a more traditional approach to one where the teacher acts as a guide and facilitator. Currently online learning was seen as having little impact on summative assessment. The main use of online assessment was for formative assessments.

Some differences were apparent in the approaches to the development of materials. Those developed for the individual MSc programmes that use the website supported by FirstClass had undergone a considerable process of development to ensure uniformity in the modules.

However there are a growing number of academics making use of the interactive features of the VLE to deliver learning support and to enhance the learning experience of students such as through formative assessment (using the quizzes), the use of discussion boards etc. It was appreciated that at an early stage in the role out of a VLE, that it is an achievement to get academics to use the VLE to make learning materials available. However, some respondents perceived this as an under utilisation of the VLE.

The student experience was generally seen as enhanced by the added value offered by online resources. Students, it was argued, were generally positive about the VLE but it was noted that the VLE could not provide all the types of experiences required for effective learning. Networked learning is seen as offering new opportunities for students to enter into interaction and discussion; however, the importance of face to face learning opportunities was also acknowledged.

The potential that networked learning offered for individualised skills development with links to Personal Development Plans was seen as a potential for future expansion.