Researching learners’ digital experiences

Rhona SharpeJISC Learner Experience Support & Synthesis projectsJISC SLiDA projectChair ELESIGOxford Centre for Staff and Learning DevelopmentOxford Brookes University

Greg BenfieldJISC Learner Experience Support & Synthesis projectsJISC SLiDA projectOxford Centre for Staff and Learning DevelopmentOxford Brookes University

Helen BeethamConsultant to JISCJISC Llida project

Why research learners’ experiences of e-learning?

• Learners’ experiences are a key measure of our success

• Technology is pervasive in learners’ lives• Learner’ perspectives are surprising,

demanding, innovative• Learners have new expectations of education,

thanks to technology• Learners need new skills and strategies for the

digital age

Data collection methods

Interviewing- Interview plus (E4L, LexDis)- Email interviews ‘pen-pal’ (Thema)- Card sorts (E4L)- Telephone interviews (PB-LXP)

Diary keeping- Video logs (Stroll)- Diaries in format of learner’s choice (Lead)

Holistic

“Liling’s case study gives an insight into the challenges faced – and overcome – by anoverseas student for whom English is a second language and who has had to adapt to adifferent educational culture from the one with which she was familiar. It also shows theimportance of technology for keeping in touch with her family and friends and, conversely,the barriers that it can raise in this respect.”

Sustained engagement

Students feel involved, feel part of the project, (logo, contact).

Using a flexible and responsive approach to data collection

High involvement from academic staff in each of the disciplines.

Providing incentives and benefits

Students get something out of the project, including the benefits of reflection on their learning

Participatory approach

“Nothing about me, without me”

Involving learners as consultants and partners

Early and continued participation

Meaningful and useful outcomes

What if you can engage learners over time, in holistic, participatory

research?

Context• Technology use was prompted by the

course, the tutor, peers, work and/or specific learning requirements.

• Learners use technology to create their own environments which meet their needs and the demands of their context.

• We noted the agility of some learners at finding and using tools, skills and social networks to support their study in creative ways.

Creative appropriati

on

Creative appropriation

 Driven by contextual or individual need, not provided by tutors, e.g.

‘Had a phone tutorial with my supervisor referring to a support document he emailed to me – I digitally recorded the tutorial and saved it as a digital file on my laptop. This has then been playing while I make the adjustments to the document’ (Clarke 2009: 12)

“One of the group members was not able to make it today so what we did we were connected by using MSN Messenger so we were discussing notes. We were feeding back to the other person.” (Jefferies et al. 2009: 16)

Creative appropriation

Blending social and academic…

‘Chun-Tao also blended the academic side of her life with social technology by using Facebook to find out about software and sites that would be useful for her work, like Zotero and ClickUni, which “looks something like iGoogle but it has things like Facebook [… and] College News.” (Thema Case Study)

Learner produced outputs

12/04/2023 | slide 13

https://wiki.brookes.ac.uk/display/JISCLE2

What if you can engage learners over time, in holistic, participatory

research?

Uncover hidden practices

• Creative appropriation

• Agile adopters• Situated

practices

What if you can engage learners over time, in holistic, participatory

research?

Improves impact• Persuasive evidence• Learner created

outputs• Conceptual accounts:

learner development model

Challenges with this approach

• Sampling• Elicitation• Dealing with the data• Representing learners’ voices• Ethical issues