http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/lxp_project_final_report_nov_06.pdf

How do learners engage with and experience e-learning?

Gráinne ConoleInstitute of Educational Technology

g.c.conole@open.ac.uk

E-Learning ConferenceSouthampton, 1st February 2007

LXP

Student experiences

Subject discipline differences

Uses of technologies

Effective e-learning strategies

Online survey

Audio logs Interviews

Learner Experiences Project

www.geodata.soton.ac.uk/eLRC/learner_survey

M. de Laat - Exeter, T. Dillon – Bristol, J. Darby – Open University

Phase 1 – context

Phase 2 – in-depth case studies

Survey Audio logs Interviews

Economics: 128Languages: 92Medicine: 31Computing: 158Other: 18Total: 427

Economics:    3Languages:    47Medicine:    16Computing: 19

Total: 85

Economics:    2 Languages:    3Medicine:       5 Computing: 4

Total: 14

Technologies used most in percentages

05

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What four technologies do you use most?

Survey• E-learning is an important element of my course

Econ Lang Med Comp

4% 9% 0% 1%

Strongly disagree

7% 9% 6% 1% Disagree

8% 8% 0% 13% -

36% 37% 28% 24% Agree

29% 25% 50% 43%

Strongly agree

0% 0% 0% 0% NA

15% 12% 15% 18% Missing

Survey• With e-learning I interact more with other students

Econ Lang Med Comp

8% 6% 17% 7%

Strongly disagree

27% 25% 31% 18% Disagree

20% 19% 21% 21% -

19% 25% 12% 22% Agree

7% 9% 5% 13%

Strongly agree

3% 2% 0% 1% NA

15% 14% 14% 18% Missing

Survey• E-learning makes studying easier for me

Econ Lang Med Comp

3% 1% 11% 5%

Strongly disagree

5% 10% 3% 2% Disagree

8% 13% 12% 17% -

39% 27% 32% 29% Agree

28% 35% 28% 28%

Strongly agree

3% 1% 0% 1% NA

14% 12% 14% 18% Missing

The first thing i do when given any piece of word is type it into a search engine! this gives me the opportunity to see how different people interpret the title. from there i can focus on one main idea and use the electronic resources to support my initial findings or indeed rule them out. e-mail is always vital with communicating with different mediums. teachers for support

I use email to communicate with everyone, especially lecturers; arranging meetings, asking questions about work and queries over assignments etc I write all my assignments using Word and to sort through the information I find, make notes of what I still need to do and spell check my emails that I'm sending to lecturers.Search engines are used to find news articles

I use them [technologies] to find out information forassignments, and also to help me clarify my notes on each subject area that I study. Instant messaging is used to discuss issues with friends if a topic is not understood

My PDA is useful for reading things when I'm on the move

Survey qualitative data

Learner voicesFabio: an individual learner

Samir: a social learner

Annmarie: an active technology user (Medicine)

Gary: learning through practice (Medicine)

Jack: social/interactive learner (Computer Science)

Finbar: an active blogger (Computer Science)

Dzel: aTurkish student (Languages)

Peizhi: a Chinese student (Languages)

Internet sites for meanings and glossaryMobile phone find out about course workMSM chat to send coursework to friends

Mobile to text class mates to get exam hintsBlogs for personal reflectionInternet/search engines to verify concepts

Internet to research an essayGoogle using keywords/phraseWikipedia and podcasts

Voice recorder for collecting interview dataUSB stick to transfer data between home and uniDictionary.com to check wordsPodcasts from English language sites

Updating E-Portfolio from the hospitalUniversity VLE site to access lectures and check calendar

Audio logs

Today I used my mobile phone to contact a friend fromthe same course to ask them where I could get my cover sheet for my essay to hand in today. I had to do this basically because I searched the university web site and I couldn’t find one and I didn’t have one on my computer so I had to ring my friend because I knew he had printed one out for himself earlier in the day… Well basically the mobile phone, … if I didn’t have one I wouldn’t have been able to do this ….I was able to contact XX and ask him where I could find one… I found one on another student’s home page who’d put it up there conveniently so that a lot of people could get it so that was pretty handy and I’ll remember that in the future.

Jack: social/interactive learner (Computer Science)

Commonalities and differencesResearching and retrieving informationGoogle, Wikipedia, subject-specific sites

CommunicationMultiple tools, peers/tutors…

AssignmentsGeneric tools: Word, Excel, Powerpoint

Integrated learningMixed views on VLEs, personalised learning

Tools

Activities

Types

of le

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Conole and Fill (2005) DialogPlus Taxonomywww-jime.open.ac.uk/2005/08/conole-2005-08-paper

Dyke et al. (2007), Chapter 6Contemporary perspectives in e-learning researchRoutledgeFalmer

Is there a relationship between toolsand activities? Is there a relationship

between toolsand learning?

Tool use for different activitiesAssimilativePDA, podcasts, DVDs

Information handlingMixed media, multiple purposes

AdaptiveHigher-level models

CommunicativeSpeed, convenience, fitness for purpose

ExperientialTools in situ, in the work place

ProductiveNew creativity, ‘professional standards’

Thinking and reflection

Types of learning

Experienceand activity

Conversation and interaction

Web 2.0 Tools/Social Networking?

Mindmaping

Blogging

Peer working

Mobile tools Annotation

Wikis

Information Communication

ContentChanging nature of content (more available, lower intrinsic value, higher interactivity and standards)

Cost and valueMaterials and information freely available on the InternetPerceived worth of content

PresentationUse of multimedia to improve presentation Expectations of good quality content

EvaluationNew skills for assessing content Skills to ensure work is authentic

CommunicationDifferent tools for different thingsInternet to access expert knowledge “With anyone about anything anytime”

CollaborationNew forms of collaboration – smart tools and web2.0Distributed cognition

Information Communication

Policy

Strategy

Information Communication

Perceptions

Environment

EnvironmentMediaChanging media – increase of USB pens, ipods, mps players, integrated phones, better screen displays for reading

MotivationGaming generation, used to highly, engaging and entertaining environment

InteractivityEvidence of a shift from passive to interactive interactions across all aspects of their learning

Near ubiquitousMany now have their own PCs and wireless internet access – becoming accustomed to being able to access information or contact people on demand, anywhere

PerceptionsComfortable with technology, see it as integral

Critically aware of the pros and cons

Sophisticated and varied use of different

communication tools for different purposes

Access to up to date and relevant

information and resources vital

Don’t see technology as anything special

– another tool to support their learning

Mismatch between institutions perceptions

of student use of technology and actual use

Shifting sands….Pervasive and integratedExtensive use of tools for everything

PersonalisedAdapted to personal needsSocial

Networked peer community

InteractiveContent not fixedChanging skills

New skills needed, arisingTransferabilityBoundaries blurring

Working patternsWays of thinking and doing changing

TimeThe ‘now’ culture

Policy implications

ContentTo create or not to create?

InteractivityActivity focussed design

Social and community learningWeb 2.0 and beyond…Assessment?

The learning

environment?

The role of universities?Types of provision?Focus, purpose, business models

In-depth study of work-based students

Title E-assessment E-Portfolios Conferences Wikis &Blogs

Cisco Networking √ √

Team Engineering √ √Social Work Practice √ √

Applied Social Work Practice √ √

Extending Professional Practice √ √ √Software Reqs for Bus Systems √ √ √

How students learn using tools across different boundaries?

Strategies they use to manage the process

Barriers/enablers, key critical moments

Relationship between student practice and institutional policy