MA in Legislative Studies Online: distance learning to support students' ownership of their learningC-SAP, e-Learning Forum, July 2010

Cristina Leston-BandeiraDepartment of Politics and International Studies

Contents

• The case study: MALSO

• The students

• The teaching

• Outcomes and limitations

The Case Study: MALSOMA in Legislative Studies Online

A very specialised programmeParliamentary studies

Follow on from on-campus programmeEntirely taught onlinePart-time, two years

The Students

Work with / in parliamentWorking full time

Wide ranging experiences

The Students

Auditor General Office Research Officer, Canada

Baroness, Westminster

RSPCA Officer, London

MP Research Assistant, Westminster

Party Attack Officer (!), Westminster

UNDP Official (United Nations Development Programme), Vietnam, N.Y., Lesotho

Clerk, Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh

Citizenship Teacher, Lincolnshire, Russia

The Students

Work with / in parliamentWorking full time

Wide ranging experiences;

Something in common: parliament

The Students

Huge commitmentVery busy professional lives

Flexibility of access to the course: key

The Teaching

Flexibility of deliveryCombined with integration with on-campus processes and rules

Long-thin modules10 seminars per moduleEach seminar: reading, tasks

Followed by DiscussionTwo weeks for each seminar

The Teaching

Reading material: online journals, Electronic Short Loan Library, eBooks, 12 books to purchase, specialised papers

Tasks: making the most of students’ experiencesExample: group work to devise a plan for action in the area of parliamentary development

Work developed according to students’ own timingsAsynchronous discussions

Importance of online discussion

Student performance

Exchange of very wide range of experiences

Learning reinforced by online record

Very high achievements: very good discussionsemphasis on analytical skillshighest marks in our MAswork of publishable standard

Limitations

Online communication: easy misunderstandings

Integration with University: not always easy

Can take over your time

Building a Learning community

Conclusions

Flexibility of delivery allows to

Recruit better students (able and committed)Bring together students with enriching experiencesPromote enhanced learning Make the most of students’ own professional experiences

Conciliate traditional teaching with constructivist

Thank you - Any questions?