Listening to the eLearner's Voice: letting the learners tell their own story

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Listening to the e-Learner's Voice letting the
learners tell their own story

• Linda Creanor Kathryn Trinder
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Doug Gowan Carol Howells
• The Open Learning Partnership

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Overview

• Introduction to LEX
• Introducing the learners
• (some!) Findings
• Towards a conceptual framework
• Summary

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Introduction

• We need to listen to peoples views and ensure
  that technology meets their needs.
• (DfES E-Strategy, 2005)

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Introduction to LEX

• A national JISC research project on the learner
  experience of e-learning
• Informed by a Scoping Study (Sharpe et al, 2005)
  that identified need for cross-sector, integrated
  research
• Putting the learners voice centre stage
• Complemented by the Learner XP study
• Conole et al HE focus, discipline specific

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Research questions

• 3 key areas highlighted
• What might characterise effective learners in an
  e-learning context?
• What beliefs and intentions do effective learners
  display?
• What strategies do effective learners display?

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Research approach

• We started from the premise that learners are
  experts on their own experiences
• We adapted an Interpretative phenomenological
  analysis (IPA) approach
• Interviews and focus groups were conducted

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Meet some Learners
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Some Emergent Themes
Fitting learning around life
Control choices
Expectations of technology
Strategies/ways of coping
Personalisation of environment
Influence of/on family
Motivation to use technology
Course design issues
Time management
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Characterising effective e-learners

• IT skills confidence
• Instead of being afraid of technology ... I'm
  beginning to learn, well, its not as bad as it
  seems, take your time, if you make a mistake it
  doesn't matter, just do it again.

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Characterising effective e-learners

• Networking
• Using ... computers for your assignments and
  even mobile phones...getting with your friends or
  even tutors . just by using text messages maybe
  and saying, Do you know how to do this bit?

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Characterising effective e-learners

• Flexible, resourceful, self-aware
• Role of meta-cognition knowing how they learn
• Confidence to overcome technical problems
• Highly skilled networkers

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Beliefs intentions

• Technology for a reason
• If Im just on an information course then I
  dont need all the nice fluffy bits round the
  edges, whereas if its a sharing exercise you
  need the fluffy bits as well.

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Beliefs intentions

• Feelings
• ...when I first went on and started to look
  at it I thought, 'Oh my God, I don't know whether
  this is for me!', but then I thought, Calm down
  a bit, sit down and go through it step by step.
  

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Beliefs intentions

• Willing to engage expect tutors to engage also
• Believe technology should enhance their learning
• Learn to deal with strong emotional reactions
• Intend to use technology to their own advantage

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Strategies behaviours

• Approaches to study
• I was writing my project, I was doing my Blog,
  and doing my homework for economics all at the
  same time, and listening to music in the
  background ... Who says men can't multitask!

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Strategies behaviours

• Control choice
• Q youve got the online calendar there where
  you arrange meetings and set deadlines etc?
• A Well were kind of keeping them happy by
  having that pretend meeting up there because we
  dont meet every Thursday.
• Q So youve got to make it look as if youre
  doing it?
• A Oh we are, just not on a Tuesday and Thursday.

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Strategies behaviours

• Fitting learning around life
• Blurring of boundaries between technology for
  learning leisure
• Books taking second place to the internet
• Exercising control over environments, technology
  and learning tasks.

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Towards a conceptual framework
What factors influence what I do with my learning?
What factors influence how I feel about my
learning?
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Conceptual map of themes
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Conclusions/Summary

• Dont rely on stereotypes!
• Choice and control engagement
• A new underworld of digital communication
• Impact of emotions
• Aligning e-learning with learner expectations