The learner voice
Learners’ use and experience of technologies
Gráinne Conole, The Open University
22nd November, 2007
UCISA Conference, Southampton

The learner
Learner experience
research
Institutions

Technology trends
Web 1.0
Information, critical mass
Institutional web sites
Email for communication
Information strategies
Integrated institutional systems
Web 2.0
Interactive, “openness”
User generated
Wisdom of crowds
Distributed, large-scale data
Architecture of participation

A different perspective

fact or fiction?
On the train, Miranda skipped across wireless networks until she
found the right podcast. Google Pod was on the money. Miranda
was always good with folksonomy. She liked the sound of the South
African professor's voice. What did she look like? Don’t they have
vblogs in South Africa? Miranda felt a little more confident. She
despatched the anime to Finland. She was about to disconnect when
Another student
she remembered that Ari might appreciate the podcast.
At the cafeteria, Miranda played off MS Book Search against Google
Books. She switched from one to the other, reading enough criticism
to confirm her initial ideas. As she went to Project Guttenberg for the
text of the play, Miranda's hand brushed her coffee cup,
downloading its streaming contents over her keyboard.
Barnes and Tynan 2007, ALT-J

JISC Learner experience
programme
Phase One
Review (Sharpe et al.)
LEX (Creanor et al.)
Phase Two
LXP (Conole et al.)
Longitudinal study -
STROLL (Hertfordshire)
Institutional studies -
discipline differences,
accessibility, practice-
based learning, transition
between sectors

Learner voices
Learning in
the digital age
Concerns
Expectations
Benefits
Communication
& networking
JISC In their own words

LXP project
Experience and perceptions
Online survey
Subject
E-learning
discipline
strategies
differences
Audio logs Interviews
Conole, De Laat, Darby, Dillon

LXP: Data Collection
Context In-depth case studies
Survey Audio logs Interviews
Economics: 128 Economics: 3 Economics: 2
Languages: 92 Languages: 47 Languages: 3
Medicine: 31 Medicine: 16 Medicine: 5
Computing: 158 Computing: 19 Computing: 4
Other:
18
Total: 427 Total: 85 Total: 14

Changing student/
institutional relationship
I think the relationship between students and the
university itself, is becoming very …technological …
most services are provided online, and that saves a lot
of time, meaning you don’t need to come to university...
a lot of information about yourself... even your grades
… its been much easier to interact with the university
Almost all our communications with
the university are though email…
invaluable because we’re ... all off site
so much…

Core tool for learning
It basically opens up a whole world of learning for everybody,
you know. You can find, read up, on anything you like. In a
university context, you can have all your notes and everything
all on one machine. So anytime you have to look for
something, you don’t have to flick through a big file, you can
type, search your computer for what you’re looking for
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

Audio & Video clips
Video
Reflective
summaries Audio
In situ, emotive
Laura:
Technology immersed
Emma and Jenny:
Application to practice
Paul, Simon and Beth:
Work-based learning

Laura:
Technology-enhanced
environment for learning

Tools for learning
Word, Powerpoint,
Core toolset Email, the Internet
Information Mix of Google, Wikipedia,
seeking and subject-specific sites
Peer approval
handling
Mix-mode,
Communication
personal preferences

Tomorrow’s students...
Pervasive
Personalised Niche, adaptive
Time/space
Integrated
boundaries
Digitally Transferable
organised skills
Changing work/
learning patterns

ECAR
research
studies and
surveys

Access:
73% broadband, 96% Mobile,
90% PC, 76% Digital camera,
69% MP3 player, 63% Laptop
Activities:
Email (94%), Creating
documents (88%), Music
(84%), Searching (83%),
Chat (80%)
Emerging:
Blogs, file sharing, web
conferencing, social
networking
Kennedy et al. 2006

Digital natives Vs. Immigrants
Students
think and process
information
differently
Prensky
Use determined
by context
not age
Siemens

The modern learner?
Multi-tasking
Learning
Quick and surface
process
Multi-
Technology-
representational
enhanced
environment
Task orientated
Learning
Oblinger et al., Group based
approach
Kennedy et al.
TALL Web 2.0 survey Experiential
JISC Ipsos MORI survey
Educause ECAR study of U/G and IT 2007

Changing patterns
Web 2.0
User generated content,
Openness, distributed
Individual
knowledge,
collective value
Information
Passive Active
Good learning
Experience
Personalised,
experiential,
Social collaborative, reflective,
cumulative

Cetis
conference
20/11/07

Tensions...
Loosely
coupled
Student
“control”
Personalised Institutional
tools tools
Institution
“control”
Integrated
systems

Implications
Strategy&
policy
Staff skills
Roles &
set
structures
Changing
teaching
paradigm

G.C.CONOLE@OPEN.AC.UK
Blog: www.e4innovation.com