The Jisc review examines online learners' expectations and experiences in the digital environment, outlining various studies and tools created to enhance learner engagement. Key outputs include resources for institutions to better understand student experiences and improve digital offerings. The study highlights ongoing data analysis with over 10,000 student responses and discusses potential research questions and focus areas for further exploration in online education.

1. Online learner expectations and experiences of the
digital environment: a Jisc review
12 May 2016
Image source:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yodelanecdotal/4092671749

2. Agenda
» Welcome and introductions
» Overview of two previous areas of work
» Observations from the literature review
» Discussion on research questions for the study
» Learner consultation/focus groups
» Institutional email survey
» AOB and date of next meeting
12/05/16 2

3. #digitalstudent
Digital Student http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org12 May 2016

4. Overview of Jisc Digital Student work
12/05/`16 4
»Investigating students' expectations and experiences of
the digital environment, through:
› HE study
› FE study
› Skills study
› Online learners (this study)
› Pilot of a digital learners Tracker tool
http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org

5. Outcomes of Jisc Digital Student work
»Range of resources for use by learners and providers:
›Reports
›Resources for carrying out research (focus groups etc)
›Posters
›Discussion cards
›Benchmarking tool, collaboratively with NUS/TSEP/CAN
›Tracker service
12/05/16 5

6. Benchmarking the student digital experience
»Jisc, NUS, TSEP
» bit.ly/digistudentexp
12/05/16 Student Experience Experts Group

7. Jisc student/learner digital experience Tracker
» Based on findings about what matters to learners
» A tightly-focused survey and guidance on implementation, which
enables providers to:
› gather evidence from learners about their digital experience
› make better informed decisions about the digital environment
› target resources for improving digital provision
› plan other research, data gathering and learner engagement
› demonstrate enhancements to external bodies and to learners
Jisc Digital Student http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org.uk
http://bit.ly/jiscdigidataservice

8. The Tracker pilot (ongoing)
» March-April 2016 learner engagement and data collection
» 8 FE colleges, 2 Training providers, 2 Specialist colleges, 13 HEIs
» 10,755 student responses collected through BOS
» Now: analysis of data, benchmarking against sector norms
» Key findings published late May
» Potential to develop a set of questions for online learners
12/05/16 Jisc Digital Student http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org.uk

9. » Review of barriers to institutions creating more online courses and
possible solutions, leading to:
›Online guides – for institutions
–Scaling up (strategic focus)
–Curriculum design and support (course and learning focus)
–Technology and tools (environment focus)
›Diagnostic tool – for staff
Jisc Digital Student http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org.uk
Overview of Scaling Up Online Learning

10. » Literature search and analysis
» Validation of findings with:
›Expert advisory group (you!)
›Email survey of other experts
›Online learners via online focus groups
» Report and briefing papers
Jisc Digital Student http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org.uk
Overview of this study (Expectations and
Experiences of Online Learners)

11. Who are ‘online learners’?
For the purposes of this study,
online learning is defined as:
» exclusively online courses
» courses which are delivered largely
online, or have online elements to
support a variety of access and
attendance needs
» online learning which replaces some
face-to-face lecturing time in courses
that are otherwise delivered
traditionally
It is our assumption that most
learners in post-compulsory settings
will experience some online
component to their learning, and
that as they move into lifelong
learning/professional development
this component will form a larger
proportion of study time. Online
learners are not, then, a distinct
group of learners: they are post-
compulsory learners in particular
situations and/or with particular
preferences and needs.

12. Literature review - scope
factors influencing the outcomes of online learning using
measures such learners' engagement, progression, satisfaction,
successful completion and credits/grades achieved (46 refs)
comparative literature which contrasts online and offline
learning activities or experiences or contrasts differently
designed online learning components (16 refs)
case study evidence, largely conducted from the perspective of
teachers and online learning designers, and evaluation studies of
specific online courses or interventions (22 refs)
qualitative and mixed-method research studies which provide a
focused, theoretically informed and rich picture of online
learners' experiences from a variety of perspectives (33 refs)
feedback from learners - learner surveys carried out by
researchers, online learning providers, and some national bodies
(refs included in counts above)
Limits
» From 2012 onwards
» Involvement of learners, e.g.
via large-scale surveys and/or
detailed qualitative work
» Focus on the learning
experience, rather than
teaching, course design, or
organisational issues
Types
http://bit.ly/onlinescoping
(private URL: pls do not circulate)

13. Literature review - early observations
» Large number of studies (161
included so far)
» Predominance of quantitative
methods
› Ease of data collection by online
surveys and learning analytics
› Relatively low cost to collect
and analyse
› Quality and relevance??
» Emergence of MOOC studies, studies
of self-efficacy/self-regulation
» Some in-house work not publicly
available due to commercial value
We will have messages around
» Learners’: perceptions, engagement,
experiences, expectations, motivation,
retention, achievement, attitudes,
satisfaction, voice,
» Themes: trust, community, self-regulation/
self-efficacy, study habits, time
management, cultural differences, other
learner differences, transition,
metacognition
» Context:- type of learner, course design,
geographical location, mode of learning,
specific learning activities

14. Literature review - early headlines
Online learners are different!
» previous experience
» motivations and aspirations
» self-efficacy
» study habits
» gender/cultural issues
» beliefs about (online) learning
Context matters
» Rationale for online
» Design of online space
» On-boarding, preparation
» Interactions with others
(trust, community,
belonging)
» Time and timing
» Study setting

15. Questions/Observations?
Raise your hand or type in the chat window

16. Our tasks for you today
1.Help us define and refine our study questions
2.Help us identify learners for online focus groups
3.Help us identify experts for email survey - which we
will also send to you :-)

17. 1. Research questions for the study
Identifying questions:
»Previous Digital
Student work
»Literature review
»Community input
09/09/2015 17
Contribute to our Trello Board
https://trello.com/b/AdD3yvkp/online-learner-study-key-research-questions

18. Which questions are most important?
» How does the experience of learning
online differ from the experience of
learning face to face in terms of the key
issues identified in the earlier studies?
» How do fully online learners rate their
transactional experiences e.g. how do
they experience systems for
enrolment, payment, assessment...?
» What online learning experiences are
transformational? Do these
experiences follow a pattern, e.g.
depending on the subjects studied or
the prior digital experiences of
learners?
» What learner-related factors have the
strongest influence on the quality of the
learning experience online (as reported
by learners)?
» What course design/teaching/pedagogic
factors have the strongest influence on
the quality of the learning experience
online?
» What features of the digital
environment have the strongest
influence on the quality of the learning
experience online?
» What do online learners like most about
the experience? What do they like least?

19. Which questions are most important?
Raise your hand or type in the chat window - and
please go to our Trello board to add your thoughts

20. 2. Online learner consultation
09/09/2015 20
» Focus groups/social media conversations - based around
six key questions (framed for learners)
›Any existing student activities we can tap into?
›Twitter chats
›Timed webinars - mix of students on different courses
›Timed sessions within online courses
›Any other ideas…?

21. 3. Expert email survey
Again, six key questions, framed in more expert terms
›Who else should we be talking to beyond this group?
›Any events/initiatives where we could quickly gather feedback?
›How do we encourage and reward participation?

22. Final questions/Observations?
Raise your hand or type in the chat window
Thank you for your time today!

23. What next
09/09/2015 23
https://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org/
wp/online-learners/
#suoll #digitalstudent
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