Researching the student digital experience:What we learned about WebLearnLiz Masterman25th September 2012

Project team:Stuart Lee, Melissa Highton, Liz Masterman (LTG, OUCS)Kat Lee (SSP)Zoe Enstone, Nesrine Abdel Sattar (Graduate Researchers)

Genesis of the project

SSP LTG

DIGE

Research into student experience in HE- Trigwell & Ashwin (2003)- Ertl et al. (2008)

LTG Freshers’ Fair surveys

Research into student experience of e-learning- JISC Learner Experience programme, incl. Thema (Masterman & Shuyska 2011)- Learner & Context (Davies et al.)

Research questions

Mapping the architecture What digital systems and services does Oxford

provide? Mapping the landscape

How are these services experienced by• Students?• Staff?

What shortcomings are there:• Technical and usability?• Gaps in support?

What will be required in 5 years’ time? Recommendations?

The challenge

Reconcile the needs and preferences of 21st-C students with…

…Oxford’s traditions:Research-led learning: student as

‘adult participant’• The tutorial system as well as larger

group teachingThe principle of subsidiarityThe buildings!

© KT Lindsay Photography. All rights reserved

How we did itStudent survey (687)

Staff survey (94)

Interviews with staff (37)

Digital diaries (7)

Digital suggestions box

Focus groups:TPGs, RPGs, international, accessibility(20)

Desk study: ‘Beyond Oxford’(20 universities)

Desk study: digital experience in schools

Mapping the current systems

(mostly between January and March 2012)

Literature review

© University of Oxford. All rights reserved

© University of Oxford. All rights reserved

The architecture mapped

The student perspective:How digital technologies can improve learning

1. Access to resources (find out where they are)

2. Improve quality of work3. Online resources4. Convenience5. Enhance communication6. Organise learning

Open-ended survey question

The student perspective:‘Creative’ use of digital technologies by teachers Aspect of learning

1. Lecture2. Resources3. Communication

s/admin4. Specific TEL

activity5. Online

submission & feedback

6. Tutorial

Specific benefit

1. Learning of concepts

2. Access to lecture materials

3. Show processes4. Vary/motivate the

learning experience5. Communications/

adminOpen-ended survey question

The student perspective:‘Top 3’ tools/websites

1. Subject-specific websites2. Facebook UG TPG3. SOLO library catalogue UG TPG4. Referencing software TPG RPG5. WebLearn UG TPG6. Wikipedia UG

Open-ended survey question

Students on WebLearn

Usability, usability, usability… (see later) Potential hub (portal) for studies:

WebLearn seems to have great potential to be at the centre of every student’s studies at Oxford if the appropriate information was provided, but the system is quite slow to navigate. It should have some sort of personal interface that directly links to what I could need.

It would also help to have everything in one place – email, GSS, WebLearn, OUCS registration things, even viewing your battels. There could be the Weblearn (or whatever) homepage with at least links to the the other sites at the top, instead of having 5 different websites for everything.

Open-ended survey question

The staff perspective:Why talk to them? Lend support to students’ view (empathise)

Need for ‘portal’/‘gateway’ to services Email ‘overload’

Complement data from students Student desire for instant access to online resources

vs Oxford pedagogic model Supplement data from students

Wider strategic context Staff experience of digital systems may

impinge on students’ experience Knowledge of the digital experience in

previous places of work Speak on behalf of students whom we cannot

reach

What staff value…

The materials that I use in my tutorials are available on WebLearn. At the same time I can download the lecture materials so my tutorials and the lectures are in sync.

The ability of WebLearn to store and retrieve data is outstanding.

…a great way to put problem sheet answers up for the students…

Systems that are intuitive and do not need frequent repair work. […] Weblearn is superb.

…useful for communicating with large numbers of people simultaneously and for people to be able to communicate with each other via the Forum tool.

Open-ended survey question

Staff on students’ use of WebLearn They use it primarily as a source of

materials Other forms of communication are

more functional and easy to access They only use it if told to – not on

their own initiative

So, what’s all this about usability?

Poor mobile interface Cumbersome

navigation

Where am I?

Visually unappealing

Resources pages too like file & folder system

Lack of flexibility in adding users and groups

No batch upload of files

Unintuitive interface

Forget functionality where use is infrequent

Poor integration with OxCORT

Lack of integration with other calendars

Poor integration between test tool & mark book

Summing up…

Difference between Oxford’s digital provision and other HEIs

But... increasing adoption of WebLearn Saïd Business SchoolBlavatnik School of GovernmentContinuing Education

Incoming lecturers enthusiastic

Summing up…

Investment of time needed to realise full potentialDivision of labour

Perceived shortcomings may also be related to:Lack of dedicated supportLow awareness of learning activities

supported……therefore a low level of training in

departments? Inconsistency in use inconsistency in

student digital experienceA necessary, but regrettable, consequence

of subsidiarity?

WebLearn-related recommendations Encourage storage of all learning material in

WebLearn (ES4e/5) Release central resources to assist

departments in: (ES5/6)a. enhancing WebLearn user interface and user

experience;b. overhauling and redesigning sites;c. supporting academic staff in setting up WebLearn

sites for their courses and making appropriate use of it in their teaching.

Further disseminate ‘best practice’ in using IT (32)

Adopt user-centred software design and development methodologies (ES12/18)

For more…

You can download the DIGE project report from the SSP area in SharePoint:

https://sharepoint.nexus.ox.ac.uk/sites/SSP/dige