Learner Experiences Across the Disciplines
The Learner Experiences across the Disciplines (LEaD) project is a study of the use of learning technology by first-year University students. The project concentrated on the critical transition needed to study effectively within a University environment. Learners’ expectations of, and engagement with, a variety of learning technologies, including Web 2.0, was explored through the use of learner video diaries together with in-depth interviews and questionnaires.
Executive Summary
ICT & the Student First Year Experience
Setting the scene
Technology is embedded seamlessly into the personal and social lives of today’s students, yet recent reports have questioned the widespread assumption that young adults have the sophisticated information skills and digital literacy needed to become autonomous learners. Furthermore, there is a small but significant minority who do not actively engage with information technology; the ‘digital divide’ may be narrowing but it has not disappeared. Our undergraduate population is quite diverse, especially with the increasing move towards widening access and adult returnees and the emphasis on lifelong learning. An increasing number are International students attracted by the University’s world-class reputation. We believe that it is dangerous to over-generalise findings from some groups of students to all others, and so understanding our present students’ views and experiences is vital to us as education providers.
The LEaD project addressed these important issues. The aim was to understand the impact of technology, both institutional and personal, on students’ transition to university and how this changed as they progressed through their critical first year. We investigated the utilisation of ICT and learning technologies by first-year undergraduates at the University of Edinburgh from a variety of different entry routes and academic disciplines, including Physics, Divinity and Veterinary Medicine, over the course of the academic year 2007/08. In particular, we addressed the following questions:
- What are students’ expectations regarding the availability and use of learning technologies at university?
- How do students adapt and change their approaches to e-learning during their first year?
- What are the key factors that influence students’ choices of e-learning strategies and how these are utilised?
- To what extent do students use non-institutional online technologies to support their learning?
Research approaches
The study focused on the student year through students’ own voices. The overall shape of our research was based on two underlying principles. Firstly, to take a student-centred approach, whereby the students’ own views and opinions are central to the study. Secondly, to adopt a holistic approach in which students’ use of ICT and learning technologies is set within the context of their learning experiences as a whole. To capture the breadth and complexity of students’ experiences a mixed-mode approach was followed, including a series of reflective diaries recorded by students themselves (in video, audio or text format) together with surveys and focus groups.
The methodology used in this study is described in a companion methodological report “Techniques for Gathering Student Views of their Experiences at University”, available from the LEaD project website
Key messages
Students do not form a homogenous group, and findings in this area are inevitably complex. However, some of the main messages that emerged from our work include:
Expectations and experiences
- Students are confident with technology and find computers and the internet helpful, have their own laptops and gadgets and a range of abilities. This, coupled with their high expectations, offers huge potential for universities to engage with students from a very early stage.
- There may be a window of opportunity to reach students before arrival to help smooth the transition to university life. As the student population becomes more heterogeneous and diverse, and possibly less well prepared, this could become more important.
- However, there is a risk in assuming too much about the technology-immersed young adults, who may use very limited features of their devices and gadgets. Students do not always recognise the potential of technologies that they have as learning devices
- There is still a small minority of students who are not confident with technology, or have no access to the internet or do not recognise the value of technology for studying their particular subject.
Institutional use of technology
- Technology is part of students’ lives: the term e-learning does not mean much to them. There is simply teaching with strands of technology running through
- Students are not pushing us to use particular technologies
- Students are quite traditional in their views and value the “tried and tested” methods. They have limited vision of what the future of technology holds for education. This is reflected in their strong desire for face-to-face contact, with technology to supplement and enhance this
- Students want clear explanations about technologies that they are expected to use. They recognise that some staff do not use technology, but would like more consistency across courses
- The use of technology should be based on needs and be education driven not technology or product driven. Students should have control over how and when they use technology
Personal use of technology
- Students are social; learning and support often takes place informally in groups, often facilitated by technology
- Students find their comfort zones and ways of working that are personal to them, and use technology to suit their own ways of learning
- Skills do not belong to a particular generation. Students will switch skills and learn from each other if they find the skills useful and there is a need
- Technology should not intrude on students’ personal space
- Students expect systems and services to be robust, accessible and visible. Students with work experience may be more critical, viewing university systems as less polished than commercial systems
- Students rate the “MyEd” portal highly as it organises everything in one place using a single sign-on approach
- Technology is becoming mainstreamed into teaching and learning at the University of Edinburgh. There is nothing special anymore about e-learning, only learning and teaching with strands of technology running through
Conclusions
Students thread technology through both their social and academic lives, learning new skills from the specific application of ICT and learning technologies and bringing their own use of technology to bear on their studies in ways that suit their own preferences. They do not generally have high expectations from universities in terms of novel or innovative uses of technology, but do expect reliability, predictability, and high quality use across their courses.
There is a continuing need to understand the student perspective as we move into an even more technology-rich world. The diversity of the student population, coupled with the changing nature of teaching and learning, offers both challenges and opportunities. Keeping students’ voices central to research in this area will be key to the success in meeting all our students’ needs and aspirations.