Student voice: is honesty the best policy? Giving students control of TEL evaluations. Presented at the Blackboard Teaching & Learning Conference in Dublin, 1st May 2014. Speakers: Eleanor Loughlin, Anne Skerratt, Elaine Tan & Malcolm Murray

1. STUDENT VOICE:
is honesty the best policy?
Giving students control of TEL evaluations
Eleanor Loughlin, Alice Skerratt
Careers, Employability & Enterprise Centre
Elaine Tan, Malcolm Murray
Learning Technologies Team
@ElaineRTan @malcolmmurray
Blackboard
Teaching&LearningConference
D U B L I N 2 0 1 4 | T H U R 1 M AY | U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E D U B L I N

2. Apologies
This public slide deck does not contain the verbatim
transcripts from student feedback shared during the
session in Dublin.
These have been removed to protect the identity of the
students.

3. Project Focus
How do we get honest
and accurate information
about:
what students do with,
feel about
and use technology for
as part of their learning?
Image: Nanette Hoogslag

4. Project Focus
How do we involve
students more
in designing, improving
and developing their
own learning
experiences?
Image: Georgia Drysdale, Wellcome Images

5. Image: Neil Leslie, Wellcome Images
Project Focus
How do we
provide genuine
opportunities for
students to
undertake work
experience?

6. Image: Adrian Cousins, Wellcome Images
Project Focus
How do we provide
skills training that is
contextualized and
allows students to
apply what they are
learning in a safe but
meaningful situation?

7. Educational Paradigm
Source: after Simonson et al. (2006) Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of
distance education, Third Edition. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle, New Jersey. p206
Individual &
Collaborating
Students
Student-Centred
Learning
Class of
Students
Teacher-Centred
Learning

8. Image: Dianne Harris, Wellcome Images
Methodology
Obtain ethical approval
Design draft questions
Recruit students as paid researchers
Train the students
Students recruit an interview group
Hold all-student focus groups
Encourage deviation from questions
Student researchers write report
Identify trends and differences
Students contribute to draft report
Agree dissemination targets
Students co-present findings

9. Methodological Concerns
Completion Rates
Representativeness
Authenticity
Privacy
Image: Dianne Harris, Wellcome Images

10. Methodological Concerns
Completion Rates
93% report
81% demographics
Image: Dianne Harris, Wellcome Images

11. Methodological Concerns
Representativeness
47%
44%
53%
54%
Male
Female
Population
n = 11,742
Sample
n = 131
Image: Dianne Harris, Wellcome Images

12. Methodological Concerns
Authenticity
Images: iPhone by Daniel Zanetti, Wikipedia Head by Dianne Harris, Wellcome Images

13. Methodological Concerns
Privacy
Image: Dianne Harris, Wellcome Images

14. What tools do staff use with you in the courses
you are taking at Durham?
• What works well?
• What works badly?
Sample Question

15. Dublin Feedback…
What tools do staff use with you in the courses
you are taking at Durham?
• What works well?
• What works badly?
Replace “Durham” with your institution
Discuss…

16. Our (Students’) Findings
Students experience of the institutional technology they
are asked to use should match the usability of the
technology they choose to use

17. Our (Students’) Findings
The e-Learning experience at Durham should be
• comparable to other HE institutions
• fair to all Durham students
• match or exceed previous educational experiences

18. Our (Students’) Findings
Staff should be aware of the technology available to them
and its potential to support students as learners

19. Our (Students’) Findings
Staff should be aware of the technology available to them
and its potential to support students as learners

20. Our (Students’) Findings
Students value consistency of approach

21. Our (Students’) Findings
Mixed messages regarding the VLE

22. Our (Students’) Findings
DIY provision often favoured for collaboration

23. In conclusion
Not all students are as
good in real life as they
are on paper…
…most are better
Saw real engagement &
reflection on their own
learning and personal
practices
Image: Matthew Herring, Wellcome Images

24. In conclusion
Image: Matthew Herring, Wellcome Images
Incredible amount of
informative and actionable
material produced
Yields a better understanding of the
diversity of experience and need

25. Thank you for coming!
Contact us:
alice.skerratt@durham.ac.uk
elaine.tan@durham.ac.uk @ElaineRTan
eleanor.loughlin@durham.ac.uk
malcolm.murray@durham.ac.uk @malcolmmurray
More details on the project blog:
http://goo.gl/I6mLfJ