Do students want personalised learning?

Dr. Shalni GulatiCity University London

Shalni.gulati.1@city.ac.uk

Q. What are the underlying assumptions in the relationships between...

Q. How can we begin to problematise the notion of personalisation, technologies and learning?

What is the Learner Experience?• Research evidence:

– Increased use of Web 2.0, online and mobile technologies

• Digital natives ...... digital immigrants• Levels of engagement with formalised and informal

technologies• Some participate and others do not

– Learners desire more control over their learning processes

• Do learners want us to use their Web 2.0 technologies in formal education?

My research...

• How do professional postgraduate learners engage in and construct meaning during online and blended course?

Methodology

• Constructivist Paradigm– Personal Construct Theory (Kelly 1955)

• Methods– Repertory Grid Method– Grounded Theory Approach (Strauss and Corbin

1998)

• Sample– Heterogeneous 29 volunteer learners

E1 Email Colleagues (to share documents and PPT.: formal & informal are happening together)

E2 Search on the internet for visual resources & flowcharts

E3 Search databases & search engines on specific subjects

E4 Read web pages, articles on or off the computer

E5 Jot down ideas from what I have read

E6 Email peers for Informal discussion and to maintain contact when in placement

E7 Email tutors my essay for feedback

E8 Manage and organise my time and knowledge online

E9 Initially used VLE for online discussions

E10 Being part of a group

E11 Read other peoples' emails (re. Shared documents)

Betty’s Interview 1 (a) Eliciting Elements – ‘how’

Q. Can you describe the activities you engaged in that helped you

learn during your online course?

b) Eliciting Constructs – ‘why’

E1 Email Colleagues (to share docs and ppt.: formal & informal are happening together)

E2 Search on the internet for

visual resources & flowcharts

E3 Search databases & search

engines on specific subjects

PC1b Sharing knowledge that I have found

PC3b More focused knowledge

PC4b I am pin-pointing what I want to know and write

PC5b Not as fluid but limited

PC6b Here I build my point of view of learning

PC1a Me acquiring the knowledge

PC3a Broader knowledge

PC4a I am open to look at learning resources I find

PC5a This is more organic and fluid process

PC6a Here I learn from different views

c) Developing the grid

 One construct to represent each row

 One element to represent each column

 Contrasting construct to represent each row 

5 1

 5

 4

 3

 2

 1

 4

 1

 5

 1

 3

 3

 2

 5

 3

 5

 1

 2

 1

 3

 5

 1

 5

 A complete numerical grid has a complete set of constructs rated for all the elicited elements.

c) The Repertory Grid

PCa E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 E10 E11 PCb

1a4 1 1 1 1 3 5 2 3 3 2

1b

2a4 1 1 3 5 5 3 3 4 3 4

2b

3a4 1 1 1 2 2 5 3 5 3 4

3b

4a4 1 1 1 3 3 5 3 5 3 4

4b

5a3 1 1 1 2 1 5 3 4 3 4

5b

6a3 1 1 1 1 2 4 3 3 1 2

6b

7a3 5 5 5 5 3 4 4 2 3 2

7b

8a2 5 5 5 4 3 3 4 2 4 1

8b

9a3 2 2 2 5 3 4 3 3 3 2

9b

10a2 1 1 1 3 3 3 2 2 3 2

10b

11a1 2 2 2 4 3 1 3 3 3 2

11b

12a1 5 5 5 4 1 4 2 1 1 1

12b

13a1 2 2 2 1 3 2 3 4 1 1

13b

14a1 5 5 5 4 1 2 3 2 1 1

14b

15a 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 5 4 2 15b

16a2 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 2 3 2

16b

Betty’s element factors

Betty’s construct factors

Plot of elements on construct factors

MY PERSONAL

SPACE

My learning begins on my own

I rely on the Internet to find

information & communicate

Internet helps to organise

myself for distance learning

INFORMAL SOCIAL

SPACE

Trusting relationships with others are

important for social support & learning

Sharing informally with peers I trust

helps to process & validate information

before I can accept it as personal

knowledge

FORMAL SOCIAL

SPACE

I need to feel confident about

my personal knowledge before I

can share it formally for others

to judge

I build trusting relationshipsI feel responsible to others so they can trust me

MY CONTROLReliable access to the Internet and variety of information gives me some control. I do not

trust my initial ideas I need to check and validate my developing ideas to gain control

over defining personal knowledge

HERE I GAIN MORE CONTROLI control how, when and with whom I share and

deconstruct my developing knowledge.This process helps me to gain more control

through perspectives of others, whom I trust.

I HAVE LESS CONTROL HERE over who can see my shared

knowledge. I maintain control by sharing end products. I do not use this to

question and process information to develop knowledge

I question others perspectives on my and their shared work to help me learn and build personal knowledge

Tutor feedback is useful to review personal knowledge

VLE discussions are situated in the formal social space

Betty’s learning is an iterative process between self / online sources / colleagues / tutors

(TUTOR-DEFINED) MAIN LEARNING RESOURCE

Online access to lecture material, online activities and reference links

MEETING THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Evaluation and Validation of personal understanding

EXPANDING COMPREHENSION in face-to-face class discussions

EXPANDING COMPREHENSION in face-to-face informal interactions with peer and tutors

ONLINE COMMUNICATION USING VLE AND EMAIL

ME: SELF-LED & SELF-PACED READING: in stages. Re-reading for comprehension. Karan chose his focus

Re-read to address gaps

Gave access to multiple views

Processing information to build confidence in understanding

Helped to plan, prioritise and control learning process

Opportunity to link theory-practice: evaluating understanding & building confidence

No feedback; reduced confidence in written English; did not help with processing knowledge

Online lecture notes: & offline discussions: Allowed freedom to express learning need; Ensure feedback; Allow discussion to link theory-practice

Reduced confidence due to lack of critical writing skills

Karan’s learning is an iterative process between self / course materials / colleagues / tutor feedback

(JA) Me &

my learning space

My control

Self-reliancePersonal organisation

Low relianceon others

My learning is supported by my

my work place interactions

Others are not always receptive

to me

I value and

trust experts input... Tutor’s notes

& feedback

I sometimes

lack confidence

to say thingsIn the open

Study late into the night;

Online regularly after work;

Use Hospital library;

Use Hospital computer;

Jaya’s learning is a self-reliant process with some tutorial and workplace interactions

Content not always relevant to work

“It looks like that I can do a lot on my own. I can

organise, I can control, I can judge. When I interact with other people they not give me information I

need. Some will give me, but not all.”

“Its my style of writing. I like to critically analyse

things and say something critical. Like any

research things, I like to analyse this, and then you have to

support what you say. You have to look for articles and you have

to go to the internet again”.

e3

e1

e5

e6

e7

e2

e4e8

e9

e10

Faith Relevance &

M

otivation

Progress & a fe

eling

of achievement

Experiential learning & control over my sense of being in the centre, and understanding

Peripheral elements

Main elements

I am here at work

I am here with formal learning

Need more elements of time: for reflection; scoping and planning

It needs to be relevant to my world

Multimedia and relevance help with the spark factor that engages me

Desper

ation &

conce

rn ar

e also

driver

s

Desperation and ongoing thought about learning during day to day activities lead to a more successful and rich result.

Coerced and required working does not always lead to creative results for sometimes it could)

2. Results

Two main personal constructs or main lenses with which learners viewed their learning worlds:

Personal Control Emotions

3. Three main tenetsT1 Individual and social learning preference

Learners engaged in online, offline, individual and social activities

depending on their learning preferences and their construction of

personal control and emotions during a learning activityT2 Online social identity

A positive online social identity was an important precursor for successful engagement and learning during in online discussion participation

T3 Practical and technical factorsTime for learning, IT access and a sense of ownership of the virtual

learning space influenced control and emotional engagement during online learning activities including online discussions

Online Social Identities!

Self as an online learnerSelf as an

national/international learner in the UK

Self as a (developing) professional

Personal control Emotions

T2 Online Social identity

Self as a Post-graduate... An adult learner

Conclusion

• There were similarities and differences in how different learners constructed meaning

• Personal control and emotional connectedness in online space enabled some learners to feel empowered;

• Lack of control and emotional connections led to feelings of disempowerment in online and blended courses

Conclusion

• In order to understand how technologies should be used to facilitate learning, it is important to understand how learners construct and accommodate these technologies in their diverse ways of knowing

e-learning seminar University of Oxford

Implications for practice

• Significance of personal control calls for online course

designs that allow learners to construct personalised

learning pathways

• Significance of emotions calls for more time and activities

where learners can get to know others and are able to

build trust in sharing ideas and questions

• Use of technology for learning does not facilitate a power-

neutral process

From this we need to question...• Are learners already personalising their learning :

– To match their preferences?

– To adapt to the given requirements?

– Take initiative to make learning relevant to their personal and professional goals?

– If yes... What needs to change in our approach to HE provision to support these processes of personalisation?

– If no...What is preventing learners from personalising learning experiences?

Personal versus Social

• Can personalisation of learningthat aims to shift from tutor transfer of knowledge towards enabling students to self-regulate their learning pathways and processes and set own targetsresult in loosing the significance of social and emotional connectedness for meaningful learning?

• Can personalisation focusing on personalised journeys result in social disconnection?

The issue of power discourses and personal control

• If personalised approaches can enable greater learner control over a learning situation, can personalisation make learning power-neutral?

– Can use of personalisation strategies (as described in today’s conference) enable different learners to experience similar (if not the same) sense of personal control over their learning?

Technologies and personalisation

• Can personalisation supported by Web 2.0 technologies enable personalised learning journeys & engage participants from socially disengaged groups? How?

• What if the teacher is defining how and which technologies are to be used for personalisation??

Your conclusions on personalisation...

Thank You

Shalni GulatiShalni.gulati.1@city.ac.ukwww.yourlearning.com