Student and tutor experiences of different teaching and learning strategies in online short courses Cherie Harrington, Alison Fordham

1University of Cambridge

Student and tutor experiences of different teaching and learning strategies in online short courses

Chérie HarringtoneLearning AssistantInstitute of Continuing Education


Introduction

Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) offers a range of courses

Non-credit• Madingley weekly programmes• Weekend residential• International summer schools• Career and professional development• Online

Credit• Undergraduate certificates and diplomas• Undergraduate advanced diplomas• Postgraduate certificates• Master of Studies degree


Online learning at ICE

1 orientation week

Short courses of 7 weeks

5 teaching weeks1 feedback week



0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

<20 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s

n

~750 students

age


70 countries represented



Psychology in the real worldThe fall of the Roman Empire

An introduction to international development

Ancient Rome

Roman and Greek Mythology

The early Tudors Psychology in context Creative writing: life writing

Creative writing: travel writing

Creative writing: short story writing

Life CoachingForensic science: DNA analysis

Shakespeare and the interpretation of history

Wuthering Heights and its afterlife

Introduction to philosophy of film

Origins of Christianity

The quest for the historical JesusAthens and the 5th Century Intellectual Revolution

The Medieval Village LandscapeExecutive Coaching

Applying psychology to the workplace

Interpersonal dynamics of executive coaching

Evolution

Forensic science: poisoning

Crystals from the inside outSaving planet ocean

How do fossils record evolution?

Understanding Atoms

Googling the earth


Variety of courses offered


Tasks: forum discussions (tutor led), writing, research


Variety of teaching tools used

Articulate presentations: slides with audio, video links

Short videos: weekly overviews

Quizzes

Links: articles, documents, websites, audio/video

Forums: news/announcements, tutor led, student led

Adobe connect: live seminars, 1-1 tutorials, lectures


How did we obtain feedback?

Questionnaire:• Development/delivery• VLE interface• Teaching methods efficacy• Improvements

Questionnaire: • Course content• VLE interface• Tutor• Improvements

Students

Questionnaire (43% return rate)Feedback forum (average 17 replies)

Tutors

Questionnaire (78% return rate)End of course briefing


“Managed to make it personal (not easy when we can't be seen)!” - Student

“The tutor was great, always there to answer questions. Answers were clear and informative” - Student

“[Our tutor] was very actively engaged in discussions and excellent at giving personal feedback and encouraging to push our thinking further” - Student

“Personal interaction, and encouragement when a student has done good work. Letting students know I'm there.” - Tutor

What themes did we find?

Forums – Tutor interaction


“The most valuable things I gained from this course were the points of view and opinions of my fellow peers.” - Student


Forums – Student interaction

“I found reading other students' work most interesting, especially because of the diversity in the group.” - Student

“Students like, and benefit from, a lot of feedback from the tutor. Most of them also like reading each other's work and commenting on it” - Tutor


“I particularly liked the videos leading into each section.” - Student

“I find video presentations particularly useful and would encourage this form of teaching.” - Student

“I liked the personal video introductions a lot” - Student


Use of video – Short videos

“The introductory videos on each topic were great, giving a quick overview” - Student


“It would be great if you could setup a live chat amongst the students and tutor.” - Student

“The online seminars were very helpful” - Student

“More live online sessions” - Student

“Introduce on-line video conferencing or skype sessions if possible, in the future.” - Student


Use of video – Online seminars

“Live online seminars, especially the coaching demonstration sessions” - Tutor


“I was not always clear on what was expected of me. Maybe some general guidance upfront would have been good” - Student

“I feel the suggested reading could have been given earlier in order for students to have a head start before the course started.” - Student

“Indicate how much background in the subject a student would need” - Student


Course information

“We would have liked to get the reading list before the start of the course in order to get prepared.” - Student


“The layout of the web site is a little confusing at first.” - Student

“The course was great! I really don't know how can you improve it... You should work more on VLE but I don't know exactly in which ways.” - Student

“Compared to more modern VLE sites I find this one difficult to navigate and not that user-friendly. Moodle is a good choice if you ever think of changing” - Student

“Easier direct access to discussion boards in menu”- Student


Impact of VLE

“I would improve layout and navigation, make it responsive or mobile phone ready, more intuitive, dynamic, fresh, modern” - Tutor


Thank you

[email protected]

http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/

mailto:[email protected]


Thank you

[email protected]

http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/

mailto:[email protected]

Presentations & Public Speaking

Student and tutor experiences of different teaching and learning strategies in online short courses Cherie Harrington, Alison Fordham