Volume Two - Academic Conferences

Marie Sams et al.
attaching the new concept of peer to peer postings to grades that impact their final module mark but
also to encourage freedom to embrace and fully explore this new approach without feeling pressured
or restricted by marking impacts. However, some students also commented that being able to post
online gave them time for reflection and thought, and also material to go back to at a later stage to
revisit key learning points.
Motivation
Full time students and part time students appeared to have very different motivations on this module.
Part time students emerged as more driven and self motivated, which became apparent within the
focus groups. This is perhaps reflective of the increased level of survey participation and responses
by part time students. One mature student expressed the value gained in becoming a more self
directed learner as the majority of part time students were in full time work, and had different
motivational factors than those studying full time on the programme. The focus group stressed the
need for more feedback both formative and summative to feel truly engaged and see a tangible value
in contributing to the self directed online work and discussions. There is some secondary evidence
from Nicols (2007) who conducted similar research and found that students had more of a need for
formative assessment and feedback from academic staff in larger class sizes in order to feel
supported. This showed symmetry between both research projects and also the identification that
students demonstrated a high reliance on the lecturer and valued their feedback however failed to see
their or peer discussions/postings and feedback as valuable. One respondent commented that they
liked the online learning. ”Yes, but I don’t enjoy commenting on other people’s uploaded work” and
this was similarly echoed in the focus group feedback. “I did not feel confident in posting as I felt
exposed in case it was wrong also this lack of confidence contributed in making me reluctant to post
in response to others postings”. However, another student commented “I felt scared to comment on
other peoples work to start with, yes. However we are first year students, and I could see my
confidence growing throughout the module to comment on other work”.
Flexibility
Data gathered from responses to the online questionnaire illustrate one of the key findings of a
blended learning module, such as MOB with respect to flexibility. This is also reflected when
considering a practitioners perspective. Student’s traditional expectations are challenged and
paradigms shifted when learning is moved from the class room or lecture theatre to an online
medium; encouraging students to develop more flexible ways of studying and learning. Of the 279
students who responded to this question, 85% believed that online learning provided them with a
flexible approach to study, see figure 1 below. Allowing students greater flexibility in the way in which
they learn allows them to develop skills, which can be transferred to other aspects of life, such as
employment skills. This theme was also made apparent within the focus group discussions, by both
full and part time students; from this it was clear that this was one of the major advantages for
students studying a module such as MOB.
250
200
150
100
50
0
Flexibility
Agree No Opinion Disagree
Figure 1: Percentage of students and opinions regarding flexibility
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