Author: Alison Wride, a.e.c.wride@exeter.ac.uk

JISC e-Learning Activity Area: Technology-enhanced Learning Environments

Higher Education Academy Subject Centre: Economics

This case study illustrates...an effect on learning, an effect on student personal development, innovation in learning and teaching, staff satisfaction with e-learning, a positive effect on recruitment, a positive effect on retention, use of resources, an effect on social equality

Tangible Benefits

What tangible benefits did this e-learning approach produce?

We have identified some tangible benefits to both staff and students from this approach.

• The pass rates/average marks on the economics modules are equivalent to the modules that were previously in place. The business module was new, however the marks demonstrated a good spread and a high average level of achievement
• Retention rates on the modules were very high and several students on joint programmes who took the first economics module decided to sign up for that running in the second semester
• Several of the staff involved had not previously used e-learning. In part the issue had been the cost of designing materials and this was overcome by the use of publishers' resources. Their enthusiasm for the approach has enabled us to highlight it across the school
• The recording of student participation potentially allows us to use the learning process as an administrative tool, monitoring attendance
• The approach fits with our institutional strategy on increased emphasis on e-learning and problem-based learning while also retaining core contact hours and ensuring research active staff to continue to teach
• The use of e-resources ensure that all students on the module have access to materials even if they have work commitments or have to spend some time away from the university
• International students reported that they found the online materials particularly user-friendly. They had often felt diffident about speaking in class whereas they now had the opportunity to cover the materials at their own pace. The provision of help classes ensures that they can then seek support if they need to do so
• Real savings in staff time were identified, with eight hours of tutorials per week being replaced by two help classes. The real benefits of this will appear in subsequent years, since the staff involved are now familiar with the resources
• Real space savings were achieved with the reduction in the number of classes
• The materials provided by the publishers are very extensive, far more so than we would have had the capacity to design
• There is potential for team-teaching and increased continuity when staff are bought out on research grants

Did implementation of this e-learning approach have any disadvantages or drawbacks?

A few disadvantages were identified, these included:

• The time spent explaining to students who missed the initial training how to use the resources. We will address this in the future by having a web-based explanation linked through from the module page
• Concern about the costs of the texts to students. We have persuaded the publishers to give us some free texts and key codes for distribution on a needs-assessed basis
• Concern that the interactive discussion that could take place in classes was now being lost; though the fact that this discussion was not occurring enough had motivated the new approach
• Managing the belief that this was a cost-driven measure rather than one driven by concern for student learning

How did this e-learning approach accord with or differ from any relevant departmental and/or institutional strategies?

This e-learning approach does embed within our institutional strategy which clearly aims to increase the amount of e-learning undertaken at what was a largely traditional university. As the national agenda appears to move towards a splitting of teaching and research-led institutions, universities like Exeter are in danger of falling between the two. We are not members of the Russell group, yet we expect to carry out internationally rated research and that our teaching should be research-led. This approach not only benefits the students but is also resource efficient and fits with the move to increased buy-outs for academics.