Author: Stuart Hirst, s.hirst@leedsmet.ac.uk

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

Higher Education Academy Subject Centre: Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism

This case study illustrates...an effect on learning, student satisfaction with e-learning, innovation in learning and teaching, staff personal development

Tangible Benefits

What tangible benefits did this e-learning approach produce?

A subset of results is reproduced here:

Student Achievement (their final marked grade) did not seem to be appreciably increased compared to previous deliveries of the module when much less use was made of e-learning in the blend of teaching.

However student feedback indicated that they liked this approach and these are some of their comments.

'The things I liked about this module were:

• This module is very interesting and very practical. It helped me improve my practical skills. The teaching methods were excellent as well as the resources to help me complete the milestones within the module was good.
• I liked the fact that the module enables students to understand and learn how to create animation for websites as well as the theory behind it
• Being able to work practically hands on with the pc's and not just all theory work based on lectures and tutorials, as I think you learn more when you can actually work on the project you are doing.
• the use of the different software packages available for web development
• Very 'hands on' approach. Am able to work at my own pace without getting out of my depth. Help was always on hand to assist me in any problems.
• The way that the assignment spec was clearly structured. The available help. The way that the marks for each assignment have been received ASAP.
• I like working on Dreamweaver and fireworks therefore this module was really good for me to enhance my skills and I have learnt a lot.
• the chance to learn new things such as flash.
• It was very interesting, as I learnt a lot of new skills which I wouldn't have even known about. The multimedia aspect of the course was very interesting for me as learning flash and fireworks taught me vital skills that I will need for my career.
• Learning how to use flash and fireworks in creating a website. Also the practical element of the website design and implementation
• Interesting web authoring packages; No lectures; Able to work at your own pace; Useful demonstrations in practicals;
• The hands on experience available. Help was always available.'

I think that, whilst e-learning has the potential to enhance the student learning experience, it seems that an unmotivated face-to-face student will become an unmotivated online student. There was marginal improvement in the pass rate. What did improve was apparent student satisfaction in the learning process. For me, as a staff member delivering e-learning as a blended component of the overall learning and teaching experience, I have been very enthusiastic and my interest in teaching pedagogy was reawakened as I first got to grips with e-learning and began to integrate it into my teaching.

Unfortunately this enthusiasm has begun to wane. I attribute this to the fact that I do not perceive that my university has an appreciable strategic view of the worth of e-learning and is not investing in any resources to support staff who may not have web development skills. I once was an e-learning champion but I find that it is becoming impossible for many to follow.

Moreover, there is a significant perception within the university, amongst senior staff, that e-learning is a way of saving money and that materials online need little support once developed.

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

Use of e-learning could only be capitalised on if there was an opportunity to completely rethink module delivery. For this delivery it was not an afterthought but completely integrated into the design of the module. It provided a flexibility for teaching which I had not experienced before and fitted in well with a coaching style of delivery in which students had bite-size chunks of new knowledge, demonstration was given of how to apply it, they applied it to a problem of their own choosing, feedback was given of their performance and this was set within a broader appreciation of how all these "milestone" jigsaw pieces fitted together when they had to produce their own assessed assignment.

I do believe that my efforts were a little Heath-Robinson in their implementation and would have benefited from a much more rigorous approach to design. I now feel that the Constructive Alignment approaches expounded by John Biggs may have a lot to offer in effective design of learning delivery once assessment has been aligned to learning outcomes.

However, this module received some of the best end of module student review comments I have had, so they obviously liked it. When the whole module had been completed and assignments submitted, this was the final homepage just before reopening of the WebCT module to give student Feedback:

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

My e-learning approach has never been replicated or followed by others. It is beyond the scope of current institutional strategy because there has yet to be an institutional strategy that gives context to blended learning within the overall Assessment, Learning and Teaching strategy.

This has been quite some disappointment to me.