Since 2013, Leeds Beckett has carried out two studies, working with market researchers, into students’ feelings and perceptions of online courses and their learning context. This work has been conducted outside routine data collection for statistical reporting to regulatory agencies, as these exercises do not explore a student’s engagement or behaviour in a rich enough way to assist practitioners in the design of learning products, services and experiences. The unstated philosophy of both studies discussed has been to ground learning behaviour, and hence engagement, in the whole life of the individual student and, in the second study, over an extended time period. This includes the student’s emotional life. The role of emotions in learning has been explored by researchers but is also of interest to practitioners who, engage with students in a real life, rather than experimental, context. This paper describes these two studies, their findings and their value in developing and delivering online courses. The first study (2014) was entirely qualitative. It covered a small sample, in a narrow time window, but provided rich, nuanced insights into learning context and motivation. The second study (2016) was a longitudinal study of a much larger sample of students, using a mix of qualitative research and quantitative data collection. Both studies help us contextualise the ‘online student’, whose presence and activities online are subject to institutional measurement, in the ‘whole person’ of the student.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)