Abstract
This case study describes the methods used to evaluate a series of study skills workshops and online learning materials created for a cohort of foundation degree arts and humanities students. The workshops and online content were created in response to feedback from the previous cohort which revealed that students had struggled to relate the workshops to their assignment, which was a portfolio of critical reflections. In order to better understand the disconnect experienced by the students between the module content and the course assessment, it was decided to track the paths of desire taken by the cohort in their learning, and assess whether online content could improve learning outcomes or whether workshops and print sources are more valuable for skills development. Quantitative data, such as attendance, VLE use and book loans, along with qualitative data from the students’ critical reflections were gathered to track student engagement with material, creating a narrative of the learning journeys of the cohort. Findings revealed that online content has a valuable role in supporting success for some students but that attendance at workshops has a strong correlation with portfolio grade and skills development.
Highlights
High quality university courses are those which engender independence and autonomy in the learner (Ashwin, 2015); the ‘massification’ and consequent diversification of Crowther higher education in recent years have presented challenges for programme teams in designing study skills material that meets the needs of their students
Evidence suggests that deeper learning takes place in experiential rather than didactic lecture-based skills development programmes (Carbery and Hegarty, 2011) and that the contextualised teaching of study skills within programmes is key to student success (Wingate, 2006); the limitations imposed by timetabling, room sizes and staffing has led to the large-scale adoption of generic induction programmes, which can leave students bewildered and poorly-equipped for study (Mery et al, 2012)
In 2018, Research England encouraged universities to look at metrics such as visits to the library and the speed of clicks on a website to measure student engagement and success
Summary
High quality university courses are those which engender independence and autonomy in the learner (Ashwin, 2015); the ‘massification’ and consequent diversification of Crowther higher education in recent years have presented challenges for programme teams in designing study skills material that meets the needs of their students. In 2017/18, 67 students aged between 17 and 70 on the Arts and Humanities Foundation Degree Programme at a post-1992 university attended a series of six workshops delivered Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, Issue 14: April 2019 By librarians and academic learning developers as part of an Understanding Arts and Humanities module.
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