University Projects: Online Learning - multiple perspectives

Abstract

This round table discussion and contribution to the conference draws upon four SoTL projects around online learning as part of a larger University wide evaluation of the topic.  The projects represent staff and/or student perspectives on a range of online teaching and learning experiences from the Sheffield Institute of Education, Institute of Social Sciences, Sheffield Creative Industries Institute and the School of Computing and Digital Technologies.  The focus of the projects vary between the evaluation of the 25/26 mode of delivery change to alternate weeks of online and face to face teaching, the experience of distance learning students and an evaluation of online assessment support.

Following a Theory of Change approach, the projects have utilised a range of methods to gather data to gain rich understanding of perspectives of online teaching and learning.  The methods include surveys, questionnaires, reflective tasks, use of demographic data and focus groups.  These will also be reflected upon during the round table discussion.

The session will be led by one of the project leads asking questions pertinent to the project teams’ findings and plans moving forward to ameliorate practice.  We aim to unpick aspects of good practice and identify where difficulties have emerged.  Learning from innovative practice across the University will be drawn in to the discussion highlighting possible implications for practice across the University in different disciplines.