Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

From a whisper to a shout: eliciting the learner's voice

Towle, G. and Howe, R. (2009) From a whisper to a shout: eliciting the learner's voice. Other presented to: American Conference for Academic Disciplines, Orlando, Florida, 16-19 February 2009. (Unpublished)

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Other)
Abstract: Little research has been conducted into the learner's experiences and opinions of e-learning. As part of a series of JISC funded project on learners and e-learning, E4L (E-learning for learners) focuses on adult and community learners (ACL) and those from Further (FE) and Higher Education (HE). Interviews were conducted with nine learners on HE courses at the University of Northampton, providing a snapshot of their personal experiences and opinions. These learners were sampled using a modification of Salmon's 5-step model to assess the proficiency of e-communication of prospective participants as it was determined that communication pays an important part in learning. Tasks were created in a VLE to assess their e-communication proficiency. The selected participants were those who were proficient e-communicators and successfully completed the tasks. This paper provides a snapshot of personal experiences of HE students at the University of Northampton including disabled and those with English as a second language. Initial findings indicate that the learners are audio/visual and generally prefer the interactivity of e-learning. There is the desire for everything they need in one place, a 'one stop shop' where they can access different module materials, their emails and other aspects such as coursework updates and calendars.
Uncontrolled Keywords: learners voice; E4L; 5 step model; e-learning; virtual learning environment; methodology; sampling; interview; interview plus; personal education flowchart; recording; product cards
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
L Education > LC Special aspects of Education > LC5201 Education extension. Adult education. Continuing education > LC5800 Distance education
L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1028.43 Computers in education. Web-based instruction. Educational technology
Creators: Towle, Gemma and Howe, Rob
Corporate Creators: University of Northampton
Funders or Sponsors: JISC
Projects: E4L, JISC learner experiences
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > University Departments > Library and Learning Services
Date: 17 February 2009
Date Type: Presentation
Event Title: American Conference for Academic Disciplines
Event Dates: 16-19 February 2009
Event Location: Orlando, Florida
Event Type: Conference
Language: English
Status: Unpublished
Refereed: Yes
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/2018

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