The second phase of the research into the learner experience of e-learning is one year old, with most projects due to finish in March 2009. Phase 2 of this programme is made up of 7 research projects, with a "Support and Synthesis" project running in parallel. On the public area of the project wiki you can get a good idea of the work that’s been done so far. While the 7 projects are doing their individual research, the Support and Synthesis project has run 4 support workshops which have enabled the project teams to work together while focusing on the issues surrounding data collection, methodology and dissemination outputs.
You may have seen the publication from the first phase of the research - In Their Own Words available from the JISC website, and you may have seen coverage of LEX here in Fortnightly Mailing. There continues to be considerable interest in the many aspects of this phase of the project; not only the possible findings but the different types of data collection (video and audio), the methodologies used by the range of projects and the model of support used by the Support and Synthesis project. We’re now at the stage where a variety of themes are just beginning to emerge.
Evaluating what learners are doing with technology is obviously important and there are a number of UK projects, mainly HE centred, focusing on this theme. For example, the Higher Education Academy has funded a project, running from January to July 2008, called the Experiences of E-Learning Special Interest Group (ELISIG), for those involved in investigations and evaluations of learners' experiences of e-learning. An initial ELISIG workshop held in March 2008 was attended by over 40 people.
For more information on the Learner Experience Projects, contact Ellen Lessner, Project Manager, Support and Synthesis Project or Sarah Knight, JISC Programme Manager.
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