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Evaluating the impact of a Pedagogical Framework for Fully Online Education

The impact of a new pedagogical design framework

Samantha Stark (Digital Education Service)

Project overview

The aim of this project is to find out whether a new pedagogical framework for designing modules on fully online master's degrees is achieving its intended purposes, which are:

(a) to improve student experience, satisfaction, and engagement

(b) to improve staff satisfaction with the modules

(c) to reduce staff workload. A sub-aim of this project is to identify ways in which the framework could be improved through analysis of the data collected.

Key findings

  • The new pedagogical framework has:
    • made module design and development quicker in general, but speed still depends on other factors,
    • worked to control the amount of teaching content,
    • resulted in more active, learner-focused content.
  • The framework has not necessarily reduced workload due to:
    • the time needed to create good substantive activities for the Apply phase,
    • the impact of the level of experience academic and DES staff have.
  • The framework can lead to lower levels of satisfaction if it is applied too rigidly or uniformly.
  • While content has reduced, the amount of work learners need to do can still be overwhelming for them, which can impact engagement.
  • Making some of the suggested improvements could help the framework to better achieve some of its goals.

Implications for practice

Based on my findings, it is recommended that the following improvements are made to the way in which the pedagogical framework is used. Some of these recommendations could also be applied to any framework or structure that is used for the purposes of online course design:

  • More flexibility in the way in which the framework is used so that:
    • parts of the framework that are not as useful to some disciplines can be removed or replaced, e.g. discussions and end-of-unit reflections,
    • more active learning interventions can be included in the Prepare phase, so that learners are more engaged and ready for the Apply phase,
    • substantive activities don’t have to begin in week 1 of a module, so that learners have more time to build confidence and a solid foundation in the subject,
    • the size of substantive activities can vary as needed to allow learners breathing space and time to do assessments, catch up, etc.
  • Encourage engagement in the Apply phase by (e.g.):
    • writing feedback in such a way that it only makes sense to the learners if they have completed the substantive activity,
    • linking the Apply phase to the webinar,
    • linking the Apply phase for each week with the summative assessment(s), e.g. by asking learners to complete a learning log related to the substantive activity each week,
    • providing clear reasons for completing the substantive activity,
    • breaking down some of the substantive activities into component parts (where possible) to help learners who are time poor.

 

If you want to find out more details about this fellowship or what the next steps were upon completion please read the full snapshot or contact Samantha (s.j.stark@leeds.ac.uk).

Project start date: 1 September 2022