Methods
Results
research has shown that there are favourable effects of technology in facilitating and enhancing learning ( Allen & Seaman , 2011 ; Graham , 2006 ).
When designing online modules , it is important to include a balance of textual and visual learning materials and incorporate activities that are both challenging and interesting ( Nazarenko , 2015 ). It was with this in mind that the module was designed and delivered using the ‘ lesson plan ’ facility in the Moodle online learning and teaching platform . The module ran for a 10-week period . Material was set out as tasks for each week . These involved a mixture of narrated PowerPoints , reading , structured activities , worksheets , quizzes , videos , and audio files . Students were able to work through the material in their own time and at their own pace .
Following the COVID-19 pandemic , some believe that pedagogical practice in higher education will never be the same ( Masood & Hibberts , 2021 ). In fact , Hodges et al . ( 2020 ) propose that it could lead to additional and more effective use of technology to deliver online learning ( Hodges et al ., 2020 ). Evaluation of online delivery provides an opportunity to find out what works best and what works not so well ( Masood & Hibberts , 2021 ), in order to adapt teaching practice and inform future teaching strategy beyond the pandemic . The current study therefore aimed to gain an understanding of third year Psychology students ’ evaluations of undertaking a third-year option module online , designed for f2f delivery . It broadly adopted an action research approach which allows a cyclical process whereby the re-design of the module by the educator has a direct impact on the experience of the learner , which in turn can lead to an adaptation of future teaching practice in order to improve student experience and satisfaction , and to enhance learning .
Methods
In order to evaluate students ’ experiences , feedback was collected on completion of the module in the form of an online questionnaire . Module evaluation is routinely undertaken by the department as part of teaching quality assurance . 52 from a cohort of 161 students completed the questionnaire . Questions asked were both quantitative and qualitative . available to me throughout the module ’. Student responses to the quantitative questions in the survey were analysed in terms of percentage agreement .
Qualitative questions included free text boxes asking students to name one thing that had most impact on their learning and whether they would like to include any other feedback . In order to analyse responses to the qualitative questions , initially feedback was tallied according to whether comments were ‘ positive ’ or ‘ negative ’. Comment type ( positive and negative ) was further analysed by adopting a light touch thematic analysis outlined by Braun & Clarke ( 2006 ). Text was therefore coded and grouped by specific aspects and then organised into thematic groupings . Thematic groupings of feedback were also represented quantitatively in terms of percentage endorsement .
Results
Student feedback to the quantitative questions highlighted that they generally agreed that the module was well organised ( 93 % agreement ), delivered in an engaging way ( 72 % agreement ), offered an appropriate level of intellectual challenge ( 86 % agreement ) and appropriate support was available to them throughout the module ( 91 % agreement ).
For the qualitative questions , 103 free-text responses from students were extracted from a total of 52 respondents . 85 ( 82.5 %) of these comments were positive and 18 ( 17.5 %) were negative . The largest groups of positive comments related to the structure and organisation of the module ( 29 % of positive comments ), inclusion of interactive activities in the module design ( 18 % of positive comments ) and students ’ ability to work at their own pace ( 13 % of positive comments ). Students also identified the textbook , application of material to practice and use of case studies and general module content as positive aspects of the module ( See Figure I ).
Quantitative questions asked students to respond on a 5-point Likert scale ( strongly disagree to strongly agree ). Statements included : ‘ the module content is delivered in an engaging way ’, ‘ the module offers an appropriate level of intellectual challenge ’, ‘ the module is well organised ’, and ‘ appropriate support is
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