Presented at LILAC 2019

1. Learning diaries:
Engaging students as
partners in online
learning design
Delyth Morris
Aidan Tolland, Rebecca Mogg, Amanda
Bennett

2. PGT student demand for
dedicated study skills support
led to the development of
‘Writing at Postgraduate
Taught Level’ online tutorials
https://xerte.cardiff.ac.uk/play_4353
How it all started

3. 2017-18 project
Evaluate the tutorials
Explore how they could be integrated
into the curriculum
Barriers to academic skills development

4. Methods
Literature review
Focus group with academic staff (7)
Open-ended survey of Professional Services staff (18)
Survey of PGT students in the Business School (66)
Learning diaries (51 participants and 60 diaries
completed)

5. What are learning
diaries?
Combination of focus group, semi-structured interview
and diary study
Enable students to reflect on the tutorial in relation
to their previous experience of academic work
Gather detailed feedback from a wide variety of
individuals
Identify areas of the tutorials that were difficult to
understand

6. Using the learning
diary method
Participants invited to attend a
workshop and to complete a ‘learning
diary’ for one tutorial
Spring semester
51 full time students from Chemistry,
engineering and education

7. Findings: summary of responses
Response type
Tutorial
Understanding
your
assessment
task
Academic
writing
Finding
sources
Evaluating
information
Critical
arguments
Citing and
referencing
Positive
responses
44.9% 49.7% 50.2% 40.4% 47.8% 57.4%
Negative
responses
6.6% 6.4% 8.1% 13.2% 8.8% 4.9%
Suggestions
22.1% 29.9% 30.8% 39.7% 34.6% 22.1%
Neutral or blank 24.3% 14.4% 14.5% 7.4% 10.3% 14.7%

8. Findings: themes
Theme Occurrences Theme Occurrences
Additional content 92 New information 22
Tutorial key areas 92 Visual improvements 22
Problems with the tutorial 71 Level of tutorials 20
Advertising
52
Exercise
improvements
18
Subject specific content 42 Suggested exercise 18
Challenging areas 23 Learning difficulties 10
Timing 22 Academic involvement 9
Tutorial structure 22

9. Findings: embedding
the tutorials
Framework advises on how tutorials could
be used:
For additional support
As a pre-requisite
To supplement or replace face-to-face
teaching

10. Strengths
Detailed feedback from a large number of
students in real time
Gained valuable input from students into how
the tutorials could better meet their needs
Students able to express their opinion without
being influenced by other participants
Possible to compare feedback amongst groups
to spot patterns of requirements
Limitations
Difficult to clarify ambiguous feedback
Lack of opportunity to observe students
completing tutorials
Participant recruitment

11. What next?
Launched revised suite of tutorials incorporating
student feedback in December
Better promotion of the tutorials
Work with Schools to embed / re-purpose the
tutorials for use at curriculum level
Develop further study skills based on the good
practice identified

12. Questions?

13. Delyth Morris
Medical Subject Librarian
and Systematic Review
Consultant
Cardiff University
Email: MorrisD13@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone: 029 20 688150
Twitter: @DelMorris