Inertia and the Learning Journey: Choice, Resources and the Student Experience

Aim: Students’ ability to make informed choices can be influenced by those resources which are available to them. (Schwartz, 2005) The interaction between student and university is enriched by deeper comprehension of choice processes and how resources can be positioned effectively. (Foskett and Hemsley-Brown, 2001) Three contrasting degree programmes at the University of Manchester participated in HEARing Student Voices through focus groups and individual interviews and have begun action research concerning: resources available to inform students’ choices, feedback as resources for learning, support students need to understand their university experience.(Ertl et al., 2008, Johnston and Watson, 2009) (Hattie and Timperley, 2007)We aim to understand how best to create resources that answers the needs of students and staff, can be flexible enough to be useful for a variety of learning styles and will help trace learning development throughout the student’s time at university. Methodology: Themes were formulated after analysis of data from focus groups and interviews. (Blake, 2010) Three sets of focus groups were run: specific degree only, mixed-degree, and specific degree only staff; themes were then drawn using grounded theory. (Kitzinger, 1995) From the three distinct themes emerging from the initial qualitative study, specific interventions were developed and will be tested using action research methodology. Results: Findings suggest resources must be mapped and reliable, feedback focus on improvement and students given structured and purposeful support as they develop as learners. The themes found in the study fit into the idea of fixed versus group mindset in learning and suggest different ways to approach this issue.(Dweck, 2007) They suggest an optimal place for resources and support to sit is within learning environments of the individual degree programmes. Resources could benefit from being designed with time and place for reflection as a purposeful addition, especially as students and staff both express a need for opportunities to go “beyond the mark” in discussions and planning. Relevance: The student experience is a complex issue, but a key part of that experience is their ability to use and understand resources available to them, the place and purpose of the feedback received,(Hattie and Timperley, 2007) and their ability to understand where they are in terms of personal development and placement in their programme of study. (Harvey, 2006) This study indicates a clear and structured programme must be in place which allows students to understand the value of the resources available and enable them to discern what resources are most appropriate for a task. It also touches on the differences found in contrasting curricula and learning environments and how this impacted perceived support. Feedback must be part of a pedagogical plan that allows students to move forward from the mark rather than react to it, able to power the journey through the degree.(Elliott and Dweck, 1988) Finally, there must be places in the programme for reflection and assimilation, somewhere for students to pull together what they are learning about their subjects and themselves.