Case report: supporting students with assessment by replicating open-door tutorials in online distance education – the student experience

Standard online tutorials at The Open University, based in the UK, are generally tutor-led with the tutor setting the agenda and content. This study investigated the inclusion of online student-led drop-in tutorials to support assessment on an OU level one module. The aims were to gauge the value to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Open learning Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 214 - 226
Main Authors: Townsend, Maria, Champion, Emma, Berndt, Gwendoline
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Harlow Taylor & Francis Ltd 03.04.2025
Subjects:
Academic achievement
College students
Distance Education
Distance learning
Educational Assessment
Evaluation
Focus Groups
Internet
Online tutorials
Polls & surveys
Student Experience
Student Surveys
Students
Tuition
Tutorials
Tutoring
United Kingdom > UK
ISSN:0268-0513, 1469-9958
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Standard online tutorials at The Open University, based in the UK, are generally tutor-led with the tutor setting the agenda and content. This study investigated the inclusion of online student-led drop-in tutorials to support assessment on an OU level one module. The aims were to gauge the value to students of this style of tutorial, to understand their behaviour during the sessions and to assess their overall experience. Data were collected via two student surveys, confidence polls at the end of each tutorial and one student-led focus group. Other evidence used included attendance data and student achievement on the module. Twenty-three percent of the cohort attended at least one drop-in session. The students surveyed indicated that this style of tutorial was a valuable addition to the overall tuition strategy. The majority arrived at the start of each session and stayed until the end, rather than ‘dropping in and out’. Most reported that listening to questions from other students was useful, even if they had no question of their own to ask. The overall findings were that students value this style of tutorial. Those who attended reported increased confidence in subsequently completing assignments. There were also some indications that attendees gained higher assessment scores.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
content type line 14
ObjectType-Report-1
ISSN:0268-0513
1469-9958
DOI:10.1080/02680513.2024.2409796