Enhancement Project - ManMet case study

Differing perceptions of quality of learning, ManMet findings

A collaborative QAA funded enhancement project, 2021

Context

Manchester Met was invited to join a bid led by the University of Portsmouth to explore differing perceptions of quality of learning of ethnically diverse students at Level 4 and Level 5 on specific programmes (Engineering, Computing, Business and Adult Nursing) to gain further insights into their perceptions as well as their learning, teaching and assessment experiences during the pandemic (academic year 2020/21) aiming to inform practice and policy. In total, there were four partner institutions (Post- and Pre-92), the above two as well as the University of Nottingham and Solent University. The team consisted of 14 members in different roles from all four partner institutions. The project site can be accessed at https://sites.google.com/port.ac.uk/qaa-bame-enhancementproject/

Method

A collective case study approach (Stake, 1995) was used and an analysis by ethnicity was conducted across all four partner institutions using a survey instrument constructed by the team and a focus group. Ethical approval was secured by the lead institution, the University of Portsmouth.

The total number of students participating from all four institution was 835 who filled out the survey. Nine focus groups were organised with 33 students. The key findings are the following as articulated in the report (Dunbar-Morris et al., 2021):

1. Experience of factors related to wellbeing falls short of expectations

2. Value of recordings of teaching materials was high

3. The contribution of group work to learning was perceived as low

4. Overall satisfaction with teaching and learning varied considerably by ethnicity

5. Engagement is higher on campus than online, and overall engagement varies by ethnicity

6. Health science had a better experience than other subject areas.

Project site and resources

The project report (Dunbar-Morris et al., 2021) together with the executive summary and a slide set can be accessed at Enhancement Project - Results - Findings (google.com)

ManMet specific findings are in alignment with the above.

ManMet project participation

Dr Chrissi Nerantzi and Professor Raheel Nawaz were members of the project team from ManMet.

Overall, 178 ManMet students participated in this study (Level 4: 85/47.8%, Level 5: 86/48.3%, Other: 7/3.9%/Gender: man 78/43.8%, non-binary 1/0.6%, woman 97 (54.5%, prefer not to say 2/1.1%) from the following programmes participated: BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering, BSc (Hons) Computer Science, BA (Hons) Business Management, BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing. See Table 1.

Table 1. ManMet participants per programme

Findings linked to perceptions of quality learning, teaching and assessment and students’ experiences

The following analysis is based on free-text comments from the survey and the focus groups conducted with ManMet students.

Perceptions of quality teaching

Students noted that quality teaching needs to lead to learning.

They perceived the tutor-student relationship and the related support provided by their tutor as a key factor for their engagement in the learning process and their success. They perceive that the tutor’s support scaffold, the use of engaging learning and teaching approaches and resources but also effective planning, communication, together with tutor’s professional knowledge, and an embracing attitude towards diverse perspectives and inclusion create a space for personalised learning (Figure 1. see blue boxes). Students perceive that these factors help them also feel connected with the subject, make learning interesting, keep them motivated, stimulated and challenged, while also boosting their confidence and giving them freedom to explore their own interests (Figure 1. see yellow boxes).

Figure 1. Quality teaching is supportive teaching (in blue: perceptions of quality teaching for students; in yellow: what these perceptions enable for students)

Quality learning

Students perceived quality learning as learning through tasks and with peers. They noted that they want to be engaged, enjoy, feel excited and happy, and have the opportunity to apply what they learn. They feel that they learn best when they are interested in what is discussed and tailored to what they need. They want also to feel challenged, be in a safe space to make mistakes, build confidence, progress and feel a sense of achievement. While the majority of students seem to rely on learning materials and course activities, some students did reach out to extend their learning through engagement in more self-organised learning and curating of learning resources.

What assessment worked

Regarding assessment, a wide range of views were shared by students that showed that one approach will not work for everybody (see Table 2). The views about exams, quizzes, group work and essays attracted opposing views. Exams and group work particularly were seen as stressful by some students.

Table 2. Opposing views about specific assessment strategies

All students, however agreed that less and smaller assessment tasks, variety, choice, flexibility and creative freedom would be welcome.

Feedback

Feedback by the tutor was seen as an important mechanism to understand where students are in their learning and help them progress further. Feedback strategies that enabled a more dialogic experience (synchronously or asynchronously) were seen as more valuable by students and could be in different formats, including oral/audio and annotated.

Campus vs online

Students found benefits in both modes of learning. Overall campus-based was preferred to boost social interaction and learning while online seemed to provide greater flexibility. Table 3 illustrates students experiences of online and campus-based learning. Highlighted in yellow the opposing views for both modes as articulated by students.

Table 3. Campus vs online learning experience

Resources used outside the course

There was some evidence that students didn’t solely rely on resources provided by the unit/programme of study or the university for their learning. Beyond the University library resources and some 3^rd party resources provided by the university, students reached out to Google scholar, Google, Online journals, Professional sites but also engaged in online and open courses and social media (including YouTube) to extend learning opportunities and also connected with existing friends, often from other universities.

What the findings showed

• Variety is not just the spice of life but also the spice of learning, teaching and assessment

• Build feedback literacy and capabilities beyond the tutor

• Be supportive and create a scaffold that leads to learner autonomy and pro-active learning within and beyond programme boundaries

• Grow and nurture peer learning relationships

• Co-create with students a curriculum with mirrors and windows for all!

References

Dunbar-Morris, H., Ali, M., Brindley, N., Farrell-Savage, K., Sharp, L., Sidiropoulou, M.P., Heard-Laureote, K., Lymath, D., Nawaz, R., Nerantzi, C., Prathap, V., Reeves, A., Speight, S., & Tomas, C. (2021). Analysis of 2021 Differing Perceptions of Quality of Learning (final report). University of Portsmouth. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kw_BoYN87NrjJhnv77aTKw8p5q-4FcyS/view?usp=sharing

Stake, R. E. (1995) The art of case study research, London: Sage Publications.

Open license

Differing perceptions of quality of learning, ManMet findings by Dr Chrissi Nerantzi and Professor Raheel Nawaz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

This license enables you to copy, redistribute this work in any medium or format and remix, transform, and build upon for non-commercial purposes. All you need to do is add the attribution and link back to the original work.

Reference

Nerantzi, C. and Nawaz, R. (2021) Differing perceptions of quality of learning, ManMet findings based on the collaborative QAA funded enhancement project 2021, University of Portsmouth, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Nottingham and Solent University. Available at https://sites.google.com/port.ac.uk/qaa-bame-enhancementproject/manmet-case-study