Supporting Students

Supporting students is part of the DNA of EEES educators as they design, author and evaluate the production of our distance learning materials.

We focus on:

• Developing strategies to support students making the transition from print to online study;
• Responsive support for students, using the Open edX platform;
• Exploring students’ experience of online study.

Routine scrutiny of student data and survey feedback highlights areas where potential improvements can be made, prompting research projects that focus on specific aspects of the student experience.

We have explored how students change their learning strategies to adapt for the shift from studying with printed texts and digital media, to wholly online study and how we can use new systems such as Open edX for responsive support.

Other projects have explored different ways that online environments can be exploited to support students’ learning, and how communities of students and tutors support each other.

Projects include:

• Challenges of assessment for a level 3 interdisciplinary module: an Associate Lecturer and student perspective, involving Jenny Duckworth and Harriet Kopinska.
• Embedding research into teaching: practices, motivations and impacts, involving Sarah Davies (EEES), Cat Cowie, Phil Holden (EEES), Lorraine Hudson and Kadmiel Maseyk (EEES).
• Closing the awarding gap: listening to our Black students, involving Louise MacBrayne, Jennie Bellamy (EEES), Elaine McPherson (EEES) and Angela Richards.
• Online peer mentoring at scale: benefits and impacts from a student buddy perspective, involving Julie Robson and Chris Hutton (both EEES).
• Ecoanxiety and environmental education: stories, conversations, actions, involving Sarah Davies (EEES), Fiona Aiken (EEES), Elaine McPherson (EEES), Volker Patent and Maria Townsend.
• Can writing retreats for Open University students studying at Level 1 improve retention and success?, involving Vic Nicholas (EEES) and Paul Collier.
• Typical support seeking behaviour of Open University STEM students, involving Paul Collier and Fiona Aiken (EEES).
• Evaluation and improvement of print packs use for Open University Environmental Science students, involving Fiona Aiken and Chris Hutton (both EEES).

If you have any questions or want to find out more please contact Fiona Aiken.