Project overview

A collective case study design (Stake 2000) was used as a framework for conducting an in-depth, qualitative investigation of examples where use of an OSLE had been integrated into the curriculum within three drama programmes at QMU.

Using a collective case study design has enabled comparisons to be made across these contrasting cases with regards to similarities and differences in experiences of use. It is also anticipated that findings from this study will be applicable to other groups of students and tutors within the field of Drama and Creative Industries who
intend using an OSLE for similar purposes.

Our research questions were:

Primary

• Do drama tutors and learners engage with online synchronous learning environments? And if so, in what ways?
• What are the benefits for tutors and learners in engaging with online synchronous learning environments?
• What are the barriers to tutors and learners engaging with online synchronous learning environments?

Secondary

• How do previous experiences of online learning compare with using online synchronous learning environments?
• What are tutors’ and learners’ preferences regarding online synchronous learning environments, and why?

Methods

Online questionnaires held in the QMU Bristol Online Survey (BOS) and QMU’s ePortfolio system were used to:

• Elicit initial student reaction to an OSLE (BOS) ;
• Elicit tutor plans for use of OSLE in the learning environment (QMU ePortfolio).

Tutors and participating students were then asked to keep a regular video diary, which they created in Wimba, about their use of the OSLE. Guidelines were provided about the structure, content, focus, and number of diaries to create. The diaries were initially created and held in the Wimba environment, but for analysis purposes these were transferred to the QMU network area and made available only to the researchers.

Tutors and students were also invited to participate in individual, semi-structured interviews towards the end of the project regarding their experiences of using the OSLE. Interviews were conducted through the medium of the OSLE and this was considered to offer the following benefits:

• Using the OSLE was considered a convenient way for the researcher to meet
  with the tutors and students for interview, particularly as several participants were away from the institution by this stage of the study;
• It was believed that using the OSLE for the purpose of conducting an interview would aid the participants in recalling their experiences of using the OSLE within the learning and teaching context and enable them to demonstrate ideas and opinions more easily;
• Using this approach assisted the researcher in experiencing the environment
  under investigation and developing an understanding of its use.

The audio element of archived interview files was transcribed verbatim to facilitate sharing with participants for accuracy checking and transcripts were then held together with the video files in a secure area within the QMU network.

Ethical approval for this project was gained from the Queen Margaret University Research Ethics committee.

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