Resilience, needs, attitudes and blended learning

Welcome to the February 2018 issue of Open Learning. This issue is slightly different to the previous issues: it contains four full papers, two conference reports and one book review. As I’m sure you’ll see from reading this issue, although the content is slightly different to earlier issues, everything is certainly connected together.

This issue begins with a paper entitled ‘What factors promote student resilience on a level 1 distance learning module?’ by Joan Simons, Kythe Beaumont and Lesley Holland, who are from the UK Open University, who write about students who are studying a module that introduces students to health and social care (Simons, Beaumont & Holland, 2018). It is perhaps obvious to claim that students need to be resilient. To explore this issue, the authors have two key research questions: (1) how will students who receive what they perceive to be a low grade respond when they receive their assignment? And, (2) what factors enable those students to continue with this module?

The methods used by Simons et al. are both familiar and appropriate: they conducted telephonic interviews of students, asking them how they felt, what they were expecting, what helped them to progress and what more a tutor could have done to help. The interviews were transcribed and then analysed, which yielded four themes: challenges, factors that helped students to persist, support, and advice to future students. The quotes that are provided from the students are very engaging and the research also made me think of notion of the importance of developing what is known as a ‘growth mindset’ amongst students. An interesting finding was the extent to which different stakeholders have a role to play in terms of offering support.

What struck me as I was reading this paper was the extent to which the concept of resilience goes hand in hand with the concepts of retention and progression. Retention is, of course, an important theme that has featured in Open Learning before. For researchers who are particularly interested in this issue, I do recommend visiting Open Learning Volume 21, Issue 2; a special issue about retention that was edited by Anne Gaskell. Readers might also be in interested in Open Learning Volume 28, Issue 2, edited by Gill Kirkup, which contains four papers that are also dedicated to this same subject.

The next paper, entitled ‘Online Dutch L2 learning in adult education: educators’ and providers’ viewpoints on needs, advantages and disadvantages’ is by Liesbeth De Paepe, Chang Zhu and Koen Depryck (2018). The learning of second languages is a subject that will be familiar to readers of Open Learning. Papers in previous issues have explored issues such as learner motivation, mobile technologies and the design of tools and technologies for language learning. De Paepe’s paper has a specific perspective: exploring perceived advantages and disadvantages of online language learning. Like Simons et al’s paper, this paper also used interviews: 13 different stakeholders were approached; seven educators (which included teachers, a teacher trainer, an instructional design and other stakeholders) and six providers (heads of department). Some of the themes that have emerged from this study may be familiar, such as the perceived advantages of learner autonomy and flexibility.

Reflecting the important international scope of Open Learning, Henry Busulwa and Julian Bbuye, write about mobility and Open Educational Resources in their paper ‘Attitudes and coping practices of using mobile phones for teaching and learning in a Uganda Secondary school’. This paper represents an interesting addition to the debate surrounding the use of smartphones in the classroom. Opinions about their use can be polarising: on one hand, mobile devices can be addictive and distracting, but on the other, they can permit access to useful educational resources.

Like other papers in this issue, Busulwa and Bbuye (2018) also adopts a qualitative approach to explore ‘the challenges and opportunities that arise when students and teachers are encouraged to use mobile phones in school to support learning’ and to ‘determine the level of development of ICT pedagogies among teachers through the use of Open Education Resources’. An important point is that technology isn’t the primary focus of their study; instead, it addresses the important question of pedagogy and how it relates to the educational environment. Key points relate to the understanding of attitudes amongst different groups (students, teachers and parents) and how these change over a period of time. The paper presents an engaging and a positive view, especially in the way that the two important topics of mobility and open education resources can be applied together. Echoing an earlier comment, this paper draws upon research that is published in an earlier issue of Open Learning. I recommend that interested readers do take the time to revisit a special issue on mobile learning, published in 2010, Volume 25, Issue 3, edited by Agnes Kukulska-Hume.

The final paper of this issue, ‘Optimising the Blended Learning Environment: the Arab Open University Experience’ is by Hamdi and Qudais (2018). I find this paper particularly enjoyable for a number of reasons: it presents a perspective from an organisation that is different to the one I am familiar with (I am personally very interested in the structure, organisation and operation of other distance learning institutions), it presents experience of teaching in a discipline that is very different to my own, and presents a very interesting view about how different modalities of teaching can be applied to facilitate blended learning. Much of their paper is centred upon an MA in literature programme that takes place at the Jordan branch of the Arab Open University. Key aspects of their blended learning approach include tutorials, structured and unstructured discussion groups, online chat sessions, online learning resources and recorded lectures. The paper describes the study of comparative literature and how learning can be facilitated by the Cognitive Apprenticeship model. There is a link to the previous paper in the sense that whilst the technology is in itself important, the way in which the technology is used and applied is perhaps more important. What is also striking is the cross-cultural perspective and the detailed samples of messages presented by students. It is also worth taking a moment to emphasise the importance of blended learning; this is a topic that will feature as a special issue in a future issue of Open Learning.

An occasional feature in Open Learning has been, of course, conference reports. This issue contains two detailed reports: one that has been written by myself (Douce, in press), and another by fellow editor, Rai (2018). European Distance Education Network (EDEN) is an abbreviation for the European Distance and E-Learning Network. Last year EDEN took place in Jönköping, Sweden. Readers of earlier issues may remember that previous reviews of EDEN have been published in Open Learning, written by our previous editor, Alan Tait (Tait, 1991, 1993, 1996). For this issue, I have tried to capture an essence of many of the sessions that I attended. In fact, some of the themes mentioned in this issue are directly reflected in some of the debates and presentations that I attended.

Lucy Rai attended the International Council for Open and Distance Education: World Conference on Online Learning, Toronto, Canada, after representatives from Open Learning were invited to participate in a panel discussion about publishing research in the area of Open and Distance Education. Lucy’s article offers reflections and insights for anyone interested in becoming an author or reviewer for Open Learning or for other journals. A very important point that I will personally emphasise is that potential authors should feel free to make contact with the editor or the editorial board, should they have any questions about the appropriateness of a potential submission; contact and communications are always welcome.

The final feature in this issue is a book review by a former editor of Open Learning: Anne Gaskell (Gaskell, 2018). Anne presents a thorough review of ‘The evolution and evaluation of massive open online courses: MOOCs in motion’, by Leonard J. Waks. MOOCs are, of course, subject to much debate and innovation and her review of this book clearly highlights some of the important themes that are key to ongoing academic debates. Looking towards future issues, the links between openness, widening participation and MOOCs clearly imply that there may be many more articles about this important subject.

To conclude, I would like to acknowledge the hard work of our new editorial assistant Kate Hawkins, who has worked very closely with all the editors and the authors to facilitate the successful production of this issue.

Chris Douce
The Open University, UK
[email protected]