Relationships between learning approaches and outcomes of students studying a first-year biology topic on-campus and by distance

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between learning approach and outcome for distance and on-campus first-year biology students. It uses a topic-specific version of the Study Process Questionnaire, recent articulations of the Structure of Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) model and individual interviews. Deep approaches were related to better quality SOLO categories of learning outcomes, but many students appeared to adopt a mix of surface and deep approaches to learning, or used little of either, and demonstrated poor quality learning outcomes. A strong approach/outcome relationship was not evident for the younger on-campus cohort. It is argued that these results highlight the need to look beyond learning approaches towards more multidimensional and integrative perspectives of student learning.

Keywords:

• distance education
• first-year
• learning approaches
• learning outcomes
• science
• SOLO

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to John Pegg and Debra Panizzon for their advice and assistance with SOLO coding, Rosemary Callingham for Rasch analysis and Carol Bond for critical comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this paper.

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