Of horses, possums and hogs:

SPOCs and advanced doctoral training Dr Anna Morgan-Thomas

Introduction

• E-learning and advanced doctoral training (ADT)

• Focus on SPOCs (Small Private Online Courses)

• What distinctive pedagogical challenges and benefits

arise in this mode of training delivery? How do PhD

students respond to SPOCs?

• Preliminary findings:

– reflections on modes of engagement based on secondary and

primary data concerning delivery of two modules

Landscape of PGR training

• PGR as marker of reputation feeding into

RAE/REF, internationalization and

income targets

• Ambitious ESRC agenda centered on

extensive, continuous and collaborative

doctoral training

• Complex patterns of training provision

including business schools, institutional,

DTCs and third parties (e.g. NCRM)

• Principal Mode of Training: intense 2

days course

SPOCs Promise:

– Arise against the context of concerns about comprehensiveness, depth and

effectiveness of current training modes (Moley et al. 2013; Kilburn et al., 2015;

Nind et al., 2014).

– Flexible provision (pace, place and mode)

– More effective training (richer content, more consistent quality, better

management of provision, possibilities for curation, connectivity, networking and

communication)

Issues:

– Pedagogy: fit, suitability for courses

– Participants: expectations, motivations, attitudes & behaviors

– Providers: resources, polices, motivation

Theory of online engagement

• Online engagement modes

– Visitors

– Residents

• Experienced, highly motivated, and digitally literate learners (PhD

students) are more likely to behave as residents

• Higher engagement modes lead to higher satisfaction and better

outcomes

White and Le Cornu, 2011

Study Context

• ASBS Management PhD Program (60 students including

20 distance students)

• ASBS, SGSSS, Management Pathway

• Two Moodle-based SPOCs including 40+ participants

• Preliminary results based on quantitative data (Learner

Analytics) and exploratory interviews (10 participants)

Findings: Modes of Engagement

• Visitors prevail, almost no evidence of Residents

• P/T & distance students more likely to behave like

residents

• Typical models of non- or miss-engagement include:

– Possums (specialist nocturnal browsers)

– Hogs (omnivores): will take part in any training opportunity on

offer without much discrimination; does not engage fully

– Horses (may take it to water but cannot make it drink)

Explaining engagement

• Horses: timeliness vis a vis relevancy

“Actually, I heard about it, but I was busy because.. at that time…we had study

day, the first study day. So…it was busy time so I didn’t enrol at that course”

‘I will also have the chance next year to do it so I thought it could be better if I

take it later.’

• Residents: knowledge acquisition vis a vis socialising

(Sfard, 1998; Weller, 2007)

‘For me, as a first year, there’s not a lot of interaction when with other PhD

students. So these courses are not only for just learning specific methods. It’s

also a way of keeping in touch with other students and just, kind o, getting a

sense of their structures as well.’

Explaining engagement

• Possums, perpetuity and transience in PGR training

“I think about online modules is that it can help you to go back from time to time if

you want to review the whole content. So, that is…the biggest advantage of the

online course, because, for example, I, at my second year, I haven’t collected my

data yet. However, after I have collected my data, I need to watch the SEM model

again, online, to consolidate my view of how to use it. So, I can go back from time to

time and just learn from it at different stages”

“Actually, it has lots of positive points. One of them is…that it’s flexible for us…I can

access it at any time. And also, one more point, I can…go back to it in the future to

get some information, to find some sources, which we are missing there (in the

future). So.., in my point of view, it’s more useful than face-to-face.“

Explaining engagement

• Possums and residents: structured abundance in-depth,

situated the material which has clear structure, and involved a number of learning

objects including videos, references and exercises

“Now, in my first year, I am struggling, because before that I had no idea about how I can.. begin

my PhD very well…how can I deal with sources, articles, how can I start my literature review. I

didn’t have any enough… training that time to help me … to deal with my first year. Whereas, this

course is helping… to deal with my second year”

‘it helps you to not only know about SEM, but it also helps you to get knowledge about why SEM

is so important compared with other models ... the SEM course is very detailed and well designed

and the depth of the course is very impressive’.

‘Well, I really enjoyed the fact that there was actually the whole bag of resources is there now

online and there was exercises.’

Other findings

• Positive short-term outcomes (student satisfaction,

reputation, engagement with training) BUT achievement

of long-term objectives unclear

• Unclear what is driving satisfaction (features of e-

learning, e-learning context, features of e-learners)

• Significant barriers to implementation including

resources, support, institutional and pan-institutional

policies

Contribution

• Contribution to practice

– Explores SOPCs: a new delivery mode for ADT

– Challenges the assumptions between engagement and

satisfaction

• Contribution to theory

– Visitors vs. residents: too simplistic?

– Visitors of many shades

– Undermines the link between satisfaction, mode of engagement

and outcomes

Thank you!