An in-depth case study of students’ experiences of e‑Learning – how is learning changing?

Gráinne Conole
The Institute of Educational Technology
The Open University

Maarten de Laat
Exeter University

Teresa Dillon
Polar Consultancy

Jonathan Darby
The Open University

This paper describes some of the findings which have emerged from an in-depth case study exploring students’ experiences of e-learning. The main research theme of the project was to collect learner stories on their experiences with e-learning. Data was collected through an online survey, coupled with a series of in-depth case studies using student audio diaries and interviews. The study yielded both expected and unexpected findings in terms of students’ use of technologies. The expected findings are useful in terms of providing valuable up-to-date empirical evidence of students’ current learning environment. The unexpected findings give a hint of the student learning environment of tomorrow and have important implications for policy and practice.

Keywords: student experiences, student perceptions, e-learning, in-depth case studies, audio log, online survey