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SOLSTICE 2007 Conference, Edge Hill University1
Peeling The Onion Without Tears: A Layered Approach ToResearching E-Learning
Cathy Sherratt & Professor Andrew Sackville
Edge Hill University.sherrattc@edgehill.ac.uk,sackvila@edgehill.ac.uk  ABSTRACT
Online technology is now widely accepted as a major teaching method, but do we fullyunderstand the processes involved in learning via this approach? And how can weobtain meaningful information?In this paper, we will draw on our experience of delivering and researching a supportedonline learning course (Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching & Learning in ClinicalPractice) over an eight-year period, and we will discuss our approach to researching e-learning, especially considering students’ engagement and interaction online.Our research to date has identified a number of ‘layers’ of enquiry, which exploit avariety of methods and types of data. As each individual ‘layer’ is revealed, we can gainnew perspectives and fresh insights, to bring our understanding of online learningincreasingly into sharper focus.We will outline the main questions that have guided our enquiry to date, and we willexplore the techniques we have used in collecting and analysing data in each ‘layer’.Areas will also be identified as foci for future research.
KEYWORDS
E-learning research; online discussion; online interactivity; research methods.
 
SOLSTICE 2007 Conference, Edge Hill University2
INTRODUCTION TO THE E-LEARNING PROGRAMME
The programme which is the subject of this research is the Postgraduate Certificate inTeaching and Learning in Clinical Practice, which was developed in 1999 by apartnership of Edge Hill University, the Mersey Deanery for Postgraduate Medical andDental Education, and Chester University. This course was the first step into e-learningfor all partners.The course is aimed at senior health professionals engaged in clinical practice, whohave responsibilities for teaching or training students and junior staff within their clinicalareas. The course is multi-professional, and has been undertaken by doctors, dentists,nurses and allied health professionals.The content of the programme focuses on broad aspects of teaching and learning in theclinical context, as well as more specific aspects of understanding student learning;approaches and methods of teaching and learning support; assessment and evaluation.Within the programme there is an emphasis on learning from experience, on relatingexperience to published theory and research, on reflective and collaborative learning;and on peer review of each other’s teaching/ learning facilitation activities. Theprogramme is accredited by the Higher Education Academy.Because of the nature and needs of the audience, the programme team devised, rightform the start, a ‘supported-online learning’ approach to programme delivery. Thisinvolves five face-to-face meetings over the duration of a year-long programme; but themain learning opportunities are structured using a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) – in this case WebCT. The VLE presents the course material and resources around arange of topics, and includes original-written text; links to electronic journal articles and,latterly, e-books; and links to electronically published papers available on otherwebsites. A series of online ‘activities’ guides participants through the material, wherethey engage in one-to-one discussions with their tutor; in small group work; and in groupdiscussion using the Discussion Board facility in the VLE.
The Model of Pedagogy and the significance of “engagement and interaction”.
The model of pedagogy accepted by the programme team is based largely on ideas ofsocial constructivism. Whilst the programme team accept the critical importance ofindividually-focused constructivism, where each person constructs their own knowledge
 
SOLSTICE 2007 Conference, Edge Hill University3
based in individual experience, the team also strongly believe that we learn from eachother, and thus learning is enhanced through the processes of dialogue and discussion.In this, we have been influenced by Brookfield and Preskill’s (1999) seminal work ondiscussion as a way of teaching.There is an emphasis in the learning outcomes and design of the programme onengagement and interaction. In earlier work we have identified five dimensions of thisinteraction (Sackville, 2002; Sackville
et al 
, 2002):-
•
Interaction with the technology
•
Interaction with the programme material and resources
•
Interaction with peers
•
Interaction with tutors
•
Interaction with their wider professional community.The emphasis on interaction and engagement is often a challenge to many of ourmature, part-time participants who may only have experienced a didactic method ofbeing taught in their previous education. Time is therefore spent in the inductionsessions for the programme, emphasising this active approach to learning whichunderlies the pedagogy.
Discussion, dialogue and debate.
Before outlining the research approach we have taken, it is important to recognise theinterplay between our research into online interaction and interactivity, and ourunderlying social constructivist pedagogy.Right from the start, the programme team realised that not all activities wouldnecessarily produce the same level and type of discussion. Some activities are primarilyfocussed on participants sharing their past and current experiences. These activities areexpected to lead to more personal, reflective statements, rather than the cut-and-thrustof disputation. Other activities focus on the discussion of specific topics, which theprogramme team felt might lead to a form of dialogue where the sharing of ideas wouldhelp participants modify and develop their own thinking. On the one hand, theprogramme team wanted to stimulate intrapersonal dialogue and reflection; whilst onthe other hand they also wanted to encourage interpersonal dialogue. This interpersonal
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