In-depth profiles of the expectations of undergraduate students commencing university: a Q methodological analysis

Balloo, Kieran

doi:10.1080/03075079.2017.1320373

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…These findings underscore recent cautions around homogenising the student experience, instead seeking to recognise students' nuanced and individual experiences (e.g. Balloo, 2018;Gravett, 2019;Lygo-Baker et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Who stands to benefit? Wellbeing, belonging and challenges to equity in engagement in extra-curricular activities at university

Winstone

Balloo

Gravett

et al. 2020

Active Learning in Higher Education

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Naomi Winstone is a Reader in Higher Education at the University of Surrey. As a cognitive psychologist, her research focuses on the application of psychological theory to higher education research, particularly in the areas of assessment and feedback, and student transitions.Kieran Balloo is a Lecturer in the Department of Higher Education at the University of Surrey. His research broadly focuses on scrutinising the 'student experience' through examining: student transitions; how students regulate their own and others' learning; and assessment and feedback.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Who stands to benefit? Wellbeing, belonging and challenges to equity in engagement in extra-curricular activities at university

Winstone

Balloo

Gravett

et al. 2020

Active Learning in Higher Education

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“…Rather, online students are cognisant of potential challenges and see the opportunity to overcome such difficulties as a measure of course value. The negative expectations described by participants, furthermore, reinforce a distinction between desires and expectations, and the importance of recognising this difference in the literature (Balloo, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Recent research has called for institutions to develop a more nuanced understanding of who their online students are, and what they might need (Balloo, 2018;O'Shea et al, 2015;Stone, 2017). Understanding students' expectations and needs enables universities to design programs that meet these needs and empower students to achieve strong outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Existing OE literature relies heavily on quantitative data and predefined variables, often inferred from traditional HE, neglecting the online student perspective. Research has focused on assessing specific expectations (e.g., Balloo, 2018;Hassel & Ridout, 2018), or implied inaccurate expectations based on students' reasons for withdrawing (e.g., Scutter et al, 2011). Studies have also relied largely on quantitative surveys (e.g., Broeckelman-Post & MacArthur, 2018;Cavanaugh & Jacquemin, 2015), and on comparing online and on-campus outcomes (e.g., Garratt-Reed et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Online Student Expectations: A Multifaceted, Student-centred Understanding of Online Education

Henry

2020

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University students are more likely to feel satisfied and persist with their studies if their experiences have met their expectations, and vice versa (Wu, Tsai, Chen, & Wu, 2006). Understanding what online students expect, therefore, is important to guide how universities might satisfy and retain these students. Research into online student expectations to date, however, has been limited to pre-defined expectations of the academic experience, and extrapolations from traditional higher education. To gain a deeper understanding of what online students expect, the author conducted in-depth interviews with 43 commencing online students. Thematic analysis revealed online students’ expectations were described by six key themes: Motivation, Ability, Circumstances, Interaction, Curriculum, and Environment. The findings offer an empirical, student-centred, and multifaceted understanding of online student expectations. Opportunities are illuminated to clarify inaccurate expectations, and to design online education to better meet student needs, facilitating enhanced online student satisfaction and retention.

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“…However, while students can (arguably) escape from the effects of poor teaching practice, they cannot escape the effects of poorly designed assessment (Boud, 1995a). Assessment practices need to keep pace with twenty-first century learning requirements, and at the same time, be cognizant of the differing contexts, expectations, and needs of our increasingly diverse student body (Balloo, 2017;Balloo et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transparency Isn't Spoon-Feeding: How a Transformative Approach to the Use of Explicit Assessment Criteria Can Support Student Self-Regulation

et al. 2018

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If little care is taken when establishing clear assessment requirements, there is the potential for spoon-feeding. However, in this conceptual article we argue that transparency in assessment is essential to providing equality of opportunity and promoting students' self-regulatory capacity. We begin by showing how a research-informed inclusive pedagogy, the EAT Framework, can be used to improve assessment practices to ensure that the purposes, processes, and requirements of assessment are clear and explicit to students. The EAT Framework foregrounds how students' and teachers' conceptions of learning (i.e., whether one has a transactional or transformative conception of learning within a specific context) impact assessment practices. In this article, we highlight the importance of being explicit in promoting access to learning, and in referencing the EAT Framework, the importance of developing transformative rather than transactional approaches to being explicit. Firstly, we discuss how transparency in the assessment process could lead to "criteria compliance" (Torrance, 2007, p. 282) and learner instrumentalism if a transactional approach to transparency, involving high external regulation, is used. Importantly, we highlight how explicit assessment criteria can hinder learner autonomy if paired with an overreliance on criteria-focused 'coaching' from teachers. We then address how 'being explicit with assessment' does not constitute spoon-feeding when used to promote understanding of assessment practices, and the application of deeper approaches to learning as an integral component of an inclusive learning environment. We then provide evidence on how explicit assessment criteria allow students to selfassess as part of self-regulation, noting that explicit criteria may be more effective when drawing on a transformative approach to transparency, which acknowledges the importance of transparent and mutual student-teacher communications about assessment requirements. We conclude by providing recommendations to teachers Balloo et al. Transparency Isn't Spoon-Feeding and students about how explicit assessment criteria can be used to improve students' learning. Through an emphasis on transparency of process, clarity of roles, and explication of what constitutes quality within a specific discipline, underpinned by a transformative approach, students and teachers should be better equipped to selfmanage their own learning and teaching.

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In-depth profiles of the expectations of undergraduate students commencing university: a Q methodological analysis

Cited by 21 publications

References 15 publications

Who stands to benefit? Wellbeing, belonging and challenges to equity in engagement in extra-curricular activities at university

Who stands to benefit? Wellbeing, belonging and challenges to equity in engagement in extra-curricular activities at university

Online Student Expectations: A Multifaceted, Student-centred Understanding of Online Education

Transparency Isn't Spoon-Feeding: How a Transformative Approach to the Use of Explicit Assessment Criteria Can Support Student Self-Regulation

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