Attendance, engagement, and hybrid learning – effects on performance?

The University’s response to the global pandemic was to move to a hybrid model for education delivery. Hybrid delivery involved pre-recorded lectures and face-to-face tutorials. Feedback from students on this hybrid approach has been predominantly positive, and no significant impact was seen in performance.

However, lecturers have observed variations in engagement with the delivery, with low attendance rates seen in some face-to-face tutorials (both physical and via zoom) at some levels, and some SurreyLearn modules seeing limited engagement throughout the semester but with spikes in views during revision week. This research project aims to establish if there is a link between engagement throughout the semester and overall performance.

The research project aims to establish if there is a link between engagement throughout the semester and overall performance.

This research will be achieved through a detailed review of the delivery in terms of timings of release of pre-recorded lectures combined with analysis of the viewing statistics (i.e. when students viewed the resources / length of time they viewed the resources for), analysis of the attendance rates of face-to-face tutorials, and analysis of the learner analytics across SurreyLearn modules, and review of these data in relation to performance in summative assessments.

Data will be anonymised, however given the nature of the study, the research project will be carried out by academics with no student involvement to protect the identity of student results.

• Focus groups will be held at the beginning and end of semester one, to gather feedback on the previous hybrid delivery. A voluntary sample of students will be invited to take part.
• Modules from each level will be selected for review (review will focus on modules which had the best and worst outcomes and try to identify what factors impacted on), in order to gather data on engagement with SurreyLearn, attendance at tutorials and performance in summative assessments.
• An application for ethical approval will be prepared.
• Look at the kind of best practice that might feed through into the 'new normal'. Does hybrid teaching have benefits that can carry through, allowing us to deliver teaching more efficiently.

Student consultation will be in the form of focus groups. However, students will not be involved in analysing the learner analytics or performance due to the sensitive nature of the data.

Wider involvement

Cross-departmental working application can be considered as the hybrid approach is common across the Institution.