ABSTRACT
SUMMARY How students perceive the quality of their learning experience is dependent on the degree to which their expectations are met by their experience on the course. This chapter presents a case study evaluation of a Year 2 undergraduate marketing programme which relied heavily on directed private study (DPS). The focus of this research was to test the hypothesis that if efforts are made to manage students’ expectations, all students will perceive DPS as a quality learning experience.
This chapter highlights that students expect a quality learning experience to be challenging and practical, characteristics that can be delivered by a DPS programme. Findings indicate that students’ responses to DPS are intrinsically linked to the learning strategy they adopt on a course. If students perceived that they were being overworked they readily adopt a surface approach to learning, which is not sympathetic to the successful implementation of a DPS programme.
Findings also suggest that it is essential for students to understand the objectives of a DPS approach and how it can facilitate their own learning process. This involves proper preparation by utilising basic marketing techniques to promote DPS in a way that is relevant and appealing to students. In addition, a course team must manage students’ expectations by clarifying what is expected of them and by developing an academic climate which is supportive of the demands of a DPS programme.
This chapter concludes by suggesting that even if every attempt is made to manage students’ expectations, students can be segmented into three types: enthusiasts, who perceive DPS as a quality learning experience; satisficers, who perceive DPS as a good way to learn, but no better than didactic methods, and sceptics, who perceive DPS to be a poor learning experience for them, one which places too much emphasis on the student being responsible for their own learning. With higher education increasingly relying on flexible independent forms of delivery, this chapter poses the question: what should we do with the sceptics?
