It Broke the Work Down and Made it Less Stressful: Remote Project Supervision

In recent years the need for flexibility in delivery, larger class sizes, and the rise of the VLE has led to increased use of a blended approach in tutor/student interaction. The aims of the present project were: 1) use a blended learning approach to support the transition to independent project work ahead of final year projects/dissertations. 2) Deliver project supervision remotely to undergraduate students studying abroad. Undergraduate psychology students worked in small groups on a qualitative research project over a 10-week period. Blended delivery consisted of a weekly online digest of tasks and resources, three face to face teaching sessions, and communication with supervisors via synchronous and asynchronous discussion boards. Study abroad students worked remotely in small groups, collecting data using online focus groups (Stewart & Williams, 2005). Evaluation of the students’ experience suggested that online materials and discussion boards were effective in supporting students. However, high levels of traffic on discussion boards highlighted students’ reliance on staff (rather than student) replies to forum posts. Study abroad students faced challenges in balancing the project with the workload of the host university. Implications of these findings for supporting the transition to independent project work and study abroad will be discussed.