Some thoughts on data collection

A couple of thoughts, based upon the idea of exploring tutor experiences of alternative format assignments:

Phase 1: Online survey
I could prepare an online questionnaire survey to be distributed amongst tutors on online programmes with the University. Perhaps I could get the DEI seal of approval to encourage participation. This could ask whether tutors had experience of marking assignments submitted in alternative formats. It could ask the different formats they had come across. And other things. It could have a tick box where participants could indicate if they would be willing to participate in an interview. The questions within the survey could emerge from the literature or discussion with my dissertation supervisor and perhaps others who have experience in the area. A pilot questionnaire could be tested on fellow e-learners who are involved in online tutoring. One of the aims of the online questionnaire survey would be to identify themes for discussion during the interview stage.

Phase 2: Interviews
I could conduct online interviews with course tutors. Using the data collected from the first phase I could identify tutors who indicated they have encountered alternative format assignments. I would also presumably need to look at a range of courses? The nature of the questions to be explored would be based upon themes to emerge from the questionnaire data as well as from the literature. These interviews would look to explore themes in more depth, but also to test some of the ideas proposed in the theory. Is the experienced reality the same as what it proposed in the literature? How do some of the approaches recommended in the literature (in terms of alternative feedback) work in practice? The interviews would be semi-structured - some pre-determined questions and prompts, but with space for the interviewees to shape the discussions.