From file repository to narrative journey: a trilayered framework for enhancing students' online learning experiences

Online platforms, such as MyLO, have a vital role to play in delivering quality learning outcomes (Czerkawski & Lyman, 2016). Yet, despite calls for academics to transcend the mindset of online learning environments as file repositories (Conole & Fill, 2005), the practice somewhat persists. Research finds, as does our anecdotal experiences, that students evaluate online materials based on what they find interesting, and what materials represent value-add investments (Biggs & Tang, 2011). When presented with materials, students likely question, ‘Why should I bother reading this article?’, ‘Will watching this video help me complete upcoming assessments?’ To be successful in delivering online learning offerings it is necessary for universities to provide students with value-driven offerings, and academics (who may have limited instructional design experience) with templates to guide online unit creation. The tri-layered framework described in this paper places user experience (UX) at the forefront of MyLO unit design and is aimed at providing a logic to the structure of online learning materials; thereby enhancing students’ online experiences and providing a template for academic staff when creating course materials. The three levels of narrative we propose are: (1) unit, (2) module and (3) assessment. The (1) unit-level narrative focuses on signposting/guiding students through the unit, including: an introduction to the module and explanation of how completing the weekly materials will assist in achieving the unit’s intended learning outcomes. Students are provided with a self-monitoring checklist of weekly materials and assessment deadlines and a weekly summary. The (2) module-level narrative prescribes the accompaniment of prompting questions with any materials in order to direct the students’ engagement with content. Lastly, embedding the (3) assessment-level narrative alongside all materials provides students with justification as to how the provided material(s) helps them complete study tasks and assessments. The framework was implemented in a third-year undergraduate Bachelor of Business unit – student satisfaction increased (from 2018 to 2019) by ~30% to 99.2% for face-to-face students (flipped learning environment) and ~40% to 90.9% for the online cohort. Further investigation is required to assess the potential of the tri-layered narrative framework in enhancing student experience.