How does recording affect Creative Writing tutorials:-a first-year review

In the first year of presentation (October 2022), the OU Level 2 module Creative Writing will record designated online tutorials. This project will undertake a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of that policy to determine whether the recording of online tutorials should be continued in future presentations and extended to the Level 3 module Advanced Creative Writing, or whether Module Teams should revert to providing pre-recorded ‘empty room’ tutorials as in previous years. 

The project will survey Associate Lecturers (tutors) and Creative Writing students to investigate the pedagogical and technological considerations when recording tutorials. The student survey will investigate this topic in terms of accessibility and inclusion to determine the extent to which tutorial recordings serve as a barrier or an enabler for students. The project will also scrutinise data on how many students access tutorial recordings and whether labelling tutorials as ‘to be recorded’ has an impact on student registration and attendance in comparison to a Level 2 Literature module, which will act as a control group. 

The project addresses institutional priorities in enabling more students to achieve their study goals, improving and enhancing the learning experience of students, and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. The project builds on existing OU scholarship of teaching projects concerning tuition attendance for students with anxiety and mental health disabilities.