Beyond the Screen: An Examination of Learning and Teaching Practices in the Online BreastEd Series

Abstract

This thesis reports on an examination of the learning and teaching practices associated with the online program BreastEd Series developed for health professionals, and makes recommendations on ways to improve the general design and development of the program. My experiences as a nurse-midwife, educator, and distance learner drew me towards a flexible, multidimensional approach, seeking enhanced understanding and practical relevance. These goals are commensurate with working within Pasteur’s Quadrant. The purpose of this study is to examine firstly, how participants respond to, and learn, through the online program BreastEd Series, and secondly, to make recommendations on ways to improve the general design and development of the program. The research draws on the two theoretical frames of multimodality theory and the semiotic domain for conceptualising the online learning environment. These theories provide a set of tools to illuminate a rich contextual view of the learning milieu. The study uses a mixed methods research methodology, undertaken in three research phases, for analysing the multimodal learning context. In phase one, a multimodal analysis of the homepage screen interface is undertaken as part of the investigation into pedagogical purposes and practices of the BreastEd teaching space. Phase two combines multimodal analysis and thematic analysis to examine more closely the program teaching materials. The final phase, phase three, involves an exploration of students’ and teachers’ experiences in the learning space. Using a survey and thematic analysis of participant interviews, the study investigates how the online BreastEd Series is used, and can be used for different learning and teaching practices.