We’ve been blown away by the response to our recent survey on how students engage with their distance learning experience. With 484 responses received, and 195 students expressing interest in taking part in focus groups, it's clear that students are passionate about helping shape the future of learning at Arden.

Firstly, thank you for putting yourself forward. Your willingness to share your experiences and ideas demonstrates the strength of our student community and your commitment to making a positive difference.

From your contributions we learnt that…

• 75% students attend live sessions every week or most weeks and find them to be highly valuable.
  
  
• On an average, students have rated the value that they gain from attending live sessions at an 8 out of 10.
  
  
• The main challenges for students attending the DL Live Session were family/caring responsibilities, scheduling and other commitments with students requesting greater flexibility on session scheduling and recordings. 
  
  
• Students felt that they are more likely to engage in sessions that provide assessment guidance and facilitate collaborative learning.

So as part of the next stage of this project…

We will be running three focus groups to explore students' experiences of live sessions and distance learning in more depth. To ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully, each session will have a limited number of places.

Because interest has been much higher than anticipated, we may not be able to invite everyone who registers their interest to join a focus group. If you are selected, you'll receive an invitation with further details.

If you're not selected for a focus group, please don't worry, your voice still matters. The ideas and themes emerging from these discussions will be shared with all students who expressed an interest, and you'll have the opportunity to review, challenge, and vote on the recommendations. This means that everyone who volunteered will still play an important role in shaping the outcomes of this work.

Our goal is simple: to better understand how students engage with their distance learning programmes, whether through live sessions, independent study, or a combination of both, and to identify meaningful ways to enhance the student experience.

Thank you once again for your enthusiasm, insight, and commitment to improving learning at Arden. We look forward to working together to create positive change.