How should live sessions support students in the future? Whether you attend regularly, join occasionally, or rely on recordings, your experience matters. We want to hear from distance learning students.
What role should live sessions play in the future of Distance Learning?
Your Students' Association and the Centre for Distance Learning are launching a student-led research project to explore how live learning experiences can better support Distance Learning students. Your feedback will help shape future discussions around flexibiloty, academic support, student engagement, and building stronger learning communities.
This is your chance to influence how Distance Learning evolves at Arden and ensure future decisions are informed by students who experience it every day.
Complete the survey
Survey closes on Monday, 24th August at 12:00 (UK time).
A message from your Vice President Education - Victoria
What this research is all about
As a Distance Learning student, your experience matters.
Live sessions are currently designed to support learning through discussion, interaction, academic guidance and connection with others. But every student's circumstances, study habits and learning preferences are different. While some students attend regularly, others rely on recordings, or different forms of support to fit learning around work, family and other commitments.
That's why the Centre for Distance Learning and the Students’ Association are working together to better understand what students need from live learning experiences.
Why are we doing this?
We want to better understand how live sessions fit into your learning experience and what makes them valuable, or challenging, for Distance Learning students. Whether you attend regularly, dip in occasionally, or prefer to learn through recordings and other resources, your perspective matters. We're interested in what works well, what could be improved, and any barriers that make it harder to engage. We also want to explore how different approaches could support flexibility, motivation, confidence, and connection with other students. Most importantly, we want to understand what an ideal online learning experience looks like from your perspective, because future decisions about Distance Learning should be shaped by the students who experience it every day.
Your voice can drive change
This deep dive will help us understand your lived experiences and turn the suggestions shared by you into meaningful action. The insights you share will help inform recommendations for the future of Distance Learning at Arden, including how live sessions are designed, how students can engage with learning more flexibly, and how support can be made more accessible. Your feedback will also contribute to conversations about academic guidance, assessment support, building stronger student communities, and the ongoing development of the Distance Learning experience. The findings will be shared with academic teams, helping to ensure that student voices play a key role in shaping future improvements.
Live Sessions: Keep, Change or Rethink? - Join the conversation
Distance Learning looks different for every student. Some students thrive in live sessions, while others rely on recordings and flexible study around busy lives.
As Arden looks to the future, we want students to lead the conversation.
We're exploring how live sessions can best support learning, confidence, connection and success. By sharing your experiences, you'll help shape recommendations that could influence the future of Distance Learning across the university.
Tell us what works. Tell us what doesn't. Tell us what needs to change.
Complete the survey
Survey closes on 24 August 2026 at 12:00pm (UK time).