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To see or not to see, to be or not to be:

The role of identity in online study

Janus Kannuberg

J.Kannuberg1@unimail.derby.ac.uk

2nd

year undergrad report

July 2015

University of Derby

Abstract

Although distance education is an old concept the identity of distance learners has not been

studied sufficiently. Four online learners were interviewed who had studied on-campus prior

because they were in a position to compare their experiences. The researchers hoped to

gain a more refined understanding of the identity of online learners. Participants were

interviewed one-on-one after which a Thematic Analysis was conducted. Two major themes

were found: social interaction and disconnectedness. The findings support previous research

in illuminating the importance of interaction and finding that students differ in their desire for

community however it was also found that participants experienced a disconnect between

the act of studying and identifying as a student. The effect was a form of lived dualism which

the author proposes ought to be further explored to understand its implications.

Introduction

Tait (2003) tells the story of Isaac Pitman, an English teacher, who back in 1844 taught a

distance course through mail. He exploited advances in the communication technology of

the day, the rail system and postal system (Tait, 2003). Thus distance education is an old

concept but today it is merely mediated through computer and internet and is called online

learning. According to the theory of Transactional Distance (TD) by Moore (1972) it is not the

medium but separation that is the crucial component of distance education. This is because,

with physical separation comes TD “a psychological and communications gap” (Moore,

1991) where misunderstanding might occur between the inputs of learner and instructor

(Moore, 1972). In order to increase learning, the TD space needs to be minimised and

Moore (1993) claims the three components needed to reduce this space are: instructional

dialogue, program structure and learner autonomy.

Learner diversity is of interest when trying to reduce TD. It is easy to imagine that distance

learning supports diversity to a greater degree than face to face learning, since the distance

learner does not see other’s ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status or even gender.

However Hughes (2007) challenges the assumption that distance learning supports diversity

as being ‘over-optimistic’ (p. 716). She mentions that the initial structure needed to create a

cohesive group may indeed inhibit diversity (Hughes, 2007).

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Interaction and learning are inseparable suggest Delahunty, Verenikina and Jones (2014)

they base this on the sociocultural understanding that development of new understandings

and interaction are linked (Vygotsky, 1978).

It is assumed that to learn students need to participate in dialogue (Vygotsky, 1978;

Alexander, 2008). Rather than being an individual property, knowledge is created and

shared between community members using the written word as a ‘cultural tool’ (Mercer &

Howe, 2012).

Delahunty et al. (2014) also connect interaction with identity formation and claim that

identity, which emerges in interaction, is an ongoing negotiation process between others and

oneself. According to the literature review of Delahunty et al. (2014) a sense of community is

“closely connected to interaction” (p. 3). A sense of belonging is the result when during

interaction an individual responds and is being responded to (Delahunty et al., 2014).

Not having a sense of community is a main issue for online learners (Hughes, 2007). One

study found that while most on-campus students interacted several times per week while

only one fourth of online students interacted regularly (Exter, Korkmaz, Harlin &

Bichelmeyer, 2009). It is more common for distance learners to experience a sense of

isolation than for learners on-campus (e.g. White, 2003) and the attrition rates are

significantly higher amongst distance learners. This is understandable from Maslow’s (1968)

hierarchy of needs and his notion that the desire to belong and the need for ‘togetherness’ is

a fundamental human need.

Identity in distance learning is thus connected to interaction with a diversity of other students

and results in a sense of belonging or conversely feeling isolated. But the identity that

emerges in online learning has only been explored to a limited degree (Delahunty, 2012) and

Symeonides (2015) stresses the need for a “refined understanding of identity”.

To gain an understanding of the experience of identity of online students the researchers

decided to interview online students who previously studied on campus. By comparing their

own experiences the participants were in a position to shed light on areas of difference that

they perceived notable.

Method

Design

The transcript was analysed using Thematic Analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke

(2006). An inductive approach was used to identify, analyse and report patterns within the

data related to how online learners construct their identity.

Participants

Participants were recruited on campus at University of Derby ‘Residential Week’ for online

psychology students. The inclusion criteria for this study were participants currently studying

online and who previously had studied on campus. Participants were excluded if their on-

campus study consisted of less than half of an undergraduate degree. Four participants

agreed to participate in the study. Age ranged from 21 to 30 years. Geographically, 2 lived in

the UK, 1 in Hong Kong and 1 in Switzerland.

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Name Age Country Gender

Brad 30 Switzerland Male

Emma 26 UK Female

Jennifer 21 Hong Kong Female

Devi 23 UK Female

Materials

Interview questions that were formed by the research members after doing a literature

review as well as an audio recording device.

Data collection

Prior to the interviews participants received an invitation to participate and signed attached

consent forms. Participants were interviewed one at the time by one researcher. Interview

length was around 10 minutes. All four researchers participated in data collection. After the

interviews participants received a debriefing letter.

Data Analysis

The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the roles were shared between the

researchers. The transcript was analysed using a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006)

and followed the six steps recommended by Braun and Clarke (2006): 1. familiarisation with

data; 2. generation of initial codes; 3. search for themes; 4. reviewing themes; 5.

defining/naming themes and 6. writing the report. The analysis was solely undertaken by this

paper’s author.

Ethics

The research complied with The British Psychological Society’s ethical guidelines and ethical

approval was obtained from the local Psychology Research Ethics Committee at the

University of Derby. Participants were informed of their right to withdraw up to four weeks

after participating in the research. Participants have been referred to by pseudonyms to

maintain their anonymity.

Analysis

Social Interaction

Not seeing others

The lack of visual interaction was discussed by all the participants in this study. In the quote

below, Brad describes how not seeing the lecturer subtracts from his sense of belonging. He

illustrates his point with an example of a module involving some Skype interaction which

“makes it more interesting”. Further stressing the importance of visual interaction Brad

informs that he is a very “face to face type person”.

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I think a weakness of the programme is that there’s very little uhm you know, video

interaction even in the lectures you know, we never see the lecturer, we never -

there’s no visual about it and I’m very visual so, it takes a lot of the the substance

away from the connectivity or the potential of belonging that could be there. (Brad,

30)

Emma’s experience contrasts with Brads. In the quote below she highlights the visual as the

only difference but having no impact on how she feels, compared to when she studied on

campus. She further explains the reason for this being that she doesn’t get influenced by

other people.

I didn’t feel like anything has changed at all

Interviewer: Okay

Except people don’t see me. (Emma, 26)

This echoes the finding of Drouin and Vartanian (2010) who in their study found that

students differ in their perceived need for sense of community (SOC). They found that less

than one third of online students expressly desired SOC (Drouin & Vartanian, 2010).

Identity expression

Another sub-theme found was how identity is communicated. In the quote below Jennifer

explains that her options for expressing her identity are limited because the interaction is

through computer and not directly with people. Jennifer further says that the way one can

express one’s identity is through “writing style” while on campus you could also express

identity with “what you’re wearing and everything”.

there’s definitely more opportunities on, in an on-campus setting to show who you

are and your identity, whereas online you’re sort of, it’s just you and a screen -

there’s no interaction with anybody. (Jennifer, 21)

The lack of opportunities to show personhood are referred to as meaning-making cues

(Delahunty, Verenikina & Jones, 2014) e.g. tone of voice and gestures that normally support

clarity and meaning in communication (Delahunty et al., 2014).

Brad emphasises in the below quote that interacting via computer feels limited.

the computer doesn’t really do it for me and it feels extremely

limited in terms of a human form of interaction. (Brad, 30)

This inability of online students in expressing their self to a satisfactory level was also found

by Symeonides and Childs (2015).

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Disconnectedness

No relationships

Three of the four participants expressed that they missed the social aspect of on campus

study. Devi expresses in the below quote the difference in online as opposed to on campus

study. Devi also says that to identify with a group, in addition to discussing study materials it

is important to talk about “personal life”.

you are with people for 3 years and you will see them almost every day and you form

some relationships with them and then you graduate with them as well so that has

more impact on your life and influences. But online, online you don’t because you just

meet like on discussion boards to discuss like just facts. (Devi, 23)

According to Maslow (1968) it is fundamental to desire belongingness. Symeonides and

Childs (2015) also found that the constraints of written communication made students feel

that they were not communicating with real people. This lack of humanity makes it very

difficult to form relationships (Symeonides & Childs, 2015). Delahunty (2014) explains how

meaningful learning happens incrementally with the essential first step of building friendships

through interaction.

Studying, not student

Three of the four participants expressed that they did not identify themselves as a student.

Emma describes how she feels and she distinguishes between the feeling of studying and

feeling like a student. She adds to this that she does not feel like a student because she

feels “very alone” and she likes her student discount because it reminds her that she is a

student.

I don’t feel like I’m a student, I feel like I’m studying which makes it sound very

complicated, but that’s how I feel. (Emma, 26)

Jennifer says in the quote below that she is learning but not a student because of lack of

social contact.

I wouldn’t really say I was a student of this university - I’m learning through the Uni,

but I mean this is the first time I have been here, you know, I don’t, meet anyone

through this, there’s no social contact really, not even with the staff or the teachers,

there’s not much there so I wouldn’t say that I would identify as a student here.

(Jennifer, 21)

Constructing an identity is hard in written communication (Feenberg, 1989) and that one’s

identity is impacted through lack of social interaction is not new (e.g. Symeonides & Childs,

2015). However the finding that online students and in this study the majority, do not even

identify as students despite the fact that they are studying and learning is truly interesting

since someone who studies is arguably by definition also a student. This finding is to the

author’s knowledge not discussed explicitly in previous published literature and the author

coins the term student study dualism to describe this phenomena. Gestalt psychologists

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stated that the whole is different than the sum of its parts (Upton, Janeka & Ferraro, 2014). If

that thesis applies to studying then the ‘whole’ constituted by student identity and the act of

studying will normally result in something different. The student study dualism found in this

study involving online students, means that a whole is not present and therefore that the

resulting differentness will also be missing. Fodor (2009) mentions several examples of

untenable dualisms and the question is if this one belongs in that category.

Discussion

This research explored the identity of online university students who had previously studied

on campus and produced two super ordinate themes: social interaction and

disconnectedness.

This research highlighted how participants differ in how much they desire a sense of

community in their online study, which has been found before (Drouin & Vartanian, 2010). In

addition the research found that the participants experienced a limitation in how they could

express themselves and their identity in their online study. This is consistent with other

research (Symeonides & Childs, 2015). Additionally the study showed that participants

experienced a disconnect in their online study. Firstly participants missed the relationships

that went hand in hand with their previous on-campus study. Secondly participants, although

they were studying, did not identify as students, this division between the act of studying and

identifying as a student in online study, is a dualism that to the author's knowledge is a novel

finding not discussed explicitly in previous published literature. This student study dualism

means that a whole in gestalt terms is not present and therefore that something is missing.

A limitation of this study was that participants were interviewed by different interviewers.

Another limitation was that all participants studied on-campus first and online second, the

order of study might have an influence on the experience.

To understand what the implication is of engaging in study but lacking student identity the

author proposes that the student study dualism be explored with special focus to increase

our understanding of this experience and its importance in relation to the transactional

distance (Moore, 1997) in online learning.

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Reference list

Alexander, R. (2008). Essays on Pedagogy, Abingdon UK, Routledge.

Delahunty, J. (2012). ‘Who am I?’: Exploring identity in online discussion forums.

International Journal of Educational Research, 53, 407-420.

Delahunty, J., Verenikina, I., & Jones, P. (2013). Socio-emotional connections: identity,

belonging and learning in online interactions. A literature review. Technology, Pedagogy And

Education, 23(2), 243–265.

Drouin M., Vartanian L. R. (2010). Students' Feelings of and Desire for Sense of Community

in Face-to-Face and Online Courses. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 11(3),

147–159.

Exter, M. E., Korkmaz, N., Harlin, N. M. and Bichelmeyer, B. A. (2009). Sense of Community

within a Fully Online Program: Perspectives of Graduate Students. Quarterly Review of

Distance Education, 10(2), 177-194.

Feenberg, A. (1989). In R. Mason & A. Kaye (Eds.), Mindweave: Communication,

computers and distance education, 22–39. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

Fodor, J. (2009). Where is my mind?. London Review of Books, 31(3), 13-15.

Hughes, G. (2007). Diversity, identity and belonging in e-learning communities: Some

theories

and paradoxes. Teaching in Higher Education, 12(5-6), 709-720.

Mercer, N. & Howe, C. (2012) Explaining the dialogic processes of teaching and learning:

the value of sociocultural theory. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 1(1), 12–21.

Moore, M. G. (1972). Learner autonomy: The second dimension of independent learning.

Convergence, 5(2), 76-88.

Moore, M. G. 1991. Distance education theory. The American Journal of Distance

Education, 5(3), 1-6.

Moore, M. G. (1993). Theory of transactional distance. In Theoretical Principles of Distance

Education. Keegan, D. (Ed.). New York NY, Routledge: pp 22-38.

Tait, A. (2003). Guest Editorial - Reflections on Student Support in Open and Distance

Learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 4(1).

Upton J., Janeka I. & Ferraro N. (2014). The whole is more than the sum of its parts:

Aristotle, metaphysical. The Journal of craniofacial surgery, 25(1), 59-63.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes,

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Cambridge Mass, Harvard University Press.

White, C. (2003). Language Learning in Distance Education, Cambridge, UK, Cambridge

University Press.

Appendices

Group Contract and Study Preparation Record

Your Group Contract should follow a similar style to that set out below. Please adapt as

appropriate for your group:

We, the undersigned, agree to uphold our group contract and conduct our activities

according to the ground rules we have agreed below.

Ground rules: For example, specify how often you want to interact and by which

means of communication; agree certain roles (who is going to do what); agree what to

do if your rules are broken, etc.

1. We all agree to the team name “A-Team Social”

2. We will all endeavour to be available for our team as often as possible via

Whatsapp; Blackboard and email.

3. Our primary group communication while apart will be on Whatsapp.

4. We agree that Lara can take on most of the administration; Christina manages

most of the research while Janus and Kerstin take on research, data collection

and brainstorming. Although these roles have been assigned, all parties will work

together with equal effort and workload.

5. We agree that all information and documents submitted to the University of

Derby must all be approved by every member in the group first.

6. We agree that all decisions are to be born out of democratic vote.

7. We all agree to be honest with one another and help each other wherever we

can.

8. We agree to put in our best efforts to ensure we can all attain a good grade for

this assignment.

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9. We all agree to never plagiarize, in any form.

Student Names:

Name: Christina Keall (100318911)

Name: Lara Mahdessian – Jagdev (100331954)

Name: Janus Kannuberg (100286354)

Name: Kerstin Becker (100368954)

Date: Sunday, May 31st, 2015.

Purpose of meeting/

interaction

Date Who took

part

Who did

not take

part

What was agreed

To form Whatsapp group

To discuss and form a

group contract on

Whatsapp

31st May All parties The group contract

Discuss research

proposal on Whatsapp

1st June All parties How the research

proposal will be

approached

Discuss research design

& data collection on

Whatsapp

2-3rd June All parties data collection

Submission of critical

review

4th June All parties Critical review ready

for submission

Discussion of research

proposal

New team member :

Kerry Ransford

5th-19th

June

Mild

contributio

n from

Kerry

Submission of

research proposal

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Discussing amendments

to research after

feedback from Debbie

received

23-24th

June

Janus,

Kerstin,

Chrissie,

Lara.

Mild

contributio

n from

Kerry

Approval of research

proposal

26th June

Casual discussion of

residential week

27th-29th

June

Janus,

Kerstin,

Chrissie,

Lara.

Discussions on

Whatsapp of Kerry being

unable to attend

residential week

29th June -

3rd July

All parties Kerry removed from

group

Interview number: 1 Interviewer: Janus Kannuberg Participant: Emma Date of interview: 30’th June 2015 Information about interviewee Age: 26 Gender: Female P = Participant I = Interviewer I: How do you define identity? P: It depends on what identity you’re talking about I would say it’s a broad concept. Identity is who you are but that could be any which way to me. It could be whether you know, your… how you dress, it could be how you live, it could be your sexuality, it could be anything. I: Yeah okay, so how would you define your identity as a student? P: I don’t feel like I have an identity as a student in a sense, because at the moment I study online I feel like I’m… even though I know there are a lot of other online students I feel very alone so I just feel like I am someone who’s studying, if you know what I mean. I don’t feel like I am a student. I: Okay. P: I like my student discount, that reminds me that I’m a student but otherwise I don’t feel like I identify as a student because to me, a student is usually young. I: Okay yeah. P: And so it feels different to me, I don’t feel like I’m a student I feel like I’m studying which makes it sound very complicated, but that’s how I feel. I: So how important is social identity to you within the school atmosphere? P: Erm… it’s not very important but I suppose I think… I’ve always been my own person. I: Okay.

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P: So for me I just… I am who I am and it doesn’t really matter who… what anyone else thinks, it doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks of me. I’m just who I am anyway so I don’t really feel like it’s something that affects me in any way. I: Okay. P: I’m just my own person. I: Okay, so what about the influences of your peers on your perspective? P: On what perspective? I: The perspective on on… on your identity? P: Well, yeah I suppose it’s still the same in that because I… because I feel like I… I’m comfortable in who I am I don’t really define who I am so I suppose as a good example for you, so can maybe understand better what I mean, is that when I am with at school erm… I suppose like a lot of people there was a stage when some people became goffs, some people became you know, the cool kids something like that and I was the only one left in the middle that was in no group. I was the only person that spoke to every group and they didn’t speak to each other, so it was that sort of thing that I was always exactly who I was. I didn’t really think about it beyond that, I didn’t feel I had to be something or act a certain way, I don’t feel that anyone has an influence on me, I sort of accept people as they are. I: Okay. P: And I assume they accept me as I am and then… so I don’t have to be a certain way, I just… I don’t think that far ahead, I just think about what I need to think about in life. I: Okay, okay so you don’t experience peer pressure? P: No no no, but I suppose again, when I was at school everyone smoked I didn’t smoke. I: Okay. P: And the people I was sure would never smoke ended up smoking but yeah, it just didn’t affect me. I thought: “I don’t want to do it” and that’s why I didn’t do it. I: Okay. P: Very strong willed. I: Yeah erm… so has your opinion changed over the years? P: About what? I: About erm… about how you feel as a person? P: Erm… yes I suppose it’s changed more personally, so I suppose it’s more as I’ve grown I found I suppose it’s also about opportunities as well. So it’s… for example I like to dye my hair bright colours ‘cause it was obviously… I suppose it wasn’t a normal age about at fourteen I started dying my hair erm… other colours because I could and so it’s things like that that it’s more about what I was able to do and when… so again it’s like even though like I’ve said I don’t identify as anything. But I like a lot of rock, I like guff shoes I buy them for myself but it’s now… it’s now that okay I want them I could go and get them and I could wear them so it’s more about the choices that are available to me. So I found that I’ve… I’d… I suppose it’s not that I’ve changed in myself and how I feel but what people might see might change because I’m now able to do these things. I’m able to maybe buy the clothes that I want to buy and obviously as a child, as you’re growing up you sort of… it’s more forced upon you a little bit you might be able to customise things but you know you’re not a… you’re not in a hundred percent control of what you want to do. So I just think it’s made being who I am easier as I’ve got older, but I don’t really think It’s changed actually. I: So it’s more the circumstances that… P: Yes exactly. I: have changed erm… okay thank you. I: Erm… so could you describe what made you decide to study online after studying on campus? P: Well what happened was, I used to have epilepsy when I was younger, so during my first degree I got quite sick and then it got to a point where I realised that all the fits I was having, was really affecting my grade. So then I couldn’t fit it uh… I couldn’t continue anymore. But the problem then was that I realised that I was stuck with basically alm… I almost finished my third year but I sort of well… I was told I didn’t submit one of my papers because I couldn’t make it to Manchester to hand it in physically. So I got zero and so you start

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panicking thinking: “I’m going to ruin my whole degree because I’m sick”, so I decided that I needed to stop. I did want to carry on but because of some… some politics in the sense that with epilepsy you can’t prove it medically, in the sense that you don’t need to go to the doctors or the hospital every time, but that’s what the university wanted to see… I: Oh. P: I could then start again and because I couldn’t… I couldn’t produce… that they wouldn’t let me start again so then it was three years of university with no degree, student loan and nothing to show for it. So then I had to go in to work and again trying to explain to people why I don’t have a degree though I have been studying for three years. So it was a case of… I just had to move on with life but then as time goes on it’s…for me personally I couldn’t… I couldn’t stand the fact that it wasn’t finished and I had to finish it. So studying online was the only feasible option, I couldn’t afford to stop working and go back to university full time. So it was the only option that would work for me so… in a sense it’s helpful that the fees are slightly lower but at the same time it doesn’t really matter, it’s a case of I needed to finish it and that was my only option… I: Okay. P: That was feasible in my life. I: Yeah yeah, okay. Erm… So what does it mean to you to be studying online rather than on campus? P: It’s… it’s nicer to study online because I felt that it suited my personality type more, so in a sense I’m not very different now than I was when I was at physical university. I like to get on with things on my own, I like to read on my own so erm… it makes it easier that int… that interaction is easier so it’s more in my control, if I want to contribute I can but if I don’t want to I don’t have to. So… I don’t feel like I need to spend a lot of time, you know, going out of it, I was terrible being so sure, and things like that, I can just get on with studying which in a… I suppose in a harsh way that’s exactly what I want, I want to study. So it just means that it’s a lot easier, it suits me better. I: Okay. Erm… so how… when you talk with other people how do you describe your study? P: To people who are not studying? I: Yeah, yeah. P: Anyone? I: Yeah. P: I suppose… How do I describe my studies…? I: Yeah when you study online… people… people know if you studied on campus, people know what that is, but not everyone knows what it’s like to study online. P: Ah yes, I suppose…well I… the first thing I always have to explain to people is they always wonder you know how do you have your lectures and things like that. So I always have to explain that in theory they can be lectures but it might be a power-point, it might be a recording or there’s a lot of material. So I tell them it’s more about the materials that you get, so it’s more explaining that it’s more digitalised… I: Okay. P: And so you can in a sense receive the same information and to effect to me it’s easier to get a lot of help… so it can be more difficult if you try to study physically at a university cause the lecture might not… you know might not have time for all three hundred students, but online there might be less students, so it’s easier to get that interaction… I: Yeah, yeah. P: So I, I suppose I explained on this it’s a lot more positive but you have to be a lot more motivated… I: Yeah. P: To do it as well. I: Okay, erm… So how… how… how does your experience of studying online differ from your experience of studying on campus, in terms of your impact on your social identity? P: Erm… I don’t think it does have any impact, I mean I said yeah that a lot of… especially when it comes to my identity, it doesn’t make any difference to me I just… I feel exactly the same way…

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I: Yeah. P: About… I didn’t feel like anything has changed at all. I: Okay. P: Except people don’t see me. I: Yeah. Erm… So how do you feel about the role of online study in your life compared with how you felt when you studied on campus? P: I found on campus studying a lot easier and I’m not sure why. I don’t know if it was because I was fresh out of sixth form and I was prepared, so it felt easier to go straight into that. I felt work was easier so maybe because of how many A-levels I studied and how rigorous my A-levels were and then suddenly studying one subject a few times a week seemed very very simple… I: Yeah, yeah. P: But now it seems a lot more difficult but that might be because of how much time has passed. I: Ah okay. P: So to me, I think that’s the biggest difference that I have noticed. I: Yeah yeah, okay. So how does online study integrate or affect other aspects of your life? P: It’s hard because I have to sacrifice a lot; I think it’s very obvious that you’ve got to go out of your way to make sure that you have time to do your studies but not cancel everything else in your life though that might need to happen sometimes, so it’s really difficult trying to find that balance… I: Yeah. P: Of knowing when you can afford to study and when you can not afford to study, and things like that. So it’s hard having to yeah… sacrifice a lot of time that I find difficult but I know it’s necessary. I: Yeah, yeah okay. Thank you very much. P: You’re welcome. Interview number: 2 Interviewer: Kerstin Becker Participant: Devi Date of interview: 30’th June 2015 Information about interviewee Age: 23 Gender: female P=Interviewee I=Interviewer P: How do you define identity? I: I think identity is who you kind of identify yourself with. I don’t think it necessarily has to be with ..aehm .. with where you’re from. It could just be how you kind of relate to some sort of culture or, yeah. P: And how do you define your identity as a student? I: As a student? P: Well, it depends…I think there are so many things. Aehm….what do you mean.. as in? I: How you describe yourself as a student .. what influences that thought that you are having about being a student? What would you say? P: Ah ok, so you meaning compared to .. like for example a non-student? I: Yeah. P: Ok… aehm..(laughs) I don’t know. I think it’s.aehm...how do I identify myself as a student? I think I just identify myself as being a student by aehm ... just taking part in the university and … aehm… and working towards a degree, I think. And ..

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I: Ok. And you have studied on campus before? P: Yeah, I have I: What have you studied? P: Psychology I: Psychology. And how did you identify yourself as a Psychology student back then? How was that, what influenced your life as a student? P: OK. On campus it was a bit, you got to socialise a bit more and there were a lot of sort of societies that you could kind of connect to. Aehm… there was something for everyone. Aehm…so there was that and also I think..aehm… with regards to home like you could just ask for.. it was easy to get help when you were in person than being an online student. Aehm… also I think ..aehm..facilities and resources, that you could make use of. I: And how is it as an online student now compared to being an on-campus student? P: Online student, I think it gives you more time and then you and that you are able to aehm… do things as your own pace. So, for example, I work full-time so I, so it is kind of easier for me to do it online ‘cause I know the material is there and I can go through it at my own time rather than going to teaching at like scheduled times. Aehm…yeah, but that’s the main thing that I think is different. Aehm, also I think with sort of communication you don’t really get yo see anyone, sort of just chatting (laughs). I: What do you like better? P: I think the socialising part on-campus is good. But, I would prefer online only because I need to work full-time. And I need something that I do in my own time that I might not be able to learn by sitting in a lecture for like 2 hours. I: So, as a student, what’s the most important thing for you? Whether online or on-campus, what would be the most important thing for you? P: Ahem, I think the study materials and how you get help for like if you have any questions for your assignment. And .. yeah, I just think your own pace…. I: What about your peers and the influence of your peers? Online compared to on-campus. P: Oh, it’s very different I think. On-campus, it’s a huge factor. You’re always with people, you’re always with someone. Online you don’t necessarily meet a lot of people but you have discussion boards, but .. aehm.. not everyone will want to kind of take part in that unless obviously there is group work and stuff, that’s the way that I think you…which is good…that’s how you get to know more people online. But aehm…I don’t think it sorts of influences you in online in anyway. I: When you say it does not influence you, does that mean you are not feeling part of a group or do you mean something different? P: I don’t know, I think it’s, it’s because to be...I’d….it’s like… I identify myself as an online student but to be part of a group of…you kind of have to have some things common and some liking in stuff that you don’t get online that you just..aehm.. you’re just there to kind of like discuss study materials so that in that way you cannot identify yourself with a group because you are not talking about personal life, I think that is more important for group formation I: More important? P: … for like a group formation. I: And important for you? P: Aehm…maybe…(laughs) I: Maybe (laughs)? What does that mean? P: Aehm, I think my focus is more on studying really. I: So has that changed over the years, would you say that? What…to what way does age and the development that you are growing along with that age, how important is that? P: The age?

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I: Yes. P: I think it is quite important..aehm…I think…so I am 23..aehm… but at this age you are more focused and you are more calmer than I used to…yeah, and you know that you need to get things done, yeah, and then the social part is, you would like it to…it is not as important for you, it’s just getting a good degree and you know finishing your assignments at that age. That is more important I think. I: So, would you say the role that peers take place in on-campus studies is much bigger than in… P: …Yeah, yeah. I think because they spend, for example, a normal degree normally is 3 years, so that’s… you are with people for the whole 3 years and you will see them almost every day and you form some relationships with them and then you graduate with them as well so that has more impact on your life and influences. But online, online you don’t because you just meet like on discussion boards to discuss like just facts…. I: And how do you feel about the role of online studies in your life? P: Aehm, I think, it’s very good. It has given me time to organize things, other things, into my life and being able to work at the same time. I: And what is your top priority in your life? P: What’s my top priority? I: Yeah. P: To definitely get a degree. I: A degree... And would your next degree be online or on-campus? P: I think my next degree would be more practical, trying to look for work something that’s got a placement inside, so probably I’d be there…not as much university, just a few days and then I would be at the placement for the rest. I: Mmh. And where do you think your personal development comes from, is it age-related? Culturally related? Module related or topic related? P: I think it is a little bit of everything. I think with modules you like someone who is better than the others and then you know that that’s where you would want to kind of go further. Also, age…aehm…that yeah…that you want to kind of finish your degree and get a good job et cetera. And I think just personally as well, the age has kind of developed me. I: Developed as an individual? P: Yeah I: Well, ok, good. I think the time is almost up. We got some very good information. Thank you for your feedback. P: Thank you. I: Thank you. P: No problem. Interview number: 3 Interviewer: Christina Keall Participant: Jennifer Date of interview: 30’th June 2015 Information about participant Age: 21 Gender: Female I = Interviewer P = participant I: So we’re talking about identity in the context of on-campus and online learning so to being with can I ask, how do you define identity?

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P: Erm… my personality, my culture and I think that my upbringing has made me who I am. I: Lovely, and how do you define your identity as a student? P: Maybe by my choice of study, so I view myself as a psychology student. I: Brilliant. So how important is social or school/college/university identity to you? P: So, what do you mean? I: So in terms of how you identify with say, University of Derby or your previous on campus university as part of your identity – you know, do you view yourself as a student of that university particularly? P: Well I definitely say I identified more as a student with my previous university because I was physically there and I made my friends there, whereas here, I wouldn’t really say I was a student of this university – I’m learning through the Uni, but I mean this is the first time I have been here, you know I don’t, meet anyone through this, there’s no social contact really, not even with the staff or the teachers, there’s not much there so I wouldn’t say that I would identify as a student here. I: Ok, no, that makes sense. So you talked about identifying with people, meeting people; so I guess as a follow up, what about the influence of your peers on your perspective of your identity? P: Mmmm, to an extent, um, I think as a student obviously having peers and friends there it helps you build your identity because you learn things from people and all that, um, but I think that when you go to university you sort of already have something set in stone of who you are, the type of person you are and what your goals are so that’s, for me, I don’t feel affected by the people around me. Um, socially maybe if you want to go do things like that but education-wise or morally I don’t feel affected by my peers. I: Ok that’s great thank you. Um, so I guess as a follow up to that, has your opinion changed over the years do you think in terms of how you view your identity? P: No. I: That’s nice and simple! P: Would you like more? I: That’s fine! We’re asking your view, that’s your view, I’m happy! So than moving on, could you describe what made you decide to study online instead of on campus? P: Well I left my previous Uni because I didn’t like where I was, and I didn’t like, um, I missed home a lot so I think being home has definitely.. well, there you go - I identified as a person from Hong Kong and I felt in, in, somewhere like Scotland it was so different and I felt, I wasn’t comfortable there, I didn’t enjoy and I didn’t like it, um, so I needed to, I felt like for me to be at my best I needed to be home. Um, so then I went home and I decided this would be the best way, I could be at home, be happy um, learn to be to be well, emotionally well, and then be able to do all that I could do educationally –wise here. So online learning made more sense, it was the best choice for me at that time. I: That’s brilliant, thank you. Um, so, I suppose it’s sort of linked really to the previous question – so what does it mean to you to be studying online rather than on campus? P: It means that I can be more flexible and, and more happier, I think. I can do what I want and I don’t feel like… I’m more disciplined, where with online I get to, I’m studying what I want to do and I get to do it when I want to and the way I want to and I don’t have to worry about ‘oh I have to get to class or get to lecture’ and then I can also be reaching all the other goals in the rest of my life, like career-wise, relationship- wise or with my family, thing like that , so my life doesn’t really stop because I’m at uni. Um, yeah, don’t know if that answers your question? I: No that’s brilliant that’s absolutely fine, again it’s entirely your view that we’re looking for – whatever you tell me I’m happy! Um, so then moving on to talk about how you place your identity in context perhaps, how do you describe your study to others? P: So like when people ask me what I’m doing? Uhhh, well I make it really clear that what I’m doing is exactly the same as what everybody else would do when they’re on campus. I find that if I tell people I’m doing long distance they’re kinda like ‘ooh’ kinda like stigmatised, kinda like ‘you mustn’t have like good grades’ or you know? But I try and make it really clear that what I’m doing is exactly the same as anyone who is at, um, at a campus, and if

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anything makes us more disciplined and more wall-balanced and better with timing and knowing what we want to do. Well I don’t know, I just say it’s long distance and I do it online and I do it when I can. I: So there’s, there’s a bit of justification, that’s interesting. P: Yeah I: So um, I guess we’ve sort of already covered some of this already but just to ask the question; how does your experience of studying online differ from your experience of studying on campus in terms of impact on your social identity? P: Well for me it was different because towards the end of my campus uni I was like, I was in a really bad place ‘cause I was really sad and really missing home so I did a lot of my stuff online, because at my previous uni they would film the lectures and then upload it, so I got used to the idea of being in my own room and being able to do it on my own – I didn’t really rely on other people. But I do in terms of social aspects of like not being able to meet new people or go out with friends. Um ‘cause like I lived in a flat with two girls and we lived next door to like four boys and we had lots of fun, so I do think I miss the social aspect of being able to go out and of the whole uni life type thing and living on my own and all that kind of stuff. Um, but yes, it’s different. I: Ok. And this is, um, sort of a slightly different aspect of a question we may have covered a little. Describe how online or on-campus study allow you to present or express your identity? P: Hmmmm… well I don’t think you really get to online, I mean there are so many aspects to identity, like even on campus, like even going into a lecture you show your identity with what you’re wearing and everything, and , and while I’m at home I don’t really interact with anyone. So there’s no chance to really…. You know you put everything in your work and that’s the way you show like your writing style or the way you communicate in group work, things like that. I: Yeah. P: Um, but like there’s definitely more opportunities on, in an on-campus setting to show who you are and your identity, whereas online you’re sort of, it’s just you and a screen – there’s no interaction with anybody. Yeah. I: That’s interesting. I suppose that moves on really to how you identify with your peers and your lecturers on campus versus online, we’ve already covered a little bit of that, um, but specifically perhaps on the subject of interaction? P: Yeah, I mean ‘cause at the end of a lecture you could, if you had a question I could just walk down a couple of steps and ask the lecturer himself “oh, uh, I’m confused about this, of can I help you with this, or do you have any more information?” Whereas with an online lecture I have to listen to it and then if I have any questions I need to write a separate e-mail, and it’s not even to the person who actually recorded the lecture itself it’s to some other person, you know, that I won’t, that I’ve probably never spoken to and they’re only hearing form me this one time about one question. And I think it’s more intimidating because you’re make, going through that whole effort of e-mailing someone and it might just be a really simple question that they could have just answered with a yes or a no, but they’ve gotta e-mail you back, so it’s like, I kinda feel like I don’t really want to ask for help ‘cause it’s so troublesome, whereas on campus there’s more interaction and it’s more comfortable and laid back and you’re not worrying about sounding stupid because they’re right there with you. I: Yeah. P: Yeah. I: That’s lovely. Ok, so, um, you were talking about sort of life not having to stop, studying online, so I guess one of the questions we thought would be interesting to ask for students who have done both: how do you feel about the role of online study in your life compared to how you felt about on campus study? P: I think, it’s very difficult, cause I almost prefer it because I feel like I can, ‘cause I’m working full time right now and it’s, uh, like, I’m getting work experience while studying, which is, I think is great and not many people can leave Uni and say “oh, I’ve done work experience for a year or two”, so I think it gives me a step up against everyone else, um…

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yeah, it just, it’s made my life easier. You know I can still go out with my friends, I can still be with my family, I can still see my boyfriend - things like that it doesn’t really stop, whereas at Uni there’s a full schedule you’ve got to follow… yeah. I: Ok so, one last question then, you’ll be grateful to know! How does online study integrate or affect other aspects of your life? P: What do you mean? I: So, do you find, I guess you’ve already covered some of it really in sort of talking about how it facilitates other things for you, but do you find it impacts more or less than on-campus study, or how do you juggle the other things that you have to do with your studies? P: Mmmm, well I think, the way it’s impacted my life for the better because it’s made me more aware and more hard-working because it’s just me that’s driving myself, I don’t have a schedule, right? So it’s, I know that when I finish work I have to go home and I gotta, like, catch up on my lecture or anything, so it’s a lot of responsibility there, it’s definitely made me a more responsible person. So I think it’s impacted my life better, it’s made me more mature than if I had just come out of on-campus, you known because you’re still, it’s still like school because you’re still relying on other people, yeah. I: That’s brilliant, thank you very much for your time… P: No worries! I: …you’ll be grateful to know that’s the end, I shall press stop! Interview number: 4 Interviewer: Lara Mahdessian - Jagdev Participant: Brad Date of interview: 30’th June 2015 Information about interviewee : Gender: male Age: 30 P=Interviewee I=Interviewer I: OK! How would you define identity? P: What I am? I: Would you like to elaborate a bit more? P: How I think of myself maybe. I: OK P: How I like uhm… What is my sense of belonging. How I take myself seriously. What is serious, what is meaningful to me. What makes up my identity. I: And, when you were studying on campus, how much did that play a part in what you just said now? P: How.. How I.. When I was studying on campus? I: Mmhmm. At University. P: So when I was on campus, how did it impact…? I: Your identity. P: How I take myself seriously. I’m not sure if that exactly answers your question but definitely studying on campus for me was uh very rewarding experience in terms of my self-confidence. I felt, I definitely feel like I built social identity I built a persona which I felt comfortable with. That was popular. I: And What activities that took place on campus played a role in how your identity formed? P: [sighs] Smoking weed was a good one. I: Mmhmm. That gave you a sense of belonging, in a group? P: It did yeah. Because I did it with a group, yeah, it was a regular activity. Which also culturally made me connect with… with a lot of the locals.

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I: So you were studying in a foreign land? That’s why you say that? So you felt that you had to adapt as well to uh being in a foreign country? P: I don’t know if I felt I had to, but I definitely felt like it it boosted my self confidence. [Stutters] I felt very appreciated right from the start, which is a great change from where I was before. Uhm and uhm that was amplified by how good of a weed smoker I was and how great grades I was able to maintain and be smo… be high all day [laughs]. I mean, I’m saying the truth, for you, right. I: No, that’s good we appreciate it. P: [laughs] I: Uhm, so how would that, how would you say that that social identity is now different to studying online? [Long pause] P: I barely feel any sense on belonging here, at all. I’ve felt, I’ve had one or two vibrations of belonging since I got here this week. Which is a year and a half into my degree. And it’s not gonna happen again for the rest so. I mean - I: And that’s because you’re on campus for this week? P: Yeah. I mean in terms of the sense of belonging I fact, I’m not very proud of doing a degree at University of Derby per se. I mean I think it’s the the the the degree itself is really is is a perfect response to my needs in terms of what I’m looking for as a former qualification. But in terms of a university experience, [stutter] I think I’m very happy because I wasn’t looking for any social life or any kind of deepening of my identity in that sense. But I don’t, I don’t think it, there’s ve… very little, if nothing, of that development of social identity through the online learning programme. I mean there’s… there’s the… there’s the BUB threads, Blackboard threads, which you know I mean there can be some interesting discussions at times. But it’s I mean personally I’m a very you know sort of physical face to face type person and live with my senses a lot so… the computer really doesn’t do it for me and it feels extremely limited in terms of a human form of interaction. I: Why did you choose online learning? P: Because I travel a lot, I have very irregular schedules. So there was only a few opportunities for me to do uhm a proper degree. Uhm online was definitely the only option and then I chose uh Derby because uh well it’s ah the English system in terms of assessment is I mean I’m used to it – I have studied in Anglo-Saxon countries for most my adult life. So I’ve been… it’s been fantastic in terms of that. I mean it’s exactly what I was looking for in fact it’s even better than what I was expecting in terms of the assessment. Uhm not in the sense that it’s easier but it’s really the format which is most suitable for.. because I work more than a hundred per cent so uhm I can just choose to have just three four weeks off at the end. And I do some studying in between but the fact that it doesn’t require much active uhm assessment is very easeful and helps me to negotiate my time much better like I can study during the night you know uhm when I’m doing the shifts during the day. I can do things at really random times or even short periods or extended periods of time without having to coordinate times or locations which would have been impossible. I: So when you uh… Do you feel that studying online now, you have to present yourself differently to the outside world, than when you were studying on campus? P: Do I have to present myself differently? You mean through the online forums? Because I mean here it’s been very similar to I mean I am just who I am. Not really presenting myself in any particular way. I: I guess I mean in your general life, how much of your uhm your online studies, is, how is that affecting your identity away from studies, compared to when you were studying at university? P: How is that affecting my identity - I: -Your life away P: -my life away from the studies. So how is my life affected by the fact that I’m doing an online learning? I: Yes

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P: Well I think it’s definitely had a lot of very positive impact in terms of you know what I’ve been learning. You know. The quality of discussions I can have with my partner and even the people – I mean I work in a… in a multi-disciplinary clinic so, in the field, and uhm some of the subjects were even more interesting than what I would have expected at first. So there’s like a, you know, a discussion value there which is interesting. Uhm aside from that, it’s one more thing I do which people tend to be pretty impressed by, you know. And I dress to impress I mean [laughs] more than just dressing, you know. No I do feel there’s a lot of looking for recognition in many ways. I: And do you think that people respect your online studies as much as they respected your offline studies? P: Yeah. I mean it’s a it’s .. what they’re asking is what type of study is it. And it’s a BSc Psychology recognized by the BPS so – I: So you don’t tell them it’s online? P: No No! Of course I do I mean, when they ask. I physically would not be able to do any other type of degree. I: Right P: No there’s no there’s no… the recognition is just as good as is I was doing another, another programme. Uhm. Although now I’m going to my third year it’s like ‘ok you’re only doing your bachelor’s now’. It’s like I have to explain a little bit but uh it’s… it’s uh… been uhm for the most part very positive. Yeah. I: So you said earlier that your uhm your sense of community is a bit less now, isn’t it, online? P: It’s nearly non-existent. I: Right P: There can be some threads, but even if there are you see like you… this module was actually the first module along with the other, because there’s also the group work, the Abnormal Psychology that I’m doing – is the first module where there’s actually any kind of Skype interaction or group work which makes it more interesting actually. I: Yeah. P: You know. Uhm it is a little bit more difficult to coordinate and had I known that these were gonna be online group studies for this semester I would have worked around my work schedule a bit different to be able to benefit from that a little bit more but uhm… I think it’s nearly non-existent you know the the… the … quality of social life quasi null. I: Mmm P: It may be different for people who are in the region you know and who can connect to the location and to actually see some of the people and like the fact that you know there’s no.. and this is I think one of the, this is I think a weakness of the programme is that there’s very little uhm you know, video interaction even in the lectures you know, we never see the lecturer, we never – there’s no visual about it and I’m very visual about this so, it it takes a lot of the the substance away from the connectivity or the potential of belonging that could be there. Which I think is really possible you know I mean I’ve had, I’ve had various courses where there is a lot of that. And the connection is just different. So…. I: So you still crave that sense of belonging to a community and more social interaction. P: I… I really appreciate it, I don’t know if craving is the word. Because I mean I’m doing quite fine without it. But I do think that it would have a good, a positive impact on my my studies, on my quality of learning and my interest in being part of Derby. I don’t… identify with Derby, sorry, Derby very much, I don’t. I: Mmm. Lastly uh just one more question, do you think that your age has impacted how you feel about your studies now because there must have been a few years gap from when you studied at university. P: Yep I: Do you think that’s impacted on how you perceive your identity, with your studies? P: My identity with my studies… I: Do you think your age has influenced that?... Your priorities maybe?

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P: I think that my… the fact that I’m older and have already done a bachelor’s before is definitely made me very relaxed about all of it. I: Yeah P: I mean I’m just breezing through. I mean my grades are not as good as [laughs] it’s true my grades are not as good as when I did my first degree. That’s true. But, I’m much more relaxed about it, I’m doing a million other things so I’m not, I’m definitely not putting as much effort into it. So I and… and that’s really nice. And at the same time my age I think is also sort of a negative social recognition element in the sense that when I say I’m doing a Bachelor’s like ‘oh, you’re just doing a Bachelor’s?’. I: OK P: So it’s a bit of both. I: Time is up, thank you.