Digital Blogs Beat Paper Journals by 70% - Here's Why
Brief Description
An action research study comparing traditional physical sketchbook reflective journals with digital blogs in art and design education, revealing dramatic differences in student performance and preference across 20 foundation art students.
Summary
What if the simple act of switching from pen and paper to digital could dramatically improve your learning outcomes? This episode explores a fascinating action research study that pitted traditional sketchbook reflective journals against digital blogs in an art and design course.
The results were striking: students using digital blogs achieved an 85% pass rate compared to just 60% with traditional sketchbooks. But the numbers only tell part of the story. When interviewed, 85% of students preferred the digital approach, citing flexibility, convenience, and the ability to reflect on-the-go using multiple devices.
The study reveals how seemingly small friction points - like printing photos, carrying bulky books, and physical pasting - can become major barriers to meaningful reflection. Digital blogs eliminated these obstacles, allowing students to link their work seamlessly, add evidence instantly, and reflect whenever inspiration struck.
But it wasn't unanimous. Some students missed the tactile, creative process of crafting physical journals, highlighting an important tension between efficiency and artistic expression. The episode also explores practical constraints, like how assessment requirements can sometimes override pedagogical preferences.
Whether you're an educator considering digital tools, a student looking to optimize your reflection practice, or simply curious about how technology can enhance learning, this study offers compelling insights into the evolving landscape of educational methods.
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[Speaker 1]
Okay, let's really dig into something fundamental today. Have you ever stopped to think, not just about what you're learning, but how you actually capture your thoughts? You know, how you make sense of things and really reflect on your progress?
[Speaker 2]
Yeah, it's crucial, isn't it?
[Speaker 1]
It really is, because that's exactly what we're diving into today. We're unpacking this action research study. It looked at traditional reflective journals, like think physical sketchbooks.
[Speaker 2]
Right, the old school way.
[Speaker 1]
Exactly. And compared them directly with reflective blogs, all within an art and design course.
[Speaker 2]
And our mission here, for you listening, is really to pull out the key insights. Can these digital tools genuinely enhance a core learning process like reflection? And maybe more importantly, why should this matter to you?
Maybe you're a student, maybe an educator, or honestly just anyone curious about learning better.
[Speaker 1]
Definitely. But before we jump into the study itself, maybe we should quickly cover action research just to set the stage.
[Speaker 2]
Good idea, yeah.
[Speaker 1]
So action research, or AR, it's basically strategy. A way to investigate a problem or something you're interested in right in the place it's happening.
[Speaker 2]
Exactly. It's got roots with Kurt Lewin, this idea of a self-reflective enquiry. It's used by people, participants, in social situations like classrooms, to actually improve what they're doing.
[Speaker 1]
Right. And in education, that often means teachers looking at their own teaching.
[Speaker 2]
Looking at how effective it is, what the student outcomes are like. It can be just one teacher or a whole team, even the whole school sometimes.
[Speaker 1]
And it's known for being cyclical, isn't it? That whole plan, act, observe, reflect loop.
[Speaker 2]
That's the classic model. Yeah. Though it's often messier in practise.
One cycle leads to new questions, new plans. It refines understanding over time.
[Speaker 1]
Makes sense. It's about continuous improvement.
[Speaker 2]
Exactly. And to understand what's going on, researchers, or the teachers doing the research, often use two broad types of methods. There's quantitative think numbers, measurable things, stats you can test.
[Speaker 1]
Like test scores or pass rates.
[Speaker 2]
Precisely. And then there's qualitative. That's more descriptive words, feelings, experiences, maybe sounds.
Things you can't easily put a number on.
[Speaker 1]
So like interviews or observations?
[Speaker 2]
Exactly. Interviews, focus groups, notes. And this study, importantly, used both.
That gives you a much richer picture.
[Speaker 1]
Okay. Good context. So, with that foundation, let's talk about the actual problem that kicked off this specific study.
What was going wrong?
[Speaker 2]
Well, the researcher, who was an educator there, noticed a real issue. Students using the traditional sketchbook reflective journals, they called them SBRJs.
[Speaker 1]
SBRJs. Got it.
[Speaker 2]
Their reflections were often, and this is the term used, poor quality.
[Speaker 1]
Poor quality how? Like messy? Messy.
Or?
[Speaker 2]
Not just messy. It seems they often weren't a true representation of the student's actual thinking or performance. They weren't digging deep enough, maybe.
[Speaker 1]
Ah, okay.
[Speaker 2]
And the students themselves. They found the whole process time-consuming and tedious. That came up a lot.
[Speaker 1]
I can imagine.
[Speaker 2]
Yeah, they talked about duplication of work, like having to print photos or evidence and physically stick it in, plus just the hassle of carrying the SBRJ along with their sketchbook everywhere. It sounds bulky.
[Speaker 1]
Ugh. Yeah. Printing and pasting.
It sounds less like reflection and more like, I don't know, scrapbooking under pressure.
[Speaker 2]
Huh. Right. No wonder things weren't clicking.
[Speaker 1]
And this is key. It wasn't just the educator noticing. Many students actually suggested to use reflective blog RBE for reflections.
[Speaker 2]
Oh, interesting. So the push came from the students, too.
[Speaker 1]
Yeah. It seems like a really important driver for even doing the study. They were asking for a change.
[Speaker 2]
Okay, so the students want blogs. The educator sees an issue with sketchbooks. How do they actually set up the comparison?
[Speaker 1]
Well, first, they took the proposal, swapping the SBRJ for an RBE to the quality improvement team at the institution. Got it discussed. Got it approved.
Proper process.
[Speaker 2]
Right.
[Speaker 1]
Then they prepared resources. Handouts, a PowerPoint presentation put on Moodle, their learning platform, showing students exactly how to create and use a blog for reflection.
[Speaker 2]
So they really supported the shift. They didn't just say, go use a blog.
[Speaker 1]
Exactly. They set them up for success.
[Speaker 2]
And who were the participants?
[Speaker 1]
It was 20 students from a level four foundation art and design class. This was the September 2018 intake. And this group was interesting because they rotated weekly through different pathways, 2D, 3D, 4D, which is often like video or time-based stuff and fashion.
[Speaker 2]
So the same students experienced different types of creative work.
[Speaker 1]
Right. And here's the core comparison. Those same 20 students used a reflective blog, the RBE, for one week.
This was during their 2D sessions.
[Speaker 2]
Okay, one week with the blog.
[Speaker 1]
Then the next week, they switched back to the traditional sketchbook reflective journal, the SBRJ. This was during their 4D sessions and actually taught by a different lecturer, which helps control for teaching style a bit.
[Speaker 2]
Okay. So same students, different methods in consecutive weeks, slightly different subjects and teachers. Makes sense.
[Speaker 1]
And in both weeks, they were given the last 30 minutes of their two-hour session specifically for reflection.
[Speaker 2]
Just 30 minutes.
[Speaker 1]
Well, that was the dedicated class time. They were also really encouraged to work on it outside of class too.
[Speaker 2]
Got it. So how did they measure if one was better than the other?
[Speaker 1]
Right, the assessment. After four weeks of the overall module, their assignments were assessed using the standard University Art London UAL criteria.
[Speaker 2]
UAL criteria, okay. Standard stuff in the UK art world.
[Speaker 1]
Yeah, and the outcomes were things like referred, which means you didn't pass basically.
[Speaker 2]
Use more work.
[Speaker 1]
Right. Or pass, merit and distinction, the usual grades.
[Speaker 2]
And who did the grading? Was it the researcher? Because that could be biassed.
[Speaker 1]
Good question. They actually tried to minimise that. The researcher only assessed five of the 20 students.
The other 15 were assessed by different lecturers who were also teaching on the course.
[Speaker 2]
Okay, that helps.
[Speaker 1]
And they focused the analysis on two specific learning outcomes, numbers one and four, which were the ones most directly related to the whole reflective process, like the quality of reflection and maintaining records.
[Speaker 2]
That makes sense. Focus on what the reflection method should impact most.
[Speaker 1]
But they didn't just rely on grades. They also gathered that richer qualitative data we talked about.
[Speaker 2]
The interviews.
[Speaker 1]
Exactly. After six weeks, so after they'd used both methods and had some time to process, all 20 students were interviewed one-on-one. They asked them which method they preferred, why, any advantages, disadvantages or challenges they ran into with either the sketchbook or the blog.
[Speaker 2]
Okay, so we have grades and we have student voices. Let's get to the results. What did they find?
[Speaker 1]
All right, finding number one. This was about learning outcome one, basically the overall quality of their reflection. With the reflective blog, the RB group, 17 students passed.
That's 85%.
[Speaker 2]
85% pass rate.
[Speaker 1]
Wow. Yeah.
[Speaker 2]
Okay, and the sketchbook group?
[Speaker 1]
Much different story. For the sketchbook journal, the SBRJ group, a much higher percentage, specifically 40% were referred, meaning they failed that outcome.
[Speaker 2]
40% failed with the sketchbook versus only 15% failing with the blog. That's a huge difference.
[Speaker 1]
It really is. And not only that, but the RB group also got much higher rates in pass, merit and distinction categories. So not just passing, but achieving higher grades too.
[Speaker 2]
Okay, so outcome one clearly favoured the blog. What about the other one they focused on? Learning outcome four.
That was about maintaining records, right?
[Speaker 1]
Yeah. Maintaining reflective records and action plans. Similar story here, maybe even stronger.
The RB group, the blog users, had a 90% pass percentage for this outcome.
[Speaker 2]
90%.
[Speaker 1]
Compared to the SBRJ group, the sketchbook users, who were at 55%.
[Speaker 2]
So 90 versus 55, again, a massive gap.
[Speaker 1]
Huge gap. And like before, the RB group also had higher numbers, getting merit and distinction grades for this outcome too.
[Speaker 2]
It seems pretty conclusive from the grades then. Blogs led to better demonstrated reflection and record keeping.
[Speaker 1]
The numbers certainly point that way, but you know, here's where it gets really interesting, I think. The student interviews. What did they say?
[Speaker 2]
Yeah, what was the preference?
[Speaker 1]
Get this. 17 out of the 20 students, that's 85% again, said they would prefer the reflective blog for their future work.
[Speaker 2]
Wow. So the preference mirrored the performance outcomes almost exactly.
[Speaker 1]
Almost exactly. Only 15%, so just three students, said they'd stick with the traditional sketchbook journal.
[Speaker 2]
That's a really strong endorsement from the learners themselves. Did they say why they preferred the blogs?
[Speaker 1]
They did. And the reasons are really insightful, I think. They found it easy and flexible.
That came up a lot.
[Speaker 2]
Flexible how?
[Speaker 1]
Flexible in terms of when and where they could do it. They loved doing it on their own time at home.
[Speaker 2]
Ah, not tied to that 30 minutes in class necessarily.
[Speaker 1]
Right. And it was convenient, they said, because they could do it at home without having to copy stuff and then paste in the sketchbooks. That whole tedious part we talked about, gone.
[Speaker 2]
Makes total sense. Less friction.
[Speaker 1]
Yeah. They also liked being able to reflect at various times of the day on different devices. You know, maybe add a thought on their phone during the commute or type something up on their laptop later.
[Speaker 2]
That fits much better with how people work today, doesn't it? Multi-device, sort of on the go.
[Speaker 1]
Absolutely. And crucially, they found it much easier to link everything together.
[Speaker 2]
Link things like?
[Speaker 1]
Like peer reviews, notes from tutorials, mind maps they might have made digitally, their action plans. It could all be connected electronically within the blog.
[Speaker 2]
Okay, that's a big advantage over a physical book where things are kind of stuck on one page.
[Speaker 1]
Totally. Plus the simple act of adding evidence, they could just easily take a picture and attach to their work electronically. No printing, no glue.
[Speaker 2]
It just sounds so much more efficient and integrated with the digital workflow.
[Speaker 1]
It really does. But it wasn't unanimous. We should be fair.
There were counterpoints.
[Speaker 2]
Okay. What were the downsides or alternative views?
[Speaker 1]
Well, one student specifically really missed the opportunity of creating an interactive sketchbook journal.
[Speaker 2]
Ah, so they missed the physical making, the craft aspect.
[Speaker 1]
Exactly. She felt she did not have the opportunity to showcase her creativity in the same way with the blog. For her, the physical journal was part of the art practise itself.
[Speaker 2]
That's a really valid point, especially in an art and design context. The medium is part of the message sometimes.
[Speaker 1]
It is. And there was also a practical limitation noted. Reflective blogs apparently cannot be used in BTEC qualifications.
[Speaker 2]
Oh, well, why is that?
[Speaker 1]
Because for those specific qualifications, the work has to be presented in mostly A3 sketchbooks. It's like a specific format requirement.
[Speaker 2]
Ah, okay. Okay, so system constraints. Sometimes the assessment rules dictate the tool, regardless of preference or effectiveness.
[Speaker 1]
Seems like it in that case.
[Speaker 2]
So if we step back and look at the big picture, what does this all mean?
[Speaker 1]
Well, I mean, the study seems to clearly demonstrate, as they put it, that the students using the blogs achieved significantly better results.
[Speaker 2]
Right, both in the quality of their reflection and their ability to maintain those records over time.
[Speaker 1]
And that flexibility point seems huge. Being able to use phones, tablets, laptops, write reflections in their own time, it just gives them so much more control and removes barriers.
[Speaker 2]
And that likely increases the frequency of their reflection, right? If it's easier to do, you might do it more often, not just cram it in at the end.
[Speaker 1]
Exactly. More consistent engagement.
[Speaker 2]
And let's not forget the time saving. That's not trivial. Taking time away from printing and pasting means more time for the actual creative work in their portfolios or sketchbooks.
[Speaker 1]
Yeah, that's precious time, as the study called it. Really valuable for these students.
[Speaker 2]
It's also worth mentioning, you said this aligns with other research.
[Speaker 1]
Yeah, the paper cited previous studies that had found similar benefits for digital reflection tools, which kind of bolsters the confidence in these findings. It's not just a one-off.
[Speaker 2]
Okay. And what about the impact on the institution or the researcher themselves? Did doing this study change anything?
[Speaker 1]
It seems like it did. The researcher mentioned it polished existing skills and gave them a deeper understanding of conducting research like this.
[Speaker 2]
That's often a benefit of action research. The researcher learns and grows too.
[Speaker 1]
For sure. And the results were apparently widely appreciated within the department. So much so that the head of department was keen to run it as a collaborative project across the whole foundation art and design programme.
[Speaker 2]
Oh, wow. So, potential for real change based on this small study.
[Speaker 1]
Yeah, moving beyond just this one group.
[Speaker 2]
Okay. But we also need to be realistic about the study's limitations, right? You mentioned a few things.
[Speaker 1]
Absolutely. Need to be fair. It was a single centre study, just one institution.
Right. And a small sample, only 20 students. Plus, the actual comparison period was quite short, just one week for each method.
[Speaker 2]
So we don't know for sure if these benefits would hold up over, say, a whole academic year.
[Speaker 1]
Exactly. They acknowledge that more studies are needed, bigger groups, maybe in different subjects, various fields of teaching, and definitely for a longer duration.
[Speaker 2]
And you mentioned it wasn't blinded.
[Speaker 1]
Right. The lecture was a blind or a sketchbook. So there's a small possibility of unconscious bias creeping in, even though they tried to mitigate it by having multiple assessors.
[Speaker 2]
Okay. Those are important caveats. Small scale, short term, not blinded.
Still, the results seem pretty compelling despite that.
[Speaker 1]
I think so too. Which brings us back to the listener, really. If this relatively simple shift, physical journal to digital blog, made such a difference in this one specific context, where else in your life or your work might some traditional method be maybe subtly holding you back?
[Speaker 2]
Yeah. Is there a more efficient or effective or just more engaging way to learn or document things or track your growth?
[Speaker 1]
It prompts you to ask why you do things the way you do, doesn't it?
[Speaker 2]
It really does. Is it just habit? Is it tradition?
Or is it genuinely the best way for you right now? Maybe embracing a new tool, maybe something digital and more flexible could unlock some surprising benefits in your own learning journey.
[Speaker 1]
Something to think about for sure.
[Speaker 2]
Definitely food for thought.
[Speaker 1]
Well, thank you for joining us on this deep dive into reflective practise and digital tools. Hope you found it useful.
[Speaker 2]
Hope so too.
[Speaker 1]
We'll catch you on the next one.