Practical class data, PowerPoint presentations and announcements about the course were provided through the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) Blackboard as implemented at the University of Bristol.
The time sequence of numbers of hits on the course site per day below shows three course weeks (1-3), the Easter holiday, then three further course weeks (4-6). The higher peak in week 6 is due to data needed for the final practical being provided through Blackboard. The examination period then followed immediately, with a peak of hits on the day before the Ecosystems and Ecophysiology paper (x). Most hits were made from Mondays to Wednesdays during the course weeks; these were the lecture days, with practicals on Thursdays:
PowerPoint presentations used in lectures were available on Blackboard on the day before each lecture. There were some early accesses of the site before the lectures (which were at 10 or 11 a.m.). Note that hits before 10 a.m. are not shown by the standard summary output.
There was a weak correlation between the number of hits and the student's course assessment mark. Spearman rank correlation rs=0.34, P<0.001:
There was no correlation between the number of hits and the student's examination mark (rs=0.02, P=0.85). There was also no correlation between the number of hits and the student's final mark (rs=0.07, P=0.45), which was made up of 40% course assessment and 60% examination results. Course notes were, however, given on the School of Biological Sciences web site, not on Blackboard, so use of these notes was not reflected in the analysis. There was a weak correlation between students' examination and course assessment marks (rs=0.44, P<0.001):
