Capturing student learning with thematic analysis

This paper reviews best practices for using thematic analysis to ascertain what 118 students reported learning in eleven different online classes in teambuilding as part of an undergraduate curriculum in management during 2011 2013. A brief review of accreditation bodies and a critique of their assessment methodologies are included as well as recommendations for more extensive reliance on thematic analysis as a primary or secondary measure of student learning. The data were collected from National University in California, USA by the same instructor, the author, for all 11 classes in this sample. National University is the second largest private, non-profit educational institution in California; and is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) as well as other discipline-based accreditation bodies. The main findings are that students learned the importance of, and benefitted from, writing a team agreement at the beginning of a team assignment; and performing confidential peer ratings at the completion of the assignment while completing a course in teamwork. Although there are no policy implications in this study, instructors may find the use of thematic analysis a more valuable supplement to official end-of-course university-driven assessments. Finally, recommendations for future studies and more widespread use of thematic analysis are offered.