Since 2013, Leeds Beckett University has carried out two studies, working with market researchers, into students' feelings and perceptions of online courses and their learning context. This work has been conducted outside routine data collection for statistical reporting to regulatory agencies, as these exercises do not explore a student's engagement or behaviour in a rich enough way to assist practitioners in the design of learning products, services and experiences.The unstated philosophy of both studies has been to ground learning behaviour, and hence engagement, in the whole life of the individual student, taking place -in the case of the second study -over an extended time period. These whole-life studies have included research into the students' emotional lives, as the role of emotions in learning is of interest not only to researchers but also to practitioners, who engage with students in a real-life context rather than an experimental one. This paper describes these two studies, their findings and their value in developing and delivering online courses. The first study (2014) was entirely qualitative, covering a small sample over a narrow time window, but it provided rich, nuanced insights into learning context and motivation. The second study (2016) was a longitudinal study of a much larger sample of students, using a mix of qualitative research and quantitative data collection. Both studies help to contextualise the 'online student', whose presence and activities online are subject to institutional measurement, in the 'whole person' of the student.

Microsoft Teams is a new collaborative working and digital community platform launched in 2017 as part of the Microsoft Office 365 suite of applications. It provides an online space ideally suited for collaboration and streamlining communication for anyone involved in online learning and teaching in Higher Education. In the Distance Learning Unit (DLU) at Leeds Beckett University, Teams has been piloted used as part of a University-wide pilot project to help transform the way we work with both staff and students, both on distance and classroom courses. This presentation will outline the wider context of the Teams pilot in the University and how it is being trialled as a potential replacement for other collaborative platforms. As an early adopter, the Distance Learning Unit has experimented with Teams to improve communication, collaborative working, and sharing of best practice within the team. The presentation will then focus on how these lessons have been applied in working with the Course Team and students on a fully online distance learning course to help boost student engagement, develop a more active learner community, facilitate collaborative working, enhance resource sharing and provide a more accessible, mobile learning experience. The presentation will look at both the challenges and benefits of moving collaboration and communication outside the VLE and present staff and student feedback on their experiences of using Teams instead of other more traditional VLE-based tools and the provision of a safe, collaborative space.