Students on this programme learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practicals, fieldwork (school placements), informal but scheduled one-on-one support, and self-directed learning, such as research, reading, and writing. All of these are supported by a virtual learning environment, Durham University Online (DUO). Seminars, tutorials, and practical classes are much smaller groups than lectures, with tutorials often involving no more than eight students working with a professor or lecturer; seminars and practicals can be larger but are still small enough to allow one-on-one interaction with tutors. Practicals also allow hands-on experience of the work professional teachers perform.