Using a Virtual Learning Environment
So far we have discussed the integrated online tools (focussing on collaboration, communication and assessment) that are available within a VLE and the advantages they provide for tutors. This section provides some specific examples of how a VLE may help you, as a tutor or a group of tutors, to overcome problems that you may encounter in your day-to-day teaching environments. We provide a number of vignettes and outline how a VLE may assist student learning.
Scenario 1: reducing face-to-face contact time with students
Your institution has decided that all teaching staff must reduce the overall amount of contact time that they spend with students. This means that the teaching team will see the students about 70% of the time that they do currently in face-to-face sessions. You are extremely worried about the impact this will have on the student learning experience:
How will you cover all the curriculum in the appropriate depth?
How will you know if your students have understood the ideas in sufficient detail?
How will you have time for the students to work through case studies and provide sufficient feedback?
How will you ensure that problem areas are quickly identified and resolved?
In these circumstances, through careful course design, you can use the VLE as the centre of the learning activities for the students.
Initially, you will need to develop a number of online activities. For example, online discussions can be used to prompt students with questions before or after the face-to-face sessions. The online sessions can lead to debate and provide opportunities for feedback. You can also ask groups of students to summarise lectures, take responsibility for leading discussions and to ask a 'question of the week'. All members of the teaching team including learning centre staff or librarians will be able to provide support for students through the online discussion.
Online quizzes and self-tests can be used for concept-checking and probing of students' level of understanding. These activities will provide you with vital information about areas and concepts that the students find difficult and which you will need to cover in more depth in the face-to-face sessions. The assessment dropbox could be used for formative feedback. For example, groups of students could provide an outline of how they would solve a specific case study problem.
A large amount of materials especially complicated diagrams, formulae, case studies, past exam papers (with model answers) and related theories could be held within the VLE. You may also wish to develop a narrated PowerPoint with other members of the teaching team or experts from the field. The students could access these materials independently and especially in preparation for your face-to-face sessions. The reduced face-to-face sessions can be used to present key themes, guide the students through the activities and the materials in the VLE and work through case studies.
This is an example of how a VLE can be used for blended learning. The course design impacts on the face-to-face sessions as well as online delivery. LEAP Case Study 2 provides an example of using the online medium to deliver content and activities which are closely linked to practice and clinical activity. This blended approach has had benefits for students as well as staff. To quote from a 2001 QAA institution audit report, "The students...believed that the provision of VLEs was an important supplementary feature of their learning.". The QAA commended this University on its Learning and Teaching Strategy.
Scenario 2: students won't discuss
It is extremely difficult to ensure that all students contribute in face-to-face sessions. However, some students may find discussing online more comfortable - it gives them more time to think about their response and allows them more anonymity than the face-to-face environment.
It is possible to use online facilities to encourage discussion, for example, by setting up a role play. In this case you may ask students to take specific roles around a scenario, for example, the difficulties of writing an essay. Students would then work in pairs and take a defined role, for example, the tutor, the study skills support tutor, the student, the friend, the student from the previous course. The debate continues online over a specific time period. Your role, as the tutor, is to facilitate the debate and ensure that all pairs become involved. You may also want to call upon the student support at your institution to respond to the debate.
This ensures that everyone contributes and that there is a record for reflection after the event. It is also possible to continue the online role play in a face-to-face seminar or vice versa. A case study which uses cmc in law for student debate prior to a face-to-face role play is described in 'www-based negotiation exercises' from Warwick University. Further information about online discussions can be found elsewhere in this infoKit.
Scenario 3: additional readings and materials
Students come from increasingly diverse backgrounds and you, as the tutor, may feel that they do not have the appropriate grounding in the subject area that you are covering. You may use the VLE to provide formative quizzes or links to areas where students can ensure that they have a solid background. In this way, students do not have to admit that they do not know the core concepts and ideas of a course; as the tutor you can monitor those using the quizzes and identify those who may need further assistance.
Scenario 4: students complain they are not marked on their efforts in group work
One thorny problem that recurs with group work is the perceived fairness of marks; students often feel that they have worked harder than others in their group but they all receive the same mark. One way for students to show how much work they have contributed is by using the online discussions in a VLE and creating a student presentation area. Here students communicate with each other about their group work and show their contributions in the student presentation area. You will have access to all these areas and will be able to use their postings to help inform your marking.
Scenario 5: decreased library/learning centre budgets result in less access to paper-based materials
Students (especially part-time) often complain that it is impossible to access text-based materials on loan in the learning centre or library. No matter how many books and articles exist and how many of them are on short loan, the grumbles continue. With mounting debts students are also reluctant to buy anything but the most essential texts. Unfortunately libraries' overall budgets are often not being increased. In this case, you may want to provide a wide range of electronic materials as links from your VLE. It is worthwhile talking to your librarian and finding out how you can use the online journals and databases available. This will also improve access since many students have very limited (if any) time to visit the library.
You might also consider using HERON if it is available at your institution. (HERON offers a national service to the UK academic community for copyright clearance, digitisation and delivery of book extracts and journal articles. In addition, HERON has also developed a resource bank of digitised materials for rapid re-use (subject to copyright permissions). Therefore, HERON will allow you to hold a digital copy of an article in your VLE course. However, pricing depends on the article, length of time required for access and numbers of students. Don't forget that many textbooks now have associated web pages with quizzes and extra materials. Sometimes a textbook may have a CD-ROM associated with it. It is worth checking with the publisher if you could hold this material in your VLE. Your librarian may also be able to help with this.
Some of the VLE producers such as WebCT and Blackboard are producing learning and teaching materials (often referred to as e-packs). For example, WebCT has a learning zone which holds material that can quickly be imported into a course in WebCT. Sometimes there is a small fee in using these materials.
The National Learning Network (NLN) is a national partnership programme designed to increase the uptake of Information Learning Technology (ILT) across the learning and skills sector in England. Supported by the LSC and other sector bodies, the NLN provides ILT materials for teaching and learning.
Scenario 6: encouraging reflection in work-based learning
Many students (full and part-time) undertake a period of work-based learning, for example, placements. These may be short or long-term and can have a profound positive or negative impact on students.
A VLE may be used to prepare students prior to undertaking a VLE with FAQs, short video clips of students talking about their work-based learning experiences or employers discussing their expectations. VLEs can also hold students' CVs and provide an information repository for forms required during the placement.
During the placement, the online discussions can be used for specific reflective exercises. These may assist students in making the time to think about their work-based experiences and linking this with their studies within the institution. For example, students may be asked to compare their knowledge of health and safety with its application in the work experience. (The LTSN has encouraged exploration of the role of VLEs in placements.)
Scenario 7: students don't read enough and in enough depth
One of the constant concerns for tutors is that students do not read enough during the course and do not read in enough depth. You can use the VLE to provide signposting to high quality resources, subjects gateways and research papers. To encourage active reading, you can ask students to work in pairs/groups and allocate them some specific readings. This can be summarised in the online discussions or loaded into the collaborative area. You can then allocate another pair/group to respond to the summary. Other students may respond to these messages. To encourage participation, formative or summative assessment may be used. You do not need to respond to each message but provide a summary of the messages, focussing on the key issues. You can also ask students to start a tutorial/seminar with a summary of their postings.
Examples of tutors using VLEs
Three tutors who have used a VLE discussing the issues in using learning technologies explain about their use of a VLE to support their students. They emphasise how they use a VLE for their particular teaching environment and the benefits for them and their students. Follow the links below to read their thoughts:
Virtual Learning Environments Summary
A VLE:
Is web-based and accessible to both students and tutors through a web browser on any computer connected to the Internet anywhere, any time;
Organises students into virtual classes, with individual, secure, logins;
Comprises a range of integrated online tools that aims to support collaborative and co-operative student learning;
Provides a focus for student learning activities;
May support on-campus delivery (typically referred to as blended learning) or off-campus delivery (distance learning);
Has a wide range of benefits for tutors including improving the learning experience (through using the collaborative, communication and assessment tools) and assisting in course management and administration;
Has the flexibility to support a range of learning scenarios but needs careful and thoughtful course design to ensure that the VLE is used to its fullest.
Further information about VLEs is available on the FERL website in the technology for e-learning section.
