Virtual Learning Environments: current snapshots

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Virtual Learning Environmentscurrent snapshots

• Sue Roberts
• Head of Information and Media Services
• Edge Hill College of Higher Education
• robertss_at_edgehill.ac.uk

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Is Not...
What is a VLE?
Technical
Selecting a VLE
What will our role be?
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But is...

• Infrastructures
• Stakeholders
• Academic collaboration
• Real life examples and models
• Emerging roles for LIS
• National projects
• Issues/Challenges

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the VLE is encouraging academic staff to
re-think how they teach and do things, but
other groups of university staff, such as
information professionals, dont seem to be
re-acting fast enough and changing how they do
things
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Staff and student initiatives have hindered
many of the opportunities Academic staff
resistance and ignorance
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Evidence - Indicators of change

• Plethora of national and local initiatives
• Responses to e-learning by LIS and staff on the
  ground
• Models of good practice
• Staff development events
• E-mail list discussions
• Limited research/ literature
• Surveys eg. UCISA

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VLE or MLE?

• Confusion/lack of clarity
• Managed Learning Environment
• totally integrated concept that encompasses whole
  university/ all systems
• interoperability
• VLE one part of MLE
• box of tools
• enables learning and teaching online
• See JISC MLE FE/HE project call

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VLE users

• Distance learning - whole or supported
• CPD and vocational
• Flexible models for ANY course
• Staff development
• Cross-institutional/ cross-sectoral

Off Campus Learning
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VLE users - UCISA Survey

• Jenkins (2001) - Initial findings
• Aim
• Identify different strategies for supporting VLEs
• Identify how VLEs are supported within
  institutions
• Identify ways UCISA can provide help and support
• Response from c70 institutions
• Patterns of use/type of VLE/ Support

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VLE users - UCISA Survey

• Why use VLEs?
• Improving teaching and learning - 27
• Widening participation - 21
• Distance learning - 21
• Flexibility - 19
• Cost-effective - 16
• Keeping up with the Jones! (5)

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VLE users - UCISA Survey

• Overall Impressions
• Use is still relatively small scale
• Localised use within HEI
• Central support and localised use
• Move from local to central support
• Widespread recognition but not in terms of
  targets
• Collaborative activity many units involved
• No reference to LIS but could be implicit?

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Infrastructures

• Organisational
• Technological
• Cultural
• Pedagogical

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Infrastructures - As many models as institutions?

• Variety of structures/ models of ownership
• Stakeholder groups
• Involvement in strategic planning and
  implementation
• Need
• to work across boundaries
• top down direction and support
• bottom up critical mass
• coherent and co-ordinated infrastructure

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Defining Responsibilities

• Agents of change?
• Responsible for (definitions needed)
• Strategic direction
• Separate Unit/ Project management
• Developing new services for new medium
• Hybrid/digital library embedding
• Skills development/ Student learning support
• Pedagogical developments
• Technical support

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Drilling Down 1 Networked Learning Support
Framework (UWE)

• HEFCE Good Management Practice Project
• Collaborative partnership of Faculties and IT
  Services facilitated by Library Services
• Issues
• Top down ownership/ critical mass
• Polarisation of Academics
• VLE Blackboard
• Coherent forward thinking strategy
• Have to move towards MLE
• Constant flux
• Bolt on move towards integration

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Drilling Down 1 Networked Learning Support
Framework (UWE)
Existing Practitioners
Pedagogy (Academic Input)
Designers/ Learning Technologists
NLSF Project Team
Communication/ Facilitation/ Dissemination
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Drilling down 2 Infrastructure at Leeds
Metropolitan University

• Single authenticated route to information
• (WebCT, EIS, Skills for Learning)
• Role of Learning Adviser
• Knowledge Management function

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Stakeholders

• Academics
• Researchers
• Administrative Support
• Learning Technologists
• Educational developers
• Staff Developers
• Institutional managers
• E-learning Project staff
• Library Information Services (can incorporate
  others)
• External

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Emerging Roles

• Complex inter-relationships
• Strategic development/ credibility?
• Learning support
• Technical support and design
• Role of Learning Adviser/ Subject Liaison
• Design of own curricula/ key skills integration
• Hybrid Academic Team
• E-facilitator / e-tutor / e-designer /
  e-collaborator

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Drilling down 3 Developing staff at Edge Hill

• Awareness raising for all staff
• Help desk support and training
• Short specific WebCT development workshops
• 6wk WebCT module Developing and Delivering
  Online Learning
• 3wk WebCT module Supporting Online Learning
• Skills developments moving rapidly/differ greatly

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Academic Perspectives

• Diverse stages
• Ready for more collaboration or less?
• Impatient with our responses?
• Hybrid library embedding on the agenda?
• Spoonfeeding concern
• Developing and supporting communities of learners
• Induction and support for learners

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Drilling down 4 Academic liaison

• Embedding EIS
• City University - Masters in Geographical
  Information (WebCT)
• Edge Hill - PGC in Teaching and Learning in
  Clinical Practice (WebCT)

• Information Skills
• Hull University - resources published via VLE
  (Blackboard) for Introductory Library and
  Information skills modules
• Customised by subjects

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National Projects

• EIS embedding
• Roles Collaboration
• Information Skills
• Integration Management
• Strategy/ Cultural change

• JISC User Behaviour Monitoring Evaluation
• INSPIRAL
• INHALE
• ANGEL
• HEFCE Good Management Practice

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VLE impact on Off Campus Learning

• We are ALL off campus learners now?
• Seamless access 24/7
• Issue of learning support 24/7
• EIS embedding in learning
• Integration of non-electronic elements
• Skills development and support
• Can improve equity and quality
• Rethink our pedagogy and services
• Look at our management information

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Burning Issues

• Coherent strategic direction
• Student support and needs
• Information management
• Integration of all our services
• Ensuring all staff are in a position to make best
  use of VLEs
• MLE realisation/ Interoperability
• Authenticated seamless lifelong learning
• Standards and guidelines

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Interpreting the Snapshot

• Successes
• Some definitions
• Stakeholder partnerships
• Positioning
• Access to resources
• Collaboration/liaison
• Projects

• Could try harder
• Holistic approach to Off Campus learning and
  learning support
• Projects to practice
• Rapid response
• Research
• Cross institutional/sectoral
• Our pedagogy
• MLE Interoperability

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The development of virtual education is an
intrinsically collaborative problem (Foster,
2001)
The development of virtual education requires
an intrinsically collaborative solution
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Questions

• Are we identifying/already involved in the
  necessary strategic partnerships?
• How do we ensure quality and equality within this
  environment?
• How do we ensure full integration of all our
  services and staff?
• Are we just duplicating what we usually do?

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Further Information