Virtual Learning Environments - Content or collaboration

Chris Turnock - Nothumbria University

This was a really good session based aon a diary study conducted at Northumbria. 14 students kept diaries for 8 weeks (1 entry per week). Very similar to the experiences research that I have done in that it was preceeded by a questionnaire and followed by a focus group (I did interveiws). Aim was to find out what students used on VLE, determine what students used VLE for and investigate student perceptions of the VLE.

Questionnaire stage was on a much larger scale than mine, 407 responses in total. Main themes that emerged from this were use of VLE as a transmissive tool and a collaborative tool hense the title, ease of use, support. Not really a big suprise.

Main themes from Diary stage were content provision to extend knowledge, motivate students, enhance note taking (but students didn't like lots of text based resources and inconsistencies in site design); support and interaction (VLE seen as a source f information but students desire more interaction); independent study (promotes autonomy in learning process); communication tool (variabvle engagement with discussion board facility, 17% of students used voluntarily, 30% used when instructed to by tutor).

Conclusions - VLE is used primarily as a transmissive tool, there is some evidence of use as a communication tool (both tutor led and student initiated), little evidence of collaboration.

I probably have't done this session justice here, it was actually really informative... Also had a useful discussion about how to increase staff use of the VLE and then voted on it what the preferred method would be and what method would be most likely to work. Here are the results: -

Top-down appraoch - 4%/27%
Provide support and training - 27%/18%
Exemplars - 4%/4%
Student demand and minimum requirements - 10%/16%
Give staff time off timetable - 18%/16%
Teaching recognition - 18%/11%
Showcasing and mentoring - 18%/9%