edgehill.ac.uk/ls

edgehill.ac.uk/ls

Learning Edge – The Students’ Ideal VLE

Adrian Cain

edgehill.ac.uk/ls

The VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) today• Infrastructure – The VLE, it usage and other technologies

• Student views - Headlines from EHU eLearning Survey

• Considerations of your design

Student informed VLE – Enhancing your online practice• Themes

• Specifics (and solutions (Handout))

• Ideal VLE question (Students’ voice)

• NSS Comments

How to stay informed • Tip and tricks

• Staff development

• Considerations of your potential design

The VLE of the future • Change – Can we predict it? What do we look at?

• Analytics – Informing the future

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Primary • 2011-12 Annual Edge Hill University Student eLearning Survey – (4th

Annual survey. Est. 2008)

• ‘The 5 Most Important Things My Lecturer Does’ (CLTR Conference

2012) - Colin Gibson, President, Edge Hill University Students

Union (Prime data sources – Personal EHU Research and EHU

Teaching Awards)

• 2012 NSS – EHU Students comments

Supporting• BB Exemplary Course Rubric

• Data stats – Google analytics

EHU students voice - No staff opinion or other external sources or publications

Sources

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The VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) today

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Growth of the VLE

+

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Other technologies

http://prezi.com/kuocyppvcc69/technology-enhanced-learning-presentation/?auth_key=72ea8e2376828e40869768624959cc9906fa5a13

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The Students’ Views

Some Headlines from the

2011-12 Annual Edge Hill University

Student eLearning Survey

Insight into our students’ experience and

expectations of TEL The EHU Student eLearning Surveys: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1348/

Headlines from the 4th EHU Student eLearning Survey: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1341/

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Learning Edge

78.7% agree that it enhances the knowledge and understanding

they get from lectures, tutorials and practical sessions.

74.9 use it ‘a lot’

95.7% think it is important

“This is the first time I have used eLearning and I love it, it gives me

freedom to log in wherever I have time and continue my study with

ease and it is fast and effective.”

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Communication

87.6% agree that the announcements enable them to keep track

of changes to the delivery of modules.

51.4 % agree that online discussions are important

“Tutors being able to keep us up to date on any changes. I get them

emailed to my phone so I always receive them as soon as they are sent

so I have the information on me at all times.”

“Being able to communicate with others on my course is important, to

be able to discuss ideas and thoughts on lectures”

“When the lecturer fails to update with recent lecture notes, or fails to

provide regular announcements to keep us informed of assessment

dates/date changes/lecture changes etc”

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Content/Lecture Notes

94.7% agree that Accessing lecture notes & presentations is

important to them

65.2% thought it was important to access video or audio clips

online

“Availability of lecture notes prior to lecture so that I can print out and

add my own notes to them during the lecture.”

“It is a more practical way of being able to look at previous lectures as

well as having your notes because you cannot write everything down.”

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Assessment

84% agree that it is important that they can submit/collect

assignments online.

42.7% agree that Online self-tests & quizzes are important

“I find having access to lecture notes/slides enables me to reinforce any

learning I have partaken in, and the quizzes/mocks are a useful way of

checking learning is up to date.”

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Design and Layout

“Consistent format across all modules means I know where to look for

information.”

“Inconsistency of layout between modules e.g. where TurnItIn is located

varies and can be difficult for some to find.”

“Layout and colour changes make it more personal and colour which

suits you for looking at the screen”

Learning Edge has a 99.9% availability record and is linked directly to the Student Information System

Students concerns around the consistency and application of Learning Edge features and tools are becoming more apparent as access or other technical issues reduce.

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Other Technologies… Facebook

54.8 % agree that Facebook could be used to support student

learning

Student 'owned' technology to support informal learning – the

idea of a Facebook 'Hub' (drawing there own materials in)

compared to the Learning Edge 'classroom/ Library‘

There are some references to tutor participation in student Facebook groups but these areas are largely student-owned and managed.

Staff wishing to participate in Facebook groups should be aware of the potential risks in befriending students as advised by JISC Legal in Facing up to Facebook: A Guide for FE and HE

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45% of total internet use was conducted via a mobile device6 million people accessed the Internet over their mobile phone for the first time in the previous 12 months

Source: Data from Office for National Statistics ‘Internet Access - Households and Individuals, 2011 Bulletin’

Other Technologies… Mobile

50.5% agree Mobile Technologies could support student learning

59% of Mobile Learn app users found it useful

55.8% of participants own a smartphone (36.1% in 2011)

“Can look up lecture notes (on Mobile Learn App) while in lecture if

lecturer is going too fast and still manage to copy down notes.”

“The announcements on a mobile device are not very easy to navigate.”

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Discussion

Discuss your use of the VLE and other technologies. Share

your practice with your group; talk about what you think

works well, and why.

Use the BB course evaluation rubric handout to frame your

discussion/thoughts around your use of the VLE

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Student informed VLE -Enhancing your online practice

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Question:

What would an

‘ideal’

Learning Edge contain?

Student comments from the 4th EHU Student eLearning Survey:

http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1341/

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Student Survey – Themes

• Contacts: names, office hours, contacts (staff & student)

• Content: instructions, lecture notes, handbooks, journal articles,

eBooks, calendar, sample assignments, past exam paper

questions

• Communication: announcements, notifications, updates,

dynamic information

• Communities: messaging, chat tools, forums for discussion,

instant messaging, mail, social network

• Challenges: blogs, journals, wikis, turnitin, self study quizzes

(formative support, progress checks)

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The Students’ Ideal VLE (Student eLearning Survey)

“access lectures via skype”

(Collaborate)

“an option to watch the lecture later”

(Collaborate Archive)

“make the mark available online”

(My Grades/Grade Centre Tool)

“a notification or an email would reduce the need to constantly

check for updates”

(Discussion Subscription, Retention Centre (Early Warning

System))

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The Students’ Ideal VLE (Student eLearning Survey)

“Direct access to ebooks…”

(Persistent Links - Discovery Tools)

“…specific library catalogue for the specific course that you are

on…”

(Consistent approach, Persistent Links - Library Catalogue)

“…user interface that knows what you've read/need to read”

(Set Review Status)

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The Students’ Ideal VLE (Student eLearning Survey)

“… a clearer list of my tutors…”

(Contacts –Tool Link, Word Doc, Item)

“… Group Creation tools allowing collaboration for coursework

but keeping my group work private.”

(Groups Tool – Private Blogs, Wikis, Discussion, Content etc.)

“…forums to chat with people from the same course”

(Discussion or Chat)

“…due dates of any assignments in a calendar”

(Calendar Tool – Course and Programme)

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The Students’ Ideal VLE (Student eLearning Survey)

“… More tests, maybe through multiple choice.”

(Test and Survey Tools)

“… Booking form for tutors” A trial took place!

Students Control My Life

(Charles Knight - JISC Elevator idea pitch)

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The 5 Most Important Things My Lecturer DoesColin Gibson, SU President, Edge Hill University Students Union

‘…..how important the basic things are to students….’

• 3.8 (Likert 1-5) of all students mainly use LE for information;

such as revision notes and recommended reading

…….so not just PowerPoints!

• Submit online “… a little thing we changed which made a big

difference to our student’s lives.”

• Students felt that the open calendar idea was very accessible

and approachable and recognised it was a ‘big ask, … and

student focused’

• Is there anything your lecturer doesn't do? …. Understand LE

‘…really, really powerful tool if its just used right’

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NSS (2012)EHU 1st in North West for 7 out of 21 questions

Organisation and Management (11/14 – North West)

13. The timetable works efficiently as far as my activities are

concerned

14. Any changes in the course or teaching have been

communicated effectively

15. The course is well organised and is running smoothly

Important note of balance for the next few slides

A summary of (potentially) associated negative comment …… but we got lots of

really good ones too!!

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NSS Comments (baseline)

‘The online Blackboard teaching can be unreliable’ (FDEYLEAD)

‘General organisation. Blackboard not being available’ (FDTLSEC)

‘The universities virtual learning environment is not very good’

(ITTKS23)

‘Blackboard was not explained clearly when it changed over to two

sections’ (FDEYLEAD)

‘I feel Blackboard should have been completed before the start of Sept.

2011, to save confusion and swapping between the two’ (FDEYLEAD)

‘Access to Blackboard was sometimes difficult’ (HLEARNIS)

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NSS Comments (T & L and support)

‘As a distance learner…Blackboard system has been good for me but I

notice a lot of people fail to benefit from this facility’ (FDTLSEC)

‘Blackboard is infuriating, still nothing posted and the course started 9

days ago emails are not answered promptly when flagged as important.

Support is given when one decided to quit rather than when one is

struggling’ (FDPROFDEV)

‘Lots of information not put on Blackboard’ (FDTLSEC)

‘learning edge module content, that was often withheld until a few days

after the session we had attended - before would be good, but we often

spent the whole lesson going through it slide by slide rather than

discussing and having social interaction, which is where I find that you

really learn things, through other people’ (ITTPRIM)

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NSS Comments (Resources)

Resources aren’t going to change overnight – we need to communicate

what we have better

• Not enough books in the Library

– reading lists

– ebooks

– digitise sections

– permalinks

• Not enough computers at key times in the Library

– LINC

– app for un-used PC

– help-desk to log off students who have left PCs

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How to stay informed ………and get (a little) organised

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Some Tips, Tricks & Ideas

1. Set Time Parameters on Announcements

2. Enable Discussion Forum Subscription

3. Format Your ‘Items’

4. Preview your course with ‘Add Test Student’

5. Monitor student activity with the Performance Dashboard

6. Keep in touch with the Retention Centre

7. Filter Grade Book information with Smart Views

8. Run ‘course reports’ to analyse usage stats

9. Build a mobile friendly course

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• Options available when:

– Creating or

– Editing an Announcement

Set Time Parameters on Announcements

Blackboard OnDemand Video Guide

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• Encourage students to ‘subscribe’ to discussions

• Users emailed when new posts/replies are made

• Reduces staff and student need to constantly

check for updates

SETTINGS

• Forum settings available:

– When creating a new forum

– Via the forum’s Edit menu

• Must tick ‘Allow Member to subscribe …’

Enable Discussion Forum Subscription

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Use the HTML editor to improve

the appearance of your text:

• Font sizes

• Colour

• Highlights

• Hyperlinks

Be consistent throughout the

course.

Remember to attach .pdf files

which are mobile friendly and

printable as well.

Format your ‘Items’

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Go to the course:

• Control Panel

• Course Tools

• Add Test Student

• The panel opposite appears:

Your student account name is:

• YourLoginName_S (i.e. caina_s)

You can add this student to any course you are an

instructor on.

Preview your course with ‘Add Test Student’

Learning Edge: Add Test Student http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1050/

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Monitor student activity with the Performance

Dashboard

• Summary of a student’s

discussion contributions

• Verify the visibility of

selectively released

content to a student

• Directly access to the

Grade Book with a

quicklink.

• Individuals viewed

content

Blackboard OnDemand Video Guide

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• GradesHighlight students with low scores

so you can take remedial action or

high scores to offer positive

feedback.

• AccessContact students that have not

logged in for X weeks to remind

them that participation is a required

element of the course.

• Due Dates

Send a reminder to students to

submit their overdue assignments,

surveys or tests.

Keep in touch with the Retention Centre

Customise (Create Rule)

Missed Deadlines, Grades Alert, Activity Alert and Access Alert

You can monitor multiple different parameters

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• View a sub-section of the Full Grade

Centre.

• Great for large cohorts and multiple

tutors.

• Can be created to filter by:

– Group

– Specified Performance

– User (manually select a number

of users)

– Category / Status (eg. needs

marking)

– Custom (A combination of filters)

Filter Grade Book information with Smart

Views

Blackboard OnDemand Video Guide

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Run ‘course reports’ to analyse usage stats

plus………..

Enable Additional Tracking Statistics

Blackboard OnDemand Video Guide

• User Activity in Content Areas

• User Activity in Forums

• User Activity in Groups

• Summary of User Activity

Blackboard OnDemand Video Guide

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• Use tools that work well ‘on-the-go’ with the app

– grades, announcements, journals, discussions, tasks, media, blogs

• Format content for mobile viewing

– .pdf file attachments

– Mp3 and mp4 video and audio links

• Help students use the apps

– promote Mobile Learn & EHU Central

– remind students to set their notification

preferences

eShare Guides

Blackboard Mobile Learn: Best Practices for

Making Online Courses Mobile-Friendly http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1372/

Build a mobile friendly course

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LTD offer teaching and learning training:

• Face-to-face group sessions

• Online resources – Blog, Guides, On Demand

• One-to-one sessions

• Campaigns:

• VLE Upgrade

• Emerging Technologies• Collaborate

• Assignment Handler

• Baseline / Getting Started

DDE Blackboard area – Coming soon!

Learning Services offers other training such as ICT,

information literacy, technologies for researchers etc.

Staff Development

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Blogging - Advice on setting up a blog and using it for your team’s purpose.

The iPad - An exploration of the potential uses of this particular tablet computer.

Web Feeds - Using RSS feeds to keep up to date with information from the web.

Mobile Devices - An introduction to using mobile devices, including a look at using Blackboard Mobile.

Images - Advice on using images in Learning Edge.

Audio and Video - An introduction to the different ways audio and video can be used in education, including creation and hosting.

Clicker Systems - Ways in which classroom voting systems can be used.

Mobile Friendly Content -Preparing your course content with mobile access in mind.

Staff Development

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• Learning Services Helpdesk

• ltdsupport email

• LTD Operations Co-ordinator

• LTDOs

• Faculty Administrators

Level’s of support

1 – Help desks

2 – LTDOs

3 – Escalated to providers

Exemptions include; Content and tool development/management/set-up, bespoke

process issues, enrolment issues, etc.

Technical Support

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Discussion

“… whether the use of technology could

enhance your practice.”

Reflect and evaluate how the use of technology could enhance

your practice: Consider

• Why is your idea Appropriate?

• How will you go about implementing it?

• What are the challenges?

• Are there any risks?

Use the BB course evaluation rubric handout to frame your

discussion/thoughts around your use of the VLE

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The VLE of the future

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• How could the technologies of the future change

education?

• Who should be in control of learning? VLEs v PLEs

• What skills will enhance students employability?

(Digital Literacy, 9K Expectations – Colin Gibson)

• What is the point of a University Education?

(Open Educational Courses, Badges)

• Analytics – giving accurate and timely quantitative student

engagement data.

• Informed by local and national student surveys.

Change …

Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or LessMobile Apps, Tablet Computing

Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three YearsGame-Based Learning, Learning Analytics

Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five YearsGesture-Based Computing, Internet of Things

Horizon Report 2012

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• Analytics (Mobile) - to inform your design

Bitesize information applicable to peak usage (Morning, Lunch,

evening, travel periods)

• Faculty Welcome Sites (Blackboard)

To give pre-enrolled students an insight into the online learning

environment with regard to their faculty

(In conjunction with a CRM Getting Started area)

Extras

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Thank you & Questions

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Resources & Reading

• eShare Collection: The EHU Student eLearning Surveys: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1348/

• Headlines from the 4th EHU Student eLearning Survey: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1341/

• BB Exemplary Course Rubric: http://www.blackboard.com/getdoc/7deaf501-4674-41b9-b2f2-

554441ba099b/2012-Blackboard-Exemplary-Course-Rubric.aspx

• VLE Design Aesthetics - Some Ideas: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1445/

• Audit for Dyslexia Friendly VLE: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1444/

• Exemplar A-Z Student Guide to Blackboard: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1446/

• Blackboard Mobile Learn: Best Practices for Making Online Courses Mobile-Friendly:

http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1372/

• eShare Collection: Learning Edge: Blackboard Mobile Learn: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/937/

• Moving assessed student presentations online: how a change in practice brought "...a breath of

fresh air" to the student experience: http://www.eshare.edgehill.ac.uk/1265/

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Resources & Reading

• Horizon Report 2012: http://www.nmc.org/publications/horizon-report-2012-higher-ed-edition

• 7 Things You Should Know About Analytics:

http://www.educause.edu/Resources/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutAnaly/202736

• EDUCAUSE: 7 Things You Should Know about…: http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things

• Practice with Personal Learning Environments: http://mary-karpel.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/practice-

with-personal-learning.html

• Developing digital literacy in higher education: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-

network/blog/2012/feb/28/developing-digital-literacy

• Digital literacy can boost employability and improve student experience:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2011/dec/15/digital-literacy-

employability-student-experience

• The Emerging Landscape of Educational Delivery Models: http://mfeldstein.com/the-emerging-

landscape-of-educational-delivery-

models/?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

• Learning from MOOCS: http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/hack-higher-education/learning-

moocs

• MOOC Reflections, Clark Quinn: http://blog.learnlets.com/?p=2562

• Open Badges: http://openbadges.org/en-US/