This positioning guide is designed to help you assess where your organisation is with regard to VLE utilisation. It is by no means the definitive way to see VLE development in an organisation but simply a suggested approach to the task.

One thing to remember is that a VLE project is on-going and should never stop evolving. I would suggest the way you might use this positioning guide is to assess where you are, decide where you want to be and then develop a plan as to how you will get there.

Stage 0 – No VLE, Planning a VLE, Had a VLE, VLE in hibernation

Stage 1 – Piloting, Just got a VLE, Have a VLE but hardly used

Stage 2 – More than half of longer courses use VLE, Use in all curriculum areas, Have common standards across the organisation, MIS/VLE integration, Use some interactive features

Stage 3 – More than 80% of courses use VLE, All teaching resources in ditial format, All staff ICT confident, On line assessment (Formative & Summative)

Stage 4 – Personalised learning offer, student workspace (eg Portfolio integration), use ILP’s, VLE part of learner portal, learners regularly collaborate in VLE. A good range of activities used in most courses.

Stage 5 – VLE integrates with other web 2.0 repositories, VLE integrates with other institutional systems, learners are able to personalise their VLE interface, learners are able to peer assess and mentor each other via the VLE, the organisation has the capacity to deliver both blended and distance learning via the VLE. Tutors within and across organisations are able to collaborate on the production and sharing of resources via the VLE.

It takes time to embed a VLE in a college but if you stick with it you will get there. Good luck with your VLE projects.

Further help and advice

If you are an SFA or HEFCE funded post 16 learning provider you are entitled to advice from your JISC Regional Support Centre – see here to find your local RSC Office.

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/services/as_rsc/rsc_home/rscs_contact.aspx

If you are interested in Moodle 2 see my earlier post – Should your organisation move to Moodle 2.0 see

http://rsclondonnews.blog.ulcc.ac.uk/2011/02/18/should-your-organisation-move-to-moodle-2-0/

Tips for Getting your VLE started post

http://rsclondonnews.blog.ulcc.ac.uk/2011/05/17/virtual-learning-environment-tips-for-getting-started/

Also see the ULCC Elblog for more in depth information about Moodle

http://elblog.ulcc.ac.uk/

Forthcoming RSC London Events can be accessed via

http://www.rsc-london.ac.uk/events/

A good way to share ideas and good practice among your peers in the post 16 education sector can be via various Jiscmail forums. Contact your local RSC for details of how to join in the debate.

For an overview of Jiscmail visit

http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/about/whatisjiscmail.html

Martin Sepion is a Senior Adviser at the JISC Regional Support Centre London which is based at ULCC, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU e-mail m.sepion@rsc-london.ac.uk

Twitter @Martin_Sepion

Following discussions at several RSC London VLE events I have collated the following tips on getting your VLE project going. Due to the predominance of Moodle this is Moodle centric but I hope the principles apply equally to any VLE system implementation.

• Use VLE to deliver staff development e.g. Health & Safety, Equal Opportunities, Staff Induction, College Quality systems induction
• Get SMT to direct all staff to attend VLE training – be prepared to repeat training for tutors as many times as needed
• As well as providing staff with training also offer them ad hoc support through the year
• Offer training in other applications that support Moodle e.g. Hot Potatoes, Turnitin, Ellumiate, Mahara
• Put essential documents onto the VLE so that staff have to log in to access them, e.g. salary claim form, annual leave form, etc.
• Get SMT to direct all staff to digitise their teaching materials
• Get SMT to direct staff to put all schemes of work onto the VLE
• Get a professional looking graphic design for the site with a well designed main page. e.g. Do not use a Moodle template.
• Network with other learning providers to get good ideas and content, there are now around 60,000 registered Moodle sites in the world
• Encourage staff to share – this is the idea behind open source software like Moodle
• Provide test courses and test equipment for tutors to practice with
• Provide technical assistance for tutors in their first few weeks of using e-learning and VLE based activities in class
• Communicate a vision of what a VLE can do and what your organisation wants to get from your VLE project to all staff
• Show how using a VLE can impact upon quality and curriculum development
• Put effective use of learning technologies into lesson observation framework
• Require level 2 ICT skills for all new staff appointments
• Plan to bring existing staff ICT skills up to level 2 through staff appraisal system
• 14 Course categories in Moodle aligned to the Ofsted inspection areas of learning
• Arrange for MIS/VLE integration to reduce workload of user maintenance. Ideally with LDAP type single sign on
• Require that staff make Moodle the only place to manage ILP’s
• Some providers have decided that assignments will only be accepted through Moodle
• Show staff what can be done once your VLE goes beyond the first phase and moves toward transforming learning by using e-assessment, e-portfolios, ILP’s, interactive exercises, rich media, etc.
• Show VLE success
• Use VLE to showcase student work
• Show systems integration pathway for development of VLE and more advanced reporting and student tracking systems e.g. integrating attendance, punctuality, assignment submission, Additional Learner support, awarding body integration etc.

Further help and advice

Good luck with your VLE projects. If you are an SFA or HEFCE funded post 16 learning provider you are entitled to advice from your JISC Regional Support Centre – see here to find your local RSC Office.

If you are interested in Moodle 2 see my earlier post – Should your organisation move to Moodle 2.0 see  http://rsclondonnews.blog.ulcc.ac.uk/2011/02/18/should-your-organisation-move-to-moodle-2-0/

Forthcoming RSC London Events can be accessed via http://www.rsc-london.ac.uk/events/

A good way to share ideas and good practice among your peers in the post 16 education sector can be via various Jiscmail forums. Contact your local RSC for details of how to join in the debate.

For an overview of Jiscmail visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/about/whatisjiscmail.html

Martin Sepion is a Senior Adviser at the JISC Regional Support Centre London which is based at ULCC, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU e-mail m.sepion@rsc-london.ac.uk

Twitter @Martin_Sepion

Delegates at VLE event

Thirty delegates from Adult Learning Providers and Colleges across London attended the RSC London VLE Development Group meeting held at Brettenham House on the 12th February 2010.

Much of the discussion concentrated on how to maintain the momentum of improvements to teaching and learning through the use of technology in the context of the current funding climate.

Read the full report on the RSC London website

The Adult Education sector faces particular challenges in exploiting the potential of technology in teaching and learning. This is largely due to the part time nature of the teaching staff, dispersed centres and shorter courses.

To meet these challenges ACL providers in London are in the process of drafting a London-wide VLE strategy for the sector. This will include learner entitlement to on-line resources, express organisational commitment to the use of modern teaching practice and materials, and requests that publicly funded learning providers share their digital resources.

The strategy is in the draft stage at the moment and will soon be available for consultation. It will then be sent to each of the 39 London based adult education providers for consideration in the autumn.

For further information contact Martin Sepion e-learning adviser for Adult and Community Learning at m.sepion@rsc-london.ac.uk

Ofsted has issued a report on the development of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) within a selection of learning providers, and remarks that “despite expectations, the use of Virtual Learning Environments across schools and colleges has been slow to take off. Enthusiasm and peer support from teachers and learners should help the initiative develop more widely.”

Key recommendations include:

·         The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), with their partner organisations, should continue to guide the development of electronically based learning materials, in particular to support courses for 14-19-year-olds and for learners on adult and community learning programmes.

·         The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and its successor organisations should continue with the funding of work-based learning e-learning and VLE development and share good practice from current projects.

·         Providers should develop specific VLE strategies that identify senior management responsibilities, and ensure that VLEs are designed to enhance learning and are not just a storage or communication facility.