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Case study: Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

Students and staff have access to quality tools to support blended and online learning, including access to Lecture Capture, Reading Lists and other key content. The virtual learning environment is continually improved, in line with the needs of the University as defined by the Education Strategy. Building on the growing expertise within departments and services, we continue to develop our provision and support to enhance the student experience.

Department(s) / colleagues involved

IT Services teams: Academic Technology, Extended Classroom, Learning Systems and Audio Visual, with Learning and Development Centre Teaching Advisors, Academic Technologists, Extended Classroom Forum, and the Library.

Our aim was to …

  • Fulfil the aims of the Education Strategy regarding the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
  • Continue to develop and embed Moodle as the University’s common VLE platform, supported by Tabula and the rest of the Extended Classroom suite
  • Develop and actively support good practice in the use of Moodle for modules, programmes, and departments
  • Increase the effective use of Lecture Capture in academic departments

What we did …

Moodle VLE Service and the Lecture Capture Pilot began in 2012. They have grown, starting with a few departments and growing to become a key platform for most departments. We have done this by:

  • Utilising the expertise of a network of academic technologists across campus
  • Collaborative support through the Extended Classroom virtual team including the Learning Development Centre
  • Providing migration support and bespoke training
  • Funding the Extended Classroom Team and Student Module Feedback Service from the Student Personalised Information (SPI) programme
  • Continuously improving the tools and integrations, including a major integration between Moodle and Lecture Capture
  • Establishing a Learning Systems team to ensure Moodle is reliable and well-maintained, and available to all students and staff across the University

The outcome has been …

  • Most students use Moodle during their time at University
  • Many students have access to lecture recordings
  • Many modules have a Moodle space, providing access to related content such as Reading Lists
  • Many departments are deepening their use of Moodle to provide support for blended learning
  • Moodle is being used to provide a supported module evaluation solution

Extended Classroom

The benefit/impact has been …

Students have access to teaching resources, lecture recordings and reading lists through Moodle modules: there is a single point to access content for the modules. This enables learners to access targeted resources for learning and revision.

The central support makes it easy for departments to focus on their teaching rather than having to worry about the technology.

This supports the Education Strategy by …

Supporting consistency of student experience, working with the Student Personalised Information (SPI) programme and providing a platform for departments to pursue their Strategic Directions. Online learning tools also contribute greatly to the inclusivity of the learning experience by giving students more flexibility to study, collaborate and revise in ways that work for them.

The response of students / staff has been …

NSS and PTES feedback shows how much students value these services:

  • "Lecture capture is extremely useful and allows you to look back at content you may not have understood the first time"
  • "Lecture Capture recordings had proven immensely useful, I am able to revisit and capture details that were missed out in my in-lecture notes"
  • "The accessibility and recording of lectures is a big help not only for revision but to catch up on any missed work due to illness"
  • "Lecture capture is fantastic!"
  • "Good new technological additions of lecture capture and Moodle pages"
  • "Moodle environment is really big plus"
  • "Having a centralised resource platform on Moodle seems like it will eventually work really well. Really moving in this direction will allow the University to stay relevant in the future."

Staff have benefitted from the support available for these services, and the feedback has been good. In particular, departments have been able to achieve big improvements in their online provision through the level of support available for migration.

Our next steps will be …

  • Continuing to support departments making effective use of these platforms
  • Continuous improvement of functionality and integrations for the biggest impact, guided by the Student Personalised Information (SPI) programme

To find out more, you can contact …

moodle at warwick dot ac dot uk and/or lecturecapture at warwick dot ac dot uk