A Longitudinal Perspective Regarding the Use of VLEs by Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom

The version uploaded is the final copy that was sent to the publishers.Between 2001 and 2005 UCISA and JISC conducted surveys into issues relating to the acquisition, use, management and support of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). A number of other studies provide information on these issues during this period. Together they provide a substantial body of evidence that allows an analysis of the factors that enhance or inhibit institutional take-up and support provision for VLEs within the UK higher education sector. There is clear evidence of increasing use of VLEs but not of widespread change in pedagogic practice. VLE management is increasingly centralised in all matters considered strategic, with dedicated devolvement occurring for a range of support activities. Differences in practice exist between old and new universities. There is in general negligible interest in standards or in institutional collaboration

Usage and uptake of virtual learning environments and technology assisted learning: Findings from a multi institutional, multi year comparative study

In early 2008 five Irish tertiary institutions conducted an online survey of their students’ usage of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in their respective institutions. In 2009, the survey was run again with an expanded set of institutions and supplemented by a staff survey and detailed institutional case histories. The survey instruments used a common set of questions, and on condition of anonymity, the institutions pooled their results to allow us to compare and contrast the results. While many institutions routinely conduct in-house surveys or studies from time to time, this study is relatively unique in that it draws on data from multiple institutions, across multiple years, and diverse VLE platforms. The institutions who participated represented a diversity of organizational histories and VLE systems. The study identifies some of the key drivers and barriers to uptake and usage of an institutional VLE and identified that it is organizational factors, such as system maturity, rather than technical ones around system choice, that are the most significant factors in the uptake, usage and utility of the VLE systems. The paper also notes issues around the conduct of the survey, confidentiality and data sharing, and lessons from the experience

Learning virtually or virtually learning? : a survey to gauge students’ use and perception of Blackboard and VLEs

This report presents the findings of a survey of students’ use and perception of Blackboard and VLEs as part of their learning in art and design higher education. In November 2007 a consultative process began through which the scope and design of the survey were decided. An on-line questionnaire was designed and piloted, and eventually responded to by 256 students across UAL during spring of 2008. This data was supplemented by data from a focus group interview held in June 2008

Initiating e-learning by stealth, participation and consultation in a late majority institution

The extent to which opportunities afforded by e-learning are embraced by an institution can depend in large measure on whether it is perceived as enabling and transformative or as a major and disruptive distraction. Most case studies focus on the former. This paper describes how e-learning was introduced into the latter environment. The sensitivity of competing pressures in a research intensive university substantially influenced the manner in which e-learning was promoted. This paper tells that story, from initial stealth to eventual university acknowledgement of the relevance of e-learning specifically to its own context

From VLEs to Learning Webs: The Implications of Web 2.0 for Learning and Teaching

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Brown, S. (2010) From VLEs to learning webs: The implications of web 2.0 for learning and teaching. Interactive Learning Environments, 18 (1), pp. 1-10 in the Interactive Learning Environments 2010 [copyright Taylor & Francis], available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10494820802158983

All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (AISHE-J) Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3

Abstract In early 2008 five Irish tertiary institutions conducted an online survey of their students' usage of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in their respective institutions. In 2009, the survey was run again with an expanded set of institutions and supplemented by a staff survey and detailed institutional case histories. The survey instruments used a common set of questions, and on condition of anonymity, the institutions pooled their results to allow us to compare and contrast the results. While many institutions routinely conduct in-house surveys or studies from time to time, this study is relatively unique in that it draws on data from multiple institutions, across multiple years, and diverse VLE platforms. The institutions who participated represented a diversity of organizational histories and VLE systems. The study identifies some of the key drivers and barriers to uptake and usage of an institutional VLE and identified that it is organizational factors, such as system maturity, rather than technical ones around system choice, that are the most significant factors in the uptake, usage and utility of the VLE systems. The paper also notes issues around the conduct of the survey, confidentiality and data sharing, and lessons from the experience

Technical and didactic knowledge of the moodle LMS in Higher Education: beyond functional use

Higher education institutions at the international level have seen the need to adopt and integrate information and communication technologies to meet the opportunities and challenges of innovation in teaching and learning processes. This logic has led to the implementation of virtual learning environments called ‘Learning Management Systems’, the functionalities of which support flexible and active learning under a constructivist approach. This study measured didactic and technological use of Moodle and its implications in teaching from a quantitative approach by administering a questionnaire to a sample of 640 higher education teachers. Some guiding questions were as follows: Are teachers using the Moodle platform for didactic purposes? What strategies, resources and tools are teachers using, and what do they contribute to student-centred teaching? Are teaching strategies that are focused on collaboration, interaction and student autonomy promoted? The results coincide with those of other studies, confirming an instrumental and functional use of the platform, which is mainly being used as a repository for materials and information, while its pedagogical use remains limited. This is becoming a problem in higher education institutions, something that requires debate and reflection from a systemic perspective on the adoption and integration of technology in the classroo

ESL Student Perceptions of VLE Effectiveness at a University in South Korea

The purpose of this study is to determine students’ perception of the advantages, effects on language skills, suggestions for improvement, and limitations regarding the use of a VLE (Blackboard) and their differences according to gender, year, number of Blackboard courses taken, and computer literacy. The respondents of this study were 686 randomly selected university students enrolled in English classes at the University of Suwon in South Korea. An adapted survey questionnaire consisting of 33 items was administered to the students. The Mean was used to determine the students’ perceptions in the four areas followed by t-test and ANOVA to determine the differences in the students’ perceptions. The results showed that the students had a somewhat disagree rating in the areas of Advantages, Language, and Limitations and somewhat agree rating in the area of Suggestions. Significant differences were found in the students’ perceptions in the four areas when grouped according to gender and computer literacy; a significant difference was found in the area of Limitations when grouped according to year; and no significant differences were found according to number of Blackboard courses taken