Values and Affordances of Virtual Learning Environments Adam Warren

2 Education en l’an 2000

3 Web learning c.1996 course website course mailing list

4 Web-page authoring c.1996

5 The origin of online learning systems  History of Virtual Learning Environments History of Virtual Learning Environments – 1990 FirstClass (used by OU in 1992) – 1995 TopClass and WOLF (now LearnWise) – 1996 COSE and WebCT – 1997 Bodington, Teknical and CourseInfo – 1998 Blackboard (was CourseInfo) – 1999 Desire2Learn – 2002 Moodle – 2004 Sakai and Dokeos – 2005 merger of WebCT and Blackboard

6 Elements of a VLE course management student registration student tracking access control resource control course information syllabus and timetable learning objectives student handbook FAQ learning resources bibliography and links interactive self-study case-studies lecture notes presentations communications course discussion forums file exchange online chat online assessment quizzes and surveys formative evaluation instant feedback automated analysis

7 Supporting Learning face-to-face teaching directed learning independent learning Roger Ottewill (CLT) On the Horizon 10, assessed tasks preparation & reflection mastery

8 Affordances of a VLE  controlled access and user identification  protected content  tracking of student activity, messages and grades  customised student learning experience  single access point for all online units

9 Affordances of a VLE  consistent user interface  minimal technical barriers for staff and students  integrated functions: resources, communication, CAA  linkage to other organisational systems

10 From VLE to MLE Blackboard VLE LDAP user authentication Banner student records Content Management System Perception CAA system Turnitin anti- plagiarism Sentient DISCOVER e-reading lists e-assignment submission Building Blocks: wikis, blogs, podcasts etc.

11 Questions about VLEs  What is the implicit pedagogy? – technologies are not neutral – are alternative pedagogies constrained?  Where is the locus of control? – institutional or learner-centred?  Is the technology closed or open? – how easy is it to migrate to another system?

12 A Personal Learning Environment ?  PLEs are a concept, not a product [1] [2] [3]123  PLEs are not just about technology: – places, people, networks, resources, tools  But technologies are a key enabler: – building communities – accessing resources – managing information

13 CETIS: JISC Centre for Educational Technology and Interoperability Standards

14 “The thing that most excites me about the PLE at the moment that it isn’t fixed or settled, that it’s fundamentally a conversation across the edtech community about what learners need, what institutions might be providing, which PLE methods might be most useful. I see it as a practical attempt to get beyond the current dichotomy between closed CMS’s vs the small pieces approaches, by pushing innovators and institutions to develop and explore tools and platforms where communities and individuals can themselves determine boundaries, permeability and connections.” Josie Fraser, 2006