1. Event VLEs and MLEs Hugh Davis Learning Societies Lab ECS The University of Southampton, UK www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~hcd

2. Event2 What’s in a Name? Blackboard WebCT Moodle LearnDirect

3. Event3 The Research Questions What is the difference between a VLE and an MLE? What is the quality of learning in on-line environments? Are there things you can’t do on-line? Are there things that are better? Do VLEs impose a particular pedagogic approach? (The latter two will only make sense after the following lecture)

4. Event4 Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) mapping of the curriculum into elements (or ‘chunks’) that can be assessed tracking of student activity and achievement against these elements support of online learning, including access to learning resources, assessment and guidance online tutor support peer group support general communications, including email, group discussion and web access links to other systems, both in-house and externally

5. Event5 Communication tools discussion boards supporting threaded discussions integrated electronic mail video conferencing white-boards on-line chat

6. Event6 Moodle (A quick Case Study) You can see all this in more detail in the Moodle Feature Demo Course at http://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=34 http://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=34 WYSIWIG editing of content Mail integration Courses can be packaged and zipped Users are Admin, teachers or students Plug-in authentication and LDAP as standard Languages and time zones supported Generic Linking! Full Maths notation

7. Event7 Moodle Case Study (2)

8. Event8 Moodle Case Study (3)

9. Event9 Moodle Case Study (4)

10. Event10 Moodle Case Study (5)

11. Event11 Moodle Case Study (6)

12. Event12 Learning Management System Most definitions say LMS ≡ VLE. But some see LMS as the hub of a VLE e.g.

13. Event13 Managed Learning Environments MLEs are concerned with whole institutional systems MLEs involve the interoperation of several separate systems - Student Record Systems, Library Systems, Management Information Systems, VLEs, timetabling systems and so on. –Joined up systems for learners; –Joined up systems for institutions; –Instructional Management System (VLE); –Plagiarism detection; –Computer Assisted Assessment. The interface to these joined up systems is often via a Portal (e.g. SUSSED) A complete Managed Learning Environment would provide all the systems needed for a “Virtual University”

14. Event14 The BECTa MLE diagram

15. Event15 Scott Wilson’s 2005 “VLE of the future” Creative Commons Copyright Scott Wilson

16. Event Su White’s Rich Learning Environment 16 Personal space Institutional space Support space Good for learning Social space

17. Event17 Follow up Questions Do some individual research to find out What are the preferred VLEs in use at the moment. Are there any differences across sectors. (HE/FE/School/Training) What are the reasons that many Learning Technologists HEAs are moving from Blackboard to Moodle?