1. Virtual Learning Environment
Getting Around Your VLE
Tim Smith, Development Officer VLE
Kevin Worrall, ICT tutor, HF Apprenticeship programme
Friday February 9th 2018

2. Please put on silent or switch off
Housekeeping
Please put on silent or switch off
Ground Floor
Not expecting a Fire Drill-if alarm sounds, exit room in orderly manner and go to assembly point

3. In class
Please make sure bags are UNDER the tables so other learners don’t trip
Please respect others’ opinions and values
Please wait for someone to finish speaking before asking a question or making a comment
We all learn at a different pace and a variety of ways
If you have to leave the room, please do so with a minimum of fuss

4. In days of yore we used…

5. Today, we have

6. And thanks to the power of the Internet, a Virtual Learning Environment-VLE-powered by MOODLE

7. What is a Virtual Learning Environment?
A Virtual Learning Environment is Hampshire Futures’ colloquial name for a Moodle.
Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment.
This is a course management system for online learning, a software package designed to help educators deliver quality online instruction.
It has been developed as an Open Source software project.
Moodle (VLE) runs without modification on all major operating systems.
Moodle is a template-based system and this makes the VLE very intuitive and easy to follow.
The whole page is in “flat-view” format, laid out in blocks and tiles and organised around sections following a topic or outline.

8. How does HF Moodle/VLE work?
The site is organised around Moodle libraries, modules of resources and activities, blocks which direct users to a search engine, a forum, a calendar etc.
An administrator or tutor will add: courses, users, groups, grades, learning resources, updates and ‘news’.
A student will add to forum posts, amend their profile where allowed, upload coursework, use a plugin like Mahara to build portfolios etc.
Every action on Moodle/VLE creates an ‘event’.
Each event is logged.
Each log can be compiled into a report.

9. Logging In

11. Navigation
Each user has a login, e.g. fred.brown and a password of their choice. This must be at least 8 characters in length and have at least ONE Capital letter, one number and one Alphanumeric character _ - or .
The functions in the site administration block can only be accessed by those with permission.
Tutors/providers (later, more students) will find all resources listed under one of six Quicklinks-ACL, Apprenticeships Levy, Young People’s Learning, Careers and EPT, Outdoor Education and PE and Direct Delivery-Tutor Resources.
Each of these has a variety of courses, resources, forms, policy documents and information in drop down menus.
The entire Moodle handbook is online at:

12. The AT bar

13. File management
In Moodle, a file is always connected to the particular bit of Moodle that uses it.
Files are organised in a tree-like structure:
Categories, courses, activities, resources
Users (private files and personal backups)
Front page (home page)

14. Finding a Document/Resource
1. Use the search engine at the top of the home page
2. Use the breadcrumb trails/dropdown menus to look for the resource within an area
3. Save URL’s to your favourites for easy access, e.g.

15. Sample Course/resource pages

16. Admin bloc-for authorised users
Inside a course
Info blocs
Admin bloc-for authorised users

17. Plenary, closing remarks and thank you