1. Uptake and Usage of Virtual Learning Environments: Findings from a multi institutional student usage survey. Robert Cosgrave (UCC) Theresa Logan-Phelan (TCD) Marion Palmer (IADT) Nuala Harding (AIT) Margaret Phelan (ITT Dublin) Willie Ward (LIT) Claire McAvinia (NUIM) Angelica Risquez (UL) Fiona O'Riordan (Griffith College) Noreen Vaughan (LIT) Tom Farrelly (IT Tralee)

2. Virtual Learning Environments are now core infrastructure in most tertiary institutions.

3. But what do students actually do with VLEs? Do we get the best use of our VLEs? Does the choice of VLE matter? Where should we focus our effort in making them work well?

4. 2008 – 5 institutions 2009 – 11 institutions

5. HE Times University of Leitrim has best VLE! No use of findings for PR All published results to be anonymous by Institution. Institutions letter coded A,B,C…

6. Warning. Your Mileage May Vary. Online Survey > Self Selecting Sample > Built in sample bias

7. Different institutions, Different stories Size indicates institution size. Colour coded by VLE

8. Are they used?

10. But what for?

11. If not, why not?

13. Do they help students learn?

14. Do they make students lazy?

15. What have we learned? VLE still mainly content management tools. The challenge for learning technologists is to find ways to move staff beyond that.

16. What will we find out next? Does the choice of VLE really matter? What is the right level of resourcing and technology assisted learning staff? How important are other factors like staff usage? Training approaches?

17. Pros and Cons Survey helps put institutional issues in national context Time series will help us build up a picture of the evolution of an institutions VLE over time Understanding the findings requires deep understanding of each institutions VLE history. Survey not a ‘silver bullet’ for evaluation. Your mileage may vary!

18. Next Steps Full Analysis. Find correlations What about staff? Staff survey in summer 2009 Institutional Case Histories. Build up a case history for each institutions VLE so we can interpret the findings more fully Review the questions: What have we learned? What else do we need to find out? What do we need to keep monitoring?

19. Doing it all again in 2010! New institutions welcome. Project coordination work supported by NAIRTL