Angelica Risquez

Centre for Teaching and LearningUniversity of

Limerick

Students’ experience of virtual learning environments

Why?

Political acknowledgement of the role of the VLE

Existing literature gaps

Does the VLE reinforce traditional teaching?

All you need to know…

Longitudinal data collection

Open participation o ILTA research strategy (UL lead)

Anonymous and collegiate sharingo 12 institutionso over 20,500 student responses

UL data for 2008, 2011 and 2013 (n=3,547)

Some limitations!

self-selection +response rates =sample, not census

... yet, consistent results!

1. VLE as a content distribution platform

The VLE is useful/very useful for…

0102030405060708090

100

Class

ann

ounc

emen

ts

Lect

ure

note

s/han

dout

s

Other

cour

se d

ocum

ents

Online

disc

ussio

ns

Quizz

es

Plagiar

ism d

etec

tion/

Turnit

in

Subm

itting

ass

ignm

ents

Videos

/scr

eenc

asts/

podc

asts

NationalUL

'My course is very time consuming and it's difficult to manage study around this. Sulis allows me that time to concentrate my study in a precise way. It suits me just the way it is...'

2. Consistency of use

My lecturers make good use of the VLE (agree/strongly agreee)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2008 2011 2013

National

UL

0

10

20

3040

50

60

70

80

90

The VLE iseasy to use

The VLE isreliable

I would like mylecturers to

make more useof the VLE

National

UL

My lecturers make good use of the VLE (agree/strongly agreee, 2013 data)

'It provides you with a good picture of how the semester will look regarding assignments thus allowing adequate planning'

3. Enhancing and sustaining communication

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Gives me more accessto my lecturers

Gives me more accessto my classmates

National

UL

Using the VLE…(agree/strongly agreee, 2013 data)

4. Meeting flexibility requirements

Where do you access [the VLE] from?(national results)

Where do you access [the VLE] from? (national)

Getting notes on [VLE] makes me less likely to go to lectures (2013)

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

Stronglyagree

Agree Neutral Disagree Stronglydisagree

National

UL

'If I can't attend college because of being sick, or family commitments, I don't feel completely lost as I

can keep track of everything in [the VLE]'

5. Good educational design is essential

How does the VLE influence learning? (national)

Receives grades for taking quizzes/tests within VLE

Receives grades for participating in discussion forums

(2013, national)

'Makes me revise more and allows me to prepare for labs more efficiently as my lecturer

posts videos online in Sulis'

‘I could not survive academically without Sulis’

‘Sulis has been very important to

my studies throughout the years, when on

Erasmus the lack of a useful and easily accessible system like Sulis was very

noticeable’

Emerging Issues III

Educational Developers of Ireland Network

Launch 20th June, NUIM