institutional implementation of a virtual learning environment andrew booth & jon maber the...
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Institutional Implementation of a Virtual Learning Environment
Andrew Booth & Jon MaberThe University of Leeds
The University of Leeds• Large civic university• Single campus (at the moment)• 24,000 undergraduates on-campus• Total student population of 75,000• Research culture - Russell Group• Faculties, schools and departments very
independent of centre• Modular teaching system with
overlapping modules
Bodington System1995 - ‘Forums’ - online bulletin boards in
Biochemistry made available to others in University
1997 – Nathan Bodington Building – student support system – no web publishing
1999 – Development project with LiNM introduction of web publishing and sophisticated group management
2000 – Bodington Common
2001 – Accessibility and interoperability
Bodington Common
Faculty Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 5
Non-modular
Total
Arts 13 22 26 8 69
Biol. Sciences 27 34 36 10 107
BLESS 31 50 32 87 200
Earth & Environ 14 18 17 12 61
Engineering 36 35 21 9 101
Maths & Phys. Sci
21 22 30 1 74
Medicine 12 5 2 18 37
Total 154 186 164 127 18 649
Courses supported at 1/3/2001
Institutional Issues
• Acceptance by Staff
• Acceptance by Students
• Support by Senior Management
Staff acceptance of Bodington • Must fit our ways of doing things • Ease of use - ‘semi-MLE’• Flexible - does not restrict pedagogic models• Control over resource creation and access• Support and training (low training overhead)• Students like it (so did QAA)• Staff have input into development• Developers are teachers• Development is not project funded
Student acceptance of Bodington • Design informed by student preferences
e.g. Layout is grouped by moduleAccess to communication is verifiable
• Development informed by students’ needs• Emphasis on student support rather than
shovelware• Anywhere, any time, any pace - freedom
from timetable• Student demand is a major driver for
uptake
Support by Senior Management
• Funded centrally through L&T - not C&IT• Cost recovered through overheads not
usage• Continuation - small team on permanent
contracts, not project funded• Sensible policy on IPR• Development driven by pedagogy, not
commercial imperative - open source• Protection of investment - interoperability
Policy on IPR
• Right to publishUniversity grants copyright to authors
irrespective of medium
• Right to useUniversity retains right to use material
• Right to exploitUniversity shares net income with originators
via a clearly defined formula
Technical Issues
• Functionality
• Reliability
• Scalability
• Continuous development
• Interoperability
• Accessibility
Functionality
Above all a VLE is a communication toolLearners must perceive that they are in contact with teachers and other learners via the VLEThe VLE must give on-line learners a sense of placeTechnical features can help or hinder
Reliability
Keep the VLE runningDown time in unsociable hoursKeep in mind time zonesNetwork reliability
Keep the data safeServer reliabilityDatabase backups
Scalability
Does the VLE scale up?Database issuesHardware issuesSoftware issues
Continuous Development
Users have good ideas for new functionalityIt is good to be able to respond to demandThis requires a VLE with an API (Application Programmer’s Interface) & modular design
Interoperability
Between a content provider and your VLEBetween your VLE and another organisation’s VLEBetween your VLE and your other systemsBetween your old VLE and your new VLE!!!
Instructional Management Systems
www.imsproject.orgAttempting to create interoperability standards;
Content PackagingQuestion and TestMetadataStudent ProfilesUsers and Groups
Interoperability - IMS
IMS doesn’t allow you to transfer an entire course from one VLE to anotherIt allows you to transfer content (I.e. web pages)Practice assessments separately and individually transferredIt can’t transfer communication tools
Adoption of IMS
Some have endorsed IMS standards but not yet implemented themSome claim to be close to releasing versions with IMS complianceNon commercial systems may be quicker off the mark
IMS and Bodington System
Successful interoperability with QuestionMark and with home grown question banksSuccessful import of content packages produced with Microsoft LRNSuccessful import of content produced in ColloquiaMetadata search engine operational
Accessibility
New legislation requires you to provide access for allHaving a VLE that strips pages down to text only is not enough
Accessibility – Bodington System
User selectable style sheets for;Visually impairedDyslexicUsers who use a mouse with difficulty
Narrative interface for blind usersRestores context that is lost when the graphics are stripped outExtra navigational aids