PROMOTING GOOD PEDAGOGY ACROSS THE VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT : EMPOWERING THE ACADEMIC, ENGAGING THE STUDENT

This paper builds upon our previous work to highlight the importance of effective sharing and communication of good practice within the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), how we are working to increase this and the positive impact on student experience.

We support staff and students from University College Falmouth and University of Exeter using virtual learning environments for teaching and learning. There are excellent examples of innovative, engaging and often interactive resources which have a positive impact on students and invariably attract excellent feedback. These include ‘intuitive resources’; a set of enhanced tools that won a ‘Learning Support Excellence Award’, wikis used for assessment, collaborative databases and glossaries as well as encouraging debate through structured forums.

The Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team is encouraging staff across all departments to use the virtual learning environments in creative and inspiring ways, to understand they are relevant, interactive platforms for students to communicate, collaborate and learn.

Current research has highlighted a ‘gap’ between the potential for learning technologies to support teaching and learning and their actual use. One reason put forward for this was a lack of understanding in how these technologies can be applied to specific learning outcomes. Not only do the tools and understanding have to be available but as studies have found there needs to be ‘cultural change’; our challenge has been to instigate this change and make it as natural and welcomed as possible. Fundamental to this is building upon the success of ‘early adopters’ in order to reach those who are still reluctant to engage with TEL; encouraging change through providing examples of where TEL has been applied to real learning outcomes successfully.

We are currently working to increase sharing of good practice across the VLE using student and staff feedback to justify change and improvements. Various methods have been used to disseminate good practice including video interviews with staff which highlight practices they have deemed beneficial to their teaching, and an established good practice area which demonstrates guidelines and sites of good practice on the VLE. We are instigating greater communication and sharing between subject areas on how best to use the VLE.