1. London Metropolitan University
E-Learning and the Use of
Virtual Learning Environments in Economics
Guglielmo Volpe
London Metropolitan University

2. Structure of Presentation
E-Learning: Definition and Use
Virtual Learning Environment
Web 2.0 – Social Software
Reusable Learning Objects

3. E-Learning: Definition and Use
“Mixture of the different preferred learning methods, delivered to the learner through the use of information technology. Supported with instructional design and engaging content”
Use of E-Learning
E-learning can be used effectively as a replacement for existing classroom training or as part of a blended Information Technology and classroom based training solution

4. E-Learning Using E-Learning
Support to students’ learning: IT provides a simple support to the learning process in terms of, for example, distribution of teaching material
Embedded within module/course design to support chosen pedagogical approach: IT is integrated within the design of a module/course and is key to the achievement of desired learning outcomes

5. Questions Did you experience e-learning yourself during your studies?
If yes, in what form?
How do you think e-learning can support students’ learning
Put yourself in the position of a student: how could IT help your learning?

6. Virtual Learning Environment
“VLEs refer to the components in which learners and tutors participate in ‘online’ interactions of various kinds, including online learning” (JISC, 2001)
Until recently the main products in the UK HE were ‘Blackboard’ and ‘WebCT’
The two companies have now merged and ‘WebCT Vista’ (do not confuse it with new Microsoft OS!!) is now the new main product on the market
Vista aims at being ‘more’ than just a virtual learning environment – Integrated solution for academic management

7. Virtual Learning Environment
VLEs provide an e-box full of e-tools that can be combined to support or drive students’ learning
Communication tools ( s, notice boards, blogs, student’s journal-PDP)
Assessment tools
Repository for and distribution of teaching and learning material
Shared spaces for students
Students management system (registration, tracking, performance)
Students space

8. Virtual Learning Environment
Levels of VLE Use (Mason, 1998)
Content and support model: pre-prepared content is delivered in print or online and support is provided online
Wrap-around model: where there is a mixture of pre-prepared content and online learning activities (online discussions, collaborative activities)
Integrated model: where most of the learning takes place via collaborative online activities and content is determined mainly by the learners

9. Virtual Learning Environment
Levels of use (Cook, 1999)
Simple
Posting course information and material
Including links to other online material
Communication between students and lecturers
Provide a ‘shell’ for computer-assisted learning resources
Assessment – self-assessment and end-of-term assessment
Integrating online activities, support and materials with lecturers and seminars
Collaborative student projects
Delivering complete online courses with fully integrated activities
Complex

10. Virtual Learning Environment: levels of use
Posting course information and material
Lecture notes, reading lists, handbooks
Assignment details
Overall: repository and distribution of teaching material
Including links to other online material
Links to external resources (articles, datasets, international organisations websites, researcher’s website etc.)
Students-posted links: links can be posted by students themselves via discussion board, personal website, blogs etc.

11. Virtual Learning Environment: levels of use
Communication between students and tutors
Discussion Board: to foster class discussion about topic or issue
s: allows students to privately among themselves or with tutor within VLE
Chat Rooms: synchronous communication among students logged into the VLE – Useful for direct debate about sudden issue; office hours?; virtual seminar?
Blogs: posts entries/topics/discussions that students can look and reply to
Student’s Journal: private space for student to post personal reflections on her/his studies
Provide a ‘shell’ for computer-assisted learning resources
Interactive learning (economics) material freely available on the web can be included in VLE
Reusable Learning Objects???

12. Virtual Learning Environment: levels of use
Summative and Formative Assessment
Create questions databanks that can be used to generate self-assessment quizzes and end-of-term exams
Assessment Tools Include: multiple choice tests, True or False questions, short answers, matching words
Integrating online activities, support and materials with lecturers and seminars
Complement lecture with online tutorials that end up with self-assessment
Ask students to engage in discussion forum about specific issues raised in class – quality and quantity of contribution can be assessed
Overall: design a system whereby the learning objectives can be achieved through an integration of ‘old’ and ‘new’ technologies

13. Virtual Learning Environment: levels of use
Collaborative student projects
Students work in groups towards the solution of a task
The communication tools can be used to work together and to exchange information with other groups
Delivering complete online courses with fully integrated activities
All the teaching, learning and assessment material is developed in an integrated way within the VLE
Limited or no contact with the tutor
Learner more in control of his learning

14. Virtual Learning Environment: Pros and Cons
Advantages
Easy online delivery of material
Easiness of use for both staff and students
Flexible use by students
Ideal support for large groups of students
Flexible support for lecturers
Stimulates innovative approaches to learning and teaching
Disadvantages
Could become just simple ‘dumping ground’ for any type of material
IPR and Copyright issues
Initial fixed cost in setting up website; cost of regularly updating website
On and off-campus access to hardware, network and printing
Disability issues
Support for students in dealing with technology
Institutional support for staff

15. Are VLEs the Future?
There is an increasing recognition of the tension between the monolithic VLE that tends to see university business from an administrative view rather than from the perspective of the individual student, and an individual's personalised view of the environment they work, study and live within. This tension runs to the very heart of what universities and higher/further education is about… Successful technologies in the 21st century are all about “helping people”, exemplified by the success of Google in helping people find stuff on the internet. This is in contrast with the trend in the late 20th century of building big institutions, databases containing large amounts of content… So the current trend is towards small groups of students and workers able to learn anywhere with freely available content where the emphasis is on the social aspect of learning. This has huge implications for traditional universities, who will need to think creatively about learning, assessment and particularly learning spaces to attract tomorrow’s learners (Heppell, 2006)

16. Web 2.0 – Social Software
Use of networked computers to connect people in order to boost their knowledge and their ability to learn (blogs, wikis, podcasting, videoblogs, social networking – facebook, myspace)
Microcontent: break away from Web as a book – blogs are about posts, wikis are stream of conversation, revision, truncation, amendments
Openness
Users to play fundamental role in information architecture (wisdom of crowds)
Folksonomies: words that users generate and attach to content

17. Web 2.0 – Social Software Social Bookmarking – del.icio.us
Ability to store, share, describe bookmarks
Bookmarks are tagged and searches can be made according to tags
Role in Higher Education?
Outbound Memory: location to store links that might be lost to time
Help finding people with similar or related interests, learn from others, new collaborations
Clusters of tags reveal patterns not immediately visible by examining URLs
Multi-authored bookmark pages can be helpful for team projects
Following a bookmark site gives insights into the owner’s research

18. Web 2.0 – Social Software Social Writing Platforms
Wiki pages allow users to quickly edit their content from within the browser window
Collaborative writing softwares (Writeboard, Writely)
Role in Higher Education?
Students group learning
Department collaborative work

19. Web 2.0 – Social Software Blogging Role in Higher Education?
Learning from news, articles, analyses
Search across time as news/views develop
Collaboration across departments, universities, etc.
Awareness of topical issue

20. Reusable Learning Objects: The New?
Reusable learning objects are web-based interactive chunks of e-learning designed to explain a stand-alone learning objective. The fact that the learning object has been broken down to a low level of granularity facilitates its reuse in different learning and teaching situations
RLOs are stored in repositories which are an electronic library in which learning objects are stored. Learning objects can be retrieved from a repository by a teacher working at a standard desktop PC
Incorporating appropriate pedagogy (i.e. learning and teaching methods and strategies) into the effective use of learning objects is an important issue to consider in the development of RLOs
A Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Reusable Learning Objects has been created in partnership between Cambridge University, London Metropolitan University and Nottingham University

21. New Technologies?
Mobile Phones: students interact a lot through text-messaging or distant communication. Can this technology be used to support students’ learning?
Handheld Computers (PDAs): could learning material be distributed through PDAs and can students be asked to engage in their learning through this technology?
iPods: they are very common among young people. Could this technology be used to support learning?
Developments
Tests are taking place to develop RLOs for mobile phones and PDAs
Some universities have developed T&L material for iPods and some lecturers have given up big-lecture teaching!
Some universities give iPods to their students and they keep it if they pass the course!

22. References Publications
Cook J., (1999), Virtual Learning Environments: Making the Web Easy to Use for Teachers and Learners, University of Bristol, available on
Heppell S., (2006), Helping learners to help each other: why learning in the 21st century is a very different place, Available on
Mason R., (1998), ‘Models of online Courses’, ALN Magazine, vol. 2, n. 2
O’Leary R., Ramsden A., (2001), Virtual Learning Environments, The Handbook for Economics Lecturers, Economics Network, available on
Bryan A., (2006), “Web 2.0. A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning?”, Educause Review, available on
Websites
JISC on e-learning:
RLO Cetl:
Learning Development & Innovation Moodle at Staffordshire University