Death of the VLE?

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Death of the VLE?

• Professor Mark Stiles
• Head of Learning Development and
  InnovationStaffordshire University

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The death of the VLE

• VLEs appear to be in robust good health, but
• How did we all come to use them?
• How have they developed?
• How are we using them?
• Do we actually need them?
• What is the state of the market and change?
• Are there symptoms we should be examining?

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What is a VLE?

• A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a system
  that creates an environment designed to
  facilitate teachers in the management of
  educational courses for their students,
  especially a system using computer hardware and
  software, especially involving distance learning.
  
• (Wikipedia)

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What is a VLE?

• A Virtual learning environment (VLE) is a
  software system designed to facilitate teachers
  in the management of educational courses for
  their students, especially by helping teachers
  and learners with course administration. The
  system can often track the learners' progress,
  which can be monitored by both teachers and
  learners. While often thought of as primarily
  tools for distance education, they are most often
  used to supplement the face-to-face classroom.
• (Wikipedia)

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What does a VLE provide?

• Syllabus
• Admin info session locations, pre/co
  requisites, how getting help
• Notice board
• Student registration and tracking
• Complete course content or copies of visual
  aids/handouts
• Additional resources, links to resources in
  libraries and on Internet.
• Self-assessment quizzes scored automatically
• Formal assessment procedures
• Communications - e-mail, threaded discussions,
  chat room, with/without moderator
• Differential access rights for instructors and
  students (Roles)
• Production of statistics for administration and
  quality control
• All capable of being hyperlinked together
• Easy authoring tools or standard office software
  used for authoring.
• Supporting numerous courses to provide a
  consistent interface
• .(Wikipedia)

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Early VLE History?

• History of VLEs in Wikipedia (Created in response
  to the Blackboard Patent)
• Internet based learning systems since late 1970s
• First thoughts on using WWW for learning systems
  1989
• Earliest use early 1990s
• Earliest systems satisfying VLE description
  elements 1995-7 from
• (eg Intralearn, Docent, Lotus Notes, Mallard,
  WOLF, FirstClass, WEST, MadDuck, WebCT, COSE,
  Colloquia, LearningSpace, Boddington, Fretwell
  Downing)

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The market
old edutools site
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The market
new edutools site list of new
reviews Overwhelming market majority is
Blackboard WebCT Moodle
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Blackboard

• 1997 Founded as a consulting firm contracting to
  IMS Global Learning Consortium
• 1998 Merged with CourseInfo LLC, a small course
  management software provider to become Blackboard
  Inc.
• First products branded as Blackboard Courseinfo
  - Courseinfo brand dropped 2000.
• 2000 Acquired MadDuck Technologies -
  Web-Course-in-a-Box.
• 2000 Acquired ATT Campuswide Access Solutions
  and CEI SpecialTeams - software formed basis for
  Blackboard Commerce Suite
• 2002 Acquired Prometheus, a course management
  software provider
• 2003 Acquired the SA Cash division of Student
  Advantage.
• 2006 Acquired rival WebCT Inc., forming the
  largest e-learning company in US in terms of
  total users.

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Moodle

• Creation of Martin Dougiamas
• 18,204 registered sites with 7,270,260 users in
  712,531 courses
• 152 registered Moodle sites that are larger than
  5,000 users
• Moodle market share only below Blackboard
• Open Source
• Since 1999 (2001 with the current architecture)
• OU building site for 200,000 users

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What do they look like now?

• Leading systems have
• Repositories
• Portfolios
• Extensive Gradebooks
• Integration with corporate systems
• Bolt-ons

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What DID we do with them?

• Drivers for early adopters were
• Student centeredness
• Large numbers
• Diversification
• Pedagogic change
• Distance learning
• Plus pressure from Government eg Dearing

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What DID we do with them?

• Drivers for early majority in 2002 were
• Top 10 reasons for selection
• Ease of use in general 31
• Ease of use staff 30
• Cost 21
• Flexibility/Versatility 16
• Integration with MIS 15
• Widely used 14
• Functionality/Features 13
• Pedagogic/Educational 13
• Imposed/A mystery 10
• Own system 10

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What DID we do with them?

• JISC MLE Landscape in 2003 was
• Vast majority using a VLE and 73 involved in MLE
  development
• Drivers for development
• Enhancing the quality of teaching and learning
• Improving access to learning for students off
  campus
• Widening participation/inclusiveness
• Student expectations
• Improving access for part-time students
• Using technology to deliver eLearning
• Perceived disadvantages
• Cost and time involved
• Resistance to culture change
• Need for large scale staff development

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What are we doing with them?

• From 2005 JISC MLE Landscape Study of UK HE and
  FE consultation document
• the results also show two thirds of modules of
  study being web supplemented which would seem to
  indicate that the stuff your notes into your
  VLE model is prevalent and increasing
• Reason given by bodies consulted was usually as
  a starter to encourage uptake
• Is this true?

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What are we doing with them?

• Besides the usual content delivery, discussions
  etc
• Mostly linked to MIS systems
• Use for assessment
• Add on portfolio systems
• Increasingly, add-on wikis, blogs etc
• Bolt-on repositories
• Bolt-on CMS
• Bolt-on authoring tools

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Are we producing bloated systems?
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Do we need all this?

• Is the VLE the right place for everything?
• Is incorporation of new features necessary?
• Integration and interoperation are subtly
  different?
• What ARE the essential features of a VLE?

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Do we need all this in a VLE?

• Syllabus portal to MIS system?
• Admin info portal to MIS system?
• Notice board at what level?
• Registration the job of a SRS?
• Tracking does anyone use it?
• Content - repository
• Resources, links at what level? Library
  systems?
• Self-assessment assessment system?
• Formal assessment assessment system? SRS?
• e-mail in what context?
• Threaded discussions who likes threads? Best
  system?
• Chat room best system?
• Roles
• Statistics for administration and quality control
  in what context?
• Authoring best system?
• Consistent interface how important?

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Do we need all this in a VLE?

• Core VLE function?
• Structuring the learning experience at
  module/activity level
• We have now
• ePortfolio systems
• Assessment systems
• Portals
• Repositories
• Reading list systems
• And of course MIS, SRS etc etc

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The eFramework
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(No Transcript)
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Personal Information Change

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(No Transcript)
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The new web

• Web 2 applications
• Level 3 The application could ONLY exist on the
  net, and draws its essential power from the
  network and the connections it makes possible
  between people or applications. Wikipedia,
  del.icio.us, Skype, Flock
• Level 2 The application could exist offline, but
  it is uniquely advantaged by being online. Flickr
• Level 1 The application can and does exist
  successfully offline, but it gains additional
  features by being online. Google Docs and
  Spreadsheets
• Level 0 The application has primarily taken hold
  online, but it would work just as well offline if
  you had all the data in a local cache. Google
  Maps
• (OReilly 2006)

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The new web

• Web 2 applications
• Sharing
• Collaboration
• Learner initiated
• Informal learning
• Diverse communities
• Outside institutional control
• Unstoppable?

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The new web Questions

• How do formal and informal learning relate?
• How do we manage learning in this new world?
• Which Web 2 tools do WE need to provide?
• What do we actually NEED to control?
• CAN we control it?
• Is bolting Web 2 tools into a VLE the answer?

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The new web Factors

• Control and ownership
• Control
• Manage
• Facilitate
• Enable
• Recognise
• Are we control freaks?

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The new web Factors

• Formal Informal Osmosis
• How will we integrate formal and formal learning?
• How will we differentiate between them?
• How will we articulate our intended learning
  strategies?
• How will we access the learners outputs?
• How will cope with learners using THEIR choice of
  tool?

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Conclusion death of the VLE?

• Not yet BUT
• We dont need monoliths any more
• Corporately initiated processes will be dealt
  with by interoperating our choice systems
• Student initiated processes will be done on the
  web using their choice of tool
• Tutor initiated processes will be done HOW?
• We need to focus on what we NEED that a VLE
  provides
• uniquely

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The future VLE?
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Thank you for your time and patience m.j.stile
s_at_staffs.ac.uk www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/cosenew/repor
tsandpapers.html
MMIT Liverpool Dec 2006