Falkirk College
Flexibility through virtual learning
Falkirk College is the fifth largest college in Scotland, it annually enrolls 17,500 students of whom 14,500 study on a part-time basis. It has 11 academic departments and offers a comprehensive curriculum to degree level. In a recent inspection report the college received the highest possible grades.
Before choosing a virtual learning environment the college assessed many of the products on the market but chose Serco’s Virtual Campus. Their main criteria in the search were, pedagogical value, ease of use for both staff and students, technical robustness, infrastructure and interoperability, effective customer support, cost and value for money.
ILT Manager Alison Inglis said: “Selecting and purchasing a VLE is relatively easy compared to getting staff and students to use it, and use it appropriately. Often, much emphasis is made on the technology and little on how the VLE will provide an effective learning experience for students.”
The college recognised that online learning is not a simple technical fix. It involves a huge cultural shift in the way people teach and learn and, within a large organisation, this can take time, she explained. “The VLE is more about flexible and accessible learning than distance learning. The majority of work done within the VLE by students will complement the work they do in a face-to-face or classroom setting, not replace it. The VLE, therefore, must be integrated into other teaching and learning methods to create a blended approach.”
The college found that the implementation of Virtual Campus and technical support were very good. The user-friendly online assessment, word-based authoring and learning object repository software made it easy for staff to upload materials, create quizzes and store or search online and offline content.
Alison said: “Currently, no other VLE vendor provides such complementary and simple-to-use products. The new SENDA compliant interface is extremely easy to use for both staff and students. Virtual Campus has proved its ability to link with other systems and is standards compliant, which means that other resources can be uploaded easily into the system.”
Three years later the college is still happy with its choice. “The system is very reliable, and we have experienced excellent customer support. Help is just a telephone call or email away and response times are either immediate or within the same day. Finally, we have found that the year-on-year licensing costs for Virtual Campus are extremely reasonable.
“Students have access to resources and tutors whenever needed, and can study at a time and place that meets individual needs. The enhanced learning experience increases students’ motivation to learn. Powerful communication tools, including a web based college email address, make it easier to exchange views and ideas with other students.”
Also found the system useful in adding variety and enhancing the classroom learning experience, with easy access to a range of local and nationally produced resources. They can store, search and retrieve learning resources when preparing lessons, so reducing preparation time. Quicker and easier online assessment, the ability to keep in touch with students at any time, and the online collaboration and discussion increases student motivation and retention.
“Our next key targets are to increase the use of online assessment, both formative and summative, and to store all college learning resources, on and offline, in the eLearning Repository. We also plan to exploit ePortfolio, which will enable the submission of online evidence, assessment and verification for VQ’s. It will also provide a vehicle for submitting work and recording progress and monitor student achievement of non-accredited provisions as well as attainment of certificate courses.
“We have been successful from the outset because we chose Virtual Campus as our VLE. We secured senior management commitment to ILT in teaching and learning, backed by significant resourcing, and we have a clearly defined long-term ICT/ILT strategy. It helps that we are positive, innovative and people-focused in working with staff and students, and of course that we have emphasised the need for a blended approach to teaching and learning.
“We have also offered a comprehensive ongoing staff development programme. Small groups and one-to-one help is available, and the Virtual Campus help squad visit each academic department monthly to advise staff on resources."