100 ways to use a VLE – #7 Assignment Submission

We often ask learners to submit assignments, often with a top sheet and to get it signed in. All this takes time and staff.

So why don’t we use the tools that we have in the VLE?

Most VLEs like Moodle, have the option of allowing learners to submit assignment electronically. The student uploads their assignment (as an electronic file). The VLE records the time and date of submission and more often then not, gives the student a receipt of their submission.

The tutor can very easily see which students have submitted and which haven’t. Some VLE assignment submission systems can be configured to not accept late submissions, but even if you do, you will be able to see which were late and which were on time.

Using tools such as Turnitin, it is possible to add automatic plagarisim detection to the submission process, flagging up assignments which may or may not need to be checked.

So why don’t we do it more often?

Well there are lots of reasons and some of them are quite valid.

If you submit electronically, then you need to mark them electronically, and some staff have reservations about marking on a screen. Either they don’t like looking at a screen for a long time or they don’t have easy access to a computer. Also though tools such as Word do allow for commenting and annotation, they are not the most intuitive of tools to use. As a result they will often print the assignments out, this means instead of twenty learners printing out one document each, the lecturer will be printing twenty out, which takes time, the time which was supposed to be saved by the learners submitting their documents electronically.

The learner will need access to the VLE to submit their work. If they don’t have access from home, will they be able to do so from college. It makes sense to think about the deadline for assignments as a result.

What about when the assignment submission process fails? The VLE doesn’t work or falls over. Well common sense approach works here, in the same way if the member of staff who collects physical assignments was ill, you just work around the problem and provide the students with a different way of submitting work, or change the deadline.

What about if learners don’t want to submit electronically? If as a institution you are embracing the concept of personalisation, then electronic submission may be just one way in which students can submit work, you may want to offer them a choice.

One solution which staff may want to think about is changing the way they mark electronic documents, stop thinking of them as electronic paper documents that you “write” on, but as digital files and as a result use digital technologies to mark them. What about using audio or video to provide feedback? Record your thoughts and feedback as you mark the document; then the student will be able to listen to your feedback as a virtual you and they go through the assignment. The JISC Sounds Good project did some interesting work on this. One of the tutors at Gloucestershire College has also undertaken a trial with recording feedback, and has had very positive feedback from the learners, who have taken more notice of the audio feedback and found it more useful.

Of course some assignments just don’t fit electronic submission, a poster for example. However just because one format of assignment doesn’t fit, doesn’t mean we should never use electronic submission. Electronic submission actually makes it possible for a wider range of assessments to be submitted than just written assignments. Learners can submit videos, audio files, muti-media presentations. With tools such as Google Docs, wikis, Prezi, Slideshare and other online presentation sites it is now much easier for learners to demonstrate their understanding.

Submitting assignments through the VLE is one way in which you can increase use of the VLE and make it easier for learners to get a better understanding of how it works and more choice on what and how they submit their work.

Photo source.

100 ways to use a VLE – #3 Having an online discussion

Discussion is a really useful way of enhancing learning, whether it be a formalised classroom discussion or seminar, or an informal discussion arising from a presentation or a video.

How do you ensure that all learners contribute to the discussion?

How many though consider the needs of different learners and learning styles when facilitating discussion? Some learners are reflective and they need to time to think and reflect on the discussion

Online discussion using a forum on the VLE is one option that facilitates discussion in a way which allows reflective (and quieter) learners to contribute.

It is not an either or situation, it’s not about having just online discussions in the same way as it is not just about having all face to face discussions, it’s much more about allowing a range of discussion using different mediums to reflect the different needs and learning styles of different learners.

So how do you go about it?

The Tutor sets a question, for example:

2002 saw the first full year of the Euro.

Read the following article from the BBC News pages and each member of the group to contribute to a discussion entitled The Euro works with John to summarise by the 17th

Bob

Each of the students from the group would be expected to contribute to the discussion, with one of the members of the group posting a summary.

Facilitating such a discussion requires similar skills that you would find in the classroom, praising and bringing in quieter members of the group.

that’s a good point Charlie, what do you think Claire

You could also have an online discussion in order to provide evidence for Communication Key Skills.

Online discussions are not difficult, but do require (in the same way that a face to face discussion does) some planning and facilitation. It also helps if you try out a discussion as a user first.

100 ways to use a VLE – #29 Homework or Home-based Study Task

You can use the VLE as a “home” for non-classroom based activities. These can be undertaken by students at home, in the library or at a time and place to suit the learner.

• Add NLN Object into a package on the VLE and ask students to go through the object as preparation for the following week’s lesson.
• Add NLN Object into a package on the VLE and ask students to go through the object as a homework task.
• VLE will track student usage and assessments.
• Use follow up activities to support homework task.

100 ways to use a VLE – #33 Preparation

It is very useful for a student to undertake reading or similar before the lesson, it prepares them and gives a background to the topic of the session.

Often in a course you may require students to read a chapter from a textbook in preparation for the next session.

You can do something similar with resources on a VLE.

Resources you could ask your students to read or go through could include one or more of the following:

• NLN Learning Object;
• resource from Ferl/QIA website;
• resource downloaded from the JISC JORUM repository;
• a specific web link (or selection of web links);
• a resource you have created and uploaded to the VLE;
• a series of questions to ascertain the previous knowledge.

One of the advantages of a VLE is that the use of the resource by learners can be tracked so you will have an idea of who has actually done what you asked.

A specific example of this to show how you can do this.

For the GCE AS History you need to study the Russian Revolution.

 

There are a range of NLN Learning Objects which cover History and one covers 1917 – the year of revolution: The failure of the provisional government and the success of the Bolsheviks.

Prior to starting the topic you could ask your students to look at and read the learning object on the VLE in the same way you may get them to read a chapter from a book.

They will then be able to have a background to Russian Revolution of 1917 which will enable you to focus on the issues rather than starting from scratch.

100 ways to use a VLE – #86 Filing Cabinet

You may already have a filing cabinet (or a cupboard) which you store copies of your assignments, handouts, briefings and other paper based resources.

You may have a folder on your desk which students can access copies of missing resources.

You may already give your learners access to this file storage and allow them to pick and choose which paper based resources they need.

You do though need to ask the questions:

• how do learners access the resources, do they need a key or authorisation?
• what happens when a copy runs out, who prints out and copies the resource?
• who identified that a resource has run out?

The advantages of placing electronic copies of resources on a VLE are:

• the resources are available all the time from anywhere, whether that be home, work or college;
• as they are electronic copies, they never run out, you don’t need to print or copy them again;
• students can have multiple copies, one at home and one for college;
• you can specify if resources are available all the time or for a set time;
• you will be able to find copies for yourself so allowing you to access them from home or work if they need updating.

The VLE is a powerful asset and tool for teaching and learning, but even using it as a simple file storage area can prove to be an advantage to yourself and your learners.

The VLE is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year from any internet connected computer.

100 ways to use a VLE – #6 Bookmarks

One of the useful aspects of the Gloucestershire College VLE is the ability to store a series of bookmarked web links on a course.

These links can be accessed from any computer which is something that Internet Explorer fails to do as it is restricted to one computer.

Also these links can be accessed by your students at a time and place convenient to them (whether that be at home, in college, or at work). Rather than type them out they can click and there the page is there for them either within the campus or in a new window.

You could always use a social bookmarking site such as del.icio.us, but one of the advantages of using the VLE is that it can track who has clicked the links.