The VLE @ GSA: an introduction

2

Today’s session:

The VLE at GSA. User roles A quick tour Designing your course – things to consider. Adding content. Communicating – announcements and emails. Managing groups.

3

The VLE at GSA:

Virtual Learning Environment.

Supports studio/ face-to-face learning and teaching.

Every course at GSA has a presence on the VLE (‘course’).

Used in different ways: repository, portal, communication...

Remote access 24/7.

Need GSA network username and password.

4

A quick tour:

Landing page: My VLE, Course catalogue.

Enrolments, announcements, calendar.

Customisable: what items visible, colour scheme, text size,

etc.

Multiple communication tools.

Multiple ways to do things.

5

User roles

StaffInstructor

Course BuilderTeaching Assistant

Add Access

StudentStudent

AccessStudent

6

Designing your course

Plan your course on a bit of paper – what menu items will you need?

Make sure you give menu items a clear name. Organise information logically and intuitively. When adding items (documents, images, etc), make

sure the file name is clear with no spaces (e.g. term1plan.doc) and add a brief description.

Keep your content up-to-date. Consider appearance – colours are great but make sure

text can be read.

7

Designing your course

8

Designing your course

9

Designing your course

10

Customising your course

Choose menu style

Set entry point

Add banner

(150 px x 1035 px)

Display settings

11

Adding content

Possible to add a variety of media – documents, images, audio, video, links...

This can be done individually, but more effective to use Files >> in Control Panel.

You can then browse course resources and add items individually.

Remember to include a concise, intuitive file name and descriptive text.

At this point you can set also availability and track access.

12

Adding content

You can manages resources here:Create folders, upload multiple files, ensure single copy.

13

Adding content

Add documents, images, URLs or create folders to organise resources.

14

Adding content

Add contextual information and set availability.

15

Communication

There are a number of ways to communicate including announcements and emails.

Announcements will keep those enrolled on your course up to date. You can control when they are available and for how long. They will also be emailed to all student users.

Emails can be sent to individuals or groups.

16

Communication

17

Communication

Add contextual information and set availability.

18

Communication

19

Groups

Groups are a useful way to contact specific VLE users about certain topics, for example a tutorial group within a larger class or electives.

Students can self-enrol, or can be added by the course instructor.

As course instructor, you can control which areas you give students access to, and check which users are enrolled.

20

Groups

21

Groups

Add name for group.Set tool availability.Define membership.

Student 1Student 2Student 3Student 4

22

Summary

Multiple ways to do things in VLE – if you forget one, there’ll be another.

Make sure there’s a purpose to your course, design and content.

Be clear where possible in organisation, naming, etc. Lots of resources in VLE Help course or please contact

me: v.boyd@gsa.ac.uk

The VLE at GSA: an introduction