Developing and implementing a virtual learning environment (VLE)

for a large complex course.

David Dewhurst

Director of Learning Technology

College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh

Rachel Ellaway & Allan Cumming

‘Complex course’

• Undergraduate medical course MBChB• New course in line with GMC ‘Tomorrows

Doctors’ – started in 1998• 5 years (+PRHO) ~ 220 students/year• Integrated curriculum with clinical teaching in all

5 years• Horizontal ‘courses’ with vertical ‘themes’• Mixture of didactic, case-based learning, PBL

but with greater emphasis on student centred, resource-based learning

What is a VLE?

VLEs are integrated systems of networked on-line resources which support and facilitate course management, learning, teaching and assessment activities whether these take place on-campus or at a distance.

Also known as MLEs, LMSs, LCMSs

Virtual Learning Support Environment

• Mirrors traditional learning environment • On-line personalised (MyEEMeC) student

information• Features to promote student interaction• Networked Teaching, Learning & Assessment

resources provided by academic staff• Features to support course management by

administrative staff• On-line library and reference resourcesFor medical students in Edinburgh this is EEMeC -

Edinburgh Electronic Medical Curriculum

EEMeC • Collaborative project between:

– Learning Technology Section• IT Services, • Courseware development, • Medical Illustration & digital graphics, • Teaching Facilities management

– Medical Teaching Organisation• course delivery, implementation, curriculum development

• started September 1999 and follows the roll-out of the new medical curriculum – year 5 starts July 2002

• Bespoke system which constantly evolves to meet local needs both administrative and learning

• Resource intensive

How did we start?• Major ‘drivers’

– top down (Dean), bottom up (staff enthusiasts and increasingly students), middle in (LTS/MTO).

• Resources– strong team of courseware developers with

appropriate expertise and enthusiasm• Pragmatism and vision - ‘small steps, big plans’

‘pragmatic approach towards a grand vision’• Recognised the need to become indispensable to

attract further funding

Year 1 - First steps - static resources

• Planning - considered off-the-shelf VLEs - not appropriate for the highly complex medical course.

• Initial Development - a highly structured website with easy, intuitive navigation –

used standard development tools– populated with study guides and other existing resources

• MS office data (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) to html• static timetable

– Limited ‘Resources section’ – static html documents

• Evaluated the site through liaison meetings with students and staff - very positive feedback and high level of use.

• Parallel staff development

Now - features of EEMeC added in response to feedback

• Personalised ‘MyEEMeC’ Home Page - notices, personal resources, queryable timetable (SQL Server/ASP)

• Chat area Discussion area, shared workspaces and annotation facility

• Expanded Resources Section (database driven and contains, e.g. room locations across all sites, web- and LAN-based CAL programs, videos (some streamed), ‘Grand Rounds’ - searchable

• Much improved staff interface – local content management

• Choosing ‘Options’, voting class reps• Portfolio management• Evaluation• Assessment Marks• Archive of previous years materials• Develop an ‘attendance’ database

http://www.eemec.med.ed.ac.uk/

How useful is it?

• Evaluates very highly • Student use very high – hits every 2 days – available

24/7 from anywhere with internet connection• Staff use increasing but still problems with clinical

teachers in teaching hospitals where there are some access problems

• Quality of resources increasing• Broken down barriers between course delivery

(academic) and management (administrators)• Single source of course information • Audit vehicle

Thank you for listening

David Dewhurst

e-mail d.dewhurst@ed.ac.ukhttp://www.eemec.med.ed.ac.uk/