Delivering Content Efficiently
If you do start off using a VLE through 'e-content delivery' it is important you do not fall into the trap of spending all your time designing and producing new learning materials and uploading these within the system. A good strategy may be to reuse any digital learning resources that already exist. The first place to look for reusable learning materials is within your own collection: sharing your own resources is a good place to start. Materials could also be sourced from colleagues who may be willing to share, or even 'swap', informal compilations of resources (course notes, slides, student activities etc). Alternatively you may choose to tap into formal resource collections (e.g. digital libraries, national repositories of resources - JISC, Jorum and NLN).
Until recently, the tools and systems required to support resource sharing have not been widely available. However, an increasing number of VLEs are based around a core 'digital repository'. Essentially this is a store for digital learning resources. You can use the repository to source, access, recombine and reuse learning resources within and across a series of online courses. There are benefits in adopting this approach. Firstly you could spend less time creating new resources and have more time to interact with and give feedback to your students. Secondly, your students could have access to a wider pool of learning resources, through direct access to the digital repository, offering a range of perspectives.
