Author: Sarah Nicholoson, s.nicholson@arts.gla.ac.uk

JISC e-Learning Activity Area: Technology-enhanced Learning Environments

Higher Education Academy Subject Centre: Philosophical and Religious Studies

This case study illustrates...an effect on learning, an effect on student personal development, student satisfaction with e-learning, innovation in learning and teaching, staff satisfaction with e-learning, staff personal development, a positive effect on recruitment, a positive effect on retention, an influence on policy, use of resources, modifications to learning spaces, management of learning assets, an effect on social equality

Further Evidence

I personally have learned that students are keener than many staff to get to grips with technology in learning. Some of my colleagues may be easily persuaded to use the VLE, but many others see it as a chore. Therefore I think it is necessary for students to be given opportunities to insist that staff provide what they need and expect from technology in teaching. At the same time, staff ought to recognise their responsibilities to provide for student needs without waiting for student pressure before a response is made.

In 2005 we decided to progress to e-learning: we wanted to make it more immediately available to our distance students, and to use the learning materials with our 'regular' (campus-based) students. We also hoped that putting it in a VLE would help us to market the degree overseas and to market individual modules as stand-alone modules. We had about three enquiries per week from overseas students, but were ultimately unable to develop either the full online degree or an overseas recruitment strategy because the Arts Faculty discontinued the degree.