In the CE Vista session we covered two different powerlinks, one for Txttools and one for the learning object repository Equella. If we had got any further with our use / installation of Learning Objects, it might have been useful for us to show that to the group.

Txttools

Stephen Vickers from the University of Edinburgh presented on the edutxt powerlink he has developed for the text messaging system Txttools.  Stephen has developed a number of different powerlinks available from his SPV Software site.

The current version of this powerlink enables a course leader/instructor to send a text message to the students in their module via the VLE. Students are requested to insert their mobile phone number in the user profile of the VLE and it is from there that the powerlink collects the information. As UEL has a txttools account, it looks very much like a Powerlink worth investigating as it would enable staff members to send text messages to a specific module cohort or group within it.

Further developments are being made to the powerlink to enable a polling option to be set up. Students could text a key word and their answer to enter into a poll. A very useful option for users who do not have access to lecture voting kits.

A couple of questions that arise for UEL would be how the credits system would work. We have to pay for every message sent, so some form of agreement would have to be made as to acceptable use for academic schools. Also, we would need to investigate whether the mobile phone data we hold on the student records system could be integrated into the VLE to enable us to contact the students without them having to submit their mobile phone number.

Equella

Jonathan Blatchford from Imperial presented on their use of the learning objects repository Equella and the Web CT integration. The aim of the integration is to enable a user to seamlessly access the repository without logging into an additional system. There were a few issues noted with the PowerLink e.g. being unable to view an Equella resource in Student View.

 An interesting use of a repository system, but at the moment, the level of use of Equella was lower than had been hoped. An interesting point noted was that after the release of the repository system, the IPR and copyright concerns of staff were increased even though the issues are the same as those faced with using the VLE.

A couple of other interesting points out of the day were:

• The LERSIG (Learning Environment Review Special Interest Group) is an interesting group formed out of ALT for those institutions planning on reviewing their learning environments.
• There was a request for those institutions considering or undertaking a review of their VLE to share their approaches / matrix of questions with the rest of the group. This could be very useful to ensure we all aren’t reinventing the wheel… again!

One thing that occurred to me during the day was how much I learnt from the presentations I saw. It was really useful to have academics from across the university giving their views on different projects we have undertaken. What I think is an interesting and crucial challenge for us is to capture and disseminate this good practice and innovative approaches throughout the university. Given the fact I work in the e-learning team and I didn’t know about a number of the projects presented on, I wonder how those out in the schools and services have any idea what is happening in other schools.

In the recently released JISC Portfolio for Senior Managers one of the key ways noted for enhancing the student and staff experience was ‘Ensure that best practice and innovation is being shared across your institution rather than being confined to pockets of excellence’. I think this is going to be an interesting, but crucial challenge for us.

Further analysis of the results is being undertaken at the moment, but some brief highlights are as below.

• Approximately 75% of all staff surveyed use UEL Plus in their current work.
• Of the different technologies we requested information, the highest used for work within UEL were Wikis, Blog, Podcasts and Video/Audio Conferencing. Each technology had between 10-15% of people stating ‘I have used/use this technology within my work at UEL’.
• Of all of the learning technologies mentioned, over 90% of people had heard of the majority of technologies, even if they had never used them. The technology most people had never heard of was Social Bookmarking e.g. Del.icio.us (with 31% having never heard of the tool).
• When asked to state their level of enthusiasm on the use of learning technologies, 78% stated their enthusiasm was 7 or over (on a scale of 1-10) however only 52% believed UEL Plus to be rated 7 or over for their overall opinion of the tool.
• Of the current e-learning support mechanisms used, the most common form of support staff draw upon is the help of colleagues (26%) within their schools or services.
• When asked for preferred methods of short term/immediate support Over 90% stated they would go to a colleague frequently or occasionally. This was closely followed by online FAQs (88%) and support from LTAs (83%).
• When asked for support methods for learning a new tool / substantial information, hands on workshops (92%) and support from colleagues (92%) were the most likely to be used. Of the least preferred methods support from students (66%) and video recordings of previous sessions (51%) were highlighted as methods staff would never use.
• With regards to style of workshop delivery, 62% of people would prefer a face to face session, 7% would prefer an online session and 31% would have no specific preference.

This staff development survey highlights some interesting results, which will feed into the redevelopment of the provision. Trials in virtual classroom tools are currently being undertaken along with a much needed review of the support documentation we have for UEL Plus.

It was a really interesting project to work on from many angles:

• We were involved in some very interesting filming sessions with employers in Canary Wharf. Very interesting and influential people who gave up their time to share their tips and experiences on gaining successful graduate employment.
• We filmed some successful student/graduate experiences at UEL. As my job isn’t very student facing, it was interesting to see what opportunities our students & graduate have and what successes they have achieved.
• As a result of this project, some very useful discussions on the role/status of open educational resources in UEL were undertaken. As OER becomes more important in UK HE, it will be interesting to see how this is taken forward in the university.
• We have developed some interesting flash interactions to support students to ‘Test Yourself’ on different aspects of applying and getting jobs.

Working with the Employability Team has been very interesting, working with colleagues who have such an interest and passion in their work, made the creation of this learning resource enjoyable. Hopefully, with more funding we will be able to grow this resource even further.

Now – I guess after working on an employability project for 6 months, I should look at updating that CV!!