A collection of suggested electronic course templates for use in higher education

Abstract

The collection of electronic course templates suggested in this article results from collaborative investigation between instructional support staff and academic staff users of the virtual learning environment (VLE) at two institutions, one in the United Kingdom and the other in the United States. The particular VLE in use at both institutions was Sakai, although the experience described here can be applied to the design process and workflow using any VLE that allows the selection and some configuration of standard tools.We applied the lattice model of Hill, Fresen and Geng (2012) to design and build a set of six course site templates, which are used as the basis on which site owners can easily build new sites in the VLE. As the ultimate goal of template provision is to underpin pedagogy, academics are free to use a template or build a site from scratch, based on their own teaching context, and they may adapt any template according to the pedagogical purpose and nature of the course. The underlying assumptions are that academic staff retain full control over the content, tools and permissions in their new site. The templates are not mutually exclusive Á that is, aspects from any template may be incorporated, where applicable, into another one.We conclude that it is helpful for the VLE support team to take the lead in proposing a set of templates according to the predominant teaching and learning models in use at a particular institution, which may contribute to consistency across course sites and ultimately result in an improved student learning experience.

A study of the role of a technology-enhanced learning implementation group in mediating an institutional VLE minimum standards policy

“…This was at odds with Interviewee 1's motivation using the Baseline as a mediating artefact for staff to pedagogically re-think their VLE use, similarly to the course templates designed by Fresen, Hill, and Geng (2014) Á see this represented in Figure 10 (activity system of Interviewee 1). This was a quaternary contradiction between two intersecting activity systems: in the VLE Baseline development, the VLE Baseline template was the object; and in the activity system of Interviewee 1, the template acted as a mediating artefact.…”

“…They are what Engeströ m (2010) calls 'knotworkers' coming together temporarily for a particular project as a knot gets tied on a rope. The outcome of their mediatory work is an institutional VLE template (Fresen, Hill, and Geng 2014). The potential reach of their impact is pictured in blue in Figure 11, paving way to further customisation and reinterpretation of policy in the form of Departmental/School level VLE templates (Figure 12).…”

“…One case study by Glover et al (2012, p. 29) reports on how establishing a minimum standard motivated staff to 'explore and interact with technology'. There are two studies who focus explicitly on the design work of institutional VLE course templates (Fresen, Hill, and Geng 2014;Hill, Fresen and Geng 2012). This research team's interest is in arguing that partially structured and populated VLE module sites can influence academics' adoption of technologies through embedded instructional design.…”

“…Hill, Fresen, and Geng (2012, p. 1) concluded that 'the initial state for a course site, embodied in a template, remains useful and should be developed not according to a formula but with careful attention to the context and existing pedagogical practice'. Fresen, Hill, and Geng (2014) approached the role of VLE templates from a pedagogical perspective. They focus on the potential of the template acting as a mediator of learning design.…”

“…However, little has been written about the work occurring at the top, institutional level of the implementation staircase. One exception is the aforementioned work of Fresen, Hill, and Geng (2014) who focus on the mediating role of the development team whose remit was to design and develop a VLE template that embodied and communicated the institutional VLE standard policy to further levels in the staircase.…”