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Abstract

The arrival of COVID19 highlighted how ill prepared we were for the pandemic. During this period educators had no option but to trade in their cement four walled classrooms for a computer as they switched from standing at a podium in a lecture room to sitting at their kitchen table in front of their laptop presenting courses from the safety of their own homes. For many this was a gift and a curse, as working from home became the new norm. In light of the current pandemic, the demands for online education is soaring. During the COVID19 pandemic we all had to adapt and, in many cases, re-imagine how best to utilize online and hybrid learning in order to provide a safe and supportive space for learners to engage in education. This paper will illustrate how to make the most of online education as we share lessons learnt from our five year project undertaken on how to improve the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in a specific university, namely the VLE of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI). Improvements made to the VLE as well as recommendations will be provided on how to make VLEs more user friendly and engaging.