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The case for, and the case against, VLEs
by Gilbert Pleuger
Version 1.8 May 2007

An embracing argument in support of VLEs can be expressed elliptically
by recounting the story about the old lady in the public meeting, seated
front row with her coat on, umbrella by her side, who, it is alleged, said,
‘If God had wanted us to fly he wouldn’t have given us the railways’.
Technology enables VLE provision. VLE-type facilities are already extant;
this web site is an example. The key questions to consider include:
how much VLE provision should there be and how can VLEs be used?

Clearing away the undergrowth
Let us be clear on one point. VLEs do not mean teachers will be redundant.
Teachers will be more, not less, important but their role will be modified.
They are needed to create VLE courses and to manage them and students’ use
of them. It will mean that teachers’ roles will be modified. It should be
remembered that teachers’ roles have undergone evolution over many decades.

What VLEs offer

  • A VLE offers flexibility in location for course delivery.
    It enables a student to undertake work on a course at any time
    and place (as long as the student has a computer-type terminal
    and access to the Internet).

  • A VLE encourages and enables the collection and ready delivery of course content.
    In the main, VLEs enable course delivery to be more compact.

  • In essence, VLE provision enables much course delivery to be portable: work can be
    undertaken by an individual anywhere in a school/college where there is Internet access
    or undertaken at home and, even, when travelling (worldwide!).

  • It enables flexibility in course provision: courses can be tailored
    to groups of students with different capacities and needs (whether high flyers,
    plodders, seriously challenged and so on) or even personalised
    for each student in a teaching/tutor group.

  • The VLE delivers a course in a form that encourages personal involvement (ownership)
    by students working in a medium in which they are confident and with which,
    based on computer games played from early years, they are familiar.

  • VLEs are particularly suited to students who are moving toward adulthood
    in the post-16 age group at the sixth form/further education/tertiary education
    stages because they encourage students to take more responsibility,
    to take, as afore mentioned, ownership for their learning opportunities.

  • The AS/A2 History courses are among the disciplines better suited to the VLE.

What could be lost with VLE unit-study programmes

  • VLEs focus on individual, not group, learning. Without timetabled
    group meetings the benefit of group discussion is lost.
    Discussion, or at the least the exchange of ideas, judgements,
    evaluations and assessments is particularly important in History study.
    This disadvantages can be lessened in various ways and
    these will be discussed in our publication ehistory - free to Licence holders

  • Teacher/student encouragement can be lessened even if study progress
    is monitored by e-delivery of essays/written work and e-mail contact,
    because it is not , person-to-person, but this can be timetabled.

  • Teacher enthusiasm for a topic, delivered by tone of voice and so on,
    the chemistry of communication enabled personal proximity, is absent
    or, at the least, lessened. There are different ways of delivery of enthusiasm.
    It can be expressed, in addition, during group meetings and can be replicated,
    in a different way, by VLE course content.

To return to the earlier questions

Should they be used? Yes, they free up teacher time from routines,
they are flexible, easily modified for sub groups and individual needs,
and once established VLE unit study programmes are easily open to
immediate and remote teacher/tutor modification and improvement.
However, AS/A2 unit study VLE programme creation requires craft and graft.
We at Sempringham seek to help Heads of History and e-course creators in both these respects.
We also seek, through Sempringham e-resources’ channels, to share good practice.

Gilbert Pleuger is Editor of new perspective and
the founder of Sempringham e-resources
(history-ontheweb.co.uk, modernhistory.org.uk, ehistory.org.uk etc)

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