Literature Review

The JISC Managed Learning Environments Information Pack (1) suggests that "the implementation of a VLE [Virtual Learning Environment] without significant investment in developing staff will almost certainly not produce good results".

At the University of Birmingham these sentiments formed the basis upon which a Virtual Learning environment was implemented. The University had adopted WebCT as a tool underpinning the learning and teaching strategy and to support developments in e-Learning. Staff within Information Services, Staff Development Unit and the Learning Development Unit have been working together to invest in developing appropriate skills and training for University staff to ensure that the quality of the content and the communication tools within the WebCT environment were fully exploited to enhance the student learning experience. In order to move to this position a number of developments took place to ensure the benefits of e-Learning were fully realised. These developments included the establishment of an e-Learning module, team-based projects from the Learning Development Unit and a WebCT training and support pathway.