InTouch vs the VLEs

1
InTouch vs the VLEs

• Selling into universities

2
What are VLEs?

• Virtual Learning Environments are systems
  designed to deliver learning content to students
  as part of their studies.
• The major brands in Higher Education are
  Blackboard, WebCT (these are now one company) and
  Moodle (an open source competitor).
• They can be customised for particular
  institutions e.g. the X-Stream system at Leeds
  Met is a Blackboard installation.
• They often include tools such as virtual class
  rooms, message boards, drop boxes for assessment
  delivery and interactive quiz-style assessments,
  as well as file stores which can be set up to
  restrict students views of content until a time
  decided by the lecturer.

3
Some issues with the VLEs

• They are expensive a typical Blackboard
  installation costs around 250,000 and it
  requires on-going maintenance and work from the
  in-house IT team.
• Moodle may be free to install but the costs of
  customising and running it are considerable the
  OU recently abandoned their Moodle installation
  on cost/benefit grounds.
• VLEs are centrally purchased and owned by IT
  there is often little consultation with faculty
  or other departments and very little sense of
  ownership by these others.
• They tend to be clunky and difficult to use,
  requiring a substantial training programme of
  staff and students.
• All content has to be created and uploaded by
  faculty. There is often widespread resistance to
  using the system even where it has been mandated
  by management.

4
InTouch and VLEs

• Emerald InTouch
• IT light
• Hosted service, can be owned by a department or
  centre
• Registration is independent of teaching modules
  interaction is possible across courses and
  between students in different cohorts
• Students can be registered on the system before
  courses start
• Students can remain registered after graduation
• Exec Ed students and alumni can be registered
• Students (including exec ed and alumni) can be
  given single sign-on access to library content
  via InTouch

• Virtual learning Environments
• Big IT application
• Runs on universitys own infrastructure and is
  controlled by IT department
• Students are only registered to specific modules,
  based on their student ID number no interaction
  is possible beyond that
• Students can only be registered on the system
  after they start the course, a process which can
  then take weeks
• Registration expires after the end of the module
• Nobody without a current student ID number can be
  registered
• Content has to be stored within the VLE hence
  legal challenges from publishers.

5
Objection to InTouch We already have a VLE

• InTouch complements Virtual Learning Environments
  such as Blackboard, WebCT or Moodle. It will sit
  alongside an existing system and provide
  additional benefits to students and faculty.
• The VLE is a heavy-weight course management
  system, InTouch is a light, learner-centred
  service requiring no IT set up at the customer
  end.
• InTouch is easier to use for both faculty and
  students and gives you the flexibility to do
  things your VLE doesnt allow.

6
InTouch opportunity We dont have a VLE
theyre too costly

• For smaller institutions, InTouch can fulfill
  many of the functions of a VLE for a fraction of
  the price.
• A walled garden installation is secure and
  restricted to users set up by the administrator.
  Privacy controls ensure acceptable levels of
  personal safety for students and staff.
• Pricing is based on number of users and amount of
  space required pay for what you use.
• Basic customisation (logo, brand colours) is
  included in the price further customisation is
  available on demand.
• InTouch allows direct access to Emerald content.

7
InTouch as a VLE

• No IT infrastructure required, hosting and
  maintenance taken care of by Emerald
• Faculty/department owned, student centred
• Lecturers can
• Upload course content
• Set up communities based on learner groups or
  classes
• Have private discussions with individual
  students
• Pull up recommended reading lists from Emerald
  content.

8
InTouch for Distance Learners

• As well as acting as a contact point between
  tutors and students, InTouch allows widely
  dispersed cohorts to create interest groups and
  share ideas and concerns.
• Retention of distance learners is a major problem
  for universities. Retention can be improved by
  reducing students sense of isolation and
  encouraging them to engage with the university
  and their fellow students. InTouch groups and
  communities can address this issue.
• Using blogs and wikis, students can produce group
  project work for assessment with minimal
  difficulties.

9
InTouch for Alumni and Exec Ed Learners

• Typically these students dont have access to
  library holdings.
• InTouch gives a single sign on to Emerald content
  whilst preserving the privacy of individual
  users passwords.
• Universities can keep in touch with their
  graduates, draw upon their experiences to mentor
  new students, send them marketing messages about
  new courses and enable them to build and maintain
  networks with their peers.