The University of Sunderland Virtual Learning Environment

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• The University of Sunderland Virtual Learning
  Environment

_at_
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What does a VLE do?
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What does a VLE do?

• delivers course content

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What does a VLE do?

• delivers course content
• provides means of communication

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What does a VLE do?

• delivers course content
• provides means of communication
• delivers assessment

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What does a VLE do?

• delivers course content
• provides means of communication
• delivers assessment
• delivers course information

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What does a VLE do?

• delivers course content
• provides means of communication
• delivers assessment
• delivers course information
• enables course organisation

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Why have a VLE?
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Why have a VLE?

• support for on and off campus students

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Why have a VLE?

• support for on and off campus students
• greater flexibility

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Why have a VLE?

• support for on and off campus students
• greater flexibility
• access to resources at any time

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Why have a VLE?

• support for on and off campus students
• greater flexibility
• access to resources at any time
• sense of community for distance learners

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VLE implementation - Planning
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VLE implementation - Planning

• Big bang rather than a small departmental trial
  growing organically

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VLE implementation - Planning

• Big bang rather than a small departmental trial
  growing organically
• Set up training and development system

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VLE implementation - Planning

• Big bang rather than a small departmental trial
  growing organically
• Set up training and development system
• Integration with other systems a high priority

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VLE implementation - Planning

• Big bang rather than a small departmental trial
  growing organically
• Set up training and development system
• Integration with other systems a high priority
• Central authentication and automatic sign-on via
  Portal

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VLE implementation - Planning

• Big bang rather than a small departmental trial
  growing organically
• Set up training and development system
• Integration with other systems a high priority
• Central authentication and automatic sign-on via
  Portal
• Student Administration System to be the primary
  data source

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VLE implementation - Planning

• Big bang rather than a small departmental trial
  growing organically
• Set up training and development system
• Integration with other systems a high priority
• Central authentication and automatic sign-on via
  Portal
• Student Administration System to be the primary
  data source
• Coordinated by Project Plus 2

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VLE implementation - personnel
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VLE implementation - personnel

• Core Implementation Team

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VLE implementation - personnel

• Core Implementation Team
• VLE Implementation manager (Plus 2)
• 2 x VLE administrators (LDS)
• Project Plus 2 Director
• ITACS technical representative
• Others as appropriate

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VLE implementation - personnel

• Core Implementation Team
• VLE Implementation manager (Plus 2)
• 2 x VLE administrators (LDS)
• Project Plus 2 Director
• ITACS technical representative
• Others as appropriate
• VLE Champions Group

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VLE implementation - personnel

• Core Implementation Team
• VLE Implementation manager (Plus 2)
• 2 x VLE administrators (LDS)
• Project Plus 2 Director
• ITACS technical representative
• Others as appropriate
• VLE Champions Group
• Academic staff and representatives from
  University services.

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VLE implementation - personnel
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VLE implementation - personnel

• VLE Forum

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VLE implementation - personnel

• VLE Forum
• Senior academic and service staff
• Monthly meetings
• Discuss quality processes, University
  regulations, delivery of modules programmes,
  information provided to students.

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VLE implementation - personnel

• VLE Forum
• Senior academic and service staff
• Monthly meetings
• Discuss quality processes, University
  regulations, delivery of modules programmes,
  information provided to students.
• VLE Executive

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VLE implementation - personnel

• VLE Forum
• Senior academic and service staff
• Monthly meetings
• Discuss quality processes, University
  regulations, delivery of modules programmes,
  information provided to students.
• VLE Executive
• Deans of schools, directors of services and
  University Executive.
• Strategic and Institutional level,
  implementation plan, financial.

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VLE implementation - systems

• Hardware
• Sun Enterprise E450 Server with
• 4 x 480Mhz processors each with 4Gb cache,
• 4 x 36Gb Disks, UPS, backup, RAID, support etc.
• Operating system
• Sun Solaris 8

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VLE implementation - data flow
Authentication data
Module data
WebCT
Person data
Membership data
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VLE management

• ITACS
• Hardware maintenance, OS upgrade,
• system level backup and security.
• LDS
• Research, application, administration and support.