1. The VLE @ GSA:
an introduction

2. Today’s session:
 The VLE at GSA.
 User roles
 A quick tour
 Designing your course – things to consider.
 Adding content.
 Communicating – announcements and emails.
 Managing groups.
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3. The VLE at GSA:
 Virtual Learning Environment.
 Supports studio/ face-to-face learning and teaching.
 Every course at GSA has a presence on the VLE (‘course’).
 Used in different ways: repository, portal, communication...
 Remote access 24/7.
 Need GSA network username and password.
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4. A quick tour:
 Landing page: My VLE, Course catalogue.
 Enrolments, announcements, calendar.
 Customisable: what items visible, colour scheme, text size,
etc.
 Multiple communication tools.
 Multiple ways to do things.
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5. User roles
Staff Student
Instructor Add Access Student
Course Builder
Teaching Assistant
Student Access
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6. Designing your course
 Plan your course on a bit of paper – what menu items will
you need?
 Make sure you give menu items a clear name.
 Organise information logically and intuitively.
 When adding items (documents, images, etc), make
sure the file name is clear with no spaces (e.g.
term1plan.doc) and add a brief description.
 Keep your content up-to-date.
 Consider appearance – colours are great but make sure
text can be read.
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7. Designing your course
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8. Designing your course
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9. Adding content
 Possible to add a variety of media – documents, images,
audio, video, links...
 This can be done individually, but more effective to use
Files >> in Control Panel.
 You can then browse course resources and add items
individually.
 Remember to include a concise, intuitive file name and
descriptive text.
 At this point you can set also availability and track
access.
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10. Adding content
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11. Adding content
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12. Adding content
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13. Module pages
 Module pages allow your users to access quick links
and updates in one place.
 Create a module page by adding a new menu item (
click the + at the top navigation menu). Give it a
meaningful name, and it will appear in the menu.
 Click the link and you will be able to add modules
such as My Tasks, My Calendar and My
announcements.
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14. Module pages
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15. Module pages
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16. Communication
 There are a number of ways to communicate
including announcements and emails.
 Announcements will keep those enrolled on your
course up to date. You can control when they are
available and for how long. They will also be emailed
to all student users.
 Emails can be sent to individuals or groups.
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17. Communication
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18. Communication
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19. Communication
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20. Groups
 Groups are a useful way to contact specific VLE users
about certain topics, for example a tutorial group within a
larger class or electives.
 Students can self-enrol, or can be added by the course
instructor.
 As course instructor, you can control which areas you
give students access to, and check which users are
enrolled.
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21. Groups
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22. Groups
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23. Summary
 Multiple ways to do things in VLE – if you forget one,
there’ll be another.
 Make sure there’s a purpose to your course, design and
content.
 Be clear where possible in organisation, naming, etc.
 Lots of resources in VLE Help course or please contact
me: v.boyd@gsa.ac.uk
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24. The VLE at GSA:
an introduction