Confused.com

Create a Visual Learning Environment (VLE) sounds easy right? Whats a V L E

Wrong, I am actually laying in bed and night thinking over ways to do it in my head, I have books on the subject and the more I read, the more confused I feel. How to make it interactive? I have no clue, I feel very much out of my depth with it all, and I am working on a blended learning program as we speak. So ok I need to think of some ways to devise what needs to be on my VLE so I came up with some questions.

• What is the name of your course? How long does it run for?

The course is an introduction to stress management and runs for 10 weeks. It will cover a all aspects of stress and ways to combat it.  

      How many students?  The course is aimed at roughly 10-15 students, who are taking part in a blending learning program for credits for their undergraduate degree.

• Length of course : one  hour online per week with teaching resources and two hours self directed study and one hour working through the reflective exercises provided.
• What age range? All adult learners so above 18 to 90
• Skill level : No previous skill required.
• Submission dates?  Final assessment at end of course, however the weekly sessions will require that the students have completed the session previously, so each week a small  to assessment on  what they learnt so far.
• How will you asses the work? The course will be assessed using a final piece of work which will be submitted electronically, but will also be assessed week after week.  
• How interactive would the course be? The course would be very interactive, with video, audio, image sharing with each other and the course tutor. Each session would start with students discussing how they have progressed since the week before and sharing their experiences of the course so far. This can be done via Skype, or using discussion forums such as TodaysMeet. The course content will need to be engaging and interesting to keep students motivated and focused. Student led learning will be an integral part of the course, so interactivity is a crucial element. Students will want to develop the skills they feel need working on, so they will need to be able to direct their own learning to some extent.

Resources :  

Skype

Pinterest

TodaysMeet

Podcast - Overcast is rated highly

Online forums via the VLE

Video casts : You tube uploads

Pinterest is great.

Audio PP

Quizlet

Google plus as a sharing platform.

Onedrive for sharing of ideas and work completed.

the actual VLE

Now these ideas were generated through a session within the program I am studying on, but none the less they are important questions that needed to be asked. I added a few of my own for example shall I provide a online common room for the students to socialise in? should I allocate some marks for the contributions made upon the forums and online tutorials to make sure the students are actually attending week after week (and not cramming all at the last minute). How do I plan on assessing the online activity that occurs? and should I provide an abundance of work or stagger it work after week? All of which I am not sure what the answer is.... the main one I think I need to come from though is what type of  Blend am I going for? It is all very good mixing things up but if you don't get the blend right then what would be the point... How many bad tasting coffee blends have you come across? I have sampled a few, so the essence of my biggest worry is how do I know I have the right blend for the students?