Why are VLEs relevant to Higher Education in the UK?
Despite the hype that inevitably surrounds anything on-line, ‘virtual’ or web-based at present, there are some clear and immediate benefits of these systems to students and teachers alike that concord with the recommendations of the Dearing Report (1997) regarding C&IT use. • Flexibility of time and place. • Coping with increased student numbers. • Sharing and re-use of resources. • Collaborative work. • Student-centred learning. • Reducing the administration burden. • Staff Development (Milligan, 1998) Many advocates of VLEs within Higher Education are excited about their use because of their potential to allow a resource-based and student-centred approach to learning to be incorporated into their teaching, (e.g. Collis, 1996). One of the major blocks to adoption of this style of teaching and learning in universities is the extra time burden it places on tutors over the more traditional content-centred approach. Perhaps the key contribution that VLEs can offer is to allow a resource-b
