JISC

Strategic aim three: to help the sector provide positive, personalised user learning experiences and aid student progression

To be met through:

• supporting the use of VLEs and MLEs to facilitate student progression and help embed eLearning
• investigating the development of virtual communities and use of the Internet as a communications tool

This JISC strategic aim is concerned with developing information environments, tailored to serve the needs of students, teachers and researchers in further and higher education now and into the future. JISC is currently undertaking a large programme of work on the development of integrated environments for learners or Managed Learning Environments. The programme covers a range of projects and information services that seek to evaluate and pilot information and communication technologies for learning and teaching and promote the uptake of IT-based application to improve student support systems.

At the present time the need for development in the area is as strong as the need for support of institutions beginning to use these information environments. As such, although the potential benefits to the community are visible, it is not yet possible to comment on the final value of this programme to the community. This value is expected both from gains in efficiency of staff time – being able to service more students without a associated increase in staff, and in the increase in quality of the student experience.

One indication of the potential benefits may be read in the report prepared by Glenaffric Ltd in September 2004 reviewing the JISC funded Managed Learning Environment (MLE) activity. They listed reported benefits to participating institutions as:

• increase capacity
• institutional awareness
• individual expertise

This report commented, “since 1999, a huge volume of work in the JISC programme of MLE activities has been managed by the Development Team and overseen by the committees. It is apparent from the review of both documentary evidence and witness testimony that the programme has been substantive, far-reaching and highly significant in taking the HE and FE sectors forward in the use of technology to improve core business activities.”

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