Using a virtual learning environment to motivate learners

I should have flagged this really strong article by Syd Rimmer of Barking College when it was originally published in the ALT Newsletter in April 2006. The following short excerpt, from an article that deserves to be read in full, gives you a flavour:

"There are many ways in which a course can be structured and supportive resources presented using a VLE. One example would have been to use the scheme(s) of work as the template for lesson-by-lesson breakdown. The model I chose to adopt and develop was to present the documents that the learners would find important to them such as the course plan, course specification and assessment plan and offer these as the first topic outline for the course (See Figure 1: Important documents).

This proved to be a 'eureka' moment. I had been trying to get the students to complete their portfolios since the beginning of the course but they were always quite reluctant to do so and seemed to find any number of issues that appeared more important. When they suddenly had access to the course assessment plan, (see Figure 2) and could now chart their own progress through their own assessment summary sheets, the impact on their interest and enthusiasm was palpable. This certainly was a defining moment as the group developed a growing awareness of the opportunity to take greater control of their learning."