An investigation of students’ experiences of using virtual learning environments: implications for academic professional development

Because virtual learning environments (VLEs) are amongst the most widely adopted technologies in higher education, and to justify the widespread investment in VLE technology, it is important to study patterns of actual student VLE use and student satisfaction (Naveh et al., 2010). This chapter presents the work of a multi-institutional group of educational developers who have collaborated since 2008 to gather students’ views on the use of VLEs across higher education in Ireland. The project has now developed into a longitudinal study, open to participation by any educational institution, and is currently integrated in the research strategy of the Irish Learning Technology Association (ILTA). Surveys of students have been undertaken since 2008 using a common set of questions. Participating institutions, on condition of anonymity, pooled their results for comparison. The survey data provided each institution with useful information on how VLE uptake and usage patterns compared with other institutions, in a framework which prevented abuse of the findings for marketing or public benchmarking. The institutions who have participated, thus far, represent a diversity of organisational histories and VLE systems, and results to date include the responses of more than 15,000 students. The resulting database constitutes the largest collection of information on student experience related to technology enhanced learning in Ireland. We have presented and published our methods and some of our earlier results (Cosgrave et al., 2008; Cosgrave et al., 2009; Cosgrave et al., 2011). In this chapter, we will give an overview of the research methods and findings, but will focus on the implications for academic professional development and capacity building. We also describe our working processes as a self-sustaining collaborative group. Like other chapters in this publication, where the collective voice influences pedagogical practice, our contribution is driven by the desire to allow the student voice to inform the continuous improvement of their learning experiences.