Number One by John Ayo

We’re pleased to announce that we had the highest satisfaction rating (94.2%) for our virtual learning environment out of the 65 institutions who participated globally in the 2011 International Student Barometer! This is the second year we have achieved this honor (see last year’s announcement). The university also had the highest satisfaction rating out of UK institutions for available learning technology in general, and second highest out of all institutions participating in the survey globally.

This shows that the University’s commitment to supporting and encouraging technology enhanced learning is paying dividends in enhancing the student experience.

Some positive comments from student survey responses about the virtual learning environment:

Use all the resources on offer to you, blackboard, lecturers, learning centre, if you utilise them you cannot fail.

Always check blackboard as it is a very informative and useful thing to use!

The way the course is delivered via distance learning blackboard site is perfect for my style of learning.

Those student comments which were more critical mostly addressed issues around consistency and equality of experience. In some modules these students had great experiences while in others the module site was lacking information, had a confusing layout or didn’t take advantage of everything that was possible. This is something we are seeking to address this year through clarifying expectations around how to engage with e-learning to ensure a positive student experience.