Educational Technology Innovation and Impact/Virtual Learning Environments/Managed Learning Environments

A Managed Learning Environment (MLE) goes one stage further than a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) by providing facilities for managing, tracking and delivering teaching and learning (LSC Website 2006)

So what is an MLE? A Managed Learning Environment is a term that started to be used around 1999. Using the University/educational establishment scenario an example an MLE is; “MLE is the taking advantage of the potential of new technology based learning environments to integrate information systems around the learner. These learners may be working in different modes at different times, on campus, off campus, part time or full time. To support this, information systems will need to be student centred and fully accessible from multiple locations. They will need to be integrated at multiple levels, ensuring interoperability between administrative and financial systems, learning support and learning environments, and between collaborating institutions.” (JISC website 2006)

Before thinking of setting up an MLE, organisations or institutions need to be aware of what is involved and may want to ask themselves a series of questions. For example who will the MLE benefit? and what will the overall cost be to the organisation? If it is to be used as part of the learning process what will be the direct benefits to the end user i.e. the student?

Furthermore the main question that needs addressing is what will be the actual benefit to the working relationships of the different departments in a college/university structure. For e.g. Student Records, Admissions and ICT department and more importantly Blackboard where students are using a VLE to communicate with their peers and lecturers on a day to day basis and to access course work.

The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) offer a useful toolkit in order to address some of the fundamental issues that need to be overcome when setting up an MLE. The following link takes you to the toolkit; [1]

So what are the overall advantages of setting up an MLE? JISC were commissioned to carry out a study in 2002, it was completed recently and one of the top three advantages that came through was the access to learning has been made much wider. On the downside one of the main disadvantages is the cost and time involved of implementing such a huge system.

References; http://www.jisc.ac.uk (accessed 6 April 2006) http://www.lsc.gov.uk (accessed 6 April 2006)