Tools in the Online Learning Environment

Tools in the Online Learning Environment

The tools available in different learning environments will vary. The tools that any tutor chooses to use will also vary between different Programmes and Modules. However most learning environments will have a common core set of tools that can be used to support learning, communication, and collaboration. Some examples of these tools include:

Resources 

Resources might be simple web-links, embedded videos, and PDF files as well as downloadable Word, PowerPoint or Excel files.

 Journal articles and references are now usually accessed digitally and more often nowadays textbooks are available digitally as e-books.

Assessment tools 

These tools might be assignment upload and marking tools, interactive quizzes and other activities. There may even be options for peer assessment. 

Collaboration tools 

Some learning environments may have tools that allow students to work with each other to collaboratively edit and build shared resources. For example in Moodle there is a Wiki and a Glossary tool that allow students to author shared content. You might also find activities linking to shared documents, either in Sharepoint or Google docs for collaborative work.

Forums

Forums allow students and tutors to interact asynchronously, people in different time zones are able to participate equally.   Anyone registered can ask and answer questions; post replies and comments. They are connected to email accounts so that messages are sent to everyone who subscribes to the forum, you can choose to have individual messages, or a daily digest.

Progress 

Some times Modules will indicate, or allow you to decide when you have completed a task e.g. with an automatic tick, or a box you can tick yourself. 

Preferences 

Individual users may be able to adjust, edit, and tweak the settings within the learning environment to change how information is displayed for example to change editor features and options.
For example you can choose how to receive your forum notifications, either by daily digest, grouped by subject or as individual e-mails.

You will experience and make use of some of these tools and others during your studies.



"Spend an hour just exploring the learning environment pages and another hour reading over the student handbook (yes, seriously). So many questions could easily be self-answered if these things were done." Aisha, 1st-year student