Virtual Learning Environments.

[fujisawa]

Hi all, just wondering if any of the other teaching / training / education types in here could recommend any good VLEs to look at.

I'm currently investigating VLEs with a view to deploying one to both run remote training and promote a blended learning approach in locally provided training courses within the company I'm now working with.

I've experienced Web CT, Black board and CLAN (yeeeuch !) first hand in my time as a trainer at the local college, I've also taken a brief look at moodle since then but I find it always looks so home made it's not exactly inspiring.

I've seen a couple of open source alternatives called Ilias and Dokeos that look promising so I was wondering if anyone on here might have experience of them or could suggest any alternatives worth looking at ?

[Thundercat]

We run with Blackboard, have to admint its a love hate thing.

One tip with blackboard Ive just found out is you can design a normal webpage (dreamweaver etc) compress it to a zip file and upload that to BB. Then BB will serve that as a normal webpage. Kinda cool.

[Die_Doggy_Die]

Our place uses Moodle - I gotta learn how to use it before Sep - it looks like a load of forum posts to me but what do I know?

Check out the universities and colleges firstly as they always seem to have better VLEs than elsewhere. As for my part of the country my school is developing their VLE at the moment (Wingfield business and enterprise college - rotherham) I've not looked at it for ages so cannot comment. Try your local schools and colleges - probably better ringing up first so you can arrange access maybe?

[Redddraggon]

I've experienced both WebCT and Blackboard. At my university WebCT was phased out for Blackboard, although in my opinion from the "learner's side" WebCT seemed to work a lot better than Blackboard.

My department had pathetic admin, and neither WCT or BB were used properly with hardly any lecturer updating them properly. WebCT definitely worked better my end though with the presentation of learning material and submission of work. Blackboard just seemed a mess (perhaps it was just the guys putting stuff up though).

[fujisawa]

cool, cheers for your input guys.

WebCT definitely seemed the more effective of the vle's used where I used to work but I had hoped someone out there had tried something better !

I take it no-ones looked at Ilias or Dokeos ?