University of Wales VLE Impact on Student Learning Experience Report

This report examines the impact of Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), specifically Moodle, on the learning experience of students at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David London Campus. The research was conducted due to the shift to digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report utilizes both primary and secondary research methods. Primary research involved a questionnaire administered to students, with the results presented graphically and interpreted to assess student awareness, the perceived helpfulness of VLE, access to resources, expectations for future use, and the effectiveness of teaching. Secondary research involved analyzing existing data to understand the benefits and impact of VLE on student performance, including self-paced learning and skill development. The findings indicate a positive impact of VLE on student learning, suggesting its continued relevance in future educational settings.

Digital Skills and
Research Methods

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Research topic..............................................................................................................................1
Primary Research.........................................................................................................................1
Secondary Research.....................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Digital Skills and Research Methods refer to making the use of different types of skills
and techniques and research methods for gathering, analysing and interpreting the given data
effectively and efficiently (Correa, 2016). By making their use a person can easily use the data to
conclude on the different types of findings. Thus in this way it is a useful method for the analysis
of information. The topic on which this research report is based on is Impact of Virtual Learning
Environment(VLE)- Moodle on the learning experience of the different students at the
University of Wales Trinity Saint David London Campus. This research is required to be carried
out due to the reason that the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the students
shifting to the digital mode of obtaining education. In this research report, detailed analysis of
primary and secondary methods for the purpose of conducting research will be used. In Primary
method, Questionnaire will be used so that relevant data can be obtained and interpreted through
the use of graphs. Also, the use of secondary data on the given topic will be made so that the
conclusion from the research can be obtained effectively and efficiently.
MAIN BODY
Research topic
The research topic is Impact of Virtual Learning Environment(VLE)- Moodle on the
learning experience of the different students at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David
London Campus. This research topic explores the way the digital learning puts an impact on the
students. Also it explores the importance of digital learning during the time of the COVID-19
pandemic for the students in getting access to education properly (Iordache, Mariën and Baelden,
2017). Thus it is a very useful topic on which the research has to be made, information has to be
gathered and analysed and the findings have to be interpreted.
Primary Research
Primary Research refers to Research Methodology which is used by the researchers for
the collection of research data directly (Khan and Bhatti, 2020). In it methods like
Questionnaires, Survey etc. are used so that the data can be directly gathered from the
respondents. By making its use the analysis and interpretation of data can be done effectively and
efficiently.
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For the collection of data on the above-mentioned research topic the use of Questionnaire
will be made so that the data can be collected properly for performing the required analysis and
interpretation helping in deriving the conclusion on the results (Livingstone and et.al., 2017).
Questionnaire-
Number of Questions- 5
Number of Respondents- 20
Question 1-
Are you aware of the Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) which is available on Moodle?
Answer- Yes- 12 respondents
No- 8 respondents
Interpretation- From the above graph, it can be interpreted that 12 respondents out of 20 are
aware about VLE which is available on the Moodle for their different subjects. The remaining 8
respondents are not aware about the VLE. Thus in this way it can be said that the majority of
the students are aware about the VLE. Only a small number of students are not aware about
VLE. Therefore, it can be said that this platform has been quite popular among the students who
2
Yes No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Column B

are studying in the University and thus during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic it has
ensured that they are able to continue with their studies without facing problems and issues.
Question 2-
Do you think that Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) is helping you in the current situation of
the pandemic?
Answer- Yes- 16 respondents
No- 4 respondents
Interpretation- 16 out of 20 respondents think that VLE is helping them in the current situation
of the pandemic. The remaining 4 respondents think that VLE is not useful for them in their
studies. Therefore on the basis of this interpretation it can be said that the use of this platform at
the time of the pandemic is greatly helping the students to continue with their studies and
enhance their learning. Thus in this way it can help them a lot to be able to learn according to
the new digital environment thereby leading towards obtaining of the desired knowledge.
Question 3-
Do you have the adequate resources available for accessing Virtual Learning
Environment(VLE) on Laptop/Personal Computer?
3
Yes No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Column B

Answer- Yes- 18 respondents
No- 2 respondents
Interpretation- 18 out of 20 respondents have the adequate resources for accessing VLE on
Laptop or Personal Computer. The remaining 2 respondents do not have the adequate resources
for accessing VLE. Therefore it can be said that most of the students who are studying in the
university have access to resources through which they can access VLE. Therefore, in this way
it can be said that most of the students are able to access these resources which are useful for
their digital studies. Only a small number of students are not able to access these resources for
their digital studies. Therefore, it can be said that digital mode of obtaining education is
becoming popular due to the situation which has been created by the pandemic. This therefore
helps a lot in ensuring that the students are able to enhance their overall skills and knowledge
which will help them a lot in the future.
Question 4-
4
Yes No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Column B

Do you think that the use of Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) will continue in the future
also?
Answer- Yes- 14 respondents
No- 6 respondents
Interpretation- 14 out of 20 respondents think that the use of VLE will continue in the future
also. The remaining 6 respondents think that the use of VLE will not continue in the future.
Therefore it can be interpreted that most of the students have an opinion that the use of VLE
will be helpful for them in the future also and thus this technology is likely to continue. Also a
small number of students think that this technology will not be used in the future. Therefore it
can be said that the VLE technology is useful for the students and is likely to be used in the
future also.
Question 5-
Do you think that by making the use of Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) the teachers are
teaching in a better way?
Answer- Yes- 18 respondents
No- 2 respondents
5
1 2
0
2
4
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16
Column B

Interpretation- 18 out of 20 respondents think that with the use of VLE the teachers are
teaching them properly. 2 out of 20 respondents think that by using VLE the teachers are not
able to teach them properly. Thus it can be interpreted from the results that VLE is a technology
which is helping the teachers a lot in making the students learn effectively thereby bringing a
change in the pattern of education and ensuring that the knowledge and skills of the students
can be improved.
Analysis- From the use of Questionnaires it can be said that the VLE is a platform which
has been very useful especially at the time of the pandemic to help the students who are studying
in the university. This has helped them a lot in getting continuous education and thus making
sure that they are able to enhance their overall skills and knowledge effectively and efficiently.
Also with the use of new technology the students have been able to make sure that they acquire
new skills and competencies which will be very helpful for them in the future.
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1 2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Column B

Secondary Research
Secondary Research is a technique through which the analysis of the already existing data
can be carried out (Milenkova, Keranova and Peicheva, 2019). Therefore the data gathered using
it can be used for the purpose of analysis and interpretation effectively and efficiently. The
methods of Secondary Research include data collection through the Internet, libraries, archives,
schools and organizational reports. Thus in this way, the researchers can make sure that they can
collect the data effectively and efficiently through the use of these techniques so that the analysis
and interpretation can be made properly. Thus these techniques will be used so that the research
on the given topic can be conducted properly without facing problems and issues.
There has been an increase in adoption of VLE across the Schools and Colleges due to
the increased interest in them which is supported by Internet, Students and the Teachers (Motyl
and et.al., 2017). It is a dynamic concept because the digital technology is still evolving and thus
due to this reason the technology is ensuring that the students take more interest in the adoption
of this technology as a part of their learning process and the teachers take more interest in it as a
part of their teaching process. This is called as a dynamic process because it is ever-changing in
nature and thus can change very quickly thereby putting an impact on both the teachers as well
as the students.
Further, the studies have found that there is a relation between VLE and the students'
performance (Rodríguez-de-Dios, van Oosten and Igartua, 2018). They have found that the
students are able to understand in a better way as compared to the traditional classroom teaching.
The use of VLE has different types of benefits for both the teachers as well as the students. The
benefits for the students is that by making its use they can adopt self-paced style of learning (van
Ingen and Matzat, 2018). In this style of learning they can pace their own way and thus can make
sure that they are able to learn at the right rate. If they want to adopt a slow-paced learning then
they can do that and if they want to adopt a fast-paced learning then they can do that also.
Also the students are able to learn new skills by making the use of VLE method which
will be helpful for them in the future to facilitate their career development effectively and
efficiently (Sicilia and et.al., 2018). Thus in this way the students will be able to make sure that
they are able to learn properly.
Thus in this way the use of this method has made sure that a consistent improvement has
been seen in the level of performance of the students which is thus very much helpful in the
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attainment of the goals and objectives (Van Laar and et.al., 2017). By making its use the teachers
are able to constantly upgrade the students with new skills and competencies which thus helps a
lot in ensuring that they are able to learn in a better way. Therefore it can be said that the use of
VLE method has seen a positive impact on the students' performance.
Analysis- From the above discussion, it can be summarized that VLE is a method which
results in a positive impact on the level of performance of the students. It has not only ensured
that the students are able to learn in a better way but has also made sure that these students are
able to develop their skills and competencies which will be highly useful for them in the future
for making relevant progress in their career. Thus it can be said that the use of this method is
likely to continue in the future also for the benefit of both the students and the teachers in the
different Schools and Universities.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that there is an impact of VLE method on the
students' learning experience. For the purpose of carrying out a research, the use of both Primary
and Secondary research techniques can be made. Primary method includes preparation of a
Questionnaire so that the range of Questions can be prepared for asking to the different types of
respondents and analysing the results which are obtained through the data. The results and
findings can therefore be presented in a graphical way. Interpretation of the data collected from
the respondents has to be made so that conclusions and recommendations can be drawn by the
researchers. Secondary method includes making online research on the Internet, using other
articles and journals to gather the required data and information on a particular subject. The use
of both these methods indicate that the VLE is a preferred method by the students so that they are
able to make their learning experience better and can therefore understand the relevant concepts
without facing problems and issues. Thus this is a method which will be used extensively in the
future also due to the numerous benefits which it offers to both the teachers as well as the
students.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
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types of Facebook use among ‘digital natives’. Information, communication & society.
19(8). pp.1095-1107.
Iordache, C., Mariën, I. and Baelden, D., 2017. Developing digital skills and competences: A
quick-scan analysis of 13 digital literacy models. Italian Journal of Sociology of
Education. 9(1).
Khan, S. A. and Bhatti, R., 2020. Factors Affecting Digital Skills of University Librarians for
Developing & Managing Digital Libraries: An Assessment in Pakistan. Library
Philosophy and Practice. pp.1-19.
Livingstone, S. and et.al., 2017. Maximizing opportunities and minimizing risks for children
online: The role of digital skills in emerging strategies of parental mediation. Journal of
Communication. 67(1). pp.82-105.
Milenkova, V., Keranova, D. and Peicheva, D., 2019, July. Digital skills and new media and
information literacy in the conditions of digitization. In International Conference on
Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (pp. 65-72). Springer, Cham.
Motyl, B. and et.al., 2017. How will change the future engineers’ skills in the Industry 4.0
framework? A questionnaire survey. Procedia Manufacturing. 11. pp.1501-1509.
Rodríguez-de-Dios, I., van Oosten, J. M. and Igartua, J. J., 2018. A study of the relationship
between parental mediation and adolescents’ digital skills, online risks and online
opportunities. Computers in Human Behavior. 82. pp.186-198.
Sicilia, M. A. and et.al., 2018, October. Digital skills training in Higher Education: insights
about the perceptions of different stakeholders. In Proceedings of the Sixth International
Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (pp. 781-787).
van Ingen, E. and Matzat, U., 2018. Inequality in mobilizing online help after a negative life
event: the role of education, digital skills, and capital-enhancing Internet use.
Information, Communication & Society. 21(4). pp.481-498.
Van Laar, E. and et.al., 2017. The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: A
systematic literature review. Computers in human behavior. 72. pp.577-588.
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