This commentary examines the potential for VLEs to create and embed communities of practice and to support students’ learning experience in art and design, and specifically fashion. A case study approach is employed, using the example of a community focused platform, Aula. The findings indicate that while using conventions from social media can increase communication between students and engagement about the learning material, there are limitations to using a VLE to create and sustain a learning community.
Written by Mio JIN | PUBLISHED ON 25th September 2023 | Image by Getty Images
Introduction
Over recent years, virtual learning environments (VLEs) have become more important as we have adapted to an online only or hybrid teaching model during the pandemic. The pandemic necessitated a widespread move in higher education to online modes of teaching. In the International Association of Universities’ 2020 Global Survey 85% of European universities reported that classroom teaching had been replaced by distance learning (Marinoni et al 2020).
At their most basic, VLEs are a vehicle to deliver learning resources to students. This, and other VLE functionality, helped to facilitate universities’ transition to online and teaching models during the pandemic. However, the social interaction and sense of community that comes organically through an in person teaching environment can be much harder to achieve in an online environment.
Wenger (1998) characterises communities of practice as featuring mutual engagement, a joint enterprise and a shared repertoire. This concept has been widely applied to educational contexts as well as online communities (Ardichvili, 2008). Community has also been examined in an educational context in terms of ‘sense of community’. Rovai et al (2001) developed this concept further, creating a scale to measure sense of classroom community which has subsequently been applied in research looking at online and in person teaching.
Oliphant and Branch-Mueller (2016) looked at the factors that contributed to a sense of community in an online masters course in Canada and found that the opportunity to build relationships was key to developing a sense of community. Students valued online group work and discussion but also reported that face to face meetings supported the development of a sense of community. Similarly, Sutcliffe and Noble (2022) concluded that the transition to online learning during the pandemic had a detrimental effect on students’ sense of belonging related to the absence of the social activities that would usually be part of a face to face learning experience.
Turning to creative subjects in particular, where learning is traditionally centred around physical spaces such as the studio, Hwang, Ghalachyan and Song (2023) explore student experiences of using a VLE during the pandemic on a fashion and textiles course. Whilst students noted some benefits to using the VLE, for example the convenience, students participating in the study reported feeling disconnected from others and from learning itself as they perceived the online learning environment as passive. Nubani and Lee (2022) explored sense of community, using Rovai’s classroom community scale in online interior design students and found sense of community to be significantly lower in the online design studio as opposed to in person.
Case study
Aula is an online learning environment that differentiates itself from other traditional Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), calling itself a ‘Learning experience platform’ (Finkelman, 2021). Aula describes its purpose as to create a “community-first learning experience”. In my use of Aula in the classes I taught on the Fashion BA course at Ravensbourne University London I hoped to increase students’ engagement with the course, the tutor and their cohort and creating a hub for tutors and students to allow them to access and navigate course information, a manifestation of the ‘learning ecology’ described by Siemens (2005). It was also important to me that this community was inclusive and facilitated the engagement of students with diverse needs.
This article is a small scale case study of around 55 students on the garment pattern cutting modules I taught in 2020. I used Aula alongside various other online teaching methods, such as online lectures and tutorials, using different platforms, however this article focusses specifically on my use of Aula. I sought feedback from students in the form of an online engagement tool which gathered open ended responses from students and have drawn on this, my own reflections and relevant literature throughout the article. Whilst this article draws on my experience of using Aula as a case study, it is reflective of the specific context in which Aula was used and is intended to draw out lessons for using VLEs to create learning communities. It is not intended as an evaluation of Aula’s features and does not make comparisons between Aula and other VLEs.
User population
In general, undergraduate students tend to be young and highly digitally literate with a good grasp on the online environment and digital technologies. Many students will use and interact on social media platforms on a daily basis, and in Fashion, particularly visual-based media platforms. Tutors tend to have lower levels of digital literacy which can vary within the tutor population (Basilotta-Gómez-Pablos et al, 2022). Polling conducted by the UK Office for Students as part of a review of digital teaching and learning found only 21 per cent of teachers were ‘very confident’ that they had the skills to design and deliver digital teaching and learning, with 15 per cent reporting feeling fairly unconfident (Barber, 2021). This compares to 49 per cent of students who felt very confident that they had the digital skills to benefit from online learning. Another factor that may influence tutors’ ability to engage with digital technologies is time, many tutors in creative education are part-time and both fractional and full-time staff are often time-pressed due to the demands of the role. Students also tend to be increasingly time-poor due to other commitments, such as part-time work (Bridgstock, 2016) and this is particularly the case for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds (Devlin and McKay 2016).
There is also significant diversity within the student and the tutor populations respectively, both students and tutors may have diverse needs, including: neurodiversity; learning disabilities; needs associated with speaking English as a second language (Burns & Bell, 2010; Clouder, L. et al 2020)
Features, advantages and limitations
Aula describes itself as a “community-first learning experience” and this aim is reflected in the features it includes, particularly those that facilitate communication between students and tutors and within student cohorts. The ‘feed’, which is designed like a social media feed, and the messaging function are fast and efficient communication channels. These channels allow tutors to conduct almost all communication with students on Aula, separating it from email ‘traffic’ with colleagues. The focus on student-generated content in the feed is well suited to a visual based course such as fashion. Students and tutors can respond to each other’s content in real time, allowing tutors to provide instant feedback to students and students to engage with each other in their learning.
The platform relies on active engagement from students; either checking the feed regularly or setting up notifications. It is possible that students may miss some communications, despite tutors urging them to check the feed. One student who provided feedback to me on the platform said that one of the worst things about the platform was:
“Getting 100 notifications a day and 2-3 of them being very important, but there’s no way to filter by urgency”. Year 2 Student, Fashion
As well as missed communications, the increased student engagement and communication that the VLE can facilitate can lead to ‘information overload’, particularly in relation to student-generated content, which relies on students correctly tagging and pinning their posts. Student feedback from my cohort suggested there should be a separate page for student uploads. Hwang et al (2023) also found that students reported feeling overwhelmed by instructions ‘constantly’ being posted online. Adding student generated content is likely to compound such a feeling. This is supported by Oliphant and Branch-Mueller’s (2016) study which identified time as a barrier to creating a sense of community on an online learning programme, with students citing the sheer number of online discussions as difficult to keep up with. Dyslexic students and students with learning difficulties may especially struggle with information overload (Habib et al, 2021).
The social media conventions that the site draws on in its design and functionality brings other benefits for students. The site is mobile-friendly and designed for scrolling, with an app also available. This makes it easier for students to access the site ‘on the move’ which helps those who are time-poor or who need to structure their studying more flexibly.
Common to other VLEs, Aula publishes information about its level of accessibility against the Web Content Accessibility Standards (Aula Education Ltd, 2020). These standards enable users to monitor and hold platforms more accountable on levels of accessibility, ensuring that there are no barriers to students with accessibility needs participating and engaging fully in learning activities via the VLE.
Commentary
The vast majority of students will be day to day users of social media. The social media style of some VLEs, including Aula, is therefore fitting for students, particularly in a high participation system where students have diverse backgrounds and it is important to employ formats that are familiar to all students (Devlin and McKay 2016). Features that allow instant communication between students and between students and tutors should, in theory, contribute, alongside other elements such as joint activities, to a community of practice where students are able to learn from each other. In practice, there are limitations to how well a VLE can achieve this.
VLEs tend to be course-work focussed; this may limit how well it can build a community amongst students and staff without attention being paid to socio-emotional dimensions (Sutcliffe & Noble, 2022). The limits on face to face learning during the pandemic have meant that students have missed the real-life interactions that would help them to get to build relationships. This is evident in the National Student Survey results for 2020 and 2021, where the percentage of students agreeing with the statement I feel part of a community of staff and students fell from 69% of students in England in 2020 to 59% in 2021 (Office for Students, 2021). Students in my own cohort had mixed views about the question: Does Aula help you to feel part of a community with the Fashion course and Ravensbourne University? Generally, students said that it is more helpful for their course work rather than connecting with other students:
“Yes, not exactly [building a community] between peers but it’s a good tool to reach the tutors and materials” Year 2 student, Fashion
Whilst in theory, features of the VLE can facilitate student interaction and community building, in practice this is also limited by students’ level of engagement and willingness to contribute. My experience on the modules I taught using the VLE was that students tended to be reticent about commenting on the site, particularly on the work of other students, and this is supported by the student feedback I received. Whilst I wasn’t able to explore in detail the factors behind this, existing literature on students’ preference for anonymised peer feedback may offer some explanation (Su, 2023).
Conclusion
Overall, VLEs have significant potential to develop inclusive communities amongst creative students, however, in practice there are limitations to the extent they are able to create a community of practice in the absence of in person interactions. This was reflected in my experiences of using a VLE during the pandemic and in the feedback I gathered from my students, and is supported by existing literature on online learning during the pandemic (Sutcliffe & Noble, 2022; Hwang, Ghalachyan & Song, 2023; Nubani & Lee, 2022).
This article reflects on my experience teaching a cohort of students in their second year of a Fashion BA course. As we move towards a model of blended learning further research in a post-pandemic context on a larger scale across different practical creative subjects would be beneficial to enhance the evidence base on creating and embedding communities of practice using VLEs.
About the author
Mio Jin is a Senior Lecturer in Fashion at Kingston University. She has worked for Burberry, Martine Rose, E.Tautz and has undertaken projects including ‘Romanae Fabulae’ with artist Lucy Orta sponsored by Zegna Art, exhibited at Maxxi Museo Nazionale, Rome. She also pursues collaborations with artists/designers and is continuing to build up her own research portfolio with an interest in teaching and learning in creative subjects.
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