Early Adopter CMVM’s Chris McKenzie says don’t leave Learn Ultra until the last minute
Chris McKenzie, Senior Lecturer and Programme Director within CMVM, moved his fully online programme ‘MSc in Pain Management’ into Learn Ultra in the 22/23 academic year as part of the Early Adopter programme (opens in a new tab).
“We decided to go all in and redo the whole MSc in Pain Management programme for the current academic year. Partly because we are keen to do it, and partly because we knew we would get special attention in terms of support as an Early Adopter.”
Not a difficult process
“Overall, setting up our Learn Ultra course was not a stressful process. I’ve asked other colleagues in Clinical Sciences how their experiences have been and theirs have been very positive too. However, what I would say is that these were programmes that were keen in the first place to move to Learn Ultra. I would understand that other course teams may be a bit nervous about the transition and if they are the they should get in touch with a local Learning Technologists as early as possible to start working through any concerns”
It’s straightforward and intuitive
“The first question our team is usually asked by colleagues who weren’t part of the early adopters programme is typically around usability. Was it straightforward and intuitive? And the answer for us was yes. It was very easy for them to jump from one platform to another. But like anything else, confidence grows with familiarity and regular use. By using the VLE every day, you become an expert quite quickly. Where we saw pressure points in the Medical School and Vet school and potentially other areas in the University, was around external contributors who aren’t using the VLE quite as frequently. Or courses that have more elaborate or complex setups around assessment or discussion delivery”
No problems with the template
“We had no problems with the template whatsoever for the teaching and administrative staff. There was talk that the folders and learning modules may not be easily recognisable but nothing from the students would suggest it’s not intuitive. The only change we did make was to put the help forum from the welcoming Course Information folder and place it at the top level.”
What the early adopters liked
There were a few points that the CMVM colleagues really liked about Learn Ultra, which include:
- The content page set up with the individual sections are good, now that I am used to them
- The playlists are good and look much better than the previous version of Learn
- I like the Gradebook and find it much easier to navigate
- Discussion board marking is much easier in Learn Ultra with the straightforward forums
- The Grade Center is easier to manage; the overall look is more modern
- There are less ‘rabbit holes’ to get lost down, such as folders within folders, within folders
- It looks cool and engaging, and I think that’s important
There are some improvements to be made, particularly around the use of discussion forums. The lack of a subscribe function is a bit of a loss and does force you to check in every day. Another omission is the absence of threads on the discussion forums which makes it challenging to assess multiple discussion forums as one
Is Learn Ultra better than Learn Original?
“I would say so and so too have the Early Adopters. However, this is with the note that this group willingly took part. I’m aware though that there were individuals in this group who weren’t keen on it at the start and they tended to heart back to Learn Original. Seeking one-to-one support from the Learning Technologists was key to overcoming this”
Start early
“To have a positive experience upgrading and to ease people’s minds, I would say it’s vital that colleagues engage with Learn Ultra as early as possible and don’t leave it too late. Meet with a Learning Technologist for that extra support”
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