Learn Foundations Approach

Learn Foundations set about to improve the usability and consistency of our biggest Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Learn. This page explains the approach and benefits for both staff and students:

User research has been at the heart of the Learn Foundations approach. Throughout the course of the project we adopted a variety of user experience methods to support in the delivery and decision making process, ensuring that we placed our users (both staff and students) were at the centre of what we had set out to achieve.

Over the course of the project, we have had an overwhelming response rate from our student population, which enabled the project team to work in partnership with students to create a co-designed approach:

As part of the Learn Foundations project, a ‘spotlight on Learn Foundations’ was created for Teaching Matters where colleagues and students created a series of blog posts detailing their thoughts and journey through the Learn Foundations project.

To enhance students’ use of the Learn Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), the University has invested in improvements over the last few years that have made it easier for students to find course specific materials and ensure Learn is used more consistently across the University.
These improvements were delivered through a multi-year service improvement programme called Learn Foundations, which won two awards as a result of the work undertaken for students.

Browse our collection of resources, designed to support you and your colleagues when using the Learn Foundations Approach. We recognise that not everyone will be at the same place when creating their course(s) so the below journey has been created to allow colleagues to step in/out of the process as required: