
OCA news: ‘OCA Learn’
Our new virtual learning environment
In its 30 years OCA has evolved from face to face and correspondence courses to a blended internet and distance based offering and has defied traditional educational boundaries imposed by age, geography, previous experience and privilege. Through technology we can create a borderless community which serves personal, creative and autonomous interaction between students, tutors, and peers.
OCA employs a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for students to access course materials, resources and activities.
Following feedback from students, here at OCA we are replacing our existing student site with a new dynamic and interactive space called OCA Learn.
In the video below OCA’s Head of Technology Enhanced Learning, Paul Vincent, talks about this exciting migration and how we will support learners to engage confidently with the change.
https://oca.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=9a7e1bd7-4910-4db7-9091-ab7d00ee9d21
OCA Learn will create a space for reflection, peer to peer engagement, together with one interface to access resources, feedback and support. This means a more equitable and real time synchronous learning experience where students can truly encounter and engage with disciplines, cultures and traditions that differ from their own.
This change is starting in April and we are aiming to have migrated all students over to the new system by the end of July. This will be done in a staggered format, with degrees moving over one by one and we will keep everyone informed of what is happening and when.
We plan to release regular information and announcements as we move through the stages of the migration and launch across the remainder of this academic year so please stay tuned for further announcements and information.
In addition to the crossover to the new system we are also planning a series of guides and walkthrough information to help orientate students with OCA Learn.
We also want your feedback and will be sending out two surveys, one on the existing student site, and the other on OCA Learn, to hear your views where you can let us know any improvements we need to make.
And to give you a taste of the new learning environment, we will shortly be providing all students, staff and tutors with access to a sample course unit through OCA Learn to provide an early idea of what to expect.
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This is brilliant! We’re looking forward to the new system.
Great!!!! Thanks Paul 👍
I look forward to trying it out
This is great news! Thanks to all that are working to make it possible!!
Looking forward to new system. Hopefully there will be chance of more human contact over skype, video conferencing etc. This has felt like my biggest hurdle not having some ability to discuss In virtual classroom format
That all sounds very promising. Best wishes for the roll-out!
A splendid development. Looking forward to being part of this. Thank you.
I really really can’t wait for this. As someone who’s really dyslexic I’m praying that this makes the OCA more accessible for people like me.
Brilliant news. I’m on Online Course Developer as well as a student at the OCA so really, really pleased to see a better VLE being rolled out 🙂