Learning Support

The potential of e-learning for the course and teaching can only be used if both teachers and students have the media competence required. The FH Vorarlberg has recognised this and in September 2007 a staff function in the Rector's office was set up to support this contemporary form of learning: learning support provides various services related to e-learning and the aim of this is to improve both the course and teaching.

Services provided by Learning Support

The FH Vorarlberg uses ILIAS as the central learning platform. ILIAS replaced our old LMS which had been used since 2003 in March 2012. ILIAS is a flexible and powerful open source learning environment.

Currently learning support is responsible for

• Implementation and conceptual design

• User support

• Workshops and trainings

• Documentation

ILIAS is accessible via http://ilias.fhv.at

Learning Support devises workshops and tutorials focused at providing both students and teaching staff with media competence/media-didactic competence. This range of services is designed to support the targeted use of e-learning - both for individual needs and in order to improve teaching quality.

Learning Support advises and supports students and teachers making use of e-learning at the  FH Vorarlberg. This consultancy is offered at various levels and includes e.g. a selection of suitable tools or didactic scenarios for the use of e-learning. In addition Learning Support carries out research in terms of e-learning content and assesses it with regard to design and didactic quality. Based on these assessments Learning Support recommends qualitatively high-value content and supports its integration into teaching.

Producing e-learning content (= digital media for use in teaching/learning) is a further area of activity. Learning Support produces e-learning content in various forms:

• Hypertext content

• Wiki-based content

• Screencasts

• Recordings of lectures in the form of podcasts

Learning Support networks itself with people, initiatives and institutions also offering e-learning services. In this way teachers can fall back on a wide range of material and attend further training courses at different institutions.

Technology and trends in the field of e-learning are developing quickly. Learning Support follows the developments and subject specific discussions in order to identify potential early and to make it useful for the FH Vorarlberg.