Communication Management for Large Modules

This article addresses issues concerning the suitability of particular media as mass communication tools in an UK higher education setting. It looks firstly at the use of email as a communication method whilst managing large modules. The article then goes on to examine the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to provide a mass communication method more suited to the needs of both the staff and the students. An in-depth case study will look at how a large module is managed through the use of a Virtual Learning Environment, discussing the pros and cons of using such technology. For the purposes of this article, distance learning will not be considered, as the university in question has no plans to follow or adopt such an approach for the courses that undertake these modules.