Improving the Use of Technology Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education in the UK - A Qualitative Visualization of Students’ Views

Oct 15, 2026

Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) in UK higher education has grown rapidly, largely through Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) that deliver lecture materials and supplementary content. While prior work highlights TEL’s pedagogical promise and perceived usefulness, best-practice guidance on improving TEL via VLEs remains unclear. This qualitative visualization study analyzes responses from 487 mostly undergraduate students, finding overwhelmingly positive attitudes alongside specific priorities for more consistent and frequent TEL use in lectures, and greater exploitation of TEL for student and stakeholder interactions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Drivers for TEL adoption in the UK

TEL delivery methods through VLEs

Evidence gaps and need for impact

Study focus and research questions

Improving the Use of Technology Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education in the UK: A Qualitative Visualization of Students’ Views Mark Kennedy King’s College-London, United Kingdom Thomas J. Dunn Bishop Grosseteste University, United Kingdom Abstract In recent years, the use of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) has risen exponentially throughout higher education in the UK. Whilst TEL is an umbrella term for a range of technologies, evidence suggests that in the UK, TEL is usually delivered via the medium of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) for the provision of lecture materials and additional content. An emerging literature has established both the pedagogical potential and students’ perceived usefulness of TEL. However, researchers have yet to establish how the use of TEL via VLEs can be improved – a core requirement of establishing best practice. The current study sought to address this in a sample of 487 predominately undergraduate students. Content analysis revealed that views were overwhelmingly positive, but that students had clear views on what they wanted to see improved. Students expressed clear desires for the more consistent and more frequent use of TEL within lectures. Further, they felt that the potential of TEL to encourage and facilitate interactions, both within their University and with external stakeholders, has thus far gone unexploited. Implications for teaching practice and future research are discussed. Keywords: Technology enhanced learning; Virtual learning environment; Student preferences; Higher education; E-learning Introduction In recent years, the use of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) in higher education has risen exponentially and has had three central drivers. First, there have been recent increases in governmental spending and influential changes in policy, such as the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE) e-learning strategy (2005), revised e-learning strategy (2009) and the Higher Education Academy’s (HEA) Benchmarking and Pathfinders initiatives (2006-09) . Second, there is a recognized aspiration for Universities to be seen as innovative and up to date technologically (Kukulska-Hulme, 2015) . Third, there is a perception that students, i.e.,‘digital natives,’ demand to be provided with advanced technology (Prensky, 2001) . In addition to steering investment, a key aspect of governmental influence has been to encourage institutions to take individual responsibility for the implementation of TEL – as part of an increasingly deregulated industry (Walker, Voce & Jenkins, 2016) . This has resulted in heterogeneity in the uptake of TEL (Selwyn, 2014) . A recent review suggests that, broadly speaking, there may be greater heterogeneity within institutions than between them, with Universities as a whole tending to deliver TEL via the use of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and allowing individual lecturers to populate them as they see fit (UCISA, 2016) . These VLEs are used as a gateway to a range of different technologies, to one extent or another, such as online quizzes/revision aids, lecture recordings and/or slides, blogs/ discussion boards and other online resources. Interestingly, institutions in the UK seem to have been slow to uptake more novel forms of TEL, such as the use of gamification (Nacke & Deterding, 2017) . Adjacent to these types of technology provided by institutions, research shows that students also tend to create their own social media groups to discuss their studies, in addition to reflecting on their University experiences more generally (Selwyn, 2009) . Research thus far has mainly focused on the potential value of TEL (Henderson, Selwyn & Aston, 2015) and the pedagogical advantages the use of TEL in higher education might confer (e.g., Conole, 2014) . However, questions have been raised around the extent to which the potential benefits reflect real advantages (Olofsson & Lindberg, Selwyn, 2010) . Conseq

FAQs

What technologies are most commonly used to deliver TEL in UK higher education?

TEL in the UK is typically delivered through Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), which provide lecture materials and additional content.

How do students generally view TEL in higher education?

The study reports views that are overwhelmingly positive among the sampled students.

What improvements do students want for TEL use in lectures?

Students want TEL to be used more consistently and more frequently during lectures, and they also believe TEL’s potential for encouraging interactions has not yet been fully used.

Oct 15, 2026

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