Teaching Politics in UK Universities: A Survey of the Profession

Abstract

In recent years one of the most significant changes in UK Universities has been the increased use of virtual learning environments (VLE) as a method of supporting learning and teaching. This has in part been influenced by research which suggests that student learning experiences can be enhanced by the judicious use of new technologies, and partly by the possibilities that the technologies help academics and students operate effectively within a system of mass higher education such has developed in the UK. Despite the fact that Politics is a discipline that has traditionally been slow to embrace new technologies (in comparison with the physical sciences), there has nevertheless been considerable interest as to the manner in which Politics is taught, including the use of VLEs. Significantly, however, this interest has been based on case studies of developments within a particular university (Lee, 2003 and Lightfoot, 2004) and there is therefore an absence of a national picture. The present paper aims to remedy this situation by reporting on the results of a questionnaire that was undertaken in September 2004 on the use of VLEs in the teaching of Politics across the UK higher education sector.