Virtual Learning Environment (“The VLE”)

As a student at NCA, you will be given access to our web based Virtual Learning Environment, “E-Learn with NCA”, often referred to as the VLE. Learning materials and other documents are stored in SharePoint, which is part of Microsoft 365. The VLE is also integrated with forums (message boards), and with Turnitin, which is the tool used to submit most written assignments. There is help on how to use the various features on the VLE. We’re constantly updating and adding to the help and information available on the VLE.

The web address is: http://www.elearnwithnca.co.uk/. You will be allocated a unique username and password for access to the Microsoft Office 365 online software (including access to your nca emails) and once you are logged in to Office 365 you will also be able to enter the student areas within the VLE. Once logged on, you will find key College and course documentation relevant to your needs, including our policies, procedures, guidance documents, assessment calendars, syllabi etc. You will also be able to access an area of the website which is dedicated to your course. Course information, module information and clinic information is all handily contained and easily accessible for you.

Your learning materials and other course information will be uploaded to the College’s website on the VLE at www.elearnwithnca.co.uk, in advance of teaching sessions.

You are expected to visit this website at least once a week to check for updates, new information and forum updates. You should also check your nca.ac.uk emails at least once a week, and preferably daily, to check for messages and announcements from the College.

All of the learning materials for your course will be uploaded to the VLE as you go along. The slides and most of the learning materials for a particular session will be uploaded at least one week in advance of the session, to enable you to review them in advance and to have them available in class for note-taking and reference. You are expected to have read the materials before you attend class, and to bring with you any materials specified by your tutor. Tutors may withhold some learning materials until the class, when this is necessary for their teaching strategy.

E-learning sessions for your course are also accessed via the VLE. If your course has e-learning scheduled to be live for periods, you are expected to do the e-learning in this period. You can view the e-learning session from a week before the live period, and you can revisit the e-learning after the ‘live’ period, but you won’t have the ‘email a tutor’ facility and put your hand up forums are not monitored outside of the live period.

Once you’ve found your way around the VLE, it is important to upload a photo of yourself (jpg format), so that your image appears on the ‘put your hand up’ forums and other discussion forums. Please use a clear head and shoulders photo of yourself, it’s nice to see what you really look like. It helps your tutors and fellow students to get to know you.

You will automatically be enrolled on the ‘induction’ course on the VLE. This pulls together help and tips on how to navigate your way round and take some actions. If you think of anything that would be useful here, please do let us know – there’s a forum for improving it.

When you finish your course your access to NCA accounts including the VLE and Office 365, and your nca.ac.uk email account, will be closed after the NCA graduation ceremony. You will receive an email warning you when before this is due to happen. You can ask us to retain your nca email account for longer if this is important, for example when seeking to publish a research project.

During the academic year, you will have access to the teaching materials and all announcements and discussion forum comments etc. made during that year. If you are in the second or subsequent year of study, you will have access as well to the current version of teaching materials for previous years of your course. There may be minor differences to the material you were taught.

If you wish to retain the teaching materials you were given after the end of your course, you will need to download them to your own computer and store them. This is also true of your assignments and feedback.

Student responsibilities in using the VLE

These regulations apply to the use of all local facilities at the College, and to facilities provided by the College to its students for use at home or off site. Please note that breaches of this policy may be considered as Fitness to Study and Practise/ Disciplinary issues and may lead to withdrawal.

You must not interfere with the work of others or the system itself. The facilities must be used in a responsible manner – in particular, you must not:

• access, store or distribute material which is designed or likely to cause needless anxiety or offence;
  
  
• access, store or distribute obscene or indecent material, pornography, etc;
  
  
• access, store or distribute any materials that expound the points of view of violent extremists’;
  
  
• access, store or distribute defamatory material;
  
  
• access, store or distribute material such that the copyright of another person is infringed;
  
  
• use computing equipment for playing games;
  
  
• engage in activities which waste resources (your own or other people’s time, networks or computers) or which are liable to cause a disruption or denial of service to other users. This includes the following: introduction of viruses into computer systems; use of Internet Relay Chat facilities; use of peer-to-peer resource-sharing technology; using the system to keep a personal web blog; engage in activities which are illegal or which might contribute to the commission of an illegal act;
  
  
• engage in any transaction purporting to be representing the College when not authorised.

You must not gain unauthorised access to or violate the privacy of other peoples’ files, corrupt or destroy other peoples’ data or disrupt the work of other people.

It is your responsibility to prevent inappropriate access to your files. Your password must be kept safe, changed regularly and not be disclosed to anyone.

You must not send electronic mail which is irresponsible, or likely to cause offence. “Irresponsible” use includes unsolicited postings to large numbers of people or indiscriminate postings.

Similarly, you should not publish items on social media sites that could cause offence or bring the College into disrepute.

It is easy for viruses to enter the network therefore you should never open attachments from an unknown source.