Are you planning to continue your study online but don’t know where to enroll? Well, Solent Online Learning can be the answer to that. Today’s fast-paced world is becoming increasingly difficult for students to attend traditional classes, so online learning has become an essential tool for education.
With Solent Online Learning, students can take advantage of a wide range of benefits that can enhance their learning experience and ensure they get the education they deserve.
In this blog, we will explore the numerous benefits and features of Solent Online Learning, such as its user-friendly platform, interactive and engaging content, and varied multimedia options. Join us on this journey and discover how Solent Online Learning can help you achieve your academic goals.
Solent Online Learning
In July 2016, Solent University launched Solent Online Learning, a comprehensive virtual learning environment that includes all course materials and online activities. The goal is to provide students with access to the portal 24/7 from any location. The platform is designed to make learning accessible, even when students cannot attend classes physically.
Solent University, formerly known as Southampton Solent University, is a public university that originated as Southampton College of Art in 1855. The university developed Solent Online Learning to provide students a rich and immersive virtual learning experience.
Located in Southampton, United Kingdom, Solent University has over 11,000 students, with 10,545 undergraduates and 515 postgraduates as of 2016-2017.
What are Some Ways to Maximize the Benefits of Using Online Learning Solent?
Solent university online learning is committed to promoting a Virtual Learning Environment allowing students to work from anywhere. Solent Online Learning expands on the traditional classroom experience by providing online courses and fostering independent learning, collaboration, and student interaction.
Martin Reid, a long-time staff member at Solent University, has shared numerous tips and techniques for using SOL effectively. He emphasizes creating engaging and interactive content, including multimedia, authentic research links, quizzes, and feedback.
Reid believes content and design are vital in providing a practical and engaging online learning experience. To ensure that students can find what they need quickly and easily, Reid uses many images and organizes information in a structured manner.
According to Reid, solentonline learning’s pedagogy centers on four key areas that are achievable for anyone. These areas enable students to become active learners, think critically, and achieve academic goals. Students can enhance their skills and knowledge through Solent Online Learning, regardless of their location or schedule.
Take A look at These Four Areas:
Course Content
The course content is the first area that impacts a student’s learning experience. Teachers must provide resources with a narrative context to help students understand and relate the material to the lecture.
Communication
After a lecture, students often have questions that need answering. Solent Online Learning offers an efficient way for teachers to answer these questions on the forum and save time for teachers and students. Teachers should also create a path for students to communicate their feedback by using the feedback tool.
Working Together
Sharing knowledge and feedback with other students is another area that significantly impacts student learning. Teachers should encourage students to share their feedback and ideas on the blog, which can create a collaborative learning environment.
Solent Online Learning facilitates this process, enabling students to work independently and develop their confidence for future endeavors.
Working Independently
Quizzes are essential for testing a student’s understanding of a lesson. Follow-up videos with quizzes allow students to analyze their learning progress and work through the lesson at their own pace.
This approach assesses a student’s comprehension and develops their ability to work independently. According to Martin Reid, this is an effective way to analyze and improve student learning.
Solent Learning and Teaching
Solent University is dedicated to helping individuals improve their teaching skills, offering guidance on technology-enhanced learning, blended learning, researched-informed teaching, and student learning. Let’s take a closer look at each of these categories.
Technology-Enhanced Learning
Solent University’s learning technology advisors, available on the library’s second floor, provide support to all staff and students, including digital literacies and technology-enhanced learning via Solent Online Learning. These advisors can address any questions or issues related to teaching and learning.
Blended Learning
Blended learning combines electronic, physical, and online media to promote student learning. Solent University constantly seeks ways to enhance blended learning, such as flipped learning, where students complete a task before a teaching session to build a foundation for active learning.
This approach enables students to brainstorm and empowers them, saving teachers time and effort.
Research-Informed Teaching
Solent University encourages research-informed teaching to continuously improve its teaching methods. The university aims to inspire students to think critically and engage with the world by keeping abreast of the latest conferences, creative ideas, and techniques.
Student Learning
Solent University recognizes that students are the most valuable assets in education and offers a category specifically for student learning. It provides various techniques and tips for teachers to help students understand, keep up with the class, and become successful.
Teaching Practice
This section is designed for teachers and educators to improve their teaching skills. It features articles on new and different techniques, helpful activities, and the benefits of team teaching. For example, an article titled “Sharing is Caring: The Benefits of Team Teaching” explains the importance of team teaching and the elements that lead to success.
Assessment and feedback
The assessment category teaches colleagues and teachers how to assess a student properly. It provides examples of criteria for assessment, why feedback is essential, how to use feedback effectively, and how to support students with evaluation. This section ensures that students receive a fair and effective assessment.
How to Get Started on Solent Online Learning (SOL)
Logging In
To access Solent Online Learning, visit http://learn.solent.ac.uk/ and log in with your university login and password, which were sent to you when you first joined Solent. Use the Single Sign On button if you have a Solent email address and password. For other users, click the ‘login‘ link in the top right corner.
Once you log in, you will be taken to your SOL homepage, which shows the course and module pages you are subscribed to. Click on the names to access them. If you don’t have access to a required module, contact the Student Hub for assistance.
Please be aware that it may take up to one day for some pages to appear after your first login. If you still can’t see a module after this short delay, contact the Student Hub for help.
Logging In From Home
As usual, you can access Solent University distance learning from home by going to https://learn.solent.ac.uk. If you encounter issues accessing SOL from home, check your ‘Security Settings‘ to ensure that ‘Cookies are enabled.’ Additionally, SOL may use pop-up windows to display specific resources. If you can’t see some resources, check that your browser is not blocking these pop-ups.
Last Year’s Module Pages
You cannot remove yourself from previous modules due to two reasons:
- Firstly, online assignments submitted are linked to these modules. Removing the modules from your profile will break the links to the projects, making it challenging to recover them for revision, auditing, or appeals.
- Secondly, you may want to access the previous year’s modules for reference or revision later in your course. These modules should appear in the past section of your Course Overview block on your Home page.
Enrolment Keys
Some areas of Solent Online Learning are password-protected and are indicated with a key icon. If you need to enter an enrolment key, ask your lecturer for the password. After entering the password once, you will be subscribed to that page and will not need to enter it again.
Navigation and Structure
SOL is designed for easy navigation between your modules and courses. It comprises course and module pages and other course/program resource pages set up by your course team or other university departments.
Course Pages
Course pages are dedicated spaces that display general course information, such as course structures, course meeting notes, exam timetables, assessment guidelines, and a platform for communication among all students and staff involved in a course. Your course team creates this page.
Module Pages
Module pages are dedicated spaces that allow tutors and students to access and post specific information about a particular module. Your module descriptor and team are under key contacts and assessment information under the ‘Assessment’ tab. Your course team creates these pages.
The Main Menu
The main menu on the left side provides quick access to Ask for Help, the Online helpdesk, your calendar, your assessment dashboard, and your courses. Additionally, it includes links to online student help pages, library services, LinkedIn Learning, and MyPortfolio. If the menu is closed, click the ‘3 lines’ icon to open it.
Dashboard/Home Page
The homepage of your SOL account displays a central panel that allows you to access your course page, modules, and other resources. You can choose how you view your courses by selecting All, In progress, Future, or Past.
In the In progress tab, you will find current courses, modules, and resources, while the Future tab will display any upcoming modules within 30 days of their start date. The Past tab displays old modules.
Page Layout
Pages on SOL consist of a central area that contains learning materials and various resources along with blocks on the left and sometimes right side. Your lecturer sets up these blocks, and some of the standard blocks include Activities, Quickmail, Lecture capture, and Key Contacts. You can access all the learning materials by clicking on the links in the central area.
Navigating Around SOL
If you want to know your current location, use the breadcrumb trail just below the banner. You can click on Home to return to the SOL dashboard page.
Minimum Browser Requirements
Solent Online Learning uses pop-up windows to show specific resources. If you face problems accessing these resources from home, you may need to check if your browser is blocking these pop-ups.
Additionally, SOL requires your browser to accept cookies. If you have high-security settings at home, you may need to adjust these or add SOL as a trusted site.
For the best online experience, you are suggested the following:
Minimal Web Browser Requirements: SOL can work with many web browsers, but we advise you to keep your browser current. You can check the version and update your browser in the “About” section of your browser’s settings. Update your browser and operating system when the manufacturer prompts for mobile and tablet devices.
Broadband Internet: For a better experience, it is recommended to have a download speed of at least 2Mbs.
Further Support
If you need assistance with Solent Online Learning, click the “Ask for help” button on the left-hand menu and submit your query. A Learning Technologies Advisor will respond to your request.
Alternatively, you can visit the Learning Technologies Helpdesk on the second floor of the Mountbatten Library during business hours or use the virtual Zoom helpdesk available during business hours.
You can also leave a voicemail at 023 8201 5100 or email [email protected] and expect a response within two business days.
Benefits of Solent Online Learning
Solent Online Learning is a popular choice among students because of its numerous benefits, some of which are discussed below.
Flexibility
Flexibility is a significant advantage of Solent Online Learning. Students can create their schedules and complete coursework at their own pace, making it a convenient option for those with full-time jobs or other commitments that make it challenging to attend traditional classes.
Convenience
Solent Online Learning offers students the convenience of learning from anywhere with an internet connection. With a computer or mobile device access, students can participate in online classes from their homes, coffee shops, or even while traveling.
Customization
Solent Online Learning allows students to customize their learning experience by choosing their courses, electives, and the pace at which they learn. This customization ensures that students can tailor their education to meet their unique interests and career goals.
Reduced Costs
Online learning is a cost-effective alternative to traditional classes, as it helps students save money on transportation, textbooks, and other expenses associated with traditional learning. Additionally, Solent Online Learning typically offers courses at lower tuition rates than conventional universities.
Availability of Online Resources
Solent Online Learning provides students with many online resources to support their learning, such as recorded lectures, digital textbooks, online discussion forums, and virtual libraries. These resources can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, providing students with a level of convenience unmatched by traditional universities.
Solent University Online Courses
Arts, Design & Architecture
- MA Film Production program
- Advanced Diploma HNC Architectural Technology
- Advanced Diploma HNC Quantity Surveying
- M.A. Make-up and Hair Design Futures
- M.A.Post Production in Film and Television
- M.Sc.Superyacht Design
- M.Sc.Sustainable Building Design
- M.A.Visual Communication
Business & Management
- B.Sc.Business Management (Hons)
- Advanced Diploma HNC Construction Management
- M.A.Internal Communication Management
- Postgraduate DiplomaInternational Trade and Maritime Law
- M.Sc.Shipping Operations
Engineering & Technology
- Advanced Diploma HNC Architectural Technology
- Advanced Diploma HNC Construction Management
- Advanced Diploma HNC Quantity Surveying
- M.Sc. Sustainable Building Design
Computer Science & IT
- B.Sc. Computing (Hons
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences
- M.Sc. Shipping Operations
Hospitality, Leisure & Sports
- M.A. Sports Broadcast Journalism
Journalism & Media
- M.A.Sports Broadcast Journalism
Law
- Postgraduate Diploma International Trade and Maritime Law
Testimonials from Solent Online Learning Students
“I found my classes engaging because we were given small tasks to do during the lesson in most of our classes. During lessons, we would interact with other students and have discussions on certain topics.” – Gaotlholwe Rakale
“As a STEM pathway student learning some topics through a screen was challenging because the lecture could not always physically demonstrate the topic, but to my surprise, my tutor hosted extra lessons and always replied to any questions as soon as possible with an in-depth explanation. Aside from that, the lecturers were always supporting us with every issue they could handle and did not hesitate to give us individual tutorials on how to use different online applications to help us get through the course.” – Arianna Amani Suji
“My online experience has been great. The teaching method has helped me develop my skills during quarantine. Solent and the teachers have outdone themselves in delivering effective knowledge.” – Nafeesah Saeed Abba
Conclusion
Solent Online Learning offers an exceptional learning experience that can transform how students approach education. The benefits of flexible scheduling, personalized support, and interactive content make it an ideal option for students seeking a high-quality education.
With Solent Online Learning, you can easily achieve your academic goals and balance your personal and professional responsibilities.
Now that you understand and know what Solent online learning can do to your studies, it’s time to take action for your future. You are now empowered to make informed decisions about your education, and we encourage you to explore the various options that Solent Online Learning offers.
