Anisa Patel a former Chemistry student writes..

“Being an E-learning assistant can sound quite technical – worry not! Being a Pharmaceutical Chemistry student did not stop me from applying to become an E-learning me Assistant, it was all about the skills and the willingness to learn. E-learning gave me a chance to develop my communication and teaching skills by training academic staff to use the new VLE QMPlus and enhance on my technical skills by developing the course pages for several departments. The team are excellent to work with and there is always someone there to support you, from your colleagues to your manager – even if its a silly question! Also your hard work and contribution does not go unmissed – Having a science background, I was given the chance to work with my department SBCS and develop the course pages – which was really interesting as it gave me an insight and appreciation into the importance of an online learning environment from a student perspective.

Working for E-learning has allowed me to gain an immense range of skills and build good relationships with staff members, which I can positively take with me in the future and implement in my career. “

Jess Hewson a graduate of Film Studies writes..

“’I will be the first to admit that I am not an computer genius! The furthest education that I received in IT was at GCSE level. But the E-Learning team were looking for someone with organisational skills, who could communicate well and quickly grasp new skills and processes. So I decided to apply and was luckily enough to become an E-Learning Assistant.

With clear instructions and helpful team members I soon learnt my way around the editing of QMplus. Initially I applied templates to new module pages and was a part of the migration team, moving Blackboard to QMplus. As my technical ability grew and grew I was tasked with carrying out testing reports and giving update presentations on QMplus. As well as writing user reports and assisting staff members with using QMplus. All the time I was gaining skills in working independently (as a lot of work was completed at home), as well as time management and organisational skills (a flexible hours contract meant I managed my own work hours).

Now I am much more confident with my IT skills and have already started applying them to my life after university. I would suggest any student to apply for an E-Learning position, as it is a good jumping off point into the world of work once you graduate. The flexible hours and working from home are also ideal for fitting around your uni life.. “

Oliver Trampleasure a graduate on the Medical Programme (GEP)  writes..

” E-Learning Assistants do not need to be computer science students, more often then not the most valuable experience you can have is understanding how students use QMplus. All the staff I have worked with have been very receptive to ways in which their high quality resources could be more accessible. We would discuss how the staff would like the course to be organised before creating them, often including changes to improve the student experience along the way.

During my two years I’ve gained an incredible insight into the organisation and delivery of online teaching material from the experienced staff I’ve worked with. I will use these insights and my new practical knowledge to help achieve the teaching requirements of my future clinical career – a target that is not as daunting as it once was!”