Feedback and reattempt in a multi-institution VLE study

Updated Sep 07, 2026

Michael Mcguire’s 2026 paper examines a structured approach to practice in virtual learning environments. Across 21 UK institutions, involving 583 students and 25 educators, the study considers how digital teaching might combine scale with opportunities to improve. The author-repository abstract confirms that scope.

What the accessible evidence supports

The retrospective longitudinal case study sits within an action-research tradition. Its activities combined short tutorials, tasks, criterion-linked feedback and opportunities to try again. Delivery included both timetabled and extracurricular settings.

Students reported engagement and agency; educators described more consistent feedback and less marking work. The paper also identifies time and financial barriers in extracurricular participation. Its discussion recommends examining improvement across attempts rather than treating logins as sufficient evidence of learning.

These are findings from an evolving practice study. They do not establish a universal advantage over every other VLE design or quantify a causal effect across disciplines.

Applying the ideas locally

Our recommendation is to review one module’s digital practice cycle: what students attempt, when they receive feedback and whether another attempt is feasible. Ask about access and scheduling alongside usefulness. Compare those accounts with relevant participation and assessment evidence before changing provision.

Structured comment analysis can organise reported experiences for that review. It cannot, on its own, determine why a particular student participates less or establish that a redesign improved learning.

FAQ

Does this justify replacing engagement measures with reattempt counts?

No. Consider what each measure captures and combine it with evidence about the task, feedback and student circumstances.

Was the whole paper verified?

No. This briefing was checked against the abstract and accessible indexed methods and discussion sections. The complete PDF was unavailable.

Reference

Michael Mcguire (2026). Reclaiming pedagogy in virtual learning environments: educator and student perspectives. Teaching in Higher Education.

Review update, 7 September 2026: qualified the earlier causal and universal claims, revised the product application and clarified the partial-text evidence available.