Introduction

 

This document aims to give an overview of Virtual Learning Environments – what they involve, how they can benefit your teaching, how to get started and where to find further information and resources. Following the emergence of the Internet in the early 1990s, many new tools and products have been developed to fully exploit its benefits. Since the mid-1990s the education community has witnessed the appearance of software products labelled Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) that aim to support learning and teaching activities across the Internet. Many educators want to take advantage of the benefits offered by the Internet to support their teaching activities. However, creating Internet resources that are stimulating, appealing, easy to use and educationally sound is time consuming and requires considerable expertise. VLEs allow educators to create resources quickly and without the need to develop technical skills. Typically web-based, VLEs provide an integrated set of Internet tools, which enable easy upload of materials and offer a consistent look and feel that can be customised by the user. Popular commercial VLEs currently being used in UK HE include Blackboard and WebCT¹. Managed Learning Environments (MLEs) incorporate the elements of VLEs but also include and interact with the whole range of information systems eg student record systems, finance etc that contribute directly or indirectly to learning and teaching management.

Overview of features

The tools and features that comprise the VLE aim to facilitate a complete learning and teaching experience, and include:

Communication between tutors and students 
eg email, discussion boards and virtual chat facilities which support various types of communication: synchronous and asynchronous, one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many.

Self-assessment and summative assessment  eg multiple-choice assessment with automated marking and immediate feedback.

Delivery of learning resources and materials  eg through the provision of lecture notes and supporting materials, images and video clips, links to other web resources, online discussion and assessment activities.

Support for students
Could take the form of communication with tutors or other students, provision of supporting materials such as course information and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Student tools
eg individual student web pages, ‘drop boxes’ for the upload of course-work, electronic diaries and calendars.

Management and tracking of students
eg usernames and passwords to ensure that only registered students can access the course; analysis of assessment undertaken by students or their use of materials within the VLE.

Consistent and customisable look and feel
A standard user interface that is easy for students to understand and use. Courses can be individualised with colours, graphics and logos – but the essential mode of use remains constant.

Navigation structure
Structured delivery of information supported by a standard navigation toolbar. Most VLE software assumes that students will work their way through linear sequences of instructional material. Others are more flexible and will accommodate alternative information structures, eg multi-path case studies.

 

Simple to complex use

There are many ways of using VLEs, ranging from simple uses of a limited range of tools, to support for face-to-face courses, through to entirely online courses that make sophisticated use of a wide range of the VLE's facilities. The diagram below (figure 1) gives some examples of how VLEs can be used, and shows the possible range in their levels of sophistication. These uses can of course be combined in as many ways as appropriate to local needs. You might start using just one or two of the features of the VLE, then develop in sophistication as you become familiar with the system and what it can do.