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A virtual learning environment (VLE) in
educational technology Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refe ...
is a web-based platform for the digital aspects of courses of study, usually within educational institutions. They present resources, activities, and interactions within a course structure and provide for the different stages of assessment. VLEs also usually report on participation and have some level of integration with other institutional systems. In North America, VLE's are often referred to as Learning Management Systems (LMS). For teachers and instructors who edit them, VLEs may be used as authoring and design environments. VLEs have been adopted by almost all higher education institutions in the English-speaking world.


Components

The following are the main components required for the best virtual learning environment or online education curriculum to take place. VLE learning platforms commonly allow: *Content management – creation, storage, access to and use of learning resources *Curriculum mapping and planning – lesson planning, assessment and personalisation of the learning experience *Learner engagement and administration – managed access to learner information, resources, and tracking of progress and achievement *Communication and collaboration – emails, notices, chat, wikis, blogs *Real time communication – live video conferencing or audio conferencing A VLE may include some or all of the following elements: * The course syllabus * Administrative information about the course: prerequisites, credits, registration, payments, physical sessions, and contact information for the instructor. * A notice board for current information about the ongoing course * The basic content of some or all of the course; the complete course for distance learning applications, or some part of it, when used as a portion of a conventional course. This normally includes material such as copies of lecture in the form of text, audio, or video presentations, and the supporting visual presentations * Additional resources, either integrated or as links to outside resources. This typically consists of supplementary reading, or innovative equivalents for it. * Self-assessment quizzes or analogous devices, normally scored automatically * Formal assessment functions, such as examinations, essay submission, or presentation of projects. This now frequently includes components to support peer assessment * Support for communications, including e-mail, threaded discussions, chat rooms,
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and other media, sometimes with the instructor or an assistant acting as moderator. Additional elements include
wiki A wiki ( ) is an online hypertext publication collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience, using a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages for the subjects or scope of the project, and could be either open to the pub ...
s,
blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in Reverse ...
s, RSS and 3D virtual learning spaces. * Links to outside sources – pathways to all other online learning spaces are linked via the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). * Management of access rights for instructors, their assistants, course support staff, and students * Documentation and statistics as required for institutional administration and
quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach place ...
* Authoring tools for creating the necessary documents by the instructor, and, usually, submissions by the students * Provision for the necessary hyperlinks to create a unified presentation to the students. * Interactive online whiteboard for live virtual classes A VLE is normally not designed for a specific course or subject, but is capable of supporting multiple courses over the full range of the academic program, giving a consistent interface within the institution and—to some degree—with other institutions using the system. The virtual learning environment supports the worldwide exchange of information between a user and the learning institute he or she is currently enrolled in through digital mediums like e-mail, chat rooms, web 2.0 sites or a forum.


Student accessibility features

One of the processes to enhance the learning experience was the virtual resource room, which is student-centered, works in a self-paced format, and which encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning. In virtual mode, the materials are available in the form of computer-aided learning programs, lecture notes, special self-assessment modules. Another mechanism for the student to student interactions in a form of simple discussion forum is by using a novel link cyber tutor. This allows the students with an email account to connect with course content and the staff with their doubts and related questions. The students are able to contact the staff without a face to face visit which saves the on-campus time. The staff remains anonymous which allows for the several staff to act as a cyber tutor during the course. The student does not remain anonymous, although their email address is cryptic enough to mask their identity. Students can discuss the exams, lab reports, posters, lectures, technical help with downloading materials. The evaluation of the use of a Virtual resource room is done by surveys, focus groups, and online feedback forms. The students have 24 hours of access to the learning material in a day which suits their lifestyles.


Similar terms

Computerized learning systems have been referred to as electronic
educational technology Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refe ...
, e-learning, learning platform or
learning management system A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. The lear ...
. The major difference is that VLE and LMS are applications, whereas the Learning Platform shares characteristics with an
Operating System An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ef ...
where different educational web-based applications can be run on the platform. The terms virtual learning environment (VLE) and learning platform are generically used to describe a range of integrated web-based applications that provide teachers, learners, parents and others involved in education with information, tools, and resources to support and enhance educational delivery and management. These terms are broadly synonymous with 'managed learning environments' (MLEs) and 'managed virtual learning environments' (MVLEs). The applications that form part of these online services can include web pages, email, message boards, and discussion forums, text and video conferencing, shared diaries, online social areas, as well as assessment, management, and tracking tools. The term learning platform refers to a range of tools and services often described using terms such as educational extranet, VLE, LMS, ILMS and LCMS providing learning and content management. The term learning platform also includes the
personal learning environment Personalized learning, individualized instruction, personal learning environment and direct instruction all refer to efforts to tailor education to meet the different needs of students. Overview The use of the term "personalized learning" dates ba ...
(PLE) or personal online learning space (POLS), including tools and systems that allow the development and management of portfolios. The specific functionality associated with any implementation of a learning platform will vary depending upon the needs of the users and can be achieved by bringing together a range of features from different software solutions either commercially available,
open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized so ...
, self-built or available as free to use web services. These tools are delivered together via a cohesive user environment with a single entry point, through integration achieved by technical standards. Other related concepts include
content management system A content management system (CMS) is computer software used to manage the creation and modification of digital content ( content management).''Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy''. Ann Rockley, Pamela Kostur, Steve Manning. New ...
(CMS) which properly refers to the organization of the educational or other content, not the overall environment; learning content management system (LCMS), which is more often used for corporate training systems than for systems in education institutions; managed learning environment (MLE), which normally refers to the overall infrastructure in an institution of which the VLE is a component, learning support system (LSS); online learning center (OLC); or
learning platform A virtual learning environment (VLE) in educational technology is a web-based platform for the digital aspects of courses of study, usually within educational institutions. They present resources, activities, and interactions within a course stru ...
(LP), education via
computer-mediated communication Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is defined as any human communication that occurs through the use of two or more electronic devices. While the term has traditionally referred to those communications that occur via computer-mediated forma ...
(CMC); or
online education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually i ...
. The term "virtual learning environment" is more commonly used in Europe and Asia, while the synonymous term "learning management system" is the more common usage in North America. The term LMS can also mean a "library management system" (which is now more commonly referred to as integrated library system, or ILS).


Justification

Middle School and High School use VLEs in order to: * Increase academic performance in order to meet standards to graduate. * Address the diverse learning needs of all students with the digital curriculum. * Personalize learning to better meet the needs of all students including underachieving and accelerated learners. * Equip administrators, teachers, and students with real-time progress and performance to make informed decisions to track success.* Institutions of higher and
further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...
use VLEs in order to: * Economize on the time of teaching staff, and the cost of instruction. * Facilitate the presentation of online learning by instructors without web authoring experience. * Provide instruction in a flexible manner to students with varying time and location constraints. * Provide instruction in a manner familiar to the current web-oriented generation of students. * Facilitate the networking of instruction between different campuses or even colleges. * Provide for the reuse of common material among different courses. * Provide automatic integration of the results of student learning into campus information systems. * Provide the ability to deliver various courses to a large number of students. Online learners performed modestly better, on average than those learning the same material through traditional face-to-face instruction.


Controversy

VLEs are supposed to support many
21st century skills 21st century skills comprise skills, abilities, and learning dispositions that have been identified as being required for success in 21st century society and workplaces by educators, business leaders, academics, and governmental agencies. T ...
, including: *
Cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.T ...
and global awareness: Students have access to a wide network of people and information. * Self-direction: Students are able to work at their own pace. * Information and communication technology literacy: Students use technology to obtain and present information. *
Problem solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...
skills: Students are required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in order to be assessed, and they often participate in
group thinking A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
and discussion. *
Time management Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. It involves of various demands upon a person relating to wo ...
: Students are required to meet deadlines. Both supporters and critics of virtual learning environments recognize the importance of the development of such skills, including
creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed lit ...
, communication, and knowledge application; however, the controversy lies in whether or not virtual learning environments are practical for both teachers and students. VLE critics pose concerns about the potential for an inter-personal disconnect that impacts both the teacher and student. The idea is proposed upon the basis that VLEs do not provide students with face-to-face interaction, which could deprive students of opportunities for better communication and deeper understanding. Educators also have concerns pertaining to a student's computer literacy skills and access to quality technology. Both can create a challenge for students to succeed in a Virtual Learning Environment. A study among Indian students has suggested that a negative experience with virtual learning environments can leave "the learner with a passive, un-engaging experience, leading to incomplete learning and low performance". The VLE leads to a reported higher computer
self-efficacy In psychology, self-efficacy is an individual's belief in their capacity to act in the ways necessary to reach specific goals. The concept was originally proposed by the psychologist Albert Bandura. Self-efficacy affects every area of human end ...
, while participants report being less satisfied with the learning process that is achieved in the Virtual Learning Environment.


Standards

Most VLEs support the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) as a standard, but there are no commonly used standards that define how the learner's performance within a course can be transferred from one VLE to another. There are also standards for sharing content such as those defined by the IMS Global Consortium. Local bodies such as in the school's sector in the UK the
DCSF Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education. DCSF was repla ...
via Becta have additionally defined a learning platform "conformance framework" to encourage interoperability. Virtual learning environments are not limited only to students and learners in university-level studies. There are many virtual learning environments for students in grades K-12. These systems are also particularly suited for the needs of independent educational programs, charter schools, and home-based education. As virtual teaching and learning become more deeply integrated into curricula, it is important to assess the quality and rigor of virtual programs. The Virtual Learning Program Standards provide a framework for identifying key areas for effective teaching and learning in Virtual Learning Programs throughout the Northeast and the nation.


Assessments

Educators need benchmark tools to assess a virtual learning environment as a viable means of education. Walker developed a survey instrument known as the Distance Education Learning Environment Survey (DELES), which is accessible to students anywhere. DELES examines instructor support, student interaction, and collaboration, personal relevance, authentic learning, active learning, and student autonomy. Harnish and Reeves provide a systematic criteria approach based on training, implementation, system usage, communication, and support..


See also


References


Further reading

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External links

* {{Computer-mediated communication Educational technology Content management systems Technical communication Learning methods Educational software