VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

ABSTRACT: A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a form of e-learning software that allows online interactions of various kinds to take place between tutors and learners. Within the last five years, over 80% of UK further education (FE) and higher education (HE) institutions have acquired a VLE. This latest set of developments has been inspired by the shortcomings of the one-sizefits-all model of current Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) models. Educational technologists feel that there needs to be an alternative that can reduce costs by permitting a saving on the license fees charged by software vendors for their systems and at the same time provide more flexibility control over teaching and learning processes. Also there needs to be an alternative that can reduce costs of paper by doing various things online. In many institutions teachers talk continuously about their teaching, and learn from each others experience as it takes place they can help each other by teaching sessions, or through peerobservation, or by sharing resources. A VLE could make powerful tools to support this sort of self-organization between the teachers and the students. In order to evaluate a virtual learning environment using the conversational framework we need to establish what tools are provided within the software to allow dialogue and action to mutually influence each other to allow modification of both conceptions and actions on the part of the tutor and the students. Additionally we need to be able to say what level of structuring is provided for each interaction. For example, if e-mail is used as the tool for communication between tutor and student in a VLE we need to know how the use of e-mail is embedded within the context of the dialogue about a specific topic or set of learning goals. Thus we might consider whether it is simply a link to the users own e-mail client and existing mailbox or a built-in e-mail client that allows messages to be stored and viewed from within the software. Already some in the development world feel that the time of the 1st generation of VLEs as typified by the currently popular applications is coming to an end and the future lies in the development of component-based architectures. The pace of development in learning technology means that architectures must be adaptable and easy to configure and reconfigure. These will give institutions greater flexibility, confidence and control over their own e-learning management. The popularity of virtual learning environment has been increasing greatly in recent years due to much higher affordability and simplicity through internet connectivity. Enhancing the quality of teaching and learning is the key driver of the project Virtual Learning Environment.