Virtual Learning Environments

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are Internet-based areas that are designed for, or are harnessed for, connecting a person/people around a specific topic with the goal to both teach them about that topic and give them opportunities for interaction related to that topic. VLEs are about more than just sharing information on a subject. For example, a website is not a VLE because although it is designed to share information, it rarely provides both opportunities to interact with others and materials for the purposes of learning more about a particular topic. There are some instances where websites may function as de facto VLEs: People interact and share information asynchronously via the comments section, or people provide responses to material presented on the web page. However, those ...