About Online Learning Environments

Overview

An Online Learning Environment, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), or Learning Management System (LMS), is a web-based tool that allows educators to share information and resources with student learners. In addition they can be used for communication, collaboration and for assessment. These learning environments are used to support face-to-face (traditional classroom), blended and wholly online and distance learning (more about these later in the course).

The learning environment at your institution is likely to be the first place students look for course and module information, assessment guidelines and to access and review resources associated with the different topics studied. Students can view or download documents, read information, watch videos and read and contribute to discussions in forums. Increasingly, they will also access recorded lectures, submit assignments and interact with their peers and their tutors through the VLE.

You are taking this course on your institution's VLE, so this is a good opportunity to get familiar with some of the basic tools.

Popular learning environments include:

• Moodle
• Blackboard
• Canvas
• BrightSpace
• Google Classroom

VLEs will usually allow the tutor to track student progress and increasingly can be used to help provide data to highlight how engaged students are with their learning. The learning environment may be integrated with other institutional systems, such as:

• Course, Module and student information systems
• Video streaming systems
• Lecture recording
• Assessment & Plagiarism detection
• Library reading lists
• Portfolios

[Add institutional link: VLE/E-Learning Support]