Principles and Practices for Enhanced Visual Design in Virtual Learning Environments

2018 ◽  
pp. 103-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna Grant-Smith ◽  
Tim Donnet ◽  
James Macaulay ◽  
Renee Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Management Systems ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Visual Design ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Visual Identity ◽  
Visual Design Principles ◽  
The Relationship

The widespread adoption of learning management systems (LMS) in higher education has been promoted as a means of modernizing learning material, improving learning outcomes, and enhancing student engagement, but has often fallen short of these goals. It has been suggested that investment in visual design has the potential to ensure the promise of LMS can be realized. Through the reflections of instructors, a learning designer, and students, this chapter explores the relationship between LMS aesthetics and usability and student engagement. It proposes visual design principles and practices which highlight the combined contribution of functional utility, visual identity, aesthetic appeal, and transactional access to enhancing student engagement and user experience in a virtual learning environment.

Principles and Practices for Enhanced Visual Design in Virtual Learning Environments

2021 ◽  
pp. 1725-1749
Author(s):  
Deanna Grant-Smith ◽  
Tim Donnet ◽  
James Macaulay ◽  
Renee Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Management Systems ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Visual Design ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Visual Identity ◽  
Visual Design Principles ◽  
The Relationship

The widespread adoption of learning management systems (LMS) in higher education has been promoted as a means of modernizing learning material, improving learning outcomes, and enhancing student engagement, but has often fallen short of these goals. It has been suggested that investment in visual design has the potential to ensure the promise of LMS can be realized. Through the reflections of instructors, a learning designer, and students, this chapter explores the relationship between LMS aesthetics and usability and student engagement. It proposes visual design principles and practices which highlight the combined contribution of functional utility, visual identity, aesthetic appeal, and transactional access to enhancing student engagement and user experience in a virtual learning environment.

User Modeling Approach for Dyslexic Students in Virtual Learning Environments

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima Ezzahra Benmarrakchi ◽  
Jamal El Kafi ◽  
Ali Elhore
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Conventional Instruction ◽  
Cognitive Traits ◽  
The Relationship

Dyslexia or reading disability is one of the most common learning disabilities. It is defined as a disorder manifested by difficulty in learning to read despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity. In this paper the authors focus on the potential benefits of the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for students with dyslexia to promote the learning process, by considering the relationship between their learning style preferences and their cognitive traits in virtual learning environments. At this propose the authors investigated the relationship between dyslexic's learning style and cognitive trait within the hypothesis that dyslexic learners may have possible preferences in virtual learning environment, which may be used to improve the dyslexic user modelling. The aim of this paper is to provide an adaptive learning environment for users with dyslexia based on their learning styles preferences and their cognitive traits.

scholarly journals Medical Student Engagement in a Virtual Learning Environment Positively Correlates with Course Performance and Satisfaction in Psychiatry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larrilyn L. Grant ◽  
Michael J. Opperman ◽  
Brennan Schiller ◽  
Jonathan Chastain ◽  
Jennelle Durnett Richardson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Course Performance

scholarly journals Produção textual e autoria em ambiente virtual de aprendizagem: uma escrita dialógica / Textual production and authorship in virtual learning environment: a dialogical writing

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-323
Author(s):  
Claudemir Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Mikhail Bakhtin ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Textual Production ◽  
Technological Tools ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

RESUMO: As possibilidades oferecidas pelas ferramentas tecnológicas para a produção de texto afetam sobremaneira a concepção que temos de escrita e de autoria. Neste artigo, objetivamos discutir uma concepção dialógica de escrita e de autoria, tendo como objeto de análise uma interação virtual escrita realizada por estudantes de uma universidade pública do estado de São Paulo. Essa discussão está ancorada nos pressupostos teóricos de Mikhail Bakhtin e seus interlocutores contemporâneos acerca das categorias teóricas autor e dialogismo, bem como em estudos sobre os impactos do uso de ferramentas tecnológicas na produção textual para a relação com a escrita e a autoria, sobretudo em Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem. Concluímos que a escrita no Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem ocorre em um processo dialógico entre alunos, professor(es) e textos outros, havendo convergências ou divergências quando os alunos assumem o lugar de autor que organiza vozes.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: escrita; autoria; dialogismo; ambiente virtual de aprendizagem.ABSTRACT: The possibilities offered by the technological tools for the production of text greatly affect the conception we have of writing and authorship. In this article, we aim at discussing a dialogical conception of writing and authorship, by analyzing a virtual written interaction made by students of a public university in the state of São Paulo. This discussion is anchored in the theoretical assumptions of Mikhail Bakhtin and his contemporary interlocutors about the theoretical categories of author and dialogism, as well as on studies about the impact of the use of technological tools in textual production on the relationship with writing and the authorship, especially in virtual learning environments. We conclude that writing in the Virtual Learning Environment occurs in a dialogical process between students, teacher(s) and other texts, occurring convergences or divergences when students take the place of author who organizes voices.KEYWORDS: writing; authorship; dialogism; virtual learning environment.

The Importance of Virtual Learning Environments in Higher Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 109-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Alves ◽  
Luisa Miranda ◽  
Carlos Morais
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Computer Skills ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Access Frequency

This chapter focuses on the concept of virtual learning environment (VLE), its characteristics and potentialities. We present the results of a research work conducted with a sample of 347 undergraduates from a Portuguese public higher education institution. The research addressed the issue regarding the use of virtual learning environments within the higher education context and had the following aims: identify the VLE access frequency; assess the influence of users' computer skills on the VLE access frequency; and assess the importance and impact that students consider the VLE to have on supporting the course units they attend. In the light of the results obtained and considering the VLE used in the sample institution, we highlight that the majority of students accesses the VLE on a daily basis, no significant differences were found regarding VLE access according to users' computer skills, and the most valued aspects of the VLE were: checking exam results and receiving teachers' messages or notices.

Online Virtual Learning Environments

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Adamo-Villani ◽  
Hazar Dib
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Interactive 3D

This article is an overview of online virtual learning environments for discovery learning. The paper defines Virtual Learning Environments and discusses literature findings on the benefits of using web-based VEs for self-directed learning. It gives an overview of the latest technologies/platforms used to develop online VEs, discusses development and delivery challenges posed by complex, information-rich web-based 3D environments, and describes possible solutions that can be adopted to overcome current limitations. The paper also presents and discusses two 3D web-deliverable virtual learning environments that were recently developed by the authors: the “Virtual Tour of the Muscatatuck State Hospital Historic District (MSHHD)” and the “VELS: Virtual Environment for Learning Surveying”. The “Interactive 3D Tour of MSHHD” is a web-based digital heritage application that uses Virtual Reality as a tool to document and preserve historic sites and educate the public about them; the “VELS” is an online virtual learning environment whose objective is to help undergraduate students learn surveying concepts and practices.

Learning Rationales and Virtual Reality Technology in Education

1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guey-Fa Chiou
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Technology In Education ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Virtual Reality Technology ◽  
Modeling Technology ◽  
Case Based Learning

Virtual reality technology has many potentials to be applied to help learning. Learning rationales are required to guide the design of virtual reality technology-based learning (VR-Based Learning). Constructionism, case-based learning, problem-based learning, and situated learning are considered as appropriate rationales. An integrated learning rationale and design models based on the integrated learning rationale for VR-based learning are needed. Beliefs about information technology in education were used as guidelines to discuss the application of virtual reality technology to design virtual learning environment, virtual learning material, and virtual learning tool. Virtual reality technology is a modeling technology, education is a modeling process, combining these two modeling approaches is natural and necessary.

scholarly journals The Contribution of Dynamic Exploration to Virtual Anatomical Learning

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Maarten Luursema ◽  
Willem B. Verwey
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Mental Representations ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
The Other ◽  
Visual Depth ◽  
Follow Up Study

Virtual Learning Environments are increasingly becoming part of the medical curriculum. In a previous study we (luursema et al., 2006) found that a combination of computer-implementedstereopsis(visual depth through seeing with both eyes) anddynamic exploration(being able to continuously change one's viewpoint relative to the studied objects in real time) is beneficial to anatomical learning, especially for subjects of lowvisuo spatial ability(the ability to form, retrieve, and manipulate mental representations of a visuo-spatial nature). A follow-up study (luursema et al., 2008) found the contribution of computer-implemented stereopsis to this effect to be small but significant. The present experiment investigated the contribution of dynamic exploration to anatomical learning by means of a virtual learning environment. Seventy participants were tested for visuo-spatial ability and were grouped in pairs matched for this ability. One individual of the pair actively manipulated a 3D reconstruction of the human abdomen; the other individual passively watched the interactions of the first individual on a separate screen. Learning was assessed by two anatomical learning tests. Dynamic exploration provided a small but significant benefit to anatomical learning.

scholarly journals Criterios para la evaluación de usabilidad en entornos virtuales de aprendizaje [Judgment Guidelines for usability evaluation in virtual learning environments]

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edilma Leonor DÍAZ GUTIÉRREZ ◽  
Andrea Catherine ALARCÓN ALDANA ◽  
Mauro CALLEJAS CUERVO
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Knowledge Integration ◽  
Web Applications ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Software Usability ◽  
Entornos Virtuales De Aprendizaje ◽  
Entornos Virtuales

Resumen La calidad de un producto software aborda distintos aspectos, entre ellos la usabilidad, y al evaluarla, se afrontan algunas dificultades, como el desconocimiento de los atributos a evaluar, las características de los usuarios y objetivo del producto evaluado; en el caso de entornos virtuales de aprendizaje, deben permitir el desarrollo de procesos de incorporación de habilidades y saberes teniendo en cuenta quesus usuarios tienen distintos grados de conocimiento, edades e intereses, pertenecen a múltiples disciplinas y acceden desde distintos dispositivos. Dichas diferencias hacen que el proceso de evaluación de usabilidad de un entorno virtual de aprendizaje tenga unas características propias. Actualmente no existe un consenso en cuanto a los aspectos que se consideran para establecer factores de usabilidad en métodos de evaluación de calidad, lo cual motiva la construcción de otro tipo deaplicaciones web que dejan de lado aspectos propios de este factor, conllevando a que sean los usuarios quienes se adaptan a las características de la WebApp y no como debiera ser. Considerando lo anterior, se realizó un estudio de trabajos previos, modelos, normas y estándares de calidad, que permitieron analizar los principales atributos de usabilidad de las aplicaciones web y enfáticamente de los entornos virtuales de aprendizaje. Palabras Claves:modelo, estándar, usabilidad, entorno virtual de aprendizaje, calidad.   Abstract Software quality deals with different aspects. One of them is usability. However, it has been quite challenging to assess due to the lack of knowledge of its features. Besides, software usability is also related to its aim and target users. For instance, virtual learning environments should enhance abilities and knowledge integration. Its users have different knowledge levels, ages, interests, background and technological device access. Then, virtual learning environment assessment varies according to its own features and currently, there is a lack of consensus around setting usability principles in quality assessment methods. As a result, web applications and designing tend to overlook this aspect. Then, users have to adapt to WebApp features rather than the reverse. Therefore, this article aims at showing the study of previous works, models, norms and quality standards leading to the analysis of usability principles referring to web applications and virtual learning environments. Keywords: model, standard, usability, virtual learning environment, quality.

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