Research Report on the Impact of VLE on Students at University

This report investigates the impact of Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) on university students, particularly in light of the shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores both the positive and negative effects of VLEs on student engagement, knowledge acquisition, and skill development. The research incorporates a literature review of existing studies and primary data collected through a questionnaire survey of 20 students at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David London campus. The findings reveal that while VLEs offer increased accessibility and opportunities for community building, they also present challenges such as time wastage and the negative effects of excessive screen time. The report concludes that VLEs are crucial for modern education but require careful management to maximize their benefits and mitigate potential drawbacks.

RESEARCH REPORT
ON THE IMPACT ON
VLE
1

Table of Contents
Topic : Impact of virtual learning environment on students ...........................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Secondary research .........................................................................................................................3
Literature review.........................................................................................................................3
Research methodology.....................................................................................................................4
Primary research..............................................................................................................................5
Interpretation ...................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................10
References .....................................................................................................................................11
Books and journals ...................................................................................................................11
2

Topic : Impact of virtual learning environment on students
Introduction
This report is aiming to see the impact of virtual learning environment on students of
universities. Virtual learning environment is the environment in which students studies on virtual
platforms. Due to Covid 19 pandemic, many of the universities are carrying teaching on their
digital platforms which makes use of latest technologies to make students studies. There can be
positive and negative impact of VLE on students (Karuović, Tasić, and Milanov, 2021). It is
helping students in progressing from passive to active learners. VLE helps students in improving
of their knowledge an engagement with their teachers and with their course as well. As there is a
need of virtual learning in students life and make them aware about latest technologies coming in
market. This will helps students in focusing more on studies and learning disciplines as well.
This report includes primary and secondary research and their findings through questionnaire
survey. Then it includes research methodology and at last conclusion is made.
Secondary research
Literature review
From the views of Caccese, Cargill, and Ochia, (2021) Virtual learning environment is a
virtual spaces in which students and teachers interact with each other in order to share their
resources and activities in most effective manner. This is done through digital platforms. As
these can be used at the time of completing online course and supporting the features of face to
face interactions in a systematic manner. VLE helps in managing learning environment of a
people and communication effectively with their tutors and teachers. With the increase in current
pandemic of covid 19, students re taking online classes from their teachers and learning
everything online which could helps them in gaining more knowledge and information about a
particular topic or a course. VLE are attracting students towards their topic and engage them
towards their learning. The major objectives is to ease, motivating and provide learning
experiences to the students in a classroom (Almonacid-Fierro, Vargas-Vitoria, and Fierro, 2021).
VLE is providing positive and negative impact to the students. Some of the platforms which are
used in VLE is Edmodo, Schoology, Uscovirtual. As these platforms helps in providing securing
environment to the students and also these can be used at various times which could provide
them experience of Pedagogical benefits, advancement in technologies etc.
3

According to Graalman, (2021) But on the other hand, VLE can be resulting in negative
behaviour of a students because sometimes there could be wastage of time and other resources
and this will not be able to add value to teaching and learning process. As sometimes students
while learning in online classes will goes to another websites which could results in wastage of
time and sees something irrelevant media news. But virtual learning environment will providing
different state of learning to students so that students could get fully engaged with their content.
The nature of VLE is more institution led rather than teacher led. It is one of reason why teacher
do not fully engaged what they offer to them. Further, it is said that virtual learning environment
is a software that is beings sold by companies to universities in which teachers follow the
uploaded activities and resources which is necessary for students and from which students could
learn something new ad unique. In addition, VLE can be used as time consuming for teachers
because they have to upload various activities and course on a application and create their own
task and play application according (Latorre, 2021). During this covid pandemic, University of
Wales trinity saint David London campus is providing various online courses and learning habits
to students to increase their knowledge ans skills.
Research methodology
 Research choice : Research choice consisting of two types of methods. These are
qualitative method and quantitative method. In this present research, researcher is making
use of quantitative research which helps in collecting data through questionnaire survey
and makes use of tables and graph, this helps the researcher in making close ended
questions which helps in getting accurate information.
 Data collection method : Data can be collected through two methods. These are primary
data collections and secondary data collection method. Primary data includes practical
information and graphs and tables. On the other hand, secondary data collection includes
theoretical information like books and articles. In this present research, primary data is
collected through questionnaire survey which includes graphs and tables and this survey
is to be filled online by respondents of University of Wales trinity saint David London
campus (Khlaif, and Salha, 2021). Secondary information is collected through literature
review which is collected through books and journals.
 Sampling: In this present research, researcher will be able to use probabilistic sampling
which helps in choosing better samples. In this random sampling is used so that there
4

could not be any biasses among samples. The sample size selected in this research is 20
students of University of Wales trinity saint David London campus. They are given a
questionnaire in order to fill it online to get reliable information (Schmidt, Schmidt, and
Palmer, 2021).
Primary research
Questionnaire
Q1. According to you, what do you understand by the term VLE ? Frequency
a. Educational technology for digital aspects of courses 5
b. Web based platforms which includes resources, task and activities
that provides various stages of assessments.
3
c. Virtual classroom that allows teachers and students to communicate
effectively with each other online.
2
d. all the above 10
Q2. According to you, why virtual learning environment is essential for
students and teachers?
Frequency
a. Increasing accessibility and inclusivity 5
b. Community and building relationships 10
c. Saving of cost 5
Q3. During this covid 10 pandemic, how professors have been able to
transit complex ideas within virtual learning environment?
Frequency
a. Use of info-grams for difficult concepts 6
b. Discussion forms in Moodle for Info-grams 6
c. H5P developing tools 8
Q4. How do you get motivated towards online learning classes? Frequency
a. use of attractive videos and comments 8
b. Traditional scripto resources 10
5

c. use of social media pages and television conferencing 2
Q5. What can be the negative impact of virtual learning environment on
students ?
Frequency
a. Wastage of time 5
b. Infrastructural challenges 5
c. Effects of excess screen time on students 10
Interpretation
Q1. According to you, what do you understand by the term VLE ? Frequency
a. Educational technology for digital aspects of courses 5
b. Web based platforms which includes resources, task and activities
that provides various stages of assessments.
3
c. Virtual classroom that allows teachers and students to communicate
effectively with each other online.
2
d. all the above 10
Interpretation
6
a. Educational technology for
digital aspects of courses
b. Web based platforms which
includes resources, task and
activities that provides various
stages of assessments.
c. Virtual classroom that
allows teachers and students
to communicate effectively
with each other online.
d. all the above

From the above graph, it is analysed that this research is conducted between 20 samples,
out of those 20, 5 says that VLE is the educational technology for digital aspects of courses.
Then next of 3 people said that it is a VLE is the web based platform which includes resources,
task and activities the provides various stages of assessments (Maré, and Mutezo, 2021). Then
next 2 people said that VLE is a classroom that is allowing teachers and students to communicate
effectively with each other online. Then next 10 people says that all the above statements are
agreed and they are saying all the definitions of VLE.
Q2. According to you, why virtual learning environment is essential for
students and teachers?
Frequency
a. Increasing accessibility and inclusivity 5
b. Community and building relationships 10
c. Saving of cost 5
Interpretation
From the graph, it can be concluded that out of those 20 samples, 5 says that increasing
accessibility and inclusivity is the most essential use of virtual learning environment for students
7
a. Increasing accessibility and
inclusivity
b. Community and building
relationships
c. Saving of cost

and teachers. Then next 10 people says that virtual learning environment is most important
because to make community and building relationships for students and teachers. Next of the
other 5 people says that saving cost is the most important use of virtual learning for students and
teachers both.
Q3. During this covid 10 pandemic, how professors have been able to
transit complex ideas within virtual learning environment?
Frequency
a. Use of info-grams for difficult concepts 6
b. Discussion forms in Moodle for Info-grams 6
c. H5P developing tools 8
Interpretation
From the above graph, it is concluded that out of 20 respondents, 6 says that, in the time
of pandemic, professors make use of info grams for difficult concept so that they could able to
transit complex ideas within virtual learning environment. Next 6 people says that discussing
forms in Moodle for info grams is being able to transit complex ideas within virtual learning
environment (Pandya, Patterson and Cho, 2021). Then rest of the other 8 people use H5P
8
a. Use of info-grams for
difficult concepts
b. Discussion forms in Moodle
for Info-grams
c. H5P developing tools

developing tool is the method used by professors in order to transit complex ideas within virtual
learning environment.
Q4. How do you get motivated towards online learning classes? Frequency
a. use of attractive videos and comments 8
b. Traditional scripto resources 10
c. use of social media pages and television conferencing 2
Interpretation
From the table and graph, it is said that this research is conducted between 20
respondents, 8 said that professors make use of attractive videos and comments in order to
motivate students towards online learning classes. Then next 10 people says that professors use
traditional scripto resources in order to motivate students towards online learning classes. Then
rest of the other 2 people says that teachers make use of social media pages and television
conferencing is the method used to motivate students towards online learning classes.
Q5. What can be the negative impact of virtual learning environment on
students ?
Frequency
a. Wastage of time 5
9
a. use of attractive videos and
comments
b. Traditional scripto resources
c. use of social media pages
and television conferencing

b. Infrastructural challenges 5
c. Effects of excess screen time on students 10
Interpretation
From the graph, it can be concluded that out of those 20 respondents, 5 people said that
wastage of time is negative impact of virtual learning environment on students. Then next 5
people says that infrastructural challenges are negative impact of virtual learning environment on
students (Dreifuerst, Bradley, and Johnson, 2021). Rest of other 10 people finds effect of excess
screen time on students is negative impact on virtual learning environment.
Conclusion
From the above it could be concluded that Virtual learning environment is most
important for the students now a days. During this covid pandemic, many of the universities are
making use of VLE in order to gather and motivate students towards their studies. It is discussed
that VLE is creating positive and negative impact on students. As at one hand if it helps in
gaining more courses and learning, on the other hand, it is very time consuming for students and
teachers to see a course. This will helping students in development of their skills and improving
their technique skills as well. Further, there is a use of both primary and secondary research in
10
a. Wastage of time
b. Infrastructural challenges
c. Effects of excess screen
time on students

order to collect information about a topic of impact of virtual learning environment on students.
These both method helps in getting reliable and accurate information about a given topic.
11

References
Books and journals
Almonacid-Fierro, A., Vargas-Vitoria, R., De Carvalho, R.S. and Fierro, M.A., 2021. Impact on
Teaching in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.
International Journal
of Evaluation and Research in Education,
10(2), pp.432-440.
Caccese, N.J., Cargill, R.S. and Ochia, R., 2021, July. WIP: Enhancing Student Understanding of
Impact Dynamics Using a Jupyter-Based Simulation Tool for Injury Analysis. In
2021
ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access.
Dreifuerst, K.T., Bradley, C.S. and Johnson, B.K., 2021. Using debriefing for meaningful
learning with screen-based simulation.
Nurse Educator,
46(4), pp.239-244.
Graalman, T., 2021.
The virtual classroom environment and traditional classroom environment
(Doctoral dissertation).
Karuović, D., Tasić, I., Hains, V.V., Glušac, D., Namestovski, Z., Szabo, C., Kocaleva, M. and
Milanov, D., 2021. Students' habits and competencies for creating virtual learning
environments.
Computer Applications in Engineering Education,
29(4), pp.864-882.
Khlaif, Z.N. and Salha, S., 2021. Using TikTok in Education: A Form of Micro-learning or
Nano-learning?.
Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences.
Latorre, J., 2021. Reading Comprehension and Working Memory.
Maré, S. and Mutezo, A.T., 2021. The effectiveness of e-tutoring in an open and distance e-
learning environment: evidence from the university of south africa.
Open Learning: The
Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning,
36(2), pp.164-180.
Pandya, B., Patterson, L. and Cho, B., 2021. Pedagogical transitions experienced by higher
education faculty members–“Pre-Covid to Covid”.
Journal of Applied Research in
Higher Education.
Schmidt, M., Schmidt, C., Glaser, N., Beck, D., Lim, M. and Palmer, H., 2021. Evaluation of a
spherical video-based virtual reality intervention designed to teach adaptive skills for
adults with autism: a preliminary report.
Interactive Learning Environments,
29(3),
pp.345-364.
Veselov, M. and Vitvitskyi, S., 2021.
Internet and Juvenile Prevention: A New Format of
Prophylactic Activities with Children (Doctoral dissertation, Atlantis Press).
12