This table provides a definition of the four key areas of the Technology Enhanced Learning Environments activity area

Definitions: Technology Enhanced Learning Environments areas

Key area

Context and definition

Personalised learning environments

Personal learning environments (PLE) are environments in which individuals can access personal learning resources, tools and services. The term refers in part to the government agenda towards supporting 'personalised learning' (DfES, 2005), a term that has come to mean more than differentiated learning, but also assisting and enhancing learning with ICT. More recently, Scott Wilson and others at JISC-CETIS have outlined an alternative design approach to VLEs, and they have introduced the term PLE to reflect the new design principle (see Wilson et al., 2006 for a full description of the term). See also Scott Wilson's diagram below representing the term. Building upon this, and the drive towards a more enriched and personalised learning experience, we take 'personal learning environments' in this document to mean accessing and sharing a range of different resources, tools and services in support of personalised learning activities and objectives (for individual learners and groups of learners).

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Personal learning environments (PLEs) are environments where the learner can access and share a range of tools and services in an integrated way for supporting their own needs. These environments have evolved from the VLE and MLE developments of the past as well as building upon new tools e.g. social software. Together they offer greater opportunities for personalization. PLEs may include: social software, integrated tools and user modelled services. The learning theories used to support PLEs tend to be a blend of associative, cognitive and situative learning theories.

Institutional (virtual) learning environments A 'Virtual Learning Environment' (VLE) or 'Learning Management System' [is] designed to act as a focus for students' learning activities and their management and facilitation, along with the provision of content and resources required to help make the activities successful.' (Stiles)
These systems allow students and tutors to interact locally or remotely. They can collaboratively share and generate knowledge in the virtual environment without having to travel out of their local setting. VLE software is currently being used across most UK institutions to support a variety of different types of learning: for example, collaborative and co-operative, blended and distance learning. A study undertaken in 2005 for the JISC indicates a high take-up of VLE in all types of institutions surveyed (including FE and HE). 86% of FE colleges, 97% of pre-1992 universities and 90% of post-1992 universities report using at least one type of VLE. However, it is worth noting that the study indicated a wide variation in subject area usage of a VLE from 16% in Medicine, Dentistry & Veterinary Medicine through to 82% in Business Management, Accountancy, Economics and Law.
Physical learning spaces Physical learning spaces contain many of the learning interactions and experiences of learning at college and in university. However, the wider use of new technologies and web-based services is having implications upon how the physical learning spaces are organized, leading in some cases to re-designing learning spaces accommodating for the use of PCs and mobile devices to be more easily integrated into learning practice. In this way, the work around the design and use of physical learning spaces is central to supporting new and enriched learning experiences with ICT. Some scoping work has been undertaken by the JISC to map out and provide support for those involved in rebuild projects (see: Smith, 2006).
Physical learning spaces are the 'container' spaces for most traditional learning interactions and activities. With the emergence of virtual and online learning opportunities these spaces are being re-conceptualized and re-designed, partly to facilitate more effective use of flexible spaces for learning to improve the learners experience with traditional learning but also to improve the opportunities for informal and mobile learning. These spaces may include: traditional learning exchanges and uses, blended learning approaches (using mobile and virtual as well as face-to-face learning experiences). They can also include technology enhanced social spaces and libraries. Learning theories applied here tend to cover all the key associative, cognitive and situative models of learning.
Mobile and immersive learning environments Building upon the work undertaken for the JISC, the linked areas of mobile and immersive learning environments bring together more experience-based learning that often blends physical and virtual learning to support enriched blended learning experiences (e.g. Kukulska-Hulme & Traxler, 2005; de Freitas, 2006). In this context, social software is also included within the definition of this area.
In terms of the use of mobile technologies, social software, game-based learning applications and multi-user virtual environments, a range of applications and tools are becoming available to support these experiences. Increasingly problem-based, experiential and exploratory learning approaches are being used to support this kind of learning. Mobile and immersive learning environments are environments, which have mobile or immersive (e.g. 3D) components. These environments may include: integrated social software tools, mobile learning, game-based learning, simulation-based learning, producing 'seamless' learning experiences and often place an emphasis upon collaborative learning. These environments may be fully immersive as a 3D environment, combine virtual and real spaces or integrate mobile capabilities to engage and motivate differentiated learner groups. Game-based and simulation-based learning tools have been used most extensively to date in vocational training contexts or in industries (e.g. health) where training transfer is critical. Learning theories used include: experiential learning, exploratory learning and problem-based learning.
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  • Last updated on 08/01/09 by Kerry Ann Down