VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS TOOLS USED IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) used in the learning process at all the level of the educational systems but especially into Higher Education, has specific tools. From science of education perspective, VLE’s tools offers technological support to academic staff and students to optimize the teaching/learning process, student-centred, for accomplish, at the end, a real transformative learning. VLE’s tools are very divers and must be well known of the academic staff for using them in a proper way in the teaching, learning and evaluation process. When a professor choose a tools of e-learning, he should have in mind the type of the course in which could it be applied to as well as the needs and possibilities of the students. The new generation of students are capable of fast information adoption and multitasking, and they call for a random access to information (“anytime, anywhere”), as they are accustomed to Google-like informational systems and multiple media operating. Through e-learning, a new educational environment can be set and an environment can be constructed in the direction of interaction, processing information, researching and problem-solving. The students are asked to actively get involved, and often work in teams. The role of the professor is to design the methods of learning and help the student develop their talents and capabilities. In order to evaluate the VLE tools used in Higher Education on practical level, the short survey among 120 students was managed. According to the survey results and the Transformative Learning Theory given by Mezirow, it is obvious that the way of learning in a modern educational system should be improved.