Aug 2026· International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research· Vol 8· 0 citations· 20 references
TL;DR
It is concluded that deliberate efforts to strengthen communication within VLEs are indispensable for enhancing student engagement, fostering deeper learning, and ensuring the long-term viability of digital education.
Abstract
The expanding role of information and communication technologies has fundamentally altered educational practice, a shift that became especially pronounced during the accelerated digital transition prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) now serve as central platforms that enable instructors and students to exchange resources, interact, collaborate, and complete assessments remotely. Their principal advantages—flexibility and accessibility—have made them particularly valuable for learners operating across varied locations and schedules. Yet the pedagogical potential of VLEs is frequently undermined by persistent communication difficulties that shape the quality of the learning experience.
This conceptual paper reviews the principal communication challenges associated with VLEs and examines their consequences for student learning. Drawing on the existing literature, the analysis identifies a set of recurring obstacles: unreliable internet connectivity, diminished social presence, restricted interaction opportunities, delayed or insufficient feedback, uneven digital competencies, and reduced learner engagement. These issues extend beyond mere technical inconvenience; they influence students’ motivation, self-confidence, satisfaction, and academic outcomes. In many instances they also generate stress, feelings of isolation, and disparities in learning opportunity.
If higher-education institutions wish VLEs to support genuine educational value, they must attend simultaneously to the technological infrastructure and the human dimensions of communication. The paper concludes that deliberate efforts to strengthen communication within VLEs are indispensable for enhancing student engagement, fostering deeper learning, and ensuring the long-term viability of digital education.
Distance learning has revolutionized the educational environment, providing flexibility, accessibility, and affordability to learners and instructors across the globe. The technology revolution, spurred by innovations in technology and the global penetration of the internet, has expanded education to reach a larger audience, transcending geographical boundaries and allowing self-learning at one's own pace. Moreover, online environments enable collaborative learning through multimedia materials, virtual classrooms, and AI-driven personalized learning experiences.
But, in spite of its merits, online education is fraught with several challenges. Digital divide, infrastructural limitations, and disparity in access to technology are significant challenges, particularly in the developing world. Physical contact absence impinges on learner engagement, peer interaction, and instructor-student relationship, thus reducing motivation and learning efficiency. Further, data security, authenticity of assessment, and efficacy of online tests as well as assessment raise further concerns regarding its popular adoption.
In spite of these issues, online learning offers tremendous potential. The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and adaptive learning systems is revolutionizing the mode of knowledge transfer. Hybrid models of learning, which combine classroom instruction with digital tools, provide a balanced mix of education. To realize the full potential of online learning, it is essential to bridge technological gaps, improve digital literacy, and develop interactive, student-oriented curricula.
This paper examines the principal challenges and opportunities in online education, highlighting the necessity of creative solutions, participatory policies, and collaborative initiatives to enhance the effectiveness, equity, and sustainability of digital learning in the new educational landscape.
Priyanka, Daniela Anita, Dr. Vipin Kumar· International journal of res...· 0 citations
This critical literature review examines the use of digital learning environments in special and inclusive education, focusing on assistive technologies, adaptive platforms, artificial intelligence, online learning, smart learning environments, and teacher competence. The review addresses three main questions: what benefits these environments offer students with special educational needs and disabilities, what knowledge and competencies teachers need to use them effectively, and what barriers limit their inclusive value. The findings show that digital tools can improve access, communication, engagement, self-paced learning, and social participation when they offer flexible, multimodal ways to learn. However, technology alone does not create inclusion; its success depends on teacher guidance, institutional support, reliable infrastructure, accessibility by design, and careful ethical governance. The review also highlights risks such as cognitive overload, weak accessibility, unequal access, privacy concerns, and biased or opaque AI systems. Overall, digital learning environments can support more equitable education, but only when guided by learner needs, teacher judgement, and clear lines of responsibility.
Panagiotis Toumpos, Alexandros Gazis, T. Vavouras et al.· WSEAS Transactions on Advanc...· 0 citations
Asynchronous online learning has become a central component of higher education provision, offering flexibility for diverse student populations. However, maintaining a high-quality student experience at scale remains challenging. This presentation reports early findings of a SoTL project evaluating the experience of online students in a fully asynchronous, tutor-supported online learning model for Master’s courses in Business, Computer Science, Nursing, and Psychology, implemented at Sheffield Hallam University in partnership with Higher Ed Partners (HEP). This study examines online students’ perceptions of course design, delivery, and engagement. These students are typically mature learners, balancing study with work and personal commitments, and tend to prioritise flexibility and accessibility. Understanding their experiences is therefore critical to sustaining engagement and reducing dropout rates. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, this project draws on student surveys, focus groups, and learning analytics to examine patterns of engagement, satisfaction, and attainment across and between courses. The aim is to identify key strengths of our provision, which may include flexible learning structures and modular design, alongside challenges like feelings of isolation, varying levels of peer interaction, and differing expectations of tutor support. This presentation will also identify priority areas for enhancing student experience, considering how these improvements can be implemented as the provision scales. By focusing on the student perspective, this study contributes to emerging evidence on effective asynchronous learning design for intensive online models and offers practical recommendations for developing flexible, inclusive, and engaging online provision.
Mustafa Chaudry, Keith Harris, Diana Hintea et al.· Journal of Scholarship of Te...· 0 citations
The shift to online teaching and learning (OTL) has significantly transformed the higher education landscape, particularly in response to global disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that necessitated remote engagement. This study identifies the challenges and opportunities for OTL at Durban University of Technology’s Business School (DBS). A qualitative research design was used, with an open-ended questionnaire administered to DUT (DBS) students and academic staff. Data were collected from DBS students and academic staff using purposive and convenience sampling. A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed, with 82 responses received. The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis supported by NVivo software. Findings indicate that while OTL offers considerable advantages such as reduced commuting time, increased autonomy and broader access to learning materials, it also presents notable challenges. These include inconsistent internet connectivity, limited interaction with peers and lecturers and varying levels of motivation and self-regulation. The research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on digital pedagogy in South African higher education and offers practical recommendations for enhancing the quality and accessibility of online learning at DUT. These include improving infrastructure, offering targeted academic support and fostering a culture of digital readiness among both students and lecturers.
Anne Govindasamy, Sean Jugmohan, V. Rawjee et al.· Journal of Education and Tra...· 0 citations
This study examines a persistent puzzle in active learning research in education: why do pedagogically sound interventions not always translate into perceived student value? We analyzed Information and Communications (ICT) Engineering students’ perceptions of three structurally distinct activities (weekly quizzes, individual concept maps, and a finance escape room) within a compulsory business course. Using bipolar laddering, 133 positive and 72 negative perception elements were mapped onto four dimensions of theSustainable Learning in Education (SLE) framework: renewal and relearning, transferability, independent and collaborative learning, and active learning. Self-regulated learning (SRL) functioned as the mechanism linking environmental dimensions to student agency and engagement. Students perceived all three activities as useful for examination preparation, but through different cognitive pathways. Quizzes supported distributed retrieval practice and were valued for re-attempts, though their usefulness declined with weak exam alignment or limited access. Concept maps enabled synthesis and relational understanding, yet received the lowest student endorsement, largely because in some instances student work was not returned post-submission. The escape room achieved the strongest and most consistent endorsement for exam preparation, with perceived limitations related only to activity duration and syllabus coverage. Activity alignment with SLE dimensions was uneven: quizzes aligned principally with renewal, concept maps with transferability, and all activities with independent and collaborative learning in distinct ways. Active learning was present throughout, but not uniform. The central finding was that perceived usefulness depended less on activity type than on feedback distribution and continuity. When feedback loops broke, perceived value declined. Together, the activities, therefore, form a complementary course-level feedback system. Through this case study, we identified five design recommendations to be implemented in the next edition of the course, positioning feedback as a system-level variable.
The rapid adoption of digital technologies in higher education has reshaped how students learn, collaborate, and engage, yet assumptions that online learning automatically enhances educational experiences remain largely unexamined. This study examined how students organised academic activities and appropriate digital tools within a fully online learning environment. Framed through a sociocultural perspective on mediated action, the study employed a qualitative case study design involving over 60 students and 30 hours of semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten university students. Findings revealed an underexplored pattern of structured but non-linear group work, in which students improvised coordination practices through WhatsApp, Padlet, voice notes, calls, and peer reference. First-come, first-served task allocation, volunteer compilation, and peer-based checking enabled students to organise group work but also contributed to uneven participation and limited opportunities for negotiation. Students further adapted their learning activities to home commitments, connectivity problems, and asynchronous communication, often prioritising task completion and submission over deeper content scrutiny. These findings demonstrate that student agency in online learning involves substantial coordination work, as learners construct and adapt social structures around available digital tools. However, such agency does not necessarily produce equitable or meaningful participation. The study contributes to sociocultural understandings of online learning by showing how students actively construct mediated collaborative practices when physical co-presence is absent, highlighting the need for pedagogical structures that support coordination, participation, and meaningful feedback.
Farha Alia Mokhtar, Sally Barnes· IAFOR Journal of Education· 0 citations