The use of virtual learning environments and their impact on academic performance

Links have been reported in the literature between lecture attendance and academic performance. However, the effect of a student’s use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) on their academic performance is not an area which has been the subject of extensive research, but is likely of much interest both to students and to the lecturers who develop resources for a VLE. This paper presents an examination of two modules from the 2010-2011 final year BEng Civil Engineering course at Loughborough University. Data from the students’ academic performance is combined with usage logs of the VLE to search for relationships. Although correlations were generally weak, it was observed that the correlation was slightly stronger for the coursework only module than for the module with an exam assessment. It was also noted that the trend was more obvious for male students than for females, although female students were a small minority in the modules studied.