Academic performance in a 3D virtual learning environment: Different learning types vs. different class types

Abstract

The last decade has seen an increasing interest in the use of 3D virtual environments for educational applications. However, very few studies investigated the influence of the learning context, such as class type and learning type, on learners’ academic performance. This paper studied the impact of class type (i.e. comprehensive or selective) classes, as well as learning type (i.e. guided or challenge and guided), on students’ level of usage of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) as well as on their academic performance. The results showed that, unlike class type, there is a significant difference between learners’ in their usage of the VLE. Moreover, the results showed that the levels of using a VLE significantly correlated with learners’ academic performance.