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. The effect of a student’s use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) on their academic performance has not been the subject of extensive research, but is likely to be of interest to both students and the lecturers who develop resources for a VLE. This paper presents an examination of two modules from the 2010/11 final year BEng Civil Engineering course at Loughborough University. Data from the students’ academic performance is compared with the VLE’s usage logs in order to identify relationships. Correlations differed for the two modules but were generally weak.