“See you after school?”

How informal virtual learning environments are influencing formal education

Abstract

There are two forms of e-learning environments: formal and informal. E-learning that provides formal education is led by a trained academic, teacher or instructor, meets certain pre-established standards, and is designed to lead towards the attainment of a conferred award. Informal e-learning can be considered as learning environments which are exploratory and self-directed. Popular virtual gaming environments, for example, are visually rich, player-centred environments. These are now shaping the way in which neomillennials wish to engage in formal education, blurring the distinction between formal and informal learning. Doctoral research examined learning style preferences in visual and verbal modes of communication. The results of the research support the argument for the inclusion of visual communication in formal e-learning environments. This is achieved by maintaining a balanced approach in learning design by not foregrounding one communicational mode (verbal) over another (visual).