The affordances of virtual learning environments in remote chemistry learning

Today, virtual learning environments (VLEs) are increasingly valuable for mediating teaching and learning in higher education. This chapter reports the affordances of VLEs in remote chemistry learning. The effects of VLEs versus remote lectures on students' achievement scores in chemistry content tests were compared, and the affordances of VLEs for 21st-century chemistry learning were investigated. This research aimed to investigate the impact of VLEs when learning chemistry remotely and answer some questions about their affordances in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Fifty pre-service science teachers (also referred to as students) from a South African university participated in the studies. A mixed methods approach with a quasi-experimental design was preferred. Pre-and post-tests were used to evaluate achievement scores for control and experimental groups, while focus group interviews were used for data gathering in reflection. Results showed a positive shift in achievement scores of the experimental group compared to the control group.