Modeling University Students' Active Learning in Virtual Learning Environments by Generating Questions

This study investigated the active learning activities of college students at three points in time before, during, and after using a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to study Educational Television Writing and Producing before, during, and after the lab. Through the use of open-ended questioning and Chi's (2009) active learning framework, this study collected questions from college students about the content of their photography and videography studies, and then moved through the active process (activating prior knowledge), the constructive process (acquiring new knowledge), and the interactive process (creating new understandings beyond the scope of the course). Results from 63 college students' coded questions revealed the significance of low-performing learners' ability to progress from active to higher and more complex learning processes; high-performing learners found significant changes in the progression from active to constructive and from constructive to interactive learning processes. The presence of interactive processes suggests that VLEs are immersive, interactive, and capable of facilitating robust science learning.