Information Technology Reference
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Figure 1. The history of distance learning
The concept of Internet-based learning is
broader than Web-based learning (see Figure
2). The Web is only one of the Internet services
that uses a unified document format (HTML),
browsers, hypertext, and unified resource locator
(URL) and is based on the HTTP protocol. The
Internet is the biggest network in the world that
is composed of thousands of interconnected com-
puter networks (national, regional, commercial,
and organizational). It offers many services not
only Web, but also e-mail, file transfer facilities,
etc. Hence, learning could be organized not only
on the Web basis, but also for example, as a cor-
respondence via email. Furthermore the Internet
is based not only on the HTTP protocol, but on
other proprietary protocols as well (Anohiina,
2005; Hamza-Lup & Stefan, 2007).
Of particular interest is the growing number of
students from developing or transitional econo-
mies studying Western university degrees. They
enroll either as a foreign student at a Western
university, or join an internationally accredited
and qualified educational institution in their home
country which collaborates with a Western uni-
versity (Van Raaij & Schepers, 2008).
Virtual Reality and Virtual Learning Envi-
ronment have become increasingly ambiguous
terms in recent years. The powerful 3D graphics
hardware available in desktop computers provides
an attractive opportunity for enhancing interac-
tion. It may be possible to leverage human spatial
capabilities by providing computer generated 3D
scenes that better reflect the way we perceive our
natural environment. 3D environments have the
potential to position the learner within a meaning-
ful context to a much greater extent than traditional
interactive multimedia environments (Cockburn
& Mckenzie, 2004; Dalgarno & Hedberg, 2001).
In the last two decades collaborative virtual
environments (CVEs) have been largely adopted
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