Whatever learning providers are considering, the VLE should be seen to allow learners to engage in a variety of different ways.

If those producing content for the VLE are asked by the steering group, or senior management team, what learning styles are catered for, the individual/team/curriculum manager etc., should be able to provide details (if they have undertaken proper pedagogical research).

It is important, in planning for rolling out your environment, that documentation and/or staff development exists, to help staff consider different learning style approaches, utilizing traditional teaching methods and utilizing the VLE.

Evidence suggests that if you can enthuse your staff to catch the vision of teaching using a variety of methodologies, learners will have a much richer teaching and learning experience.

using New & Emerging Technologies (uNET) allows practitioners to produce resources for the VLE which allows learners to engage in a variety of ways; research and government documentation clearly state that multiple learning styles exist which learners use when learning. Because this resources is designed to aid learning providers in their implementation of a VLE, I'll address only three of the many styles - Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic Learning (typically known in education as VAK).

Note: This section covers a variety of styles commonly discussed in education circles that may not be completely accepted by your organisation.

Visual (Spatial) Learning. Learners who prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding to learn. To cater for this style of learning, in VLE implementation, image storage / display / size, copyright, suitability, etc., needs addressing. There are a variety of free mind-mapping programs available to help visual learners, a quick search on the Internet will yield a variety of open source downloads. The saved mind-maps can be uploaded to the environment ready to download and view by learners. Thanks to the open source nature of the mind mapping software learners can also download them, for free, at home. GoAnimate and CamStudio are free tools that allows users to produce animations and video clips respectively with or without audio.

Aural (auditory-musical) Learning. Learners who prefer using sound and music to learn. The advent of podcasting has brought a great opportunity to utilise music and spoken word to reinforce the learning process. A podcast is (named by two words joined together - iPod and Broadcasting) another fantastic a tool that can be to extending your set work. If your VLE can support uploading mp3's you can utilise the audio side of your podcast even if you can't utilise the XML file. Audacity, SwifRec and Speak a Message are free tools to enable inclusion of audio. Take a look at an example at http://www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/acl/eMagArchive/RSCeMag2008/eMagSupplementAssessment/validity_and_reliability.html.

Verbal (linguistic) Learning. Learners who prefer using words, both in speech and writing to learn. Again, podcasting can be utilised to help verbal learners listen to an audio version of a typed document. Using two different types of media, perhaps overlapping in content, you can cater for those who prefer to read and those who prefer to listen. All VLE's should allow document storage and retrieval therefore the written content should be simply a question of uploading your documents. VozMe, another Free Tool, provides the opportunity for learners to either select parts of the text and/or all the text to be converted into audio. You can see VozMe in use on any of the GeLPS Tools opened from within The Starting Point: Steps 1-2-3 in this resource.

Physical (kinesthetic) Learning. Learners who prefer using their body, hands and sense of touch to learn. Physical learning can be difficult to conceptualise when utilising an virtual electronic environment. Tactile interaction with the computer however engages pupils in the learning process even if it seems they are not undertaking any major task. For some pupils this interaction with the computer allows them the opportunity to enhance their learning experience. You may already have activities undertaken within the classroom that cater for kinaesthetic learners which can be utilised alongside your VLE. There is an increasing use of 'Educational Games'; some examples are available at http://www.only2clicks.com/pages/acljohn/53294.

Social (interpersonal) Learning. Learners who prefer to learn in groups or with other people to learn. To meet social learning needs your VLE must be able to allow group discussion, either real-time "chat room" or by threaded discussion. If you are considering an environment without these features your social learning aspect can be seriously affected. If you are utilising these features you must ensure that you have full moderation control of your areas to delete or prune information in case of abuse by your learners. Practitioners should have moderation control, a level that is not full administration control but higher than standard user levels to allow certain content manipulation. You may want to consider using other tools, such as Google Docs, for Peer Assessment and Collaborative working. (Take a closer look at http://www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/acl/BookCase/GoogleDocs.exe)

Solitary (intrapersonal) Learning. Learners who prefer to work alone and use self-study to learn. Solitary learning, perhaps traditionally seen as homework, can be achieved through the individual learner accessing and interacting with the environment in lessons and at home. The VLE should be populated with enough content to allow revision and extension work allowing learners to advance their learning or recap on concepts they may feel a little confused with. Solitary learning can be seen through the learner interacting with the environment on a daily basis to acquire the information they need to do their set tasks.