VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: ESSENCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS OF ITS CREATION

The design of well-organized and highly interactive virtual learning environment as a supplement to traditional learning techniques creates a possibility for the students to acquire language skills in a significantly shorter time span. The study is aimed at defining the notion “virtual learning environment”; outlining the main characteristics of virtual learning environment; identifying psychological and pedagogical conditions of virtual learning environment creation. Having scrutinized theoretical data and scientific research findings on the corresponding issue, we have discovered that the main peculiarity of virtual environment is its possibility to capture students' consciousness and to pass unreal world off as a real one. Comparing to a traditional lesson, where students are always aware that they are taught virtual learning environment extensively eliminates students' realization of being taught on purpose. Thus, it is possible for them to acquire language skills in a natural way that promotes better and quicker language mastering. Due to these and other findings, we define primary characteristics inherent in virtual learning environment: - immersive; - interactive (the user actively interacts with the environment); - dynamic (quick change of events); - imaginary; - iterative (opportunity to “replay” the task); - temporal and causative (time is rotational; relationship of cause and effect is established, e.g.: the availability of the answers that are accompanied by multimedia allows students to observe and comprehend the result of their actions and decisions as well as anticipate possible event development). Among all enumerated characteristics of virtual learning environment, immersion – serves as the central one. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the main psychological and pedagogical conditions to virtual learning environment creation are: the usage of multidisciplinary approach to teaching foreign language; ensuring personalized language acquisition; providing students' multimodal perception of learning materials; implementing authentic teaching materials. We are to conclude that virtual learning environment by means of different techniques (influencing emotions, perception channels, etc.) constructs an artificial natural-resembling reality where conscious learning turns into involuntary learning, which is much more efficient. It is relevant to proceed in further studying of the issue from methodological perspectives, namely in data development for the virtual learning environment design.