The present research study investigated students' active learning activities at three time points during the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) on cardiac anatomy and physiology. Because VLEs are not only immersive but also interactive, the user must engage with the instruction to move the instruction forward; thus, engaging the user in an active (rather than passive) educative experience. What types of active learning is garnered from such educational technologies, among secondary aged science learners, was the focus of the study. By using open-ended questioning and the active learning framework by Chi (2009), this research study collected students' questions they had about the science content which was then categorized inductively and deductively by active processes (activation of prior knowledge), constructive processes (garnering new knowledge), and interactive processes (creating new understandings beyond the scope of the curriculum). Results from coding questions from 151 secondary students (75 in sixth grade and 76 in ninth grade) revealed significance in sixth graders’ abilities to progress from active processes to the higher and more sophisticated learning processes; significant changes were found among ninth graders to progress from active to constructive processes and from constructive to interactive learning processes. The presence of interactive processes suggests that VLEs are immersive, interactive, and able to foster robust science learning.

本研究调查了学生在使用心脏解剖学和生理学虚拟学习环境（VLE）期间三个时间点的主动学习活动。由于 VLE 不仅是沉浸式的，而且是交互式的，因此用户必须参与指令以推动指令前进；因此，让用户参与主动（而不是被动）的教育体验。这项研究的重点是，中等年龄的科学学习者从这些教育技术中获得了哪些类型的主动学习。通过使用开放式提问和Chi (2009) 的主动学习框架，这项研究收集了学生对科学内容的疑问，然后根据主动过程（激活先验知识）、建设性过程（获取新知识）和互动过程（创造超出课程范围的新理解）。来自 151 名中学生（六年级 75 名，九年级 76 名）的编码问题的结果揭示了六年级学生从主动过程进展到更高、更复杂的学习过程的能力的重要性；九年级学生发现了显着的变化，从主动学习过程发展到建设性学习过程，从建设性学习过程发展到互动学习过程。交互过程的存在表明 VLE 具有沉浸式、交互性，并且能够促进强大的科学学习。