This paper focuses mainly on the relation between the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) and students' performance. Therefore, virtual learning environments are characterised and a study is presented emphasising the frequency of access to a VLE and its relation with the students' performance from a public higher education institution during the academic year of 2014-15. The main aim of this research work is to obtain indicators which may help understand relations between the use of VLEs and students' performance. Finding the frequency of access to the VLE and assessing the consequences of such use represent challenges to which teachers and researchers try to respond in order to know students better and consequently, develop strategies which meet their interests and needs. This study is mainly quantitative with descriptive features, involving data obtained from literature research and from experimental research using a sample of approximately 6300 undergraduates. The data was extracted from the VLE and student registration system databases using learning analytics procedures. The results show that there are relatively positive indicators regarding students' access to a virtual learning environment and the relation between such access and their performance.

We are living in an essentially technological world, in which technology facilitates and promotes the development of institutions and the people who work or study in these institutions. Thus, it is claimed that technology should increasingly meet people's needs according to their goals, interests and learning styles. Aiming to imp rove the teaching and learning process, and based on a perspective of adaptation of the learning environment to the learner's needs, we present, in this article, the integration of learning styles in learning management systems by integrating the Honey-Alonso Learning Styles Questionnaire (CHA EA) in Sakai collaborative learning environment, which was adopted in a higher education institution.

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El estudio se centra en la cuestión en torno de los estilos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes de la educación superior y el uso de herramientas digitales. Fue realizado con una muestra de 79 estudiantes de la educación superior, con el objetivo principal de determinar la influencia de los estilos de aprendizaje en el acceso a las herramientas del entorno virtual de una institución de educación superior, una plataforma soportada por el entorno colaborativo Sakai. A partir de los resultados obtenidos, se observa que la media más alta de las puntuaciones relacionadas con los estilos de los sujetos se encontró en el estilo reflexivo y que la herramienta que tuvo el mayor número de accesos fue la herramienta Recursos. PALABRAS CLAVEEstilos de aprendizaje -CHAEA -educación superior -entorno virtual de aprendizaje -acceso a herramientas digitales. ABSTRACTThis study focuses on the issue involving higher education students' learning styles and the use of digital tools. It was conducted with a sample of 79 undergraduates and its main aim was to determine the influence that learning styles may have on the access to the tools of the virtual environment of a higher education institution, a platform supported by the collaborative environment Sakai. In the light of the results obtained, it was found that the reflective style was the one which showed the highest mean of the scores obtained concerning the subjects' learning styles, and that the tool which showed the highest number of accesses was the Resources tool. KEY WORDSLearning styles -CHAEA -higher education -virtual learning environmentaccess to digital tools.

Resumo -A pandemia Covid 19 veio interferir drasticamente com o funcionamento das instituições de Ensino Superior em termos científicos, pedagógicos e de gestão. Tornou-se urgente responder à pandemia, nomeadamente em termos de ensino e aprendizagem. Uma das primeiras opções tomadas pelas Instituições do Ensino Superior foi implementar o ensino não presencial, também designado por ensino remoto de emergência. Constituem objetivos desta investigação identificar a perceção dos alunos relativamente à frequência de utilização das ferramentas digitais e avaliar o nível de satisfação na utilização dessas ferramentas. O estudo é de natureza essencialmente quantitativa. Os dados foram obtidos por questionário a partir de uma amostra de 677 estudantes de uma instituição portuguesa de ensino superior público. Dos resultados salienta-se que durante a pandemia foi muito frequente a utilização das ferramentas: Colibri/Zoom e Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem (VLE). Num cenário de póspandemia as ferramentas que terão maior preferência de utilização serão VLE e email. Relativamente à satisfação pela utilização das ferramentas digitais durante a pandemia, as que apresentaram nível de satisfação mais elevado pelos estudantes foram: VLE, Colibri/Zoom, email e Office 365. Verificou-se também através da análise da correlação entre as variáveis frequência de utilização e satisfação que quanto mais elevada é a frequência de utilização das ferramentas digitais, mais elevado é o nível de satisfação com a utilização dessas ferramentas.