The design of a Mexican Web-based learning environment called EVA, from the Spanish phrase for “virtual learning spaces,” is the focus of this paper. Topics covered include distance education in Mexico, the conceptual architecture for EVA, platform requirements, the proposed use of agents for smart personal assistants, and the authoring tools that were used to develop EVA.

EVA is based on an ambitious architecture that features many of the functions associated with other virtual learning environments (VLE), such as email, chat rooms, and discussion forums. There is a column for video conferencing in the architecture diagram, but the use or integration of this feature is not described.

The authors intend for EVA to provide a “multi-book,” or a personalized set of units, produced by the use of algebra and a classification of “knowledge units.” The example given is only appropriate for short courses in computer science and artificial intelligence (AI), as this classification process would be very tedious for most institutions if EVA were used across all subjects. Why not produce personalized Web pages as a result of dynamically configured links to content, based on the student’s course details (in the way that other managed learning environments allow for personalized Web interfaces to existing materials)?

A final, relatively short, section describes the use of a pilot implementation. In 1998, 20 students used a pilot version of EVA, and in October 2000, a virtual master’s degree program in computer science was offered to 50 students. This paper was published in February 2001, but there are no details of how successful this master’s program was, nor are we told if the 1998 experiment was repeated.

Though this work claims that EVA goes beyond typical learning environments, particularly in the use of AI and agent software, it is difficult to disentangle what is intended from what has actually been done, and to figure out to what extent this system differs from other VLE products. Unfortunately, the journal editors have not checked the English translation of this paper thoroughly, so the reader is required to further interpret some of the text. Full evaluation of the EVA project would be welcome; otherwise, this paper will just be added to the growing pile of “we’ve got a VLE” reports.