The rapid development of modern information and communications technologies has opened new possibilities for establishing and delivering distance learning. In addition, the new learning paradigm based on cognitive learning theories can emphasize the quality of the learning process. The open learning environment that utilizes modern communications and information technologies can be described as a virtual organization. Virtual organization is a construct that provides services to the public by examining potential clients and service providers and dynamically assigning services to the clients. This paper discusses the application of virtual organizations to virtual learning structures such as virtual classrooms and virtual universities. As an example of a virtual classroom, a hypermedia course was implemented by the Finnish Open Technical University using the computer supported collaborative software (CSCW) called Basic Support for Collaborative Work (BSCW) and the World Wide Web. Experiences from the course are presented. Two figures present a network-based learning environment and a BSCW screen. (Author/AEF)