Virtual environments (VEs) are growing in popularity among educators and have unique potential for online learning. This paper describes the unique characteristics of VEs that make them an effective venue for online learning due to increased environmental presence. Unique characteristics of VEs include nature of visual stimuli, control of the environment, amount and variety of sensory information utilized by the learner, and level of immersion by the learner. Examples of learning opportunities in VEs are explored. Current disadvantages are also discussed.