Schwier (2010) made an interesting metaphors for Formal, Nonformal and Informal Learning Environments! The conclusions he made was insightful:

Formal learning environment are the cattle drives of online learning environments. Learners are gathered together in herds, and they are driven by cowpokes from one spot to a predetermined location, and they have no control over where that location might be. They are driven along a path, and if they wander too far from the herd, they are chased down and brought back into line. The purpose of the drive is to deliver the group on time and where they should be, and importantly, in good health. They are assessed before and after a drive to judge whether they are fit to move to the next stage. I would suggest we drop the metaphor at this point and not extend it to what happens to the herd later; learners seldom suffer that fate.

By comparison, nonformal learning environments, when offered online, evoke images of watering holes instead of cattle drives. A watering hole acts as a nurturing place, one that animals know about, where they attend to well defined needs they share with other animals. They gather and share the resources, and because each animal might have greater or lesser thirst, they exercise personal control over how much they drink. They can also engage with other animals to a greater or lesser extent, depending on what they want to accomplish (play, competition, predation). The environment is organized, and offers something specific, but the uses of the environment can vary.

Su-Tuan