== E-Learning - The Virtual Classroom ==
In relation to the term 'virtual classroom', the word virtual can be understood as, "being actively connected to a network or computer system; usually being able to interactively exchange data, commands, and information" (University of Rhode Island, 2005, p.1). When we combine this definition with the traditional idea of a classroom being a physical room containing an instructor and students who learn through face-to-face interaction, we are able to derive a suitable definition of the term. A virtual classroom, therefore, is a learning environment that exists solely in the form of digital content that is stored, accessed, and exchanged through networked computer and information systems. Everything in a virtual classroom occurs in an non-physical environment; students access the classroom by connecting to the internet, rather than travelling to a real, physical classroom. The students may not even be in the same country as the instructor or teacher; the nature of virtual classrooms means that, in terms of access, the geographic location of students is not an issue.
Although the term virtual classrooms refers primarily to those learning spaces that exist completely independent of physical classrooms, they may also work in conjunction with traditional classroom environments. Some activities conducted in the real classroom can be presented differently in virtual spaces thus accommodating a wider range of student needs. In these settings the internet is used to provide additional communication and material, but does not necessarily replace the learning that occurs in the physical classroom.
An example of such a virtual classroom is the University of Kansas Medical Center, which “houses courses, supplemental material and study aids for the Schools of Allied Health, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy as well as Continuing Education�? (www.kumc.edu, 2005). Many of these courses are conducted in virtual classrooms that students can access from anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection. Another example is that of the first virtual classroom, “launched by AT&T in the fall of 1996�? (G.V.C, 2005, p.1). The AT&T virtual classroom program had over 19,000 students from all over the world who collaborated and communicated together in order to learn about each other, and the internet (Virtualclassroom.org, 2005).
=== The Virtual Classroom - Learning styles ===
Within the virtual classroom two main styles of learning are evident, these are collaborative learning and active (or independent) learning. Both styles add to the student’s education, but collaborative learning is said to be more prominent and better suited to the nature of a virtual classroom (Hiltz, 1994, p.24). Hiltz (1994, p.23) defines collaborative learning as an environment in which: “both teachers and learners are active participants in the learning process; knowledge is not something that is ‘delivered’ to students but rather something that emerges from active dialogue among those who seek to understand and apply concepts and techniques�?. The virtual classroom demands this kind of learning in order to overcome the absence of face-to-face communication. In such an environment students and teachers work together to make learning a richer, more beneficial activity. Hiltz (1995, p.1) states that the teacher in a collaborative learning environment is “primarily a facilitator [sic] who structures learning opportunities, serves as a resource, and encourages the students to work together to build a common body of knowledge�?.
Independent learning differs from collaborative learning in that the student does not interact with other students. In such evironments interaction takes place exclusively between the teacher and the student and learning is completely self-directed (Hiltz, 1994, p.24). In this case, the teacher is not the facilitator, but rather they are the provider of information. Students recieve and respond to this information without collaboration and feedback from other students. Virtual classrooms tend to encourage collaborative learning, because more information and knowledge can be gained through the interaction and involvement with virtual class members than solely through the reception of information from an instructor.
=== The Virtual Classroom - Features ===
The key technologies and features found in the virtual classroom can be grouped into three primary areas. Kramer (2005, p.1) explains these areas as communication/participation, assessment, and support; all of which have certain tools that enable success of education in the virtual classroom.
Key communication/participation tools include:
All of these tools are the means of communication and transfer of information between students and the teacher. Some of these tools, such as the chat rooms and whiteboards, enable real-time, or synchronous, communication, which is similar to face-to-face communication. While other tools, such as the discussion boards and e-mail, enable communication to occur at "convenient times" that suit student schedules and are not necessarily accessed at simultaneous or prearranged times (Watkins, 2004, p.2). Tools such as these enable the exchange of asynchronous communication.
Other communication tools that some virtual classrooms offer are video and audio streaming of content, or video/audio conferencing for live interaction between students and teacher. These are not standard tools in every virtual classroom, due to the computer and internet capacity requirements necessary to enable their functionality. These types of communication tools can be “memory intensive�?, meaning that they require a high Internet connection speed and a large computer memory in order for them to be used effectively or run smoothly (Lehmann, 2004, p.15).
Standard tools used for assessing students in virtual classrooms incorporate quizzes, “portfolio and presentation areas�?, online exams, and “grading books�? (Kramer, 2005, p.1). Other tools are frequently used in the virtual classroom to provide additional support to the student; these tools may include calendars, search engines, and online help portals and guides, but these are not considered integral to the student’s learning or to the basic structure of a virtual classroom (Kramer 2005, p.1).
=== The Virtual Classroom – Physical Classroom Comparison ===
Many characteristics of the physical classroom have been carried over into the virtual classroom. They both employ a very similar “learning theory, curriculum design and pedagogy�?(White, 2004, pp.11-12). Additionally, the manner in which an instructor delivers educational material, remains an important factor in the success of both classrooms (White, 2004, pp.11-12). Teaching in both the physical and virtual classroom is “learner-centered�?; emphasis is on the student rather than the teacher, and students learn by engaging in group work, projects, discussions, and other content that relates to real-world contexts (Barr and Tag, 1995, quoted by O’Neill and McMahon, 2005, p.1). But there are key differences between the physical classroom and the virtual classroom. These differences concern place and time, size or scalability of class quota, content delivery, and communication modes.
A prominent difference between the physical classroom and the virtual classroom is the location in time and space that is required to access and participate in classroom activities. The physical classroom is a physical room that must be visited at an appropriate time in order to be participated in, while a virtual classroom is not physically accessed. This difference makes a virtual classroom, according to Sandelands and Wills (1998, p.281), “available to many… adaptable and flexible�? because of its non-physical location. While some virtual classrooms may suggest an “optimal number�? of students, they can generally accommodate a larger student quota than real classrooms, which again suggests a way in which they are more flexible than physical classrooms (Oakes, 2002, p.60).
The structure of the content whithin physical and virtual classrooms is relatively similar. Both have, according to Kramer (2005, p.1), “lessons, assignments and homework, interaction between students and instructor, and some way to determine a grade�?, but the means by which content is transferred from the teacher to student differs greatly. In a virtual classroom, content is delivered using discussion boards, chat rooms, e-mail, virtual white boards, journals and other online material. The key difference between these modes of delivery and those found in the real classroom is that they are frequently text-based and are not necessarily complemented by verbal discussions or explanations.
A real classroom enables live face-to-face communication; many virtual classrooms aim to match this by having “regularly scheduled chat room interactions�? where students can interact with each other and the teacher like they would in a real classroom (Wang and Newlin, 2001, p.1). However, verbal and visual tools that are typically found in the real classroom are not present in the virtual classroom; body language, eye contact, and other verbal/visual cues are not present in virtual classrooms. Communication, or dialogue, in the virtual classroom is highly text-based. It occurs asynchronously or synchronously, depending on the communication tool, but most frequently occurs asynchronously. Gibbons and Wentworth (2001, p.1) state that this text-based dialogue is the “heart of the online learning paradigm�? and is the key to successful learning in a virtual classroom.
G.V.C: Global Virtual Classroom (2005) “History,�? retrieved September 6, from http://www.virtualclassroom.org/about/1B.html
Gibbons, S. and Wentworth, P. (2001) “Andrological and Pedagogical Training Differences for Online Instructors�? paper presented to the Distance Learning 2001 proceedings, Callaway, Georgia, 6-8 June.
Hiltz, .S.R (1994) The Virtual Classroom: Learning without Limits via Computer Networks, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation. ISBN 0893919284
Hiltz, S.R. (1995) “Teaching in a Virtual Classroom,�? paper presented to the International Conference on Computer Assisted Instruction, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan, 7-10 March.
Kramer, C (2005) “The Online Classroom,�? retrieved August 26, 2005, from http://www.pbs.org/campus/006_News/006-dec-03.html
Lehmann, K.J. (2004) “Successful Online Communication�?, in K.J. Lehmann (ed.) How to be a Great Online Teacher, USA: Scarecrow Education, pp. 9-16. ISBN 1578861128
O’Neill, G. and McMahon, T. (2005) Student-centred Learning: What does it mean for Students and Lecturers?, in G. O’Neill, S. Moore and B. McMullin (eds.) Emerging Issues in the Practice of University Learning and Teaching, Dublin: All Ireland Society for Higher Education (AISHE) ISBN 0955013402
Oakes, K. (2002) “E-Learning: Synching up with Virtual Classrooms,�? American Society for Training and Development, vol.56, no.9, pp. 57-60, pp. 57-60.
University of Kansas Medical Center Virtual Classroom (2005) “About Virtual Classroom,�? retrieved September 6, from http://www.kumc.edu/vc/about.html
University of Rhode Island (2005) “Glossary of Terms�?, retrieved September 1, 2005, from http://www.uri.edu/oherpt/gloss.html
Sandelands, E. and Wills, M. (1998) “Creating virtual support for lifelong learning�?, in R. Teare, D. Davies and E. Sandelands (eds.) The Virtual University: An Action Paradigm and Process for Workplace Learning, London: Cassell, pp. 280-287. ISBN 0304703249
Wang, A. and Newlin, M. (2001) “Online Lectures: Benefits for the Virtual Classroom,�? The Journal, vol. 29, no.1, pp. 1-6.
Watkins, R. (2004) “E-learning Study Skills and Strategies,�? Distance Learning vol.1, no.3, pp. 32-34.
White, G. (2004) “E-learning: Australia’s Achievements in Education and Training,�? paper presented to the CeBIT eGovernment Forum, Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Australia, 4-6 May.
User: Debbie Butler
User: Kjetil Joa
User: Natalie Harris
Amy Thompson 10:57, 6 Sep 2005 (EST)
Michael chappelow 21:02, 29 Sep 2005 (EST)
