What Is a Virtual Classroom: Your Guide to Virtual Education

In the past few years, the world has experienced several challenges that made society change the way we do things. One of them is education. With the pandemic, virtual education has become a common trend across the entire world. Students have started receiving their education from home while connected to their computers and paying attention to their teachers on the screen.

Technology has provided great answers to numerous obstacles and setbacks in education, from using interactive tools in classrooms to making the most of online learning.

Find out all about a virtual classroom from the students' and teachers' points of view and how to maximize the benefits of virtual education.

What Is a Virtual Classroom?

The main difference between a virtual classroom and a traditional classroom is the way lessons are given to students. In traditional classrooms, students are physically in the same room as their teacher and colleagues.

However, in virtual classrooms, each student connects to their virtual classroom from their home or anywhere with a good Internet connection.

Virtual classrooms allow students worldwide to join classes, but it also implies that teachers can teach from everywhere. So, instead of learning French from a native French teacher in your school, you could learn from a person who has lived their entire life in Paris and will share valuable, authentic experiences with you.

That said, virtual classrooms are a new trend in the educational industry. That means that it will take some time until more can be said about its long-term benefits and drawbacks for both students and teachers.

At the moment, we can say with assurance that virtual classrooms are an excellent way to receive online learning on a subject or a topic you wouldn't be able to receive in a more traditional classroom environment.

Benefits of Virtual Classrooms

Virtual classrooms come with many benefits for teachers, students, schools, and parents. One of the most obvious benefits is cost reduction, as students and teachers don't have to leave their homes to learn or teach.

With virtual classrooms, all you need is a good Internet connection, and you can connect to your class without an issue.

When working with technology, students learn certain skills and become more proficient in using computers and different technologies. Such skills can be very useful later in life, especially when they start building their careers.

Accessibility is another huge benefit of virtual classrooms. Anyone can join the class from different locations. Many schools are not accessible for certain groups of students, especially if they live far from the closest school in the area.

Joining a virtual classroom would allow them to receive the same quality of education as anybody else.

Oftentimes, teachers report they notice better time management when running a virtual classroom. This is assumed to be the case because when working with the help of technology, we are more conscious of time and look to use that time in the best way possible.

Drawbacks of Virtual Classrooms

Being a part of a virtual classroom also comes with a few drawbacks. When you have students paying attention to class and studying from home, a certain level of discipline and responsibility is required.

Teachers are not able to see if students are focused on something else, while students might not take their virtual classes seriously as they are attending class from home.

Of course, this will depend more on the personality of the students, but a virtual classroom might not be the best solution for every student.

As much as it sounds great to be tech-savvy for both teachers and students, the reality is that they often don't feel comfortable using digital learning materials and tools, so they might decide to avoid them. Not only that, but it will also mean that teachers will need to learn to use all these tools before the class starts.

Keeping in mind that their time is already limited, this disadvantage will need to be taken seriously by school administrations. For instance, schools can have one-day seminars for teachers to help them understand and become familiar with the tools they'll need to use in their virtual classroom.

Children go to school not only to study but to socialize as well. With a virtual classroom, social isolation is one of the negative consequences. Students can't spend their free time hanging with their friends as they are physically far from each other.

The same goes for online courses that people complete within a year or two without ever meeting their teacher or colleagues in person.

The online learning environment surely comes with certain drawbacks, and parents should be aware of them before enrolling kids in a virtual class.

Also, some kids might experience stress when learning how to manage a video conferencing tool or any other virtual classroom software they need to use to attend the virtual class.

Online Learning Tips for Virtual Classrooms

Depending on whether you're reading this article because you want to create a virtual classroom or simply join it, there are certain things you can do to make your experience more successful and pleasant.

Teachers in a Virtual Classroom

• Spend some time thinking about how you want your learning environment to look, create procedures for students, and make your expectations clear from the first day.
• Make all of your students feel welcome in your online classroom by asking questions and seeking their feedback.
• Analyze things your students might miss or need from a physical classroom and find an alternative for each of them.
• Create breakout rooms for students to hang out between classes.
• Make sure the learning material you create and hand out is engaging, informative, and clear to all students.
• Encourage collaborative learning between students to reduce the impact of social isolation.

Students in a Virtual Classroom

• Create your own learning management system that helps you stay on track and be a successful student.
• From an early stage, get an idea of your personal challenges with virtual learning and find a solution that works for you.
• Avoid connecting to your online classroom from a place with many distractions. Instead, seek a quiet corner to be able to focus on course materials.
• Spend some time learning about video conferencing software, digital tools, and any other online platform you are supposed to use.
• Keep your class notes organized for an easier learning experience.

Virtual Classroom Setup

If you're planning to set up a virtual classroom for online students, you might be overwhelmed with the idea and unsure where to start.

If you've always done only classroom teaching and you're new to the virtual classroom layout, don't worry. Online teaching is not as complicated as it might seem at first.

When switching to virtual classrooms, most things will stay the same. Courses will become online courses, exams will become online exams, and traditional classrooms will become virtual classrooms. The principles will stay the same, but the way you perform them will change.

So, how can you create a virtual classroom? First, you will need to determine your virtual learning objectives. What do you aim to achieve with this virtual classroom?

Once you have that figured out, you'll need to choose the right virtual classroom platform that suits your and your student's needs.

The chosen virtual classroom solution should allow you to add teacher assistants, groups, and admin if you want an effective virtual classroom.

Once your students start joining the platform, your online teaching and video lectures should be ready. Compared to the physical classrooms, your online classes will require a bit more preparation.

Make sure that the way you create a virtual classroom motivates student participation and discussion.

Virtual Classroom Platform Solutions

If you're uncertain which virtual classroom platform to choose for the best virtual learning environment, we've compiled this list of best online class solutions:

• Zoom: A video conferencing platform that serves to replace the physical room and allows the sharing of multimedia files, instant messaging, and class discussions.
• Speexx is a digital learning platform that allows adult students to attend class with a wide array of features.
• Deck Toys: A fun platform that allows teachers to turn their digital whiteboards into engaging games for younger students and new learners.
• Edulastic: This platform's key features allow teachers to find the gap in teaching methods and learning experiences to ensure better student success.
• ProProfs: This is a helpful tool for a virtual classroom setup as it contains hundreds of prepared online learning materials, allowing teachers to focus on other areas of the online classroom setup, such as live interaction, slide decks, and forming small groups of students.

Conclusion

There is no doubt about whether a virtual classroom is the right way to apply an efficient learning management system; the only question is how.

Whether it's asynchronous learning or synchronous learning courses, teachers and students will need to be aware of its pros and cons to make the most of virtual learning.

Virtual learning enables more students to access education, while also teachers are offered more flexibility in terms of the place where they teach.

It's up to each individual to decide whether they want to receive education at a physical location or via online training or online classes, but the quality of the learning experience should be the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Virtual Classroom?

It is an online environment in which educators and students connect via the Internet to work together in live sessions, also known as virtual classes. Teachers can teach lessons by screen sharing, allowing students to study from the comfort of their own homes. Many educational institutions are moving towards this type of teaching, including online degree programs.

What Are the Characteristics of a Virtual Classroom?

A virtual classroom will offer online alternatives to traditional classrooms. For instance, students will communicate with their teacher over video conferencing tools and hang out with each other in breakout rooms. The lessons can be prerecorded or live sessions, depending on the online degree program or school program.

What Is the Difference Between an Online Classroom and a Virtual Classroom?

Although many assume these are synonyms, virtual learning is more engaging and interactive than online learning. The virtual learning management system is used for school courses, while the online classroom is more typical for adult students who pursue online degree programs. Although they both require the Internet to learn, these two approaches have fewer similarities than differences.