Virtual Classroom

Virtual classroom is a computer medicated communication system. The need of gathering at one place for communication in traditional classroom is been overcome by virtual classroom, the main advantages of virtual classroom is that due to shrinking distance communication is improved.

            Under virtual classroom-concept come the tools it should provide to the learner, students prerequisites for virtual classroom and types of virtual classroom.

            The architecture of virtual classroom is in three phase which include the normal instructor to classroom setup, classroom behind firewall setup and instructor to group of geographically dispersed student.

            There are various developed virtual classroom one of which is blackboards, which include synchronous as well as asynchronous environment of teaching. Its possible features are explained in brief.

WHAT IS A CLASSROOM:

A classroom can be defined as a communication system that makes it possible for a group of people/users to come together to dialogue about something they want to learn, and to look at visuals (pictures, diagrams) and text that might aid them in understanding
        The conventional classroom is
surrounded by walls that provide protection from outside noise and
interference, contributing to a more effective learning process

Need Of Virtual Classroom:

Traditionally, teaching by distance or externally has involved the provision of written notes, which were sometimes supplemented by audio-visual materials such as video and audiocassette. This approach has been surpassed with the integration of written notes, interactive multimedia and the World Wide Web. Interactive multimedia may have been presented on CD-ROMs or servers. These interactive programs have included items such as digitized textbooks, video, animation, photos and figures, as well as self-test facilities. A major benefit of the Virtual Learning Center is the reduction in travel time and expense compared to traditional classroom training
          The virtual classroom can be simply viewed as a forum or meeting area for students and the lecturer. Just as the lecture theatre, tutorial room or laboratory provide a physical ‘place’ for students to meet and learn, it also provides a congregation point through which knowledge and experiences are shared, debated and compared. The virtual classroom presents an opportunity for those students who are unable to physically meet at a campus to gather using an alternative environment.

VIRTUAL CLASSROOM-CONCEPT
In creating virtual classroom the main objective is not to merely duplicate the characteristics and effectiveness of the face-to-face class. Rather, we can use the powers of the computer to actually do better than what normally occurs in the face-to-face class.  

              The Virtual Classroom is a teaching and learning environment located within a computer-mediated communication system. The objectives of a Virtual Classroom are to improve access to advanced educational experiences by allowing students and instructors to participate in remote learning communities using personal computers at home or at work; and to improve the quality and effectiveness of education by using the computer to support a collaborative learning process. Rather than being built of steel and concrete, the VC consists of a set of group communication and work "spaces" and facilities that are constructed in software. Thus it is a "virtual facility" for interaction among members of class, rather than a physical space.

VIRTUAL CLASSROOM OVERVIEW
The VIRTUAL CLASSROOM is not much different from a REAL CLASSROOM . It is simply an interaction defined by instructors and users in hyperspace or that area of communication held within the confines of the computer.


 To be effective, the virtual classroom must:

Provide The Tools That Learners Need
The designer and instructor must deliver tools for learners. The documents and other
educational materials required for assignments must be available online or there
must be links to these resources or these materials should be supplied with
registration in the class.

   Expectation for Learning
Web courses must strive to create within learners and educators the same expectation that learning will occur and that the class is serious business. Learners will have to complete the coursework and meet their responsibilities with the same intensity that they would in classroom. Instructors will have to treat the course with even more preparation that they invest in the regular classroom because the pedagogy is very different for the webcourse.

 The Learning Community:Learners and Educators
The relationship between learner and instructors must be close and highly interactive even though they may never see each other during the course. E-mail messages will establish a personal link among course participants, as will participation in a mailing list, a newsgroup, or a multiple-user domain (MUD). Web site design can be friendly, interesting, and supply active links and movements to enhance interactivity. Selection of materials and effective design will enhance communication, and lessen distance .Allow learners the freedom to experiment, test their knowledge, practice completing tasks, and apply what's been discussed or read about between learners and instructors

    Experimentation and Application
Theory is important for the mastery of any subject but experimentation and application of knowledge in applied, practical contexts is equally important. In a real classroom, learners participate in lab experiments or classroom discussion. In the virtual course, students must also participate in assigned experiments and in active discussion groups. The web site will hav assigned reading and online discussions and emphasize student completion of assigned han  s-on laboratory projects that range from library assignments to knapping of stone and use of high power magnification of use-wear. The online presentations will introduce the learner to a broad range of theories and methods, will assign experiments, and require discussion,    written summaries, and database building. The introduction is online, the hands-on exercises are real, and the summary and presentation is back on line. The learners will be required to develop skills and knowledge appropriate to the course.

    Provide Mechanisms for Evaluating Performance      
Immediate feedback will be obtained through simulations and direct hands-on projects and experiments but other performance evaluations will be built into the course. The virtual classroom will include sites where learners can ask questions and receive answers, take practice or real examinations, and receive comments about the accuracy of their responses. E-mail correspondence can be personal, while other responses like tallies of correct answers to exams can be quite impersonal.

  Secure Learning  Environment 
An effective classroom, virtual or real, is one in which learners feel free to
express themselves in appropriate ways, take risks to learn more, share their
ideas openly, and ask questions. Learners should have the opportunity to
question instructors and other learners, and to test their ideas and skills in
non-threatening ways. Safe web sites establish protocols for using the
technology (equal access to resources, ensuring that non one can tamper      with another learner's or the instructors' materials) and for communicating with each other ("non flame" rules for e-mail messages, guidelines for
netiquette, and procedures for taking turns in chartrooms).