Lesson 2: Virtual Programs and Organization

Introduction

It's truly amazing to see how education has been transformed during the last decade. While most of our
elementary and high school memories come from the traditional schoolhouse, today that model of
learning has evolved immensely. Over the years, advances in technology have spurred many changes in
education. With the recent passage of the Digital Learning Now, which expands virtual education
options to parents and students, one trend that finally has the power to truly revolutionize the very
fabric of our education system is online learning.

History of Online Education

The technology boom of the mid-1980s is most remembered for the first personal computer,
but that era also saw another important creation: online learning.

Back then, it was sparsely used, mostly by business executives and a few postsecondary
institutions. But today, it's become a cornerstone of education – and it preserved school during
the COVID-19 pandemic.

Technological advancements have made online education accessible to people worldwide of all
different backgrounds. The format is especially popular in the U.S., where about a third of the
20.6 million college students take online classes. In the Philippines, almost all schools take
online classes too if not modular specially during the pandemic.

The history of online learning in higher education can sometimes seem too big to wrap your
mind around, much like the internet itself, so we've put together a timeline to help you better
understand the origins of today's online colleges and degrees.

A Brief Timeline of Online Education

— 1982

The Western Behavioral Sciences Institute uses computer conferencing to provide a distance
education program for business executives.

computer conferencing tools are chat programs, which at their most basic involve typing text
messages that are displayed on a running screen, and to reading a printed dialogue.

— 1983

Ron Gordon, Atari's former president, launches the Electronic University Network to make online
courses available for people with access to personal computers.

— 1985
Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida, creates the first electronic
classroom through an accredited online graduate program.

Electronic classroom is a form of online learning, offering various educational programs in

an online form.

— 1986

The National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET) launches the first open computer
network — a precursor to the internet — allowing institutions to create and distribute electronic
information.

a network that uses open standards and commodity hardware. In other words, open
networking is the ability a computer system has to be open in terms of component compatibility
-- in both hardware and software -- expandability and extendibility.

— 1993

Jones International University opens in Centennial, Colorado, becoming the first fully web-
based, accredited university.

web-based application is any program that is accessed over a network connection using
HTTP, rather than existing within a device's memory. Web-based applications often run
inside a web browser.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application-layer protocol for transmitting

hypermedia documents, such as HTML. It was designed for communication between web
browsers and web servers, but it can also be used for other purposes.

— 1994

CALCampus introduces the first online-only curriculum with real-time instruction and
participation — i.e., synchronous learning.

— 1995

Nineteen U.S. governors found Western Governors University to help Western states maximize
educational resources through distance learning.

— 1998

California Virtual University — a consortium of California colleges offering around 700 online
classes — opens.

The Boom of Distance Education

2002

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) launches the OpenCourseWare Project to

provide free MIT courses to people worldwide.

— 2012

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a free online course resource, becomes available
through Udacity and enables learners to take classes asynchronously at their own pace.

— 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic forces nearly every college and university to switch to online
learning rather than hold classes in person.

What is Virtual Education

1. Courses taught entirely online, where physical distance between teacher and student is
immaterial.
2. Another name for e-learning, but referring more to electronically aided learning conducted
without any face-to-face components.
3. Online-based education.
4. Modality that is based on teaching through the use of platforms and programs that allow
connection and learning, this prior to scheduled sessions via the web, where knowledge is built
through teacher and student interaction

5. Education through ICT tools, also called E-learning, now also called U-learning
(education anywhere), still in development.

6. This is instruction where both the instructor and student are separated by time or space, or
both, and the course content is provided through university course management applications,
multimedia resources, the Internet, videoconferencing, etc

7. A form of education which is outside the classroom or partially outside the classroom that is
based on taking advantage of the telematic potential of the Internet to carry out formal or other
types of education, by means of learning activities supported by virtual learning
environments.

8. It includes aspects of both online and e-learning but goes somewhat further. While it is
largely web-centric it does not necessarily limit itself to learners outside a conventional
classroom. It uses multimedia and, besides delivering content, also enables a high level of
interaction among learners, content, teachers, peers and administration both synchronously and
asynchronously.

9. A distance education system that has the virtue to improve the learning process exclusively
using new information and communication technologies.
10. Internet learning environment, including specific methods and tools, where teachers and
students are separated by time or space. Teachers provide course contents in Internet through
course management applications, multimedia resources. The communication is provided only
through learning management systems, videoconferencing, or other Internet communications
platforms

Virtual Classroom: The Future of Distance Learning

A virtual classroom is an online space that shares many functions of a brick-and-mortar
classroom. Through a variety of tools and features, a virtual learning space promotes
engagement and collaboration. Virtual lessons can be integrated into a curriculum in a variety
of ways ranging from supplementary to fully digitized learning. And teachers have found a
surprising number of situations where a virtual learning environment is beneficial. The
advantages of virtual classrooms range from their excellent interactivity to providing a
comfortable and familiar learning paradigm.

Virtual classrooms are a popular solution to some of the main problems of distance learning.
Many online courses focus on pre-recorded content that students study at their leisure, submit
some standardized assessments, and move on. It’s convenient and easy to scale up, but it is
missing something. A lot of online learning lacks human connection. By contrast, a virtual
classroom connects people. Teachers can interact with their students in real-time. Students can
collaborate with peers. And the system is still scalable to educate an ever-growing number of
digital natives who may want to supplement or replace traditional learning paradigms.

What Is a Virtual Classroom?

A virtual classroom is an online space that simulates a live classroom. Lessons are usually
synchronous with the educator and the learners all appearing in an online space to interact in
real-time. However, many virtual lessons include pre-recorded components depending on the
needs of the educator or learner. Like real-world classrooms, virtual classrooms are flexible to
the style and needs of all users.

A virtual classroom often includes the following features:

Videoconferencing that facilitates communication with both the teacher and with peers.
A digital whiteboard to offer real-time explanations and/or collaboration.
Instant messaging for low-bandwidth communication.
Participation controls so that students can still “raise their hands” or otherwise participate in
lessons.
Sub-chats or group chats for students to collaborate in small groups online (sometimes also
called breakout rooms.)

Types of Virtual Classroom

As a flexible remote learning tool, virtual classrooms have a lot of variety in both form and

function. A virtual classroom’s function in a curriculum can range from an optional

supplementary resource to the whole education program. And given the vastly different needs

of different groups, even virtual classrooms built on the same platform tend to be customized to

the instructor’s needs.

It’s all up to the educator, and the way a virtual class works starts with the model for

integrating e-learning into the course as a whole.

Enriched Virtual

An enriched virtual program is one that is mostly taught online with occasional offline

components to augment the lessons. In many cases, the in-person component takes the form

of one-on-one meetings with teachers or instructors for face-to-face assistance and personal

connection.

Rotation

The rotation model of virtual classroom combines virtual learning with live, in-person lessons in

a fixed schedule. The rotation model is typically reserved for single-subject classes at higher

levels like high school or university.

This often works as part of a flipped classroom where students do their primary learning at

home – usually online – and time in the classroom is reserved for review and reinforcement.
Fully Online Classroom

It’s all in the name. A fully online classroom is a virtual classroom that only exists on the

Internet and does not include a real-life version. In this type of online learning, the virtual

classroom represents the only time students and teachers will interact with each other directly,

and many fully online courses are asynchronous and have no real-time interactions at all.

Flex

A flex model applied to distance learning usually involves a virtual classroom that remains open

and available for students to visit on their own time. Students are encouraged to work digitally

on their own or in small groups. The teacher will be available periodically, either online or in-

person depending on the needs of a particular course.

The flex model is especially popular in trying to reach non-traditional learners that may not

respond well to rigid structures but are still interested in learning. As the name suggests, the

flex model provides a great deal of flexibility to how students opt to learn.

À La Carte Model

An à la carte model is one that combines a variety of digital teaching models and makes

multiple channels available to students. This mix-and-match nature of these virtual classrooms

can be up to the person or institution running the course, or it could be student-driven.

This is by far the most flexible model, but it sacrifices structure and ease of setup for its

flexibility.

Example:

Why Are Virtual Classrooms Important?

Virtual classrooms fill a number of needs in education that have gone unaddressed for too long.

Though technology in the classroom continues to evolve, we need to develop other learning

channels.

Here are just a few reasons why we need to develop and implement virtual learning online now

and in the future:

 Educators can supplement existing classes with virtual lessons, especially as part

of a flipped classroom or blended learning.

 Virtual education methods promote inclusive learning though accessibility to

students who are differently-abled or unable to physically attend classes.

 Extend the reach of educational materials without sacrificing the interactivity or

collaboration of synchronous lessons.

 Implementing a virtual learning infrastructure maintains educational continuity in

the face of school closures, especially long-term closures.

“IF YOU WANT TO TEACH PEOPLE A NEW WAY OF THINKING, DON’T BOTHER TRYING TO

TEACH THEM. INSTEAD, GIVE THEM A TOOL, THE USE OF WHICH WILL LEAD TO NEW WAYS

OF THINKING.”

Buckminster Fuller, author, inventor, architect, futurist

Advantages of a Virtual Classroom

Given the ever-growing need for innovation in education, educators and institutions need to be

ready with solutions. This will inevitably mean picking increasing the availability of digital

learning tools, including both distance learning and virtual classrooms. And as they assess the

needs of their students, schools will have to take a good look at the best system for their

desired learning outcomes.

So while virtual learning environments aren’t perfect for every situation, they have distinct

advantages as an online synchronous learning system and overcome many challenges of

distance learning.

High Interactivity

As previously mentioned, an effective virtual classroom will have multiple communication

channels. This would include instant messaging, voice chat, and videoconferencing. Ideally,

there would also be the ability for students and teachers to use shared workspaces to maintain
engagement with the course materials. For example, there’s the option of video-assisted

learning.

Collaborative Learning

Related to interactivity is a virtual classroom’s ability to collaborate, and often in real-time.

Through shared chats, files, and digital whiteboards, students can work together on solving

problems and reinforcing course materials. And to simulate group work, breakout rooms allow

students to work in pairs or small groups similar to group work in a physical classroom.

Student-Centered Teaching

One of the challenges of digital learning is the fact that pre-recorded materials naturally make

lessons more teacher-centered. And while standardized teaching materials like texts and videos

are convenient and easy to teach at scale, they are harder to adapt to individual students’

needs. A virtual classroom – especially a live one – has much of the agility and responsiveness

of in-person education.

Content Variety

Just like an interactive whiteboard in the classroom, a virtual classroom can easily make use of

a wide range of media to present, review, and reinforce educational materials. Through links,

files, and embedded media, the teacher can tap into a wider range of educational content to

more fully engage with students across a wider spectrum of interests and abilities.
A Safe and Comfortable Learning Space

A classroom filled with warm and welcoming people is much better than an empty or automated

space. This much is true whether it’s a brick-and-mortar room or a virtual space. Having both

mentors and peers to interact with goes a long way to helping students open up and engage

with virtual learning, especially in a format that closely emulates the real-world equivalent.

What to Look for in a Virtual Classroom

Certain functions are just necessary to make a virtual classroom work. Others are nice to have

and may improve the user experience, but you can still run an effective lesson without these

frills. Here’s a look at some of what you should look for in a virtual teaching environment.

Messaging

This is the bare minimum for communication. Students should be able to write directly to their

instructors and each other to ask questions, participate, and collaborate. And in some

environments, text-based communications may be all you need.

Being able to read the text at one’s own pace – or re-read as necessary – can go a long way to

improving understanding and retention. But it is also limited in how much can be shared how

quickly with easy misunderstandings based on tone or writing style.

Voice Chat

Voice chat is faster than text and offers a more natural learning experience. It can also help

connect participants to a real person on the other end of the line. For weaker connections, it

isn’t as demanding as video.

However, in a lot of ways voice chat is a compromise between messaging and

videoconferencing. It provides more natural communication than messaging but lacks the visual

cues of video or in-person communication.

Video Streaming

Videoconferencing has been around for a long while in the business space, but it’s designed to

handle small groups of collaborators. Most classes are larger than video conferencing can

handle, so video streaming is used to teach full classes of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of

learners all at the same time.

Video streaming to a virtual classroom is about as close as an educator is going to get to

teaching in person. Most students will not be able to broadcast themselves under this system,

but that results in the whole group getting a smoother online experience.

File Sharing

Though nearly every communication platform has some degree of file sharing, it’s extremely

important for a virtual classroom to have an integrated, two-way sharing system. This could be
through an integrated cloud storage system or baked into the virtual environment, but teachers

need to have a way to share assignments and resources with students. And students need a

way to submit their work to teachers directly within the learning environment.

Participation Management

Participation management refers to students’ ability to “raise their hands” or otherwise signal

they would like to participate in a lesson. The system is an effective way to allow students to

offer input, answer questions, and otherwise contribute to the class as a whole. And with the

ability to switch students’ channels on and off, it gives the online teacher a classroom

management superpower many educators wish for: the ability to silence disruptions.

The only downside to this system is that it does require the teacher (or a moderator’s) constant

input to allow students to speak up. This can stifle some of the impromptu give-and-take

discussions that pop up in lessons, but these can be brought up on other channels for later.

Digital Whiteboarding

A digital whiteboard is software the emulates a whiteboard. It allows for writing, drawing, and

annotating just like the physical fixture, and it also allows teachers to import pre-made content,

rich media, and custom software. Many virtual classrooms also make whiteboards available to

students – either as a full class or in smaller collaborative groups.

To get the most out of digital whiteboarding, it’s best to have a touchscreen device. The

teacher should also seriously consider having a touch monitor available to facilitate lessons.

Having the larger touchscreen more closely mimics the real thing (only with the addition of a

wider range of available media).

Student Groups

For a complete virtual classroom, it is necessary for students to be able to work together in

separate groups. Group work is an important part of exploring and reinforcing taught materials,

so the online experience needs to include the necessary channels for collaboration.

However, setting up how students interact with each other will depend very much on the

capabilities of your virtual classroom solution. In some situations, it may be enough for them to

simply share a digital whiteboard. In other cases, however, they may need to communicate

more directly as part of a breakout room or virtual huddle with messaging, voice, or even video.

Collaborating online can be challenging for students, so be sure to check out these tips.

Integrations

In a digital learning environment, no system exists in a vacuum and no software performs every

necessary function. A good virtual classroom will overcome its own limitations by supplementing

its functionality with other services like Google Classroom, or Zoom.

While adding integrations to a system increase complexity and require users to learn more

systems, it does help keep the purpose-built software focused on what it does

well. myViewBoard’s Classroom easily integrates with third-party applications to provide

students, and teachers a seamless learning experience