Goals

• Components of the Virtual

Classroom

• Preparations

• Virtual Classroom Management

What is the Virtual Classroom?

A place without walls, where classes are held over the Internet and students and instructors interact using asynchronous and synchronous forms of communication to achieve a desired learning outcome.

VC ComponentsClassroom

Laboratory

Instructor’s Office

Library

Study Lounge

Preparations

Planning

Design

Preparing the Learners

Planning

Where do you start?Develop goals and objectives

Take a course yourself

Sketch out a rudimentary design of classroom

Prepare to design a learning community

Prepare content in detail

Prepare media that will be used

Divide content into manageable modules

Decide on communication tools

Don’t assume that everyone will be techno-savvy

Hardware and software needs

Always have a Plan “B”

Design

Guidelines

Simple

Easy

Consistent

Clean

Sequence

User-friendly

Accessible

Website StructureHome Page

Instructor/Author Course Info Reference

Syllabus

Announcements

Calendar

Modules

Readings

Lecture Notes

Presentations

Exams

Student Tools

Bulletin Board

CHAT

Personal Pages

Class Lists

Grades

Resources

Web Links

Webquests

Glossary

Bibliography

About the Author

Contact Info

Help/FAQS

Home Page

Instructor/Author Course Info Reference

Syllabus

Announcements

Calendar

Modules

Readings

Lecture Notes

Presentations

Exams

Student Tools

Bulletin Board

CHAT

Personal Pages

Class Lists

Grades

Resources

Web Links

Webquests

Glossary

Bibliography

About the Author

Contact Info

Help/FAQS

Some Samples….WebCT

http://emerald.ucsc.edu/~jsr/EART10/

http://educedit.educ.ttu.edu/Edit2318/ServerScripts/home.php

Dr. Nancy Maushak

Preparing the Learners

Preparing the Learner

Start slow

Familiarize them with the website

Introduce tools

Create demos

Allow students to practice

Provide feedback to each student’s initial contributions

Preparing the Learner, cont….

Introduce the same things you would in a F2F

Make expectations very clear

Procedures

Be friendly and personable

Netiquette

Build cohesiveness

Virtual Classroom Management

Instructor RolesTracking

Goals and Objectives

Counseling

Motivation

Information Management

Assignment Management

Grading/ Feedback

Archiving information and records

Maintenance

Virtual Classroom Management

Virtual Office Hours

Communication Tools

Content Management

Assessment

Time

Netiquette

Resources

Virtual Office Hours

"Virtual Office Hours"?Virtual Office Hours utilize electronic communication methods Virtual Office Hours utilize electronic communication methods to supplement existing faculty office hours, by providing:to supplement existing faculty office hours, by providing:

Faculty-student communication

Online question and answer sessions

Online delivery of course materials

Student Benefits of Virtual Office HoursSend questions to course professors

Receive answers from professors through public posting

Browse other students' public questions with respective answers

Browse course materials: problem sets, handouts, articles, exams, keys

Download or print course materials

Participate in online study groups

Link to worldwide information resources

Send confidential email communications to faculty

Student Endorsements: 96% of UCLA sophomore chemistry

students polled say YES to VOH!

Faculty Benefits of Holding Virtual Office Hours

Assist students who miss live office hours

Have office hours when you are away from campus

Have office hours in a distance education setting

Post answers to questions publicly so all students can benefit

Link related facts through hypertext

Make course materials available without building or library hours limitations

Map student questions conceptually through FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Teach concepts by linking to 3-D graphics, animations and audio tracks

Communication Tools

Asynchronous vs. Synchronous

Asynchronous- Communication between instructor and student or students and students can take place anytime, anywhere.

Synchronous-The teaching/learning communication process in which the course instructor and students come together at the same time.

Types of Asynchronous and Synchronous Communications

Synchronous

Instant Message Service

Chat

Whiteboard

Video/Audio Conferencing

AsynchronousElectronic MailThreaded DiscussionsWebpageListserv

ConsiderationsMake sure that the use of communication tools achieve the educational goals

Make sure that the students know that you are paying attention

Utilize all the of the communication tools that you have chosen

Always clearly define topics

Use disclaimers

Try your best to acknowledge each individual

Encourage collaboration

Content Management

ConsiderationsMake sure that everything is up-to-date

Ongoing assessment

Make sure content and activities foster collaborative learning and active participation

Be mindful of ADA compliancy

Focus on content mastery,

not just task mastery

Assessment

ConsiderationsTry not to encourage memorization and

rote

Consider essays over objective testing

Create assessments that foster reflective and thoughtful responses

Repeatable assessment

Allow ample time

Time Management Tips

Turnaround Time

Online students expect quick turnaround time on feedback and communication

Set limits on turnaround time at the

very beginning

Automate things as much

as possible

Tips

Promise less than you deliver

Monitor, but don’t respond to all discussion

board messages

Let them know that you expect them to take

the lead in discussions

Delegate authority

If possible, use a different email

address for each course(McLean)

Tips continued………..

Require that each student only use a primary email address

Use an autoresponder function

Keep email files for each class

Create a list of FAQ’s

Post or email general

announcements every few days

(McLean)

The Biggest Tip……….

GUARD YOUR TIME!

Resources

Considerations

Utilize the University Library

Use E-Reserve for materials

Develop a list of content related links to the Internet

Create a glossary

Maintain and keep current

Netiquette

To practice courteous behavior:

Respect each other's viewpoints.

Wait to be recognized to speak.

DON’T SHOUT (all caps).

Don't use profanity.

Don't flame (put down someone

else's ideas).

Keeping A Sense of Order

Always sign on using your real name or your assigned ID

The Instructor will operate as Moderator

Saying "hi" to each person is not necessary To comment, use "!" to indicate and wait to be called on. This is the equivalent of hand-raising.

To ask a question, use "?" to indicate and wait to be called on. This is the equivalent of hand-raising.

Keeping A Sense of Order

When you are chatting, use "..." to indicate that you are still typing and will be continuing your statement.

When you have finished your comment or question, use normal punctuation, type "end."

Recognize the next person.

This procedure will help keep students from stepping on each others comments and will

make it easier to follow the discussion.

The key to a successful virtual classroom management is……

BALANCE!

Citations

References

• Katherine Austin StalcupManaging Director, Technology Support

• Lisa R. MillsInstructional Technology Consultant

• McLean, Jennifer. The Virtual Vortex: Managing Your Time as a Distance Educator. Accessed at http://www.ipfw.edu/as/tohe/2002/papers/mclean1/htm