Students can pursue academics while working or taking care of their personal responsibilities through distance learning. It makes it possible to learn from the comfort of one’s own home, saving money on travel and lodging. Virtual meeting platforms and virtual conference software simulate face-to-face interactions, although digitally, in order to achieve this goal. Eighty-five per cent of pupils who took a survey said they thought distance learning was just as good as traditional classroom instruction. By 2025, the worldwide online education market is expected to reach a value of US$350 billion.
These classes are more accommodating, but they don’t sacrifice the quality of instruction or the knowledge they provide. Many conventional features of academic learning have merely been digitalized to meet the needs of distant learning, even though it is conducted online.
Use of virtual classroom platforms
Some aspects of brick-and-mortar classrooms are present in today’s virtual classrooms, but they differ in important ways. Video-on-demand courses lack human interaction, a crucial component of classroom teaching that virtual classrooms provide. Using a virtual classroom, students can ask questions and communicate with their classmates in the same way they would in a traditional classroom, but through the internet.
Additionally, virtual classrooms may be scaled to suit a bigger student population. Seating capacity in physical classrooms is generally capped to ensure that pupils have enough room and are not crammed together. As a result, virtual classrooms can accommodate a larger number of students at the same time, enabling for more interesting classes to be offered. As a result, participation rates are improved, and the availability of information is increased.
Virtual classrooms, like brick-and-mortar classrooms, are synchronous since both students and teachers appear online at the same time. Virtual classrooms, like traditional ones, make use of pre-recorded materials like videos, slideshows, and lecture slides to help students learn more effectively. Virtual classrooms and online virtual meeting platforms ensure that education continues, even if it is online and at home, in light of the worldwide closure of traditional classrooms in the near future.
The current global economic crisis and shifting educational needs are driving an increase in the usage of distance learning. Because of technological advancements, content creation and distribution are becoming more complex, interactive, and personalised.
When learning isn’t confined to brick-and-mortar classrooms, virtual classrooms allow students from across the globe to collaborate and learn together. Another game-changing tool in a digital educator’s toolbox, the virtual classroom is only going to gain in popularity and utility in the years to come.
Using Web-Based Virtual Classrooms
Nowadays, virtual classrooms are the norm for both training and education alike. Virtual classrooms, on the other hand, can be of any size or shape. Finding a solution for your business might be difficult. As a result, we’ll examine ten of the most popular options for online education. We’ll take a look at why each platform is different from the rest on the internet.
1. EdApp
EdApp is the best platform for virtual classrooms. Corporate situations where you need to swiftly roll out effective, interactive, and monitored training are a wonderful fit for this product’s capabilities. With EdApp’s Virtual Classroom feature, you may use your favourite video conferencing services, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, without having to buy additional software. Using this function, you and your team may stay in touch without sacrificing face-to-face engagement. Using a simple connection that is extremely versatile and user-friendly, it connects even the most separated teams around the globe.
With the Virtual Classrooms feature, you can also get up and running in only a few minutes, and the interactive content, such quizzes, movies and surveys, complements EdApp’s micro-lessons. Learner tracking is another important consideration. Learners’ progress may be tracked by training personnel using a comprehensive reporting suite, and they can also observe which users are behind.
2. Edvance360
Edvance360 is another virtual classroom platform competitor. Whether you’re a teacher or a student, our platform has something for you. Students have a lot of control over their education with this platform because they can design their own learning environment. They are able to take charge of their education by building e-Portfolios and earning badges.
3. Deck toys
Deck Toys is a virtual classroom platform that offers a number of advantages. Lesson plans for younger students can be made using this platform. With a drag-and-drop interface, educators may create lessons for their students. For example, students can learn through self-discovery that allows them to have more control over their own education.
4. NewRow
Another virtual classroom platform is NewRow. In addition to providing high-quality audio and video, this product has a number of additional features that help keep students engaged. Its digital whiteboard is a standout feature. This is an excellent tool for group assignments since it allows students to sketch and write collaboratively in one location. The utilisation of breakout rooms and real-time notes, which allow students to follow along in real-time as you enter important notes, are two more helpful resources.
5. Kahoot
In addition to the other virtual classroom platforms, Kahoot is a standout. Children are always engaged with the material because to the use of Kahoot’s gamification of the classroom. Students will be more motivated to achieve if teachers use this virtual platform to enhance their teachings with quiz reviews. In addition, it allows students to design their own games, which helps them retain the information they have learned.
6. eTrain Center
eTrain Center can also be added to our list of the best virtual classroom platforms. There are two categories of learners that this platform is geared towards: internal users who are creating training for their company’s employees and external users who are beginning their own training enterprises. It doesn’t matter what type of user you are; you can get started quickly with a course. eTrain’s authoring platform supports exams, surveys, multimedia, and any SCORM-compliant content, so you may create your course on their platform and publish it online.
7. Osmo
Osmo is a third platform for virtual classrooms. The osmonauts are the people who use this virtual classroom programme. It’s also designed with younger students in mind.
Skills building is the emphasis of Osmo’s educational programme. For a virtual learning platform, Osmo stands out since it doesn’t rely on students staring at a screen. As a result, there are a lot of components that go into it. Because it provides an additional method of encoding information into your brain, using tactile elements can assist reinforcing your educational efforts.
8. Edulastic
Edulastic is a third option for online training. Schools and school districts are the intended audience for this virtual classroom programme. Students’ progress is continuously monitored, and the system’s major purpose is to make it simple to determine where there are gaps in knowledge and skills. You may provide your students over 10,000 pre-built assessments, which is one of its strongest features. In order to assess how well a student performs in a certain area, it examines test data in great detail and then proposes the next step in the process.
9. ProProfs
Another name that comes to mind while discussing virtual classroom platforms is ProProfs. Virtual classroom platform includes hundreds of already courses that you may choose from, so if the training course is already there, there is no need to build one. It is possible to create your own on ProProfs if you choose. Using their platform, you can create your own courses or import existing ones. You can even sell your own courses on this virtual classroom platform. Creating your own courses and taking payments has never been easier!
10. Wooclap
Wooclap is a final virtual classroom platform to mention. Allows students to effortlessly engage in classes from their mobile devices. Wooclap can be used for both online and in-person learning. Students can conduct surveys, complete coursework, and share files with the use of distant learning technologies. Wooclap gives educators the ability to gather data from all of that and truly delve into the success of their students.
11. Google workspace
The software giant’s collaborative tools provide all the essentials for an online classroom. Gmail, Drive, and Calendar are all integrated into Google Workspace. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, internal online editing software, provide live editing choices with your team. The Google conference system offers group and personal conversations, as well as video calls that may accommodate up to 10,000 users, in addition to Google Meet video calls. For academic purposes, Google Classroom and Google Workspace for Education are also accessible. Google Workspace is a free service, but it requires a Google account to get started.
Conclusion
With virtual classrooms, students from all over the world may participate in stimulating learning environments, regardless of where they live or work. Virtual classrooms can be used to enhance or replace traditional educational settings. Ten of the most popular virtual classroom platforms were examined in this article. You should have a clear understanding of the numerous features and differences across these platforms. If you haven’t already, it’s time to put them to the test.