Online education is now a common thing, and due to the outburst of the pandemic, almost everybody is now familiar with the work and study from home system. Online studies and work facility has saved mankind from a huge loss in terms of education and economy, respectively. Talking about the economy, people are now more comfortable working from home, and many companies still approve of it, as the transit time is saved and the employees are more productive while working from the comfort of their homes. So Live Classroom development is much needed for teaching and learning online.

On the other hand, the online education culture has made students access the education which was impossible to get, as one had to move to a different location, in or out of their country. But since the study material or special courses are now available at students’ fingertips, they are now able to choose what they want to study. The virtual class is a similar concept to online education, or we say is part of the online learning process, but the most effective one.

Virtual classes are live and offer the feel of a real classroom, hence, enhancing the study experience, allowing the students to learn in an interactive environment.

What is a Virtual Class and How it’s Different from the Actual Class?

Most of us are already familiar with the online learning scenario. Who isn’t, online learning is studying on a platform on a laptop, computer, or a mobile phone (connected to the internet), specially built for teaching and studying purposes, without going to a particular place, from the comfort of your home.

A virtual classroom is a part of online learning and is the most effective way of learning when accessing classes online. We use a video conferencing software for virtual classes, such that the students and the teachers sitting miles apart can interact in real-time through this very software. This software can be a separate video conferencing tool, Live Classroom development, or an LMS, specially designed for teaching and learning online. The virtual classroom gives the feel of a real classroom, and the instructors can engage with the students in a more efficient way and provide feedback in real-time.

With virtual classrooms, the teachers have the power to moderate the participation of the students in real-time and like an LMS, can provide the students with the learning material in document form. A Live Classroom development is more advanced in terms of the features compared to the actual in-class experience, as it offers screen-sharing, virtual whiteboard features, poll/quizzes/ organization, session recording, etc. Not only the teachers can track the progress of the students, but the students can also ask questions in doubt.

Advantages of a Virtual Class

We have already discussed that a virtual classroom beats the actual physical classroom in multiple ways. Here are some detailed advantages of a virtual classroom:

• The instructor and the students can have an interactive learning session without stepping out of their house, miles away from each other.
• Since the classes are in real-time, the students have the liberty to ask questions and clear their doubts. This also provides the instructors with the power to give immediate feedback to the students based on their performance in the tests.
• The virtual classroom is a part of LMS, such that includes progress tracking tools, quizzes, analytics, and study material. The study material available in the virtual classroom can be accessed anytime and from anywhere in the world, just through an internet-connected device.
• It promotes collaboration between the students and increases engagement with the instructor.
• The virtual classroom gives the students the option to opt for a course that isn’t available in their locality.
• The virtual classroom offers better time management for those who are also working or managing their homes.
• Learning through virtual classrooms is time and money-saving for the students.

Setting Up a Virtual Classroom

There are the following steps that you need to take to build a virtual classroom:

• Defining the Goal: First thing first, the goal has to be set. So in the case of a virtual classroom, you need to define the target the same. Questions need to be asked like,

• Why do you want to create a virtual classroom?
• What courses you will provide through the classroom?
• Who is the target audience?
• How much can you spend?
• What are your expectations from the project?
• Would the classes be one-to-one or you will have multiple students?
• Who would be eligible for accessing the class?
• Would the classroom be a part of an app, website, or an LMS?

These are the basic things that you need to figure out on your own through research or by meeting a good software development team expert in the same field. These questions will help you build a basic framework of what you require for your Virtual classroom.

• Meeting a Good Team: To build a virtual classroom, you need a team of experts who can guide you through the process of development, understand your vision and create the product based on your requirement. You can easily find a reputed software development team with a little research on the web.

• Choosing the Right Model for the Virtual Classroom: The next thing is to understand that there are multiple models that you can choose from for your virtual classroom. The development team will help you with this process. These models include the night school mode, where the students take the classes after their work hours, the comprehensive model, where the students can opt for one or two of their academic subjects online, and the rest they will study in the traditional classrooms. There are also subscription-based and transactional-based models. So you need to be clear on which model you want for your virtual classroom.

• Choosing the Platform: While setting up the goals, you had asked a few questions, one of which was about the type of the Virtual Classroom, i.e., whether it would be the part of an existing app, website, or an LMS, or you intend to build one of the three from scratch. Depending on the answer, your development team will help you with choosing the right type of Virtual Classroom for you.

• Arranging the Courses and Study Material: The Virtual Classroom definitely needs some good study material, experienced faculty, and well-defined courses. So you must be ready with all of it before you start building the classroom.

• Setting up the Virtual Classroom: Based on your preferences, the development team will start the work of building the classroom. You must always check with them so that your project goes in the right direction. A good development team reduces half of the burden, so choose the team wisely.

This is the basic process of setting up a virtual classroom. Though you can also create a DIY classroom from some of the available Live Classroom development builders online, it is always better to take the help of professionals. If you are also looking for such a professional team to discuss your next Virtual Classroom project, feel free to contact Xornor Technologies, the pioneers in the LMS and Live Classroom development.