Virtual learning is an educational approach where students engage with a digital curriculum delivered by instructors through online video or audio lectures.
Understanding Virtual Learning
Virtual learning creates a flexible learning environment accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Let's explore key features:
Digital Curriculum
- Content Delivery: The course material is presented entirely through digital means such as videos, readings, and interactive platforms.
- Accessibility: Digital formats can be easily accessed, revisited, and shared, promoting flexible study habits.
- Varied Media: Virtual learning uses diverse media formats to cater to different learning preferences.
Instructor-Led Online Lectures
- Video or Audio: Teachers deliver instruction using video or audio. This provides a personal learning touch.
- Interactive Elements: Many online lectures include interactive elements like polls and Q&A sessions.
- Real-Time Feedback: Instructors can provide feedback and address queries in real time.
Learning Environments
Virtual learning can operate in two main environments:
- Asynchronous:
- Self-Paced: Students learn at their own speed, accessing materials anytime.
- Flexibility: This model provides maximum flexibility for learners with varied schedules.
- Examples: Pre-recorded video lectures and assignment submissions through learning management systems (LMS).
- Synchronous:
- Real-Time Interaction: Learning takes place in real time, fostering direct student-instructor and student-student interactions.
- Live Sessions: This model involves live lectures, group discussions, and instant feedback.
- Examples: Virtual classrooms via platforms like Zoom or Google Meet, live Q&A sessions.
Benefits of Virtual Learning
- Flexibility: Students can learn anytime and anywhere.
- Accessibility: It breaks down geographical barriers and offers learning to remote locations.
- Variety: It provides different formats of content to enhance the learning experience.
In summary, according to Coursera, virtual learning is where students follow a digital curriculum taught by instructors via online video or audio. This method can be either self-paced (asynchronous) or in real-time (synchronous).
