virtual+eduction


 * virtual eduction toc**

= Defination : =

Virtual education **refers to instruction in a learning environment where teacher and student are separated by time or space, or both, and the teacher provides course content through course management applications,multimedia resources, the Internet, video conferencing , etc. Students receive the content and communicate with the teacher via the same technologies**.



= Characteristics of virtual education = Virtual education is a term describing online education using the Internet. This term is primarily used in higher education where so-called Virtual Universities have been established. Virtual courses – a synonym is online courses – are courses delivered on the Internet. "Virtual" is used here to characterize the fact that the course is not taught in a classroom face-to-face but through some substitute mode that can be associated with classroom teaching. That means people do not have to go to the real class to learn. A virtual program (or a virtual course of studies) is a study program in which all courses or at least a significant portion of the courses are virtual courses.

= Communication and Interaction = Students in virtual education typically acquire knowledge in a uni-directional manner first (e.g. by studying a video, reading a textbook chapter). Subsequent discussions of problems, solving exercises, case studies, review questions, etc. help the students to understand better what they learned before. Electronic media like a discussion forum, chat room, voice mail, e-mail, etc. are often employed for communication. Homework assignments are normally submitted electronically, e.g. as an attachment to an e-mail. When help is needed, lecturers, tutors, or fellow students, or a help desk are available, just like in a real university. The difference is that all communication goes via electronic media

= Platforms = ** Most virtual study programs use an e-learning platform (Learning Managment system – LMS) to administer students and courses and to provide learning content. Among them are BlackBoard, moodle and many others. ** media type="file" key="Virtual Event Review IBM Cognos Virtual Education Summit.flv" align="right" width="360" height="270"
 * ** Second Life : has recently become a virtual classroom for major colleges and universities, including Princeton, Rice University, Pepperdine University, University of Derby (UK), and Vassar, the Open University (UK). . Language Learning in virtual world is the most widespread type of education in 3D virtual spaces, with many universities, mainstream language institutes and private language schools using 3D virtual environments to support language learning. **
 * ** WebEx: is also increasingly used as an online learning platform and classroom for a diverse set of education providers such as Fox School of Business for Templer University, Grades Grow, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and Sachem. Webex is a Cisco Web Meetings and Collaboration Solution. **** The platform has worked for educational institutions because of real time collaboration using an interactive whiteboard, chat, and VOIP technology that allows audio and video sharing. In distance learning situations, while replacing the classroom with features, institutions have also looked for security features which are inherently strong in a Cisco powered collaboration environment. The downside is that Webex is not a free platform. **
 * ** Heritage key: is a platform for historical education that virtually recreates important archaeological sites from around the world, such as Tutankhamun's tomb (KV62). The 3D virtual environments in Heritage Key support real-time communication through messaging and live conversations using Skeype **

= see also = Second Life Virtual school

=** Reference **=