Oche Gbemi
It is necessary to take into account the advantages of virtual classrooms, and also their drawbacks when assessing their implementation in a language classroom.
Growth is important in any business, something that language schools and educational facilities need to consider, just as they do in any other industry. For language schools, one of the most important ways to grow is to find ways to attract the largest number of students.
Normally, having more students enrolled means having more classes and, although it is an effective way to increase turnover, it can also become a significant logistical challenge. Committing to the additional cost of hiring more teachers, finding other classrooms to rent, or even scheduling more classes is tricky.
For reasons like these, there are more and more language schools that are considering the possibility of entering the digital world. Investing in a learning management system (LMS) allows language schools to increase their number of students without having to physically expand their teaching capacity.
A virtual classroom with an integrated LMS allows language schools to open their doors to a greater number of students by facilitating online study, more effective than traditional online videoconference classes (with virtual whiteboard and repository) and interactive reinforcement so that The student advances at his own pace. The language platform courses also allow progressive teaching with materials adapted to the CEFR requirements with gamification, voice recognition, conversation groups, linguistic immersion, the practice of all skills, real-time evaluation…
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Language schools considering going down this route may want to take a look at some of the benefits of virtual classrooms, and their drawbacks.
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Table of Contents
What are the advantages of virtual classrooms?
1. They help to grow
When we invest in the future of a business, it is important to do so while being relatively flexible, because the business may not be at the same point now as it is five years from now. The best thing about using a learning management system with an integrated virtual classroom is that there is a lot of room to expand the offering or reduce it when necessary.
2. They are accessible
Anyone with a computer, tablet, or smartphone has access to a virtual classroom. It does not matter where in the world the student is, or even if they have any illness or reduced mobility. Everyone will be able to log in wherever and whenever they want.
3. They are affordable
Compared to the costs of increasing the number of physical classrooms, the costs of installing a learning management system and a virtual classroom are considerably lower. These savings are often reflected in the students, who can increase the speed with which they advance in the course.
4. They are effective
The tools and resources offered by a virtual classroom have been shown to be effective. Delivering course materials in this way allows students more control over how and when to access them, putting them in complete control of their own learning experience and increasing the odds of success.
5. They are popular
A lot could be said for a learning tool that students are eager to use. Learning management systems with integrated virtual classrooms are popular with students for all the reasons we have discussed. This popularity is a boost for students to spend more time studying and reviewing important course materials and could help reduce dropout rates.
What are the drawbacks of a virtual classroom?
Although there are more advantages to using a virtual classroom than disadvantages, there are some aspects of using a virtual classroom that could be considered a disadvantage.
Here are some factors to consider:
1. There are those who consider them impersonal
There will always be people who prefer in-person teaching to digital. Some instructors or students may not be entirely comfortable with the idea of attending or signing up for a course taught entirely from a virtual classroom, but there are ways around this. A learning management system allows students to connect with their teachers and other participants through video, audio, and text chats. Encouraging conversation with these types of forums helps demonstrate that the virtual world doesn’t exactly mean loneliness.
Virtual classrooms can also be used for in-person instruction to support and reinforce learning.
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2. Some teachers and students may need additional training
Most virtual classrooms are designed to be intuitive. Typically, both students and staff are very comfortable with this type of technology. However, not everyone is equally comfortable with digital tools and they may need some guidance at first, so the help of someone from the ICT team will be required to answer any questions.
Although there are some drawbacks to incorporating the virtual classroom into a school environment, we believe the advantages far outweigh them.
A good learning management system provides virtual classroom space and a place to offer online course materials.
With our range of online learning and management platforms, we transform individual learning into collective learning and increase the chances of finding a creative solution that our hands have been responsible for building.
