Virtual Classroom Research Articles

The Transformative Role of Digital Resources in Teaching and Learning

This study examines the evolving terrain of Digital Resources (DR) by investigating its influence on teaching methodologies and student achievement and exploring the diverse aspects of integrating these resources to improve teaching methods and establish more efficient learning settings. The study focuses on diverse DR, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS); interactive software, online platforms, and Collaboration and Communication Tools; including multimedia content used to produce Educational Software and Applications, and evaluates their influence on engagement, accessibility, and overall student success. These examples of digital resources represent the diverse array of digital tools that contribute to the transformation of teaching and learning in various educational settings. This list is not exhaustive, as the field of digital resources is continually evolving with the advancement of technology. The impact of these tools extends to areas such as accessibility, personalized learning, and the enhancement of both in-person and online education. Examining the integration of adaptive learning platforms seeks to understand how technology adapts to individual learning needs, providing tailored support to students and promoting a deeper understanding of educational content. Furthermore, the study explores the global connectivity and collaboration facilitated by DR, investigating the impact of virtual classrooms, video conferencing, and collaborative platforms on students' ability to connect with their peers and educators worldwide. It seeks to identify how this interconnectedness contributes to cultural awareness, diverse perspectives, and the development of global competencies. It also addresses challenges related to digital literacy, ethical use, and equitable access as it unfolds. The research aims to provide insights that inform best practices for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders in the ongoing endeavour to optimise integrating DR into teaching and learning. Ultimately, this research aspires to contribute valuable knowledge supporting education's evolution in the digital age. The researcher explores the transformative role of DR in education, examining how these tools contribute to a more dynamic and inclusive learning environment.

Game-based learning in metaverse: Virtual chemistry classroom for chemical bonding for remote education

AbstractVirtual classrooms based on the metaverse or virtual reality are useful and effective for imparting basic chemistry concepts. Interactive and immersive environments can effectively teach fundamental chemistry concepts, such as chemical bonding and formulas, thereby making these otherwise abstract and intangible ideas more accessible and understandable. With the outbreak of Covid-19, e-learning platforms have also been developed for chemistry education. However, these platforms are unable to make learning chemistry interactive and enjoyable. Therefore, there is a need to motivate students to learn basic chemistry concepts in an immersive and interactive environment. In this paper, we propose an immersive virtual reality-based Virtual Chemistry Classroom for Chemical Bonding (VC3B) to facilitate the learning of chemical bonding and formulas through a game-based learning approach. It includes two different games for learning chemical bonding and formulas. In the first game, molecule construction, students reconstruct the structure of molecules by rearranging the atoms in order to learn about chemical bonding. In the second game, chemical formula, students compose the chemical formula of a given compound to help them memorize chemical formulas. The study, conducted on 90 middle school students, employed a randomized controlled study design, dividing participants into three groups. Each group learned about chemical bonding and formulas through three different mediums. After conducting the experiment, the students were given a questionnaire to evaluate the usability of VC3B. The results of the study were positive, with participants finding the VC3B to be more interactive than traditional book and online lecture methods. Participants were also motivated to learn and enhance their knowledge of chemistry.

A STUDY ON IMPACT OF COVID -19 ON EDUCATION

Universally, the COVID-19 scourge has seriously aggravated the instruction framework, driving to an uncommon move towards online learning. This think about analyse the numerous consequences of this alter, looking at how it gather essential information, we performed a intensive investigation of the body of writing as of now in presence as well as overviews and interviews. Our inquire about uncovers a nuanced interaction between openings and boundaries. On the one hand, we found that the unexpected move to online instruction made already-existing instructive incongruities more awful by putting destitute understudies at a major impediment when it comes to get to innovation and strong learning settings. Be that as it may, the alter too advertised chances for inventive approaches to educating and learning, underscoring how innovation can offer assistance overcome calculated and geographic deterrents. This paper calls for focused on approach intercessions to address the computerized isolate and guarantee comprehensive and even handed quality education for all understudies within the post-pandemic world. KEYWORDS COVID-19, Pandemic, Online Learning, Distance Education, Access to Technology, Learning Outcomes, Student Engagement, Virtual Classroom, E-Learning Platforms, Digital Literacy, Inclusive Education, Quality of Education, Educational Challenges, Learning Disruption, Future of Education.

Perceptions of Hail University students of the interaction degree in distance learning based on virtual classrooms

The distance learning experience is a new experience at the University of Hail. This study explores students' perceptions of Hail University of the degree of interaction in distance learning based on virtual classrooms of six types of interactions (learner interaction with instructor, learner interaction with content, learner interaction with learners, learner interaction with the technological system, learner interaction with the graphical interface and learner interaction with the staff of the university units and administration. The study is done using the quantitative survey, where the study was conducted on 676 students of all levels and specializations during the academic year 2020/2021. The results of the study indicate that the degree of evaluation that made by male and female students from all levels and disciplines in connection with interactions is high. There was a difference in responses based on gender.

Lessons for/in virtual classrooms: designing a model for classrooms inside virtual reality

Lessons for/in virtual classrooms: designing a model for classrooms inside virtual reality

Social aspects of teaching with XR: the intersection of the virtual and physical classrooms

Social aspects of teaching with XR: the intersection of the virtual and physical classrooms

Virtual Classes and EFL Students’ Linguistic Performance; Case Study of Engineering Students at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University

This study identified the perceptions, attitudes, and difficulties that university students encountered to better understand how EFL virtual classrooms affected their language performance. In order to test the study's hypotheses, 124 engineering college students were given a three-section questionnaire comprising 29 statements, and 15 of them were also interviewed. All participants signed up for the English-language online writing composition course. The study's findings indicate that the participants had varying opinions about how virtual EFL classes affected the improvement of their linguistic ability. Additionally, the results showed that students only partially preferred this method of learning because they had to deal with a variety of concerns, including technological difficulties, inadequate instruction and training, financial commitments, workload pressure, and limited access to the internet. In order to properly employ virtual courses in the teaching of EFL, it is strongly advised that the aforementioned issues be fixed. This case study contributes to the body of research by focusing on a situation where there is a dearth of empirical data regarding EFL learners' perceptions of English learning. To understand why this disparity evolved, additional studies in this area are needed.

The virtual reality classroom: a randomized control trial of medical student knowledge of postpartum hemorrhage emergency management.

To investigate the use of a virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) to enhance medical student knowledge of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) emergency management and insertion of a postpartum balloon. A randomized control trial involving medical students from University College Dublin, Ireland. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention group (VRLE tutorial) or control group (PowerPoint tutorial on the same topic). All participants completed pre-learning experience and post-learning experience surveys. Both groups were timed and assessed on postpartum balloon insertion technique on a model pelvis. The primary outcome was assessment of student knowledge. Secondary outcomes included confidence levels, time taken to complete the task, technique assessment, satisfaction with the learning environment, and side effects of VR. Both learning experiences significantly (p < 0.001) enhanced student performance on the post-learning experience multiple choice questionnaire, with no difference between the intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, time for task completion was significantly less compared to the control group (1-2 min vs. 2-3 min, p = 0.039). Both learning experiences significantly (p < 0.001) enhanced student confidence, with no significant difference between intervention and control groups. 100% of the students using the VRLE enjoyed the experience, and 82.4% were very likely to recommend use of VRLE in medical education. 94.1% of the students felt the VRLE was beneficial over didactic teaching. Receiving formal instruction, regardless of format, enhances students' knowledge and confidence of the topic covered. Students who received instruction via the VRLE assembled the postpartum balloon faster than students who received didactic teaching. VR may be beneficial in teaching hands-on procedural skills in obstetrics and gynecology education.

Benefits of Teaching English to Children in Virtual Classes: Teachers’ Perspectives from Khanh Hoa Province, Viet Nam

Over the past decade, technological advancements have greatly impacted the education industry, leading to the rise of online teaching and learning as a promising trend worldwide. However, in Viet Nam, research on virtual classrooms for young learners has been relatively limited. As a result, a recent study sought to examine English teachers’ perspectives on the benefits of teaching English to children virtually. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach to collect data through an online questionnaire distributed to 52 English teachers in Khanh Hoa Province, Central Viet Nam, who had at least one-year experience in teaching English to children online and in-depth interviews with 15 of them. The findings revealed that virtual classrooms offer numerous benefits for teachers, such as integrating all four language skills, enhancing teaching and learning performance, improving their digital skills, keeping up with educational technology trends, accessing a wealth of resources on educational websites, and fostering creativity in developing activities that enhance children’s engagement and motivation in English lessons. Overall, this study highlights the valuable benefits of teaching the English language to children in virtual settings. The findings hold relevance for other stakeholders involved in the development of virtual language education in Viet Nam and similar contexts.

Gaze-based attention network analysis in a virtual reality classroom

This article provides a step-by-step guideline for measuring and analyzing visual attention in 3D virtual reality (VR) environments based on eye-tracking data. We propose a solution to the challenges of obtaining relevant eye-tracking information in a dynamic 3D virtual environment and calculating interpretable indicators of learning and social behavior. With a method called "gaze-ray casting," we simulated 3D-gaze movements to obtain information about the gazed objects. This information was used to create graphical models of visual attention, establishing attention networks. These networks represented participants' gaze transitions between different entities in the VR environment over time. Measures of centrality, distribution, and interconnectedness of the networks were calculated to describe the network structure. The measures, derived from graph theory, allowed for statistical inference testing and the interpretation of participants' visual attention in 3D VR environments. Our method provides useful insights when analyzing students’ learning in a VR classroom, as reported in a corresponding evaluation article with N = 274 participants.•Guidelines on implementing gaze-ray casting in VR using the Unreal Engine and the HTC VIVE Pro Eye.•Creating gaze-based attention networks and analyzing their network structure.•Implementation tutorials and the Open Source software code are provided via OSF: https://osf.io/pxjrc/?view_only=1b6da45eb93e4f9eb7a138697b941198.

메타버스 플랫폼을 이용한 예비유아교사의 재난안전 교육콘텐츠 활용방안

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore ways to utilize the metaverse platform to provide disaster safety education content to prospective early childhood teachers. Methods To this end, we first compared and analyzed the characteristics of various metaverse platforms and then selected Gathertown as a metaverse platform suitable for the purpose of this study. Next, we created a meta school virtual classroom on the Gathertown platform, designed a space to provide disaster safety education content to prospective early childhood teachers, and installed disaster safety education content by topic according to the characteristics of the space. Results First, a meta school space was created on the Gathertown platform, consisting of a lobby space, education space, group activity space, and exhibition space. Second, after learners went to school in the lobby space, class materials on disaster and safety topics were shared in the educational space. Collaboration tools were connected to the group activity space to enable active discussion by group, and an exhibition space was set up to display the results of group activities. prepared. Conclusions In a situation where social and academic interest in the metaverse has rapidly increased, this study utilizes the metaverse platform to load existing disaster safety education contents by disaster safety topic and provide related data in a systematic and efficient manner to the metaverse platform. The significance of the study can be found in that it is an early example of building disaster safety education content using a bus platform.

Love and the Distance: The Role of Presence in Online Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift to online teaching and learning, prompting concerns about maintaining teacher and student presence in virtual classrooms. Holistic education, emphasizing love, care, and interconnectedness, faces challenges in the digital realm. Holistic educators explore online behaviours, environments, and tools fostering deep presence. Four post-secondary educators were interviewed, revealing a focus on managing emotions for a positive online atmosphere. They utilize positive mental states and contemplative rituals to compensate for the lack of physical presence. Instead of redefining presence, educators use online tools to uphold traditional notions, such as requiring visible cameras. Further research is needed to understand how holistic educators’ exposure to online technologies may impact contemplative ideas of presence.

Exploring the effectiveness of virtual and in-person instruction in culinary medicine: a survey-based study

BackgroundCulinary medicine, which has recently increased in popularity in medical education, incorporates food and nutritional interventions with principles of disease prevention and treatment. The ultimate goal is to improve overall health outcomes. The growing prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases indicates the need for physicians to have a deeper understanding of the interplay between nutrition and disease. Incorporating culinary medicine into medical education can equip medical students with the necessary skills and knowledge to promote better patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ perceptions of their foundational knowledge of a culinary medicine course after completion of the course for first- and second-year medical students at the PCOM (Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine). We will also examine the difference between methods of instruction in relation to constructs discussed of knowledge gained and enjoyment of the course.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted using SurveyMonkey by Momentive. Data were collected from osteopathic medical students who enrolled in a culinary medicine course at the PCOM from 2018 to 2022 through the completion of a post-course survey. The methods of instruction included either a virtual or in-person classroom. The statistical analysis for this study was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics version 28. To compare methods of instruction, the statistical analyses used included descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, one-way ANOVA, and independent sample one-sided t tests.ResultsA total of 360 out of 430 participants, spanning the years 2018 to 2022, completed the course requirements and participated in the online survey. There was a valid sample size of 249 for the in-person group and 111 for the virtual instruction group. The knowledge gained construct consisted of five survey questions, for a total possible score of 25, while the enjoyment construct consisted of two questions, for a total possible score of 10. A statistically significant difference in knowledge gained was identified by one-way ANOVA, F (4,355) = 3.853, p =.004. Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference in enjoyment of the course between class years, F (4,356) = 11.977, p <.001. Independent sample t-tests revealed a statistically significant difference in enjoyment between the two methods (p <.001) even after accounting for unequal variances, with Cohen’s d equal to 0.807, indicating a moderate effect size.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that overall, students were highly satisfied with the Culinary Medicine course over a five-year period. The study suggested that students who participated in in-person courses benefitted more than did the virtual students in terms of knowledge gained and enjoyment. The 360 students who completed the Culinary Medicine course were highly satisfied with the information and skills they acquired.

Grado de usabilidad de plataformas e-learning a través delmétodo de evaluación heurística en estudiantes de universidad pública de Trujillo 2021-2022

The National University of Trujillo offers high quality educational services in its various programmes; due to the health crisis, the institution underwent a major change in the mode of delivery of classes, which became from face-to-face to virtual. This change forced the university population to make use of technological tools such as virtual platforms, but the process of adaptation was very difficult for everyone. Barriers such as the lack of previous culture and the complex manipulation of these systems prevented many students from continuing their studies. In order to address this problem, a study was carried out to determine the degrees of usability of virtual platforms through a heuristic evaluation method with the aim of identifying attributes that could be improved with the support of experts. In order to achieve this, the components that make the correct and simple use of these platforms possible were determined, where the student has the possibility of developing their subjects and being able to understand the use of the platform, which has intuitive characteristics. This research concluded with the evaluation of the grades for each component giving as a result a very significant level in the use of the virtual classroom E-learning.

Building paths to success: a multilevel analysis of the effects of an emotional intelligence development program on the academic achievement of future teachers.

The situation generated by the recent pandemic has had several effects on education, one of them being the necessary but hasty efforts of teachers and students to adapt to the demands of a virtual classroom environment. Thus, it is essential to promote the development of digital competencies in future teachers, enabling them to create effective learning situations in the digital medium. Moreover, the European university curriculum includes a set of specific competencies (specific to each degree) and a series of generic competencies, many of which are related to emotional intelligence. Our work emerges from these specific premises and the more general need to develop emotional skills and learning abilities in virtual environments for future educators. The sample comprised 240 students in higher education, pursuing a bachelor's degree in education at the University of Alicante, Spain (68.3% were female and average age of the participants was 19.43 years SD = 4.127). Using a quasi-experimental design with pretests, posttests, and a control group, we present the effects of an online program aimed at improving the emotional skills and academic achievement of future teachers in higher education. In this study, a 30-h emotional intelligence training program was implemented. Since the student sample was grouped into different classes, we analyzed, using a generalized linear mixed-effects model, whether students who took the program showed a significant improvement in their academic achievement at the end of their studies, compared to those who did not take it. The findings show a significant improvement in the academic achievement at the end of the bachelor's degree studies of the students in the experimental group. These results open up a field of possibilities for the implementation of this type of training using virtual environments, enabling interventions to enhance the emotional development of the teaching staff (and, subsequently, in their students), develop their teaching careers adequately, and employ the ideal strategies to address educational programs. Looking ahead, the integration of emotional development programs that incorporate emerging technology into university curricula could enhance the preparation of educators profoundly and create adaptable learning environments for contemporary students.

Enhanced Virtual Classroom for Better Interaction

Online mode of learning is becoming more and more popular due to changes in education, society, and technology. This affects how students learn as well as how tutors teach. Additionally, this changes the way that each of these parties communicates with the others. Modern e- learning system affordances enable users to work on various projects or assignments for training courses on their own schedule. They may also work together and exchange experiences and knowledge, which creates rich learning flows within businesses. Future studies should make use of the large amounts of data generated by these platforms to examine how integrating cutting-edge learning technologies (such learning analytics and personalized learning) might contribute to higher organizational value. Lectures are the primary use of the digital infrastructure of dislocated learning settings like virtual classrooms, which promotes inefficient teaching methods. This methodology supports varying learning styles and improves understanding. Improved online classrooms allow students and teachers to collaborate and communicate in real time. Group projects, discussion boards, and video conferences all promote peer-to-peer learning and a sense of community, which are essential for information retention and skill development. An improved virtual classroom is a major advancement in the way we provide education. It provides a comprehensive approach to learning that accommodates various learning styles and demands by combining a wide range of sources and technologies, ultimately resulting in a more interesting, efficient, and customized educational experience. With technology developing at an exponential rate, there are countless ways to improve the virtual classroom and a more optimistic future for global education. Key Words: e-learning, teaching, interface, complexity, virtual, multimedia, insights

The Metaverse Design and Evaluation in Product Design and Development

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift to online learning like SUT-Elearning, Zoom, and Google Classroom. However, these platforms have limitations in replicating classroom dynamics and fostering interaction. Students have low motivation for studying and class participation. The concept of a metaverse classroom is introduced, aiming to enhance engagement by exploring the Metaverse's origins, features, and educational benefits. This study delves into integrating metaverse technology into online education, using Suranaree University of Technology's product design and development course as a model. This course merges project-based and problem-based learning. The investigation outlines the gradual creation of a virtual classroom aligned with these traditional approaches, detailing its functions, components, and limitations. The classroom design is evaluated through student feedback gathered from interviews and surveys. Students assess the design's advantages and disadvantages and compare between the Metaverse, physical classes, Zoom, and video-based learning. Results drawn from feedback from 20 students highlight a preference for physical learning, closely followed by the Metaverse, which excels in engagement over Zoom and video. The Metaverse also excels in real-time interactions, with minor differences in self-directed learning. The study emphasizes the potential of integrating the Metaverse as a catalyst to improve online education and immersive learning. It highlights the ability of metaverse integration to increase real-time engagement and support innovative instructional methods. These methods are vital in effective online education, particularly in the ever-evolving educational landscape.

Effects of team-building on group cohesion, group efficacy, and individual academic performance in virtual learning environment

This study is based on the hypothesis that group cohesion and efficacy have significant effects on the academic performance of individuals in online (virtual) education environments no less than in-person education environments. To that end, this study explores the effectiveness of group activities in a virtual classroom environment using VC (Virtual Conferencing). It is based on a hypothesis that strong group cohesion and efficacy of a learning group influence the individual academic performance. The findings are as follows. First, team-building activities conducted in an online environment can further improve the level of group efficacy. Second, group cohesion formed in the online educational environment has a positive effect on the individual academic performance. Third, group efficacy amplified through online team-building activities mediate the relationship between group cohesion and individual academic performance. The results of the study support the hypothesis that psychological group variables can also affect the individual academic performance even in online educational environments. These findings will be helpful for researchers who are interested in designing educational collaborative activities and system development for computer-supported cooperative learning (CSCL).

Student Perspectives of Global Citizenship within a Virtual Exchange

Higher education internationalization has become an increasingly challenging endeavor. The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and the ever-changing landscape of immigration policies have called for a need to reexamine how universities internationalize. Transnational virtual classrooms or virtual exchanges have been shown to provide students with a more equal opportunity to develop their global competencies and cultural skills than study abroad. Traditional internationalization methods may no longer be as effective as they have been in the past, creating a need to reconceptualize how we educate college students for global competencies. This research in-progress summarizes a portion of a dissertation. The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate global citizenship student awareness in a virtual exchange. This study presents preliminary findings of their experiences; applied global citizenship and virtual exchange as a channel.

Making teamwork work in the virtual classroom

The quality of online programmes is expected to improve as more students enrol. Online programmes offer convenience, enabling students to pursue education despite time constraints and work commitments. Students, however, still expect an experience comparable to that of face-to-face classes. As a result, many colleges and universities are beginning to explore the use of teamwork to provide students with a sense of community in online programmes, while also enhancing their learning. Although virtual teams can overcome the limitations of time, space and organisational boundaries that hinder traditional teams, they face other obstacles in distributed environments, including limited technical abilities and a lack of collaborative skills. This practice paper explores the work of a new assistant professor who incorporated teamwork in virtual classrooms into an online educational leadership programme. This paper aims to share the challenges and benefits experienced by the instructor while engaging in group work in an online classroom environment, including the various successes and lessons learned.