Lessons From The Virtual Classroom

Lessons from the Virtual Classroom, Second Edition The second edition of the classic resource Lessons from theCyberspace Classroom offers a comprehensive reference forfaculty to hone their skills in becoming more effective onlineinstructors. Thoroughly revised and updated to reflect recentchanges and challenges that face online teachers, Lessons fromthe Virtual Classroom is filled with illustrative examples fromactual online courses as well as helpful insights from teachers andstudents. This essential guide offers targeted suggestions fordealing with such critical issues as evaluating effectivecourseware, working with online classroom dynamics, addressing theneeds of the online student, making the transition to onlineteaching, and promoting the development of the learningcommunity. Praise for Lessons from the Virtual Classroom,Second Edition "Palloff and Pratt demonstrate their exceptional practicalexperience and insight into the online classroom. This is aninvaluable resource for those tasked with creating an onlinecourse." — D. Randy Garrison, professor, University of Calgary, andauthor, Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework,Principles, and Guidelines "Faculty will deeply appreciate and make use of the manyexplicit examples of how to design, prepare, and teach both blendedand fully online courses." — Judith V. Boettcher, faculty coach and author, TheOnline Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical PedagogicalTips "Lessons from the Virtual Classroom is filled withinsightful caveats and recommendations, pointed examples to enhanceyour practice, succinct summaries of the research, and engagingvisual overviews. Each page brings the reader a renewed sense ofconfidence to teach online as well as personal joy that there isfinally a resource to find the answers one is seeking." — Curtis J. Bonk, professor of education, IndianaUniversity-Bloomington, and author, Empowering Online Learning:100+ Activities for Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, andDoing

Building Online Learning Communities further explores the development of virtual classroom environments that foster a sense of community and empower students to take charge of their learning to successfully achieve learning outcomes. This is the second edition of the groundbreaking book by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt and has been completely updated and expanded to include the most current information on effective online course development and delivery. A practical, hands-on guide, this resource is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses. The authors offer proven strategies for handling challenges that include: Engaging students in the formation of an online learning community. Establishing a sense of presence online. Maximizing participation. Developing effective courses that include collaboration and reflection. Assessing student performance. Written for faculty in any distance learning environment, this revised edition is based on the authors many years of work in faculty development for online teaching as well as their extensive personal experience as faculty in online distance education. Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt share insights designed to guide readers through the steps of online course design and delivery.

Authors Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt have written a comprehensive reference for faculty to use to hone their skills as online instructors and for students to use to become more effective online learners. Filled with numerous examples from actual online courses and insights from teachers and students, Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom covers the entire online teaching process. This essential guide offers helpful suggestions for dealing with such critical issues as evaluating effective courseware, working with online classroom dynamics, addressing the needs of the online student, making the transition to online teaching, and promoting the development of the learning community.

Online instruction is rapidly expanding the way administrators and educators think about and plan instruction. In addition, due to a pandemic, online instructional practices and learning in a virtual environment are being implemented with very little training or support. Educators are learning new tools and strategies at a quick pace, and often on their own, even through resistance. It is important to explore lessons learned through the pandemic but also of importance is sharing the virtual classroom options and instruction that align to best practices when transitioning to online instruction. Sharing these will allow educators to understand and learn that virtual instruction can benefit all, even when not used out of need, and can enhance face-to-face courses in many ways. The Handbook of Research on Lessons Learned From Transitioning to Virtual Classrooms During a Pandemic is a critical reference that presents lessons instructors have learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic including what programs and tools were found to be the most impactful and useful and how to effectively embed virtual teaching into face-to-face teaching. With difficult choices to be made and implemented, this topic and collection of writings demonstrates the learning curve in a state of survival and also lessons and resources learned that will be useful when moving back to face-to-face instruction as a tool to continue to use. Highlighted topics include the frustrations faced during the transition, lessons learned from a variety of viewpoints, resources found and used to support instruction, online learner perspectives and thoughts, online course content, and best practices in transitioning to online instruction. This book is ideal for teachers, principals, school leaders, instructional designers, curriculum developers, higher education professors, pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, practitioners, researchers, and anyone interested in developing more effective virtual and in-classroom teaching methods.

Whether taking classes in school, college or university, or in a corporate training setting, it is likely that learners will be expected to do at least part of their studies via the computer. This book provides realistic guidelines to ensure their success in the virtual learning environment. From detailing tools such as WebCT and Blackboard, to overcoming personal barriers to success in distance learning, this handy text deals with issues that readers of any age, stage or situation are likely to encounter by: * demystifying terms and concepts common to online learning * addressing issues of online ethics such as netiquette, plagiarism and software piracy * offering practical advice on interacting effectively online, submitting assignments and doing research * furnishing numerous links to Web pages and other resources for further study and research. The author offers serious and humorous anecdotes to help readers avoid the pitfalls and capitalize on opportunities that will help them become a successful online student. Current and prospective online learners will greatly benefit from this practical book filled with clear, detailed assistance for learning online.

The New Virtual Classroom draws on the most current research in multimedia learning as well as practitioner experience to show how to effectively harness the power of the virtual classroom. Written by Ruth Clark, co-author of the best selling e-Learning & the Science of Instruction, and Ann Kwinn3⁄4recognized experts in instructional design and workforce learning, this important resource includes guidelines, research, and illustrative examples that clearly show how to leverage the powerful instructional features in the new virtual classroom.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has prompted educators to utilize online learning resources in order to comply with public health and social distancing mandates. The transition to virtual classrooms has created several opportunities and challenges for all stakeholders involved in the educational ecosystem. The ability of the classroom instructor to impart learning to students requires considerable adjustments from both students and teachers, which can be a new experience for educational professionals. Virtual and Classroom Learning in Higher Education serves as a handy guide for instructors to effective online teaching with a focus on higher education. The book presents reviews on different aspects of online teaching, distilling key findings in an easy to understand manner for the reader. It provides educators with knowledge which familiarizes them with online teaching models and concepts (such as micro-learning, synchronous and asynchronous learning, online pedagogy, dynamic learning experience and more). Chapters are contributed by experts in online learning and cover the topic from different angles, giving the reader a broad perspective on virtual classrooms. Virtual and Classroom Learning in Higher Education is an essential read for administrators and educators involved in higher education settings, and general readers who are interested in widening their view of the online teaching model.