Learning in a Virtual Classroom

Virtual worlds are somehow beginning to emerge from the stereotypes of being mindless platforms for geeks and nerds hiding in their parents’ basements. Much of this rise can be attributed to the support of educational institutions operating within the likes of Second Life.

Education in Second Life is big business. The UK Open University has a large presence in Second Life, with its own chain of islands and a series of lessons delivered around the world for distance learning students in its course. But the institutions whose presence in the virtual world has conquered more global press are the American ones. Harvard Law School, Stanford and Princeton have virtual campuses within Second Life and offer lessons to their students within the virtual classrooms they host there.

But what are the pros and cons of learning in a virtual classroom? Well, students experience an immersive learning environment from the comfort of their home. For distance learning courses, this offers a whole new level of engagement that may not have existed before. Few would argue that the experience of sitting in a virtual classroom is more fascinating than sitting at a desk with your head on a textbook and nothing but email contact with your tutor. It also allows people the opportunity to communicate in a learning environment with peers from around the world, something they might not have the fortune to experience sitting in a real-life classroom.

However, learning in a virtual classroom does, of course, have its drawbacks. When you depend on technology, there is a chance that something will go wrong. Second Life, like many other virtual worlds, is a platform in continuous development. There are occasional bugs and issues and having a conference interrupted by a server crash or the like is a frustrating experience to say the least. There are also those who argue that students are also unable to concentrate in a virtual classroom, because they are also trying to manage the technology, familiarize themselves with the platform and are tempted by distractions at home.

However, whatever point of view you take on virtual learning, one thing cannot be denied. It is progressing at a tremendous rate and is being incorporated into an increasing number of courses within an increasing number of institutions internationally. So whether we like it or not, it seems that virtual classroom learning is here to stay.