Many learners find online teaching platforms and virtual classrooms highly beneficial due to the flexibility and personalized learning opportunities they offer. Virtual classrooms allow students to participate in classes from anywhere, provided they have a stable internet connection. Furthermore, these platforms allow learners to save on commute, meals, educational resources, and relocation expenses. Many virtual education tools are available online to help students continue their learning experience through digital courses and classrooms after graduation.
Features of effective virtual classroom tools
1. Effective classroom control
Several popular virtual classroom software tools include features such as attendance tracking, student engagement analytics, and classroom monitoring, which make it easy for instructors to manage classes with more student strength and identify students who require special attention and support.
2. Assignment and grading management
Academic evaluation tasks like projects and assignments play a crucial role in determining students’ level of learning and understanding of concepts. To manage these tasks better, the best virtual classroom software tools simplify and streamline the creation, distribution, and quick grading of assignments. Such software often comes with clean communication channels for teachers to ensure students are always informed regarding their progress.
3. Simplified resource sharing
Collaborative online teaching tools simplify resource sharing. It allows users to share articles, videos, and supplementary materials to encourage independent exploration among students and enrich their overall learning experience.
4. Compatibility with online learning management systems (LMS)
Efficient virtual classroom tools must be perfectly compatible with versatile learning management systems (LMS) since most institutes today use them to help educators and students create, organize, and exchange learning materials without any delays. An effective LMS helps centralize content, improve engagement, save costs for institutes, and ensure regulatory compliance for educators. So, virtual classroom software that seamlessly integrates with such systems enhances the overall efficiency of online learning.
Popular virtual classroom tools for educators and learners
1. Kaltura Virtual Classroom
This intuitive and user-friendly platform helps users create online courses with just a few clicks. Kaltura allows clients to try their software for free for a specific period to gauge its efficiency and compatibility with their daily work. An intuitive online portal enables clients to engage their learners in virtual classes for maximum interaction and participation.
One of the key features of this interactive virtual classroom tool is that it is 100% web-based. This eliminates the need to have Flash on one’s system, make large downloads, or install software applications to run it. One can simply visit Kaltura’s online portal to access its features, which include a digital whiteboard, presentation and video sharing, cloud recording, breakout rooms, screen sharing, real-time note generation, and live quizzes.
2. Electa Live
This is a versatile software that performs the roles of several systems in one package. Electa Live comes with all the capabilities users would expect from the best virtual classroom software tools while also acting as a competent learning management system for online courses. Electa Live supports cross-platform usage. This means this tool is perfectly compatible with various virtual teaching platforms and other enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) an institute may employ.
Electa Live has various features, such as file sharing, annotation tools, session recording, online polls, surveys, breakout rooms, screen sharing, interactive whiteboards, and effective communication features. Its LMS component makes it easy to schedule live classes, offering convenience for institutes with varying teaching needs.
3. Google Classroom
As an institute’s number of students grows, educators look for scalable virtual teaching solutions that don’t compromise learning quality. Google Classroom is powerful software that helps them meet this challenge. This tool helps tutors create, manage, and personalize learning experiences for their students.
One of its standout features is Read Along, which helps students receive instant feedback on their reading and comprehension. This platform also uses AI-enhanced video questions to deliver interactive lessons to students. Furthermore, it seamlessly integrates with other Google Workspace tools like Docs, Drive, Forms, Meet, and Sheets. Besides, the platform comes with real-time feedback mechanisms that allow instructors to identify and address the unique learning needs of their students.
Popular online learning management systems
The most sought-after online learning management systems help virtual classroom tools by providing a centralized platform for educators to easily create, manage, and track learning programs.
1. Canvas LMS
For institutes looking for a comprehensive, flexible, and user-friendly platform that helps combine traditional learning and digitized learning activities, Canvas LMS can be the right choice.
Some of the highlights of this system include its extensive integration with educational tools like PeopleSoft and Banner, as well as video conferencing platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom. This platform comes with mobile accessibility, meaning students and teachers can use it through their smartphones.
2. SkyPrep
This tool is built to simplify online training and onboarding learners for organizations, educational institutes, and non-profits. SkyPrep is known for its user-friendly interface, allowing people lacking extensive knowledge to use technical tools to learn and operate without hassles. A key highlight of the software is its ability to support a range of media, including presentations, quizzes, and videos. This makes it a good choice for educational institutes that use versatile teaching methods.
Top online teaching platforms
Today, several platforms allow teachers to design online courses and deliver them to their students worldwide. Some of the top online teaching platforms include features like video conferencing, course creation, interactive quizzes, whiteboard tools, and more.
- Podia
- LearnWorlds
- Udemy
- Coursera
- Skillshare
- EdX
- Moodle