The Power of Virtual Classrooms: Combining Online and In-Person Learning for Success

Stephen Webb, Head of Technology Enhanced Learning, University of Portsmouth

Due to an unusual temporal phenomenon, the nature of which I still don’t fully comprehend, I find myself old enough to have a daughter who is studying at university. As part of her degree course in Natural Sciences she is taking a module on mathematical methods. Many years ago I took the same sort of module myself, and this week I was proud to be able to pass on some fatherly advice regarding the grad, div and curl vector operators. As I held forth, I was struck by the generational change in the pedagogy surrounding this subject.

I was taught the concepts of vector calculus in a lecture theatre along with a hundred other students; I developed an understanding of the concepts through textbooks; and I tested my understanding by working through examples and problems. My daughter is being taught in a virtual classroom, sitting by herself in her room; she develops her understanding via applets that allow her to manipulate vector fields and examine them from any angle; and she too tests her understanding by solving problems.

Which approach works best? The physical lecture theatre or the virtual classroom? Or is that a false binary?

The virtual classroom possesses some obvious advantages. It offers flexibility for both student and university. (My daughter should have been learning in a lecture theatre, as I did, but a combination of events forced her university to change plans. No problem: the switch to virtual was straightforward.) It permits students to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. It typically links to online resources and provides access to multimedia tools that enhance and deepen the learning experience. And, when implemented correctly, it provides instant feedback so students can identify areas where they need to focus their attention.

A less obvious advantage relates to accessibility. Consider, for example, students with aphantasia. (I use this example because I am currently supervising a researcher who is interested in how virtual classrooms might support aphantasic learners.)

Aphantasia, a term coined in 2015 by the neurologist Adam Zeman, refers to an inability to visualise. People with aphantasia may recognize and recall objects, people, and places through senses such as touch, smell, and sound. They are, however, unable to create mental images or "see" things in their mind's eye the way most people do. Aphantasia is not a learning disability but it can create an extra barrier to the understanding of concepts that involve spatial reasoning and geometric relationships. The aphantasic student who is learning about grad, div, and curl operators, as my daughter is currently doing, can be supported in a virtual classroom by interactive applets that makeinvestigation of those objects more accessible.

Given all of the above, why do universitiescontinue to invest in bricks-and-mortar lecture theatres?

Well, a virtual classroom comes with clear disadvantages: it can be impersonal and isolating, making it difficult for students to foster relationships with teachers and classmates; it demands a high level of self-discipline; and it can be challenging for those who are uncomfortable with technology.

The virtual classroom is not a panacea for education. But it has the potential to play an important role in education.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic my own university developed a "blended and connected" approach to teaching and learning. These two words — blended and connected — arecrucial when considering the implementation of virtual classrooms. They do, however, require some further explanation.

“Aphantasia is not a learning disability but it can create an extra barrier to the understanding of concepts that involve spatial reasoning and geometric relationships.”

Blended: both virtual and physical classrooms have a place as part of a designed approach to teaching and learning. Use a virtual classroom where it can add value (knowledge self-checks via quizzes, for example); employa physical classroom where in-person interaction is critical (testing clinical skills on patients, for example). The key is to design the blend in such a way as to maximise learning opportunities.

Connected: this refers not just to internet connectivity, without which a virtual classroom is impossible, but person-to-person connectivity. Learning happens when students are engaged, and in most cases that requires teacher–student and student–student connection.Design all classrooms, “physical” and “virtual”, to promote connection. When students are connected the distinction between“physical” and “virtual” classrooms becomes almost irrelevant.

We have found that a blended and connected approach typically requires a reimagining of the pedagogy on a course. The distinction between “physical” and “virtual”classrooms mightblurbut the distinction between "synchronous" and "asynchronous" learning activities increases in importance. A successful blended and connected approachrequires the skills of a team of professionals — not just teachers but also learning designers and learning technologists.

My daughter is lucky. Her institution has adopted a similar approach and so she has access to a virtual classroom (to help her understandthose tricky grad, div, and curl operators) and a physical laboratory (where she and her lab-mates can play with materials and see the results). Success in chemistry, which is part of my daughter’s Natural Sciences degree, requires one to get the blend of components right. Success in teaching is much the same.