Effective Learning in Virtual Classrooms

To Students Transitioning to Digital Learning – Welcome to IIMB!

Educational institutes such as IIM Bangalore have been experimenting with Digital Learning and virtual classrooms for considerable time now, through its Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and blended learning that are an integral feature of programmes that IIMB offers. Meanwhile, the crisis precipitated by COVID-19 has pushed IIMB to move all physical classes to on-line mode in the short run. To ensure that there is little or no disruption in your learning process in this “new-normal”, we prepared this document to help you derive the best from digital courses despite being away from your classrooms, and to enable you to share your classroom with your cohort in the virtual mode. The document addresses specific questions related to the course proceedings such as how to prepare for an online session, how to conduct yourself in a virtual classroom and what to do at the end of the session.

At IIMB, educators and learners are joining hands during this difficult phase with one goal in mind - to effectively meet your course learning objectives. If you are well prepared for the new reality, the transition to the virtual class will be a smooth one.

Best wishes,

Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

IIM Bangalore

Learning in Virtual Classrooms

For most students, virtual classrooms are a completely new environment. However, if one is prepared, virtual classrooms can provide an effective learning experience. The following tips on best practices can help you to achieve that:

Before the Class

Ensure that you are technically equipped¹

You must have access to reliable internet and to devices equipped with necessary software which can enable digital learning. Your instructor will provide information about the instructional platforms being used such as Zoom, Canvas and Panopto. IIM Bangalore’s IT department or assistance services will provide information on how to access these. While good quality headphones are a must to help you hear the lessons clearly, most classes will require access to your camera for using video conferencing tools. Please adjust your camera so that your face is clearly visible to the instructor and your classmates.

Plan in advance: Know your classroom and Learning Management System (LMS)

It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the virtual classroom software tool². You must log in early (likely log in ten minutes early for every class, if your schedule permits) and do a test run. It really helps to have some idea of what the instructional space looks like before class begins. Similarly, get acquainted with the LMS and its features such as - tools for online collaborations, assignment submission, digital and media tools. Your instructor will share class resources, assignments and quizzes on the LMS. Therefore, it is best to know the nitty gritty of how it works.

Enquire about pre-reads, class material, evaluation criteria and general expectations

Your instructor would have shared a detailed course outline with the class on email or LMS. The course outline is a good place to glean information about the syllabus, pre-reads, class material, evaluation components and general expectations regarding conduct, attendance and participation before starting a class. It would also contain information about assignments, and the submission details. LMS enables online exams, timed assignments and real-time quizzes. Read the course outline carefully, understand the rules and adhere to them.

Build an environment conducive to learning

A dedicated study space at home or elsewhere is a must for effective learning³. When you login, demarcate a well-ventilated place which is free from distractions and noise. It is a good idea to gain family support to ensure that noise stays at a minimum during the class⁴. Set up your study equipment and finally, make sure you are rested, alert and ready to learn. Dress up as though you are going to a physical classroom – it would help you to get into a proper mindset and signal to people all around you about the serious and formal nature of the class.

Ensure that you can communicate well in writing

In the virtual classroom, much of the communication is written, so it is critical that you feel comfortable in expressing yourself in writing⁵. Make remedial efforts if you think your written communication needs to be enhanced.

Schedule time for synchronous and asynchronous learning

As a student, you have to make time for synchronous sessions. These sessions are likely to be used by the instructor to foster interaction with students and engage as a group. The instructor might debrief you about a particularly exciting simulation or make connections between a few different assignments to show a larger learning arc⁶. Asynchronous (learning/teaching that occurs through online channels, but not in real time) sessions are more likely to be used for a recorded lecture which can be consumed at your convenience. However, it is important to actively prioritize and set aside time for asynchronous study modules, completing assignments and group work. Otherwise things pile up and make learning a monotonous task.

During the Class

Follow classroom etiquette and abide by the ground rules laid down by the Faculty

Be considerate of your instructor and fellow students. Minimize unwanted noises and unsightly scenes during class time. Your instructor may also lay down ground rules for the virtual class just as they do for a physical class. These rules could relate to taking notes, participating by asking and answering questions, wearing classroom-ready clothing, joining the course in a quiet place, keeping your cell phone on silent mode, turning on your video, muting your microphone unless you are speaking (always a good practice), and closing browser tabs not required for participating in class⁷. Make sure you are aware of the rules and follow them for a seamless learning experience.

Speak up or Use chat

You must be determined to contribute to the class from the start, especially in a virtual class. This will ensure that you listen to the faculty, voice your opinions and clear your doubts. Two-way communication would also alert your fellow students to contribute, further enriching the learning experience. You must, however, discern when it is appropriate to speak up – when the instructor says that they are open to questions – or when to use chat, so you do not break the flow of the class. Your professor may enable a ‘raise hand’ feature (in Zoom) where they will be informed if you have an urgent question to ask. A question or response on chat may be preferable when the instructor solicits answers or asks the students to record their reflections.

Engage with the class

Learning is a two-way process. Your faculty may use various techniques to encourage you to contribute, such as surfacing questions that learners have around the material, using polls to get a sense of the aggregate ’temperature‘ of the room, inviting students to answer particular questions, having students engage in small ’buzz group’ conversations, or (the most trusted) ‘cold calling’⁸. The instructor may also set up ‘discussion boards’ on the LMS. Take the cue, make yourself heard and participate in the discussion.

Engage in active learning

It is easy to drift off during a virtual class. One must make conscious efforts to learn actively. Most instructors use engagement techniques to retain your focus. However, the onus is on you to respond intelligently and add to the conversation. Additionally, there could be topics where use of engagement techniques may not be suitable. Take notes, use the chat feature to summarize the key points and send it to your peers later, pen down your questions and participate in discussion forums or doubt- clearing sessions later.

Avoid multitasking

Do not treat a class that does not require you to have your camera on as a distraction to surf other tabs or do multiple things at one time. Just knowing you have an unread email in your inbox can distract you significantly⁹. Therefore, stay focused on one thing at a time. You will absorb more information and complete lessons with greater productivity and ease than if you were trying to do many things at once¹⁰.

After the Class

Actively participate in online discussions¹¹

Participate in the course’s online forum to help you better understand course materials and engage with fellow classmates. This might involve commenting on a classmate’s paper on a discussion board or posting a question about a project you are working on. You may learn more while discussing difficult concepts with your peers or instructor on discussion forums after classes. Respond to other people’s contributions and add to the discussion. Take criticism positively and use it to improve your learning.

Access online resources and library

While the instructor will provide course material on the LMS, it is a good idea to seek out the guidelines on accessing IIMB’s online library to retrieve course readings, supplementary reading material, e-books, e-journals or e-databases.

Ask for help

Communicate with your instructor or other students. Access chat logs or lecture transcripts to review the material. Many faculty set up preferred communication channels, whether it is email, instant messaging, direct messaging on social media, or even virtual walk-in hours. Try to use that channel to get answers to your questions¹². You may ask your instructor for extra resources that will help support your learning. You can also bring up any issue to their notice that is hindering your progress.

Working on group projects

Just as in a physical classroom, digital learning requires students to collaborate and work on group assignments or projects. In a way, learning remotely and collaborating can also prepare you for corporate life where working remotely is a growing trend. Following are a few things which you can do to ensure that all group members work together in a productive manner:

You must be clear and accurate in your communication with your group members. Work on building relationships and communicate in a language that everyone understands. To reduce ambiguity, share responsibilities for key activities and assignments in writing.
Use virtual group space¹³ on your LMS consisting of chat, a discussion board, a file sharing area, and a space for live, real-time debates. You can also use commonly available tools to collaborate¹⁴ such as Slack, Twist and Google Hangouts for chatting, Trello, Jira and Asana for project management, Invision, Marvel, Adobe XD for collaboration and Doodle and Calendly for scheduling.
It is important to build relationships with other group members. Ensure that you are contributing to team work as much as others, if not more. Be open to a different point of view. Learn to build on others’ ideas and play to each other’s strengths. Look for ways that encourages everyone in your group to participate. Decide on norms for the group, such as when and how often you will meet virtually, which tools will be used and who should do what. Find opportunities to ‘meet’ even on non-academic matters. It will be useful to understand the profiles of your group members. It will help you gauge the individual and collective strength of the group as well as understand some of the possible constraints (of working in the lockdown or limitation of resources) at their end.
It is possible that initially you will take much longer to make decisions as a group. Not only are you from diverse backgrounds, virtual strangers who are still getting to know one another, your strengths, your biases, but also have different personalities. Use individual group members’ experience to guide the group. But fresh perspectives help too, so ensure everyone’s voice is heard. Prevent forming views about or judging your group member (e.g., he is a slacker, or she is aggressive)
Ensure you ‘meet’ often, that the team is clear on deliverables and deadlines, that each of you understand your roles and responsibilities and that all are accountable. There will be few in your team who do not manage boundaries well and work extended hours over a long period of time. There could also be others who do not meet your standards of diligence. With time you will build personal strategies to cope/ manage these situations. As a team, set standards of professionalism and give feedback in an impersonal and non-conflicting manner in case you feel such standards are not being met.

While conflict is not all bad, (after all it can lead to discussions and new ways of solving a problem) ignoring it can negatively impact team morale and productivity. Find out the source of the conflict- is there a lack of structure or blurring of roles or lack of clarity? Is it a personality clash, is it always a specific person causing the conflict? As a team member, understand your own and others’ conflict management styles. Encourage your team mates to focus on behaviours and the problem rather than the personalities. Treat everyone with respect. Encourage debate and discussion and avoid an unpleasant combative style. If the disputes happen often and the team is unable to find a solution, do consider discussing it with the faculty.

Peer learning is the educational practice of students interacting with each other to achieve learning goals. It is an essential element of learning in a management institution, where a significant dimension of learning is experiential and applied in nature. In a professional course like the MBA, the diversity among students in terms of their life and professional experiences is usually very high. Therefore, when you interact with them and discuss what was taught in class, each of them relates to such classroom lessons from their own contexts which are likely to be different from yours. This provides the peer group with a rich context for situating classroom lessons which reinforces learning and leads to realizations and insights that even an experienced teacher might not be able to provide.

How does the faculty know you are collaborating?

Group assignments or projects are challenging if all group members do not contribute. To eliminate free riders, the instructors structure activities collaboratively so that learners are mutually dependent on each other while being individually accountable¹⁵. These may include monitoring virtual group spaces on the LMS, evaluating students on both their contributions to group processes as well as the final product and incorporating peer-assessment and self-assessment at various milestones.

Final Words

Please keep in mind that in a virtual/ digital learning mode, for learning to be effective, you have enhanced responsibility and you need to take greater ownership. This can be achieved by advance preparation of pre-reads, active listening and involvement through sharing of perspectives and experiences as well as by asking questions and meaningfully synthesizing your learning.

Stay motivated. Set clear goals and beat procrastination¹⁶. The goal must be specific and easy to measure. Following a goal with a reward would provide additional motivation to achieve the goal. Approach online classes with an open mind and expect a steep learning curve at the start as you get accustomed to e-learning¹⁷. Make your presence felt, by building a relationship with your professor and your peers. Set up a call, ask questions, ask for referrals – all these efforts signal to the professor that you are committed to learning, provided you are doing them with sincerity and not just for the sake of creating an impression.

Remember why you are doing this, why you are spending your time and resources in getting this degree. Make them count.

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¹ https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/10-ways-to-help-your-students-cope-with-the-transition-to-virtual-learning

² https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2020/03/18/17-tips-for-people-taking-online-classes/#1b9733b3fff8

³ https://blog.coursera.org/8-tips-for-effective-online-learning/

⁴ https://www.duq.edu/about/centers-and-institutes/center-for-teaching-excellence/getting-started-teaching-at-duquesne/tips-for-student-online-success

⁵ https://www.uis.edu/ion/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/successful-online-student/

⁶ https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/8-tips-for-teaching-online

⁷https://teachremotely.harvard.edu/best-practices

⁸ https://teachremotely.harvard.edu/best-practices

⁹ https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8B28108

¹⁰ https://blog.coursera.org/8-tips-for-effective-online-learning/