Picking a virtual learning software for your school or organization is an important yet overwhelming decision. A suitable platform enables efficient and productive teaching and effective learning outcomes. The good news is, we have summarized the seven best virtual classroom software for 2021 and 2022. Keep reading to find the one that suits you the most!
1. Why Virtual Classroom Software?
Before we get started to rank existing virtual classroom software, it is important for us to make clear what a virtual classroom is as well as its advantages.
1.1 Virtual Classrooms vs. Traditional Classrooms
Nowadays, virtual learning is an increasingly mainstream choice for conducting classes. It provides flexible scheduling, supports self-paced learning, and allows immediate feedback. It also promotes social learning through integration with many collaborative tools, such as instant messaging and Q&A forums. Most virtual classrooms support multiple forms of learning to ensure better participation and knowledge retention. In the long run, virtual teaching can be integrated with traditional teaching to establish the Online-Merge-Offline (OMO) learning model, empowering educational development.
1.2 Virtual Classrooms vs. Web Conferencing
According to eLearning Industry’s article Virtual Classrooms vs. Web Conferencing, in web conferencing apps, people can connect anytime and anywhere with their webcams and microphones – sounds convenient and efficient? However, in classrooms, teachers and students need more than basic functions of screen sharing and communication – they need purposeful features for education.
One key advantage of virtual classrooms is that they are highly customizable. Teachers and institutions can launch personalized learning plans for individuals through do-it-yourself workflows.
Virtual classrooms are also designed for interactive engagement. They come with collaboration-based tools that allow for more immediate application of learning while facilitating peer interaction. Other advantages include comprehensive feedback measurements, flexibility, tablet compatibility, and so on.
2. Five Criteria for Choosing a Virtual Classroom Software
2.1 Interactive Features
A good virtual classroom should ensure that students participate as actively as they do in traditional classrooms. The software should come with elements that encourage learners to interact, prompt them to ask questions, take tests, and use gamification modules.
In addition, virtual classroom software requires an instant messaging function to give users a real-time channel to connect. In a lecture, the IM function enables users to register questions and respond immediately.
2.2 Attendance/ Participation Report
Attendance reports enable teachers to obtain relevant data easily and quickly. They can collect data such as class duration as well as in-class student interactions. The data can also be fed back to administrators and parents to keep them informed about student learning.
2.3 Multiple-Device Support
The software should allow access from any device: a mobile phone or a tablet of any operating system, Android or iOS, which can maximize the support for education continuity. In addition, students can join ongoing classes via laptops or mobile phones.
2.4 Backup/ Cloud Disk
The backup option helps teachers store student data as well as track their performance. With this feature, live lessons can be recorded, and students can conduct learning at their own pace. In addition, by uploading the lesson to the cloud drive, teachers can instantly access the courseware on different devices and share them with students.
2.5 Easy Operation
Teachers and learners do not tend to opt for software that are hard to use. Therefore, online classroom software must come with intuitive designs, so digital classrooms can be constructed successfully and effortlessly.
3. Seven Best Virtual Classroom Software of 2021
3.1 ClassIn
ClassIn is a leading EdTech company that provides a one-stop solution for digital learning. Today, thousands of schools and institutions around the world benefit from ClassIn’s powerful and easy-to-use tools to teach online and offline.
ClassIn software enables interactive classrooms – it has comprehensive classroom features for engagement and assessment, which start free and scale up to meet customers’ needs at any stage of teaching. It features virtual trophies and medals to mobilize active participation, as well as lesson scheduling, homework management, school management dashboard and cloud storage. Classroom and homework insights are automatically generated so that schools and parents can get a clear picture of student performance.
The software interface is concise and clear, and it runs smoothly on all platforms of PCs, tablets and mobile phones. If you have any questions, the technical team is there to provide 24/7 support.
3.2 Adobe Connect
In Adobe Connect, you can rapidly create and deploy content using authoring tools such as Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter. Add quizzes, interactions, and simulations to your virtual classrooms. Other features include cloud recording, content management system, and most importantly, its ease of access – which means no app or add-ins to download, you can utilize almost all its capacities with a browser. However, as a pricier platform, Adobe Connect lacks certification management, which is essential in today’s education.
3.3 LearnCube
LearnCube is an award-winning software that provides professional virtual classroom and management software for tutoring and teaching. LearnCube is perfect for connecting instructors with learners living in remote areas. Its goal is to create a virtual classroom that can be used in any browser, with no download required.
During the class, instructors and learners can make use of modern interactive whiteboards for collaborative learning. After the class, they can revisit the recorded live classroom sessions for review purposes. In those ways, they can improve teaching quality and learning styles.
It is worth mentioning LearnCube recommends users to take classes on their computers rather than mobile devices, which puts a limit on Android, iOS, and iPad OS environments. While the design comes from a place of ensuring educational quality, it does come at a cost of convenience and accessibility.
3.4 Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a collaborative virtual learning platform that allows teachers to create assignments, receive feedback, assess progress, and more. It is best suited for schools and organizations with a management system designed to help create virtual classrooms, manage calendars, and communicate announcements.
With Google Classroom’s intuitive and clean design, it is easy for instructors to master the basic operation. Its full integration with Google Drive allows files to be automatically duplicated for each student. It is compatible with iPads (must use the Chrome browser), and as a Google product, you can expect coming updates in the future.
Although Google Classroom records students’ grades, it does not contain a full-fledged grade book. The only workaround is a cumbersome step to export Google Sheets to universal database files with other apps.
3.5 Kaltura
Kaltura is a purpose-built virtual classroom software, and it is 100% web-based – no Flash, no downloads, no installations, and with collaborative tools such as digital whiteboards, content management systems to share presentations and videos, screen sharing, cloud recording, group discussion rooms, live notes, live quizzes, and more. Kaltura virtual classrooms can be easily integrated into all major LMS.
One thing to keep in mind about Kaltura is that its interface can be confusing for new and even intermediate users, especially with a rather clunky video management tool.
3.6 BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton is a global teaching platform. It was developed in a school, not in a boardroom. Making it a virtual classroom built from the ground up for teachers.
It’s available in 65 languages, and teachers all over the world have contributed to its design. Along with a global network of developers and companies providing commercial support, BigBlueButton is continuously evolving to meet the new real-world needs of teachers everywhere. It also integrates into most major learning management systems. However, some customers reported that the platform lacks community support, and it’s hard to get in touch with a technical engineer.
3.7 WizIQ
WizIQ is one of the world’s largest cloud-based virtual training software. Over 400,000 educators use it to deliver different learning services. The classroom is suitable for businesses, teachers, trainers, colleges, and universities. You can deploy virtual classrooms for real-time interactive online courses.
WizIQ features easily administered live sessions, recorded sessions, as well as on-the-go learning. The online classroom also supports integration with existing websites, CMS, or LMS.
The biggest issue with WizIQ is the repository of the courses – customers cannot search the courses on the platform, or share the course links with others.
References
1. 7 Best Virtual Classroom Software Solutions in 2021
2. 10 Best Virtual Classroom Software for 2021
4. How to Choose The Best Virtual Classroom Software
5. 29 Astonishing E-learning Statistics for 2021
Read more:
Tips for an Effective One-to-one Online Lesson with EDB Files
ClassIn Teacher Manual: An Ultimate Guide to ClassIn
Online Learning: What Have We Learned in the Past School Year
*ClassIn is a leading edtech company that provides a one-stop solution for digital learning.
ClassIn software enables interactive classrooms, in-school social app, lesson scheduling, homework management, and school management dashboard, which start free and scale up to meet our customers’ needs at any stage of teaching. Today, thousands of schools and institutions around the world benefit from ClassIn’s powerful and easy-to-use tools to teach online and offline.
