Abstract

This study explains the emergence of virtual classrooms as an online language learning (OLL) instruction method. There is clarification of how virtual classroom systems operate, followed by a discussion of the benefits of learning in these environments. Private corporations are capitalizing on OLL and generating an estimated global gross income of 86 billion USD. While these corporations likely create quality educational materials that are of interest to the student, the materials presented in these platforms are currently not regulated, and, while some companies follow CEFR guidelines, there is no guarantee whether they meet the standards of education boards in the public sector. We surveyed 35 OLL teachers who teach English in virtual classrooms for their perceptions and opinions in working in this environment. Not only did we discover that over 50 percent of the online teachers who participated have also been students, which is of interest because they have both teaching and learning experience in virtual classrooms, but also that these teachers generally believe that teaching English online in virtual classrooms creates a positive teaching environment for both the teacher and the student. The participants generally feel they get to know the students better in virtual classrooms than in other teaching environments. The teachers also perceive that students in virtual classrooms learn at the same rate or faster than in traditional classrooms and that, not only would they like to see more subjects offered online, but they also generally believe that online learning in virtual classrooms may be an alternative learning method to replace traditional classroom learning and home-schooling in most subjects. Continued attention should be paid to the educational opportunities in virtual classrooms, not just for OLL, but for the emergence of other curricula as well.

摘要

本研究解释了虚拟教室作为在线语言学习 (OLL) 教学方法的出现。阐明了虚拟教室系统的运作方式，然后讨论了在这些环境中学习的好处。私营公司正在利用 OLL 并产生估计为 860 亿美元的全球总收入。虽然这些公司可能会创建学生感兴趣的优质教育材料，但这些平台中提供的材料目前不受监管，而且，虽然一些公司遵循 CEFR 指南，但无法保证它们是否符合教育委员会的标准公共部门。我们调查了 35 位在虚拟教室中教授英语的 OLL 教师，了解他们在这种环境中工作的看法和意见。我们不仅发现参与的在线教师中超过 50% 也是学生，这很有趣，因为他们既有虚拟课堂的教学和学习经验，而且这些教师普遍认为在虚拟课堂中在线教授英语为教师和学生创造一个积极的教学环境。参与者普遍认为他们在虚拟教室中比在其他教学环境中更了解学生。老师们还认为，虚拟教室中的学生学习速度与传统教室相同或更快，他们不仅希望看到更多在线课程，但他们也普遍认为，虚拟教室中的在线学习可能是替代大多数科目的传统课堂学习和在家学习的替代学习方法。应继续关注虚拟教室中的教育机会，不仅针对 OLL，还针对其他课程的出现。