VIRTUAL CLASSROOM IN DIGITAL AGE: CONCEPT, PRODUCT AND APPLICABILITY

Abstract

The paper is a descriptive ascertaining study that comes with the analysis of the phenomenon of virtual classrooms' using at different educational levels and / or in different educational situations in digital age, characterized by the migration of the implementation of certain ICT instruments, which have already become traditional to the so-called online learning platforms of various types and configurations. The research is carried out on several dimensions, in particular, conceptual, but also application-functional, reviewing several platforms dedicated to virtual learning. The comparative analysis of the set of tools offered by various virtual classroom platforms comes with a description of its special operating characteristics which depends on the typology of teaching activities to be implemented in online environment during direct and indirect hours of contact with students enrolled at a virtual course. Although, in this article, the model of using virtual platforms for learning management system will be focused on professional courses, correlated with computer science in the field of IT engineering training and / or others related to it, the general methodology for implementing virtual classes will be presented here according to the age, the curricular area of the taught-learned-evaluated disciplines and level of studies of potential beneficiaries. The author's personal experience is presented while practicing the use of virtual classes in the didactic approach of certain university disciplines. The author makes a comparison of her experience with some local and international experiences while transferring teaching-learning activities in the virtual environment using tools of the reviewed applications.