Assessment of the use of synchronous virtual classrooms in higher education

Abstract

The presented paper describes the characteristics of a study conducted on Synchronous Virtual Classrooms (SVCs), virtual spaces which harbour such resources as videoconferences, shared desk-tops, etc. The main objective of the research was to assess teaching and methodological, communication and technological aspects of SVCs in e-learning processes. Empirical methodology of quantitative and descriptive nature was used; a questionnaire was designed to assess these issues with a sample of 116 university students from six different fields of study at the University of Extremadura. As a conclusion, we report that SVCs with a constructive methodology enhance students’ creativity, favour virtual collaborative work, promote critical and independent thought, and create alternative channels to stimulate students’ active participation by means of flexible and attractive interfaces.