Angelina College is piloting new software to create virtual classrooms. Collaborate brand software provides high-quality, high definition audio and video browser-based web conferencing. This means that students in online classes can now experience face to face communication with their instructor and classmates in real time. This enhances the classroom experience for both students and instructors.
Students who are most likely to benefit from Collaborate are those taking online or hybrid courses and those students who take most of their classes at any of AC’s nine off-campus locations. The software will make it possible for students who are not attending classes in Lufkin to access important resources such as counselors and other Student Services personnel.
Collaborate will enable the college to transition from interactive television courses to virtual classrooms over the next 18 months. Virtual classrooms offer a superior learning experience compared to traditional online classes. Instructors and students use face to face communication, rather than mainly text-based communication, such as emails and message boards.
A group of AC instructors piloted the software this semester and are pleased with the results. Judith Wright, senior director of Distance Education said, “One of the best things about Collaborate is its ability to provide clearer interaction between the instructor and students.”
The number of virtual classes offered each semester is expected to increase as faculty become trained in the use of Collaborate. Students will be able to access the course from their personal computer or their mobile device.
For more information about virtual classrooms or Distance Education, contact Wright at jwright@angelina.edu.
