Synchronous e-learning, is commonly supported by media such as videoconferencing and chat. It allows teachers to conduct classes over the Internet using technology. It supports e-learners in the development of learning communities and allows learners and teachers to experience synchronous e-learning at a more social level by asking and answering questions in real time. Synchronous sessions help e-learners feel like participants it the learning experience by allowing them to interact with peers and content experts.

     Virtual Classroom

Virtual classrooms duplicate electronically many of the capabilities found in a real classroom and can provide a cost effective alternative in on-line form. Virtual on-line universities can unlock the limitations of a local classroom and expand that same class topic to a global audience.

The virtual classroom provides a place for students and teachers to meet via their computers.  Whether students are completing on-line courses, tests or interacting via  forums, chat rooms and virtual meeting rooms the virtual electronic classroom provides a valid substitute for the traditional  classroom.

• A Meeting Place: Students and teachers using on-line web tools attend a virtual meeting place instead of a classroom.
• Track Compliance: Run reports to verify compliance with mandatory training.
• Track attendance: The ability to record electronically students that attend lectures, online classes events.
• Lecture: Teachers can choose from a variety of web streaming technologies including:
  
  
  
  • Slide show presentations
  • Audio and video conferencing
  • Application sharing
  • Shared whiteboard
  • File and Document Transfer of Materials to Students
  • Shared Desktop Presentations
  
  
  
• Interact with students: Students may indicate when they wish to speak by pressing a webpage button and virtually raising their hand. Teachers may then allow students to speak through audio and video conferencing tools  Teachers and students can use instant messaging and chat.
• Breakout Sessions: Students can work together in groups.
• Quizzes and Polling: Teachers can present questions and polls to students to students.
• Most companies that sell virtual classroom software provide all of these capabilities in a single package.

    Audio and Video Conferencing

Audio and Video conferencing is a cost-effective, Web-Based solution that enables a real-time, interactive Web conference with one or even hundreds of participants. 

Audio conferencing can be implemented several ways:

• Via Computers with a microphone connected to the Internet. Common implementations of this type are IP Audio Conferencing or Voice-over-IP(VOIP).
• Phone conferences. People dial into the same number to participate in an audio conference.

Video conferencing is implemented in two ways:

• Computers with web cameras are connected to the Internet.
• Special independent video conferencing devices that connect over the Internet

Chat and forum pages allow several people to communicate with each other through a common webpage. Each participant uses a computer to type their comments or questions, other participants seeing these web postings can then reply in kind

A shared whiteboard allows groups of people to communicate by typing comments, drawing, highlighting and pointing.  Shared whiteboards are a common feature within any virtual classroom software packages.

Application Sharing is another element of e-learning that falls under the collaborative software umbrella. It enables two or more users to access a shared application or document from their respective computers simultaneously in real time from anywhere in the world. An instructor can share a slideshow that he is using for his lecture or a teacher may allow  participants to take control of a software package that they are using for training. Generally, the shared application or document will be running on the instructors computer, and remote access to the shared content will be provided to that are part of the meeting.

Instant messaging is similar to forums and chat except that with instant messaging  people communicate in real time with one another. It is a type of communications service that enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the Internet, analogous to a telephone conversation but using text-based, not voice-based, communication. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts you whenever somebody on your private list is online. You can then initiate a instant chat session with that particular individual. These features make instant messaging an excellent tool for peer to peer communications.

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