The New Virtual Classroom: Evidence–based Guidelines for Synchronous e–Learning (Pfeiffer Essential Resources for Training and HR Professionals)

The New Virtual Classroom draws on the most current research in multimedia learning as well as practitioner experience to show how to effectively harness the power of the virtual classroom. Written by Ruth Clark, co–author of the best selling e–Learning & the Science of Instruction, and Ann Kwinn recognized experts in instructional design and workforce learning, this important resource includes guidelines, research, and illustrative examples that clearly show how to leverage the powerful instructional features in the new virtual classroom.

From the Inside Flap

Organizations involved in workforce learning have embraced the virtual classroom, a synchronous form of e–learning, which offers powerful instructional environments while saving travel time and costs associated with face–to–face classroom training. However, virtual classroom technology must be leveraged in ways that promote learning or the cost savings are merely an illusion.

The New Virtual Classroom draws on current research in multimedia learning as well as practitioner experience to show how to effectively harness the power of the virtual classroom. Written by Ruth Clark, co–author of the best selling e–Learning & the Science of Instruction, and Ann Kwinn—both recognized experts in instructional design and workforce learning, this important resource includes guidelines, research, and illustrative examples that clearly show how to leverage the powerful instructional features in the new virtual classroom.

A practical resource, the book includes the key guidelines for initiating and maintaining participant engagement in virtual classroom sessions. Specifically, you will learn how to leverage the whiteboard with meaningful visuals, create social presence with audio, and maintain involvement with frequent effective interactions using polling, whiteboard, application sharing, audio and chat facilities. Beyond these fundamentals, you can learn how to manage cognitive load, blend your virtual classroom with other learning events, and adapt problem–based learning designs to virtual classroom technology.

The book also outlines the seven principles of effective virtual classroom design and offers tested techniques for converting face–to–face classroom courses into virtual classroom events as well as creating virtual classroom events from scratch.

An accompanying CD includes three short virtual classroom lessons to demonstrate the basic techniques described in the book. In the demonstrations you will see how to apply virtual classroom technology to a lesson teaching computer procedures as well as to more conceptual content.

From the back cover:

Praise for The New Virtual Classroom

"With a massive shift of organizations moving their training and corporate initiatives online, more people are looking for guidance on how to better use the virtual classroom to help in these efforts. This book details how organizations are not only using the virtual classroom for training, but how organizations are truly accelerating the way they do business and impacting the bottom line with virtual environments."
—Eric Vidal, director, Enterprise Business Unit, WebEx Communications

"Ruth Clark is well respected for her excellent books for practitioners on how to apply solid research evidence to the design of training programs. In The New Virtual Classroom she systematically tackles the problem of how to design effective virtual classrooms. If you are interested in how to use synchronous virtual classroom technology in a way that is consistent with how people learn and with research evidence, then The New Virtual Classroom belongs on your bookshelf."
—Richard E. Mayer, professor of psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of Multimedia Learning and editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning

About the Author:

Ruth Colvin Clark is the founder of Clark Training and Consulting and a recognized specialist in instructional design and technical training. Clark was the 2006 recipient of the Tom Gilbert award for distinguished professional achievement from ISPI and is an invited 2007 Legend Speaker for ASTD. Ruth is author of the award–winning books e–Learning and the Science of Instruction and Building Expertise

Ann Kwinn is partner and director of e–Learning for Clark Training and Consulting. In the past 19 years, she has designed, managed, and consulted on over 30 e–learning programs, some awardwinning. Kwinn was a research fellow at ETS and taught at University of California Irvine. She has written over 30 articles, book chapters, and reviews and is co–author of the online book, The eLearning Guild‘s Handbook on Synchronous eLearning.