Virtual classrooms transforming the dynamics of the teaching and learning process in higher educational institutions of india

In recent years there has been a phenomenal increase in the growth of what some are calling ‘digital’, ‘online’ or ‘virtual’ classrooms and ‘virtual’ universities. Today, information and communication technologies are radically reconfiguring the landscape of higher education, and changing the very ‘nature’ of the university; now the vision has decreased the importance of the campus, so students ‘login’ from a distance to access ‘courseware’, new media technologies replacing traditional lectures, courses being delivered and assessed over the Internet, promising to make higher education available anywhere and at anytime. Now Virtual Classrooms are being depicted as a viable solution to the increasingly demanding problem of higher education, all of this fired the imagination of academics, policy makers, and educational specialists alike. It is well known that information and communication technologies provide a powerful incentive to standardization and as the technology grow, virtual education will become realistic as its technology brings sound, visuals and interactivity together and hence create a learning environment nay where in the world. Virtual classroom aims at providing computer generated virtual environment, which can be used as the most advanced tool of visualization for a large number of scientific applications such as study of computer structures, near realistic simulation of natural phenomenon and conducting hazardous experiments. The students can interact with a life-like artificial world that can be perceived, explored and manipulated at will. In virtual reality, computer is used for creating visual environment, audio environment and tactile environment and tactile environment is taking care of input to three senses. In the present paper the authors tries to explore that how virtual classrooms are going to develop an education-on-demand system for delivering lectures, tele-courses to home-bound personal computers at their door step. While each student would work independently, computer conferring, e-mail and voice mail access to a faculty or advisor would be available to answer questions, evaluate assignments and provide guidance.