D2L Virtual Classroom (by Bongo)
"Virtual Classroom" is a video conferencing platform within D2L. Live video conferences, with the whole class, small groups of students, or individual students, can be an important component of online learning. Video conferences allow instructors to:
Deliver a live class lecture.
Moderate a live discussion session between students.
Engage in a live Question-and-Answer session about course content and assignments.
Hold remote office hours.
Provide individual or group tutoring sessions.
Attend live student presentations for group projects and oral presentations.
Virtual sessions can also be recorded and viewed by students later. Many instructors even use video conferencing platforms to record their lectures outside of the scheduled class time. Recorded sessions can help students review course content and group discussions as they take notes and study for exams.
Schedule a Virtual Classroom Session
To schedule a Virtual Classroom session, click on the “Communication” tab, then select “Virtual Classroom.”
In the Virtual Classroom area,
click on the red + button on the bottom right.
Enter Meeting Details
In the pop-up window, enter the following information about the virtual conference session:
A “title” for the session, such as “English 101 February 12th Class Session” or “Office Hour for February 12.th”
Date, Time, and Length of the session.
Whether the session will repeat in the future or whether it will be a one-time meeting.
Whether the session should be recorded.
Click “Save” when session settings are complete.
The scheduled virtual session will appear in the “Active Meetings” box (see next image).
Join a Virtual Classroom Session
When the virtual session is scheduled, it will appear in the “Active Meetings” box.
To join the Virtual Classroom session, click the three dots on the right, then click “Launch.”
Meeting Lobby
When you click to join the virtual session, you will first enter the “Meeting Lobby," where you can view session information.
Click the blue button at the bottom to “Enter Meeting Room.”
(Participants cannot enter the Meeting Room too early in advance; the Meeting Lobby will not have a link to enter the Meeting Room if it is too early.)
Meeting Room
The "Meeting Room" is the area for the virtual session.
When you first enter the “Meeting Room,” you will need to set up your webcam, microphone, and speakers.
The Meeting Room for the D2L Virtual Classroom includes many common video conferencing tools, such as a webcams for instructors and students, a chat box, a PowerPoint presentation area, a whiteboard and marker, and the ability to share your screen.
Viewing a Recorded Session
If the Virtual Classroom session was set to be recorded, it will be recorded automatically. Instructors can also manually start and stop a recording.
When the session recording is complete, it will appear automatically in the “Recorded Meetings” area.
Students can view and downloaded recorded sessions by clicking the three dots in the “Actions” column on the right. Then, select “Preview” or “Download.”
Virtual Classroom creates separate files for the instructor webcam, PowerPoint presentation, audio file, and chat transcript.