Design Your Virtual Classroom

Once you have decided on the remote-learning platform that you will use, you will need to set it up in a way that works for you, your students, and their families.

As you design your virtual classroom, simplify the experience as much as possible to reduce the end user’s cognitive load. You want students to focus their mental energy on learning, not trying to figure out how to navigate and use a tool. The same applies to parents/guardians. You want them putting their effort into supporting their children in the learning experience, not figuring out what buttons to push.

For live remote learning, students should know how to access your video meeting platform and how to fully participate in the session. The younger the student, the more likely the technology can become a barrier, so keep it simple.

For self-paced remote lessons, students should know where to go, what to do, and how to make the technology work without a lot of thought. Since you will not be physically present to answer questions during self-paced learning, you will probably need to be more intentional and more clear than you would be in a physical, face-to-face learning space.

The overarching principle to remember when designing any remote learning space is to keep it simple! It should be simple to access, simple to navigate, and simple to use for learning. Again, you want your students to use their cognitive energy for learning the content.

Explore the following resources for tips and guiding principles about designing your virtual classroom.