Challenges and Opportunities to Explore New Things in Virtual Class

Abstract

The paper shows the challenges at teacher-student and technological levels that should face the University to enter virtual education: the teachers’ battle to the technology and the teaching method change; the students’ resistance to take the responsibility of their learning process in an active way; and the technological challenges that implies the three levels of virtual education (totally virtual, half-virtual and virtual support to face-to-face courses). Virtual education is a teaching-learning process based on the principles of active pedagogy (the student should take the responsibility of a frequent and effective participation), with the characteristics of distance education (during all classes, or most of them, the students and the teacher will not meet personally, although this could happen in a virtual space), and with the possibility of synchronous or asynchronous interaction. In the international arena, virtual education grows every day, offering programs in basic and secondary education, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Today it’s possible to take virtual courses at some of the most popular universities in the world, which certifies the credits that the student acquires at the end. Many other universities, sensitive about the distance problem of many of their candidates, and of the schedule difficulties in others, have begun to implement virtual programs with the purpose of reaching those students that can’t assist to their campus.