Creating authentic blended learning in a virtual classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to explore the effectiveness of online or e-Learning environments by comparing asynchronous modes to a synchronous online virtual cohort model. This was accomplished by establishing a Community of Inquiry to examine both modes of online learning. The author invited participants from Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta to begin a dialogue comparing the efficacy of the various experiences they had in asynchronous modes to the experiences they were having in the learning community the author established for the discussion. The author designed the community around the model he created for establishing an online virtual school in Yukon Territory. This is the online synchronous virtual cohort model. The dialogue was focused on eight inquiry questions to be discussed over a 4-week period through a synchronous video-conferencing format as well as in an established blog page. The results of this dialogue as well as information critical to the formation of a virtual cohort model were stored in a website as a means to continue the discussions and to further research into the effectiveness of synchronous e-Learning environments, especially that of the virtual cohort model.