Online degree program boasts first HD virtual classroom

Online degree program boasts first HD virtual classroom

Many adults learners who wish to earn an advanced degrees can do so through online distance learning programs. Web-based degree options often offer flexible scheduling, affordable tuition and convenient anytime access to coursework. However, adult students who are interested in enrolling in a school that uses advanced technology may also benefit from an online education.

For example, Missouri University's School of Science and Technology recently announced the launch of the first virtual classroom with HD capability, Missouri Science and Technology reports. The room has four large-screen monitors and four speakers, which are suspended from the ceiling. The student's desks are wired with microphones, as is the podium where the professor speaks.

With this program, instructors can share presentations, documents, websites and other resources with students who are learning from home. An interactive computer monitor allows the professor to write lecture notes that can be exported into a PDF and made available online.

"This improved technology really helps distance students feel like they're in the classroom. When they join a class discussion, it sounds like they're right there in the room," Nathan Weaver, video production specialist at Missouri's School of Science and Technology Video Communications Center, told the news source.

Students who are attending class from home can interact using a telephone, headset, smart phone or iPod.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, enrollment in degree-granting institutions in the U.S. increased by 26 percent during the last decade.

By Mark Danson