Search

HELP Home
F.A.Q.
Guided Tutorial
Request Info
Contacts
TSUM

Show me how to use the chat room.

The Virtual Classroom (chat room) allows the instructor and students to participate in real time lessons and discussions and also view archives of previous classroom sessions. The virtual classroom, as we call the chat room, can be used to hold "live" classroom discussions, TA sessions, and office hour type question/answer forums. You can even have guest speakers and subject matter experts talk with the class in the Virtual Classroom.

Note: When participating in an activity that requires a Virtual Classroom, consider the following:

The Virtual Classroom is a Java application and may initially take a few minutes to load into a browser window. Users must have a Java enabled browsers.

Due to the synchronous nature of the Virtual Classroom, multiple users must participate at the same time. Be sure to check for scheduled Virtual Classroom sessions.

Virtual classroom page

Click Virtual Classroom from the Communication Main menu. Users may also find access to the Virtual Classroom from the course Web site navigational bar.

Available functions

The following functions are available from the Virtual Classroom page:

Enter Virtual Classroom Allows users to enter a real-time discussion with instructors, students, and colleagues.

Browse Class Archives Allows users to browse the virtual classroom archives for previous discussions.

Start a Chat Session

Selecting the Enter Virtual Classroom link calls the Virtual Classroom, which allows real time interaction between the student and instructor. This section discusses the whiteboard tool bar, the discussion tabs, and the menu items.

Menu items

Discussion tabs

Whiteboard tool bar

Virtual classroom

Click Enter the Virtual Classroom from the Communication Area and the Virtual Classroom page will appear as shown below.

Whiteboard tools

The table below details the tools available for use on the whiteboard. The tool bar has been highlighted in the page shot above.

To . . .	click . . .
request access to the floor	Floor in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Once access is given a pop-up window appears. Click OK and
select an item	the Arrow. Then click on the item for selection. The following may be performed on selected items: Enlarge – Click on one of the small black boxes that surround the item and drag it to the desired size. Move – Click on the item and move it to the desired location. Delete – Click on the Whiteboard menu item then click on selected object then click delete. Bring front – Click on the Whiteboard menu item then click on selected object then bring to front. Bring back – Click on the Whiteboard menu item then click on selected object then click bring to back.
draw free hand	the Pencil drawing tool.
enter text using the keyboard	the Insert Text.
draw a straight line	the Slanted Line tool.
highlight something with an arrow	the Pointer.
draw a multi-sided object either filled or unfilled	the Polygon drawing tool. To change the direction of the object single-click. To stop drawing, double-click.
draw a rectangle or square	the Rectangle drawing tool. To change the direction of the object single-click. To stop drawing, double-click.
draw a circle either filled or unfilled	the Oval drawing tool. To change the direction of the object click once. To stop drawing, double click.
draw unfilled objects	unfilled oval. For example, to draw an unfilled rectangle, click on both the rectangle tool button and the unfilled oval.
draw filled objects	filled oval.
select a color	color palette. The color will appear in the color display window.
make the color lighter or dark	in the color palette below. The color will appear in the color display window.

Virtual chat

The table below describes the virtual chat tab functions.

To . . .	click . . .
read the discussion	Chat Panel. The discussion log appears. The discussion log announces when a new person joins the chat.
add to the discussion	small lower box. Enter a comment. Press enter to have the comment added to the discussion.
ask a question	Questions. Click in the box in the right hand corner. Enter the question or answer. Click Send.
view a students name or other information about the student	User Information.

Menu items

The table below describes the functions of the Virtual Classroom menu bar items.

To . . .	click . . .
quit the virtual classroom	File menu, then click Quit.
move to a specific slide move to the first slide move to the previous slide move to the next slide last slide.	Navigation menu, then click Set Current Slide. Then click the slide title that you wish to move to. Navigation menu, then click First Slide. Navigation menu, then click Previous. Navigation menu, then click Next. Navigation menu, then click Last slide.
clear the whiteboard bring a selected object front move a selected object back delete a selected object	Whiteboard menu, then click Clear Draw Layer. Whiteboard menu, then click Selected Object, then select Bring to Front. Whiteboard menu, then click Selected Object, then select Move to Back. Whiteboard menu, then click Selected Object, then select Delete.
select font as bold or italics, font type and font size	Whiteboard menu, then click font.
select a line width to be used with the freehand drawing pencil tool and the object lines	Whiteboard menu, then click Line Width, then make selection.
add grid lines to the whiteboard	Whiteboard menu, then click Show Grid.

Move and scale an object

Once an object has been created on a slide it maybe scaled and moved. Follow the steps below to perform these functions.

Step	Action
1.	Click on the arrow from the Whiteboard Tool bar.
2.	Click on the object.
3.	Scale the object. Click one of the black boxes that surround the object. Drag it out to make the object larger or drag it in to make the object smaller. A text box may not be scaled. However a text box may be moved.
5.	Move the object. Click in the middle of the object. Drag the object to the desired location.

Browsing Classroom Archives

The Browse Classroom Archives feature gives instructors and students the option to review the discussions and questions raised during a virtual classroom setting. The virtual classrooms are archived by date. The option to remove an archive is available.

Browse classroom archives page

Click the Browse Classroom Archives link on the Virtual Classroom page. The Browse Classroom Archives page will appear as shown below.

Available functions

The table below details the available functions on this page.

To . . .	click . . .
access an archived classroom	the date of the virtual classroom. The Virtual Classroom page will appear with the course name and date. The time that the classroom started and ended is provided as well as the discussions and questions that were raised.
delete a virtual classroom archive	Remove.