The introduction of a virtual classroom instrument at the Open University of the Netherlands

In 2006 the Open University of the Netherlands started running trials with the so called virtual class. A virtual classroom is a set of tools for delivering classroom-like sessions,live over the Internet. The virtual class was used to replace face-to-face tutorials in the study centres. Since 2006 more than 20 pilots have been carried out involving more than 25 tutors and more than 200 students. The aim of those trials was to find out if the virtual classroom would be a suitable alternative for f2f-meetings and if so what would be the best way and the best didactical approach to set up a virtual classroom. In this paper we present the findings of the pilots, the selection process of the virtual classroom product and we give recommendations on using the virtual classroom in distance teaching, how it affects our pedagogical model and how we can get more students and tutors to use it.