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I.teacher (tch)

The vlab presented in this paper is implemented thought the uoc virtual campus.

However ,other learning management system (lms), like moodle,could be used to implement the vlab proposal.

An overview of these resources is presented below.

These resources are accessible from the virtual classroom at uoc.

A.virtual communication environment

The virtual communication environment is a resource that allow communication between the users of the vplab

 : students and teachers.

 

It should stimulate the participation of students in the vplab and provide for better interaction with the teacher .

virtual communication environments can be implemented using sharded mailboxes ,public forums and ateacher"s board from different applications,e.g.:

Blackboard, bscw, webct, lms moodle classroom or uoc virtual classroom.

 

The virtual communication environment at the uoc has been implemented as a virtual classroom as a particular tab for vce .

 

This vce space has following main features:

?mailboxes :

acommon area that can be accessed by students and teacher , similar to a traditional classroom.

 This area contains a teacher"s board and a forum.

?list of members

: vplab students and the teacher are listed in this area (photo,names and e_mail addresses).

?monitoring tools

 :this feature allows teachers to check student"s connections.

B.simulator

Asimulator is a tool that imitates experiments, states or processes

. One of the main features of simulators is their interactive capability.

Interactive simulation are quickly gaining importance as a means to explore , comprehend and communicate complex ideas [12,7].

Interactive simulators can be implemented using a combination of computers , high-resolution graphics, simulation programming languages , and an internet connection.