Teaching Graduate Courses In The Virtual Classroom
Abstract: The work reported here was used across several semesters in a graduate course concerned with the development of advertising strategy or, as generally referred to in the advertising industry, Account Planning. With the help and direction from the 3D ICC staff (1), a classroom and associated display and meeting space for graduate classes in advertising were developed. It provided a collaboration platform that integrates VoIP, private and group texting, chat, webcam video, personal presence, avatar representation and movement and multi-application sharing. Figures 1 and 2 show the lecture hall that 3DICC has created for us. The students are seated and are represented by the avatars they have selected. The representation shown here is a photo taken from the lecturer’s position behind the podium. The platform provides large screen projection views from the podium for the students. The students were registered and invited to the space and encouraged to explore the classroom and gain familiarity with movements, texting and talking before the semester began; most of the class accepted that advice and did so.