Role of Virtual Classrooms in Learning due to Forced Transition to Online Learning during Pandemic

In this 21st century, we made a lot of progress in all fields. But also this progress could not save us from the ill effects of pandemic COVID-19. All the sectors were badly hit including education leading to the closure of schools, colleges, and other institutions of learning. It was done to maintain social distancing to avoid the spread of the pandemic. So a complete shutdown was observed leading to disruption of education and hence hampering the teaching and learning of the students. In such tumultuous times online learning, e-learning was the only rescuing method of teaching as there was no physical interaction between the teacher and the taught. So the whole world including India opted for e-learning utilizing the benefits of any time, anywhere offered by the employment of such technology to keep the process of teaching and learning going. In the wake of the pandemic, many institutions opted for virtual classrooms in one form or the other via the internet. So this paper conceptualizes virtual classrooms, their need in such times, their synchronous and asynchronous modes of course delivery, their components which include whiteboards, audio and video, instant messaging and feedback mechanism as well as their advantages and disadvantages