When engaged in a virtual classroom lesson, the teacher can use the polling tool to keep the students alert. By asking a multiple-choice question in the white board, the teacher can check the group's attention and learning output according to the results. According to Ruth Clark and Ann Kwinn in "The New Virtual Classroom: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Synchronous E-learning," the polling tool also meets the needs of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners.
Lack of face-to-face contact can be one of the major problems in a virtual learning environment. To minimize it, teachers can ask students to post an electronic photo with a short introduction. They can always use the students' first names when communicating live or giving written feedback. In the beginning of the class, teachers can take a few minutes to interact with the group, asking students to tell the group about news from the area where they live.
Teachers can facilitate threaded discussions by placing additional questions parallel to the discussed theme. This is useful especially when the students are not engaging in the thread with thoughtful or complete answers. Also, a constant monitoring of the thread helps to keep the discussion focused on its original objectives. Types of assignments that can be part of a threaded discussion include responding to a reading assignment and finding a work sample that illustrates a point, says Jean Barbazette in "The Art of Great Training Delivery: Strategies, Tools and Tactics."