Increasing and Retaining STEM Majors through Virtual Learning Communities

虚拟学习社区，VLC，利用这种类型的学习社区的有案可查的优势，同时解决其最严重的限制之一，可伸缩性的问题。VLC将学生的联系扩展到他们居住的墙壁之外，并允许随时随地举行小组会议、研讨会和其他互动。我们创建了一个协调化学和数学课程的课程，以提高学习质量，增加对数学和科学的热情，留住更多的数学和理科学生，并提高批判性思维和分析技能。VLC通过提供集成了丰富的数据共享、多路通信和位置感知服务的虚拟协作环境(VCE)，将学习社区提供的互动和合作学习的好处扩展到更广泛的受众。VCE使教师和学生能够随时随地无缝交换包含文本、数据、公式和图形的信息。

The Virtual Learning Community, VLC, exploits the documented advantages of this type of learning community while addressing one of its most serious limitations, the problem of scalability. The VLC expands student contact beyond the walls of their residence, and permits group meetings, seminars, and other interactions to occur anywhere and anytime. We create a curriculum coordinating courses in Chemistry and Mathematics to improve quality of learning, increase excitement for mathematics and science, retain more mathematics and science students, and improve critical thinking and analysis skills. The VLC extends the benefits of interactivity and cooperative learning afforded by learning communities to a significantly wider audience by providing a Virtual Collaborative Environment (VCE) that integrates rich data sharing, multi-way communication and location aware services. The VCE enables faculty and students to seamlessly exchange information containing text, data, formulae and graphics, anywhere, anytime.