Virtual office hours using a tablet PC: E-lluminating biochemistry in an online environment.

The availability of online collaboration software has provided new opportunities for instructors to interact with students outside the classroom. This report describes how Elluminate Live!®, a particular conferencing software package, can be used with a tablet PC to conduct virtual office hours in a biochemistry course. The educational value of engaging students in an online environment, with text messaging, voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP), and application sharing is also discussed. A student perspective is provided to illustrate the advantages of conducting virtual office hours and how the combination of online collaboration software and tablet PC technology can provide an enhanced learning experience.