For various reasons, you may be in a situation in which you must teach synchronously rather than asynchronously, you still will want to consider designing your course to mitigate barriers to full participation. The considerations below are designed to help you think through some of the important issues related to teaching synchronously.
Access & Flexibility
Stay aware of your students’ access to technology and ability to attend synchronous class sessions. Ask yourself whether or not it is feasible for them to be able to attend video conferencing sessions if they have other, competing priorities in their household/career or if they do not have adequate access to the internet or computer to join these meetings. Consider alternative options for them such as allowing them to review the recording and demonstrating their engagement by making providing a short summary as a discussion post in Canvas.
Another potential logistical issue that might require attention is whether or not your students are able to meet at a specific time. Are they in different time zones? Does their work/family/other schedule permit them to attend live class sessions? You might find yourself scheduling small group meetings for these individuals, recording your live sessions for posting later, or choosing to create video lectures to post ahead of class time to lessen and maximize the amount or type of asynchronous learning that takes place.
Presenting Course Content
Front load course content before your synchronous session
Since it can be difficult to hold synchronous class sessions, it is important that you make the best use of your time in these meetings. To do this, it is helpful to assign students any preparatory work before the synchronous session. Allowing students to engage with some background information, readings, etc. will help them be prepared to make the most of the real-time session. This is especially important if you need them to watch any online streaming video clips. This is difficult to reproduce in a video conferencing environment as it can cause issues with connectivity so we recommend having students watch these outside of the live session.
Using class time and asynchronous time effectively
This is a great opportunity for students to be able to gain clarity about expectations, concepts, and other content-related questions they may be grappling with. This gives you an opportunity to explain these topics more in-depth to your audience.
Again, as mentioned above, practicing and preparing for a video conference session will come into play if you decide to make use of any extra features of the software you choose. For instance, the use of “Breakout Rooms” in Zoom are an excellent opportunity for students to collaborate in think-pair-share activities or other active learning scenarios that can be created in this environment.
Additionally, synchronous technology is a great pairing for office hours. Even if you cannot hold classes in a traditional environment, being able to meet virtually with students for individual appointments can be incredibly helpful for them to get specialized assistance, work on course projects, and check in with you for what you would ordinarily do face-to-face.
Get Ready to Deliver
Once you are ready to begin delivering your course or other meetings using synchronous technology, be sure you are prepared and distraction-free! To do this, you can close all of the windows and applications you might have open on your computer. If you plan to show students specific programs or files (like PowerPoint) or multiple websites in a browser, launch these programs ahead of time and load your content so that you can easily switch between them in a more seamless fashion. This will lessen frustration and wasted class time by attempting to search for or wait for programs to load.
Using Technology Thoughtfully
Choose and test your tech thoughtfully. Regardless of what technology or method you choose for holding synchronous class meetings, you will want to ensure you have tested your chosen technologies well in advance. Start by consulting with your instructional technology support personnel to find out what options might work best for your particular use. They can help you choose what tool will most easily facilitate the kinds of experience you are looking to create.
Setup test calls with colleagues to run through what a class might look like and ensure you are able to work with the technology. The same applies to your students. Be sure that they can access whatever video conferencing platform you might be using. Zoom, for instance, has a test meeting option for attendees to check their audio and video before they attend a live meeting.
Other Resources to Support Your Teaching
