Browse the following drop downs to learn strategies for teaching and facilitating online synchronous class sessions. It is organized into strategies to be implemented before, during, and after the live class session.

Before the Session

Take time to practice your first lesson to familiarize yourself with the virtual classroom platform. This can include using the screen share feature, switching between different presentation modes, and exploring the tools that can be used to facilitate activities (e.g. polls, breakout rooms, etc.). Teaching online allows you to practice more easily so use this opportunity to make adjustments to your lessons where needed.

Note: Students might need practice too. Consider holding a practice session for students, or arrive to the first session early, to ensure they can enter the online session without any technical issues.

Check your surroundings before you go on camera to see what’s visible around you. Also, you might clean up your desktop if you plan to share your screen. Close all programs you do not intend to use to help your computer run more smoothly.

Log in early to the virtual classroom and get everything set up and ready to go. Preload your materials (ie. load PowerPoint presentation) and login to any websites you plan to use. These actions will save valuable class time and help mitigate any last-minute issues.

Make the most of your synchronous time by uploading any related materials (e.g., session notes, slides with notes, or text with images on module pages in your LMS). Posting these materials to your Moodle course ahead of time allows learners to access these materials whenever it works best for them. Also, this frees up your live sessions for other kinds of interaction and allows learners to easily review session materials at their convenience.

During the Session

As you go through your lesson plan in the live class session, pause throughout to answer student questions, clear up any misconceptions, and provide feedback on how the learning is going. Use student names when having a discussion and acknowledge students who participate and are active in the class. This may help motivate others to participate in ways they feel comfortable.

Recording live sessions provides access for students experiencing internet connectivity issues, students who are in different time zones, or students who have conflicting commitments. Be sure to communicate with students that the session will be recorded and let them know when the recording will begin.

You might encourage learners to turn on their cameras at the beginning of a session to greet each other and then allow them to turn their cameras off for the rest of the session if they want. This can help reduce the fatigue of being on camera and allows learners to move more freely in their space. Requiring camera use the entire class is not recommended as we don’t know the situations or spaces students are joining the classroom from and this can cause additional stress (ie. in a shared space, in a public space, etc.). However, encouraging camera use for specific, intentional reasons can be appropriate (e.g. presenting to the class, small group activities, etc.).

After the Session

After the live session, spend a few moments reflecting on what went well and what could have gone better. At the end of the session, you can ask students how the session structure is working for them and if there are any changes they would like to see. Then, make notes and update your materials for next time.

References

Center for Teaching Excellence. (n.d.). Best practices for Synchronous Online Courses. University of South Carolina. https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/cte/teaching_resources/adapting_courses_changing_academic_needs/synchronous_online_course/index.php

Humanizing Virtual Learning Copyright © by University of Waterloo; Trent University; and Conestoga College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

The Skylight Team. (n.d.). 19. Engaging students online. British Columbia/Yukon Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/skylightonlineteachingguide/chapter/engaging-students-online/