Online Synchronous Teaching and Learning Resources

Online courses with set web meetings (DWS) require live online class time. Tri-C's video and web conferencing tool (Webex) allows online face-to-face time. In contrast, Blackboard, Tri-C's learning management system, is best suited for asynchronous components of a course. Jump to the FAQ section to get quick answers for questions related to Online Synchronous Teaching.

Ideas and Suggestions for Effective and Successful Synchronous Online Sessions

Teaching in-person cannot always be directly transferred to teaching synchronously online. Techniques for engaging students, live discussions and promoting collaboration can and do look very different. The interactions must be more intentional online, whereas in-person instructors can quickly scan students’ faces for feedback. This becomes more difficult when instructing online.

Take some time to plan each synchronous online session:

• Start with the main goal of the session. What is the takeaway for students?
• How will students receive information, work with that information and demonstrate that they know it?
• What needs to be included in the live sessions? What can be completed asynchronously?

The live sessions should focus on making connections (to content, other students, and the instructor) and less on taking in new content.

Here are some ideas on how to use the technology to make connections:

• Have students watch a video or read prior to the session.
• Have students complete a worksheet, answer a question, or solve a problem prior to the session.
• Have a check-in at the start of the session with students’ cameras. Get them talking! Students can then turn off their cameras if their internet connection is not fast enough.
• Set expectations and use the chat to your advantage:
• Set expectations and use the chat to your advantage:
  
  • As a question-and-answer option, students can give answers to the only the instructor, or to the whole group.
  • As a think/pair/share: students can respond to another student prior to responding to the whole group.
  • Save the chat text for future reference and attendance.
• Allow for students to annotate:
  
  • Students can circle correct answers, mark up a document or webpage, etc.
  • Students can add ideas or information using the white board.
• Record each session and add the recording links to the Blackboard course site under the specific lesson. This will allow those unable to attend to view the session. It can also create a review for those who did attend.

Additional Resources:

• Read the Tips for Teaching Synchronously Online written by Heather Young Mandujano, Eastern Campus instructional technologist

• Watch the Webex Meetings Training Videos to get a handle on how to use Webex, or attend the Webex Basics and Webex Intermediate Faculty Forums sessions. View the Faculty Forum schedule for upcoming sessions or view them on demand.

• Consult the suggested readings listed below for advice and suggestions on how to conduct your synchronous online sessions:

Suggested Readings List

Pedagogical Considerations for Instructional Video Conferencing Sessions from Online Learning Consortium (OLC). This article offers timely, practical tips about setting the stage and tone, delivering content in an active method and summing it up with meaning for your students. It offers a variety of active, instructional and engaging methods, and ways to summarize presented content.

Synchronous Online Classes: 10 Tips for Engaging Students from Magna Publication’s Faculty Focus. These 10 tips work in a virtual classroom, as well as in a traditional classroom setting, to “increase mental engagement, participation and accountability.”

Synchronous Strategies for the “New Normal” from Magna Publication’s Faculty Focus. Faculty want to connect with their students, and synchronous online sessions provide a way to do so. This article offers four strategies to help instructors optimize the student experience.

10 Best Practices for Live Virtual Teaching from eCampus News This quick read offers tips from online educators to help students adjust to online learning.

Teaching Practices for Your Virtual Classroom from Inside Higher Ed. This contains actionable steps instructors can take to set up, deliver and wrap up a live virtual classroom session. It includes a checklist of questions to consider before setting up the virtual space for an optimal learning experience. Tips also include how to facilitate sessions and ensure student success.

The 10 Biggest Myths About Synchronous Online Teaching from EDUCAUSE Review. Debunking the top 10 myths about synchronous online teaching helps refute the arguments against it, while the transformational nature of online teaching can convert skeptics into supporters.

6 Quick Ways to Be More Inclusive in a Virtual Classroom from The Chronicle of Higher Education. How do you create online or hybrid courses with an ethos of inclusion and equity embedded throughout?

8 Ways to Be More Inclusive in Your Zoom Teaching from The Chronicle of Higher Education (sponsored by Wiley). Although this articles reference Zoom, the tips offered can apply to any technology used to hold synchronous class meetings.

A Four-Step Plan: The First Day of Class on Zoom from Faculty Focus. Even though zoom is referenced, this information is applicable to all web conferencing tools, i.e. Webex. Included are ideas for creating a vibrant online community starting with the first day of class. What works face-to-face doesn’t necessarily translate well online. So, what should we do?

F.A.Q.s

What technology will faculty be using for their live virtual meetings? Webex Teams, Webex Training or Zoom?
The College's supported systems include Webex Meetings and Webex Training, although faculty are free to use Zoom with vendor provided support, if preferred.

Who will set up the virtual meeting sessions for classes? Do the faculty have to create Webex rooms for each CRN and then communicate that with their students, or is that being done by OLAT or ITS?
Faculty should set up their own virtual meeting sessions for their classes. This should not be handled by OLAT or ITS. However, via the help desk, support can be provided to assist faculty members with the process. Instructors will need to communicate the URL of the virtual meeting room to their students, as each will be unique to the CRN or the meeting itself.

Will faculty be provided requirements (audio or video, accessibility options and support, etc.) to conduct their live course online (times, days, etc.)?
The audio and video requirements are detailed on the Minimum Technical Requirements webpage. Faculty should adhere to the days and times for synchronous learning as listed in the course schedule.  Instructors have always had some flexibility to rearrange a specific class session, but in all cases they should loop in their dean. The expectation is that the class time noted in the schedule will be adhered to, and that instructors will adjust class activities as needed.

Where are faculty being directed for support? While the CLEs can help with the instructional technology and design, do faculty know to go to ITS or OLAT for Webex or Blackboard technical support? There is common overlap between the CLEs, OLAT, and ITS from the faculty perspective. It would be helpful to clarify support channels so they can quickly receive assistance from the appropriate department.
Faculty should always go to the Tri-C help desk for support to ensure they are routed to the right team based on the issue they are encountering.

How will students be instructed to access the virtual meeting rooms before the first day of class?
Faculty will have to direct students via an email or their Blackboard course site regarding how to access the faculty member’s virtual meeting room. Faculty can refer to the Webex student page and the web conferencing page for information.

Are students being provided with requirements for headsets and microphones?
Students are directed to visit the Attending a Web Conference webpage and online bookstore. Below is the language on the e-postcard to be sent to all students taking online courses, prior to the semester’s start date:

• Visit our Web Conferencing web page to learn the “EEEEs” of web conferencing. 
• Order your books, headset, web camera and other required online course materials from the bookstore.
• Watch the video “How to Search for Course Materials” on our YouTube channel for instructions.

Faculty are asking if their virtual lecture sessions can be recorded. Do they need student permission if video streams are being shared?
Yes, virtual lecture sessions can be recorded. It is recommended that cameras not be required for the entire session due to bandwidth issues. The link to the recording should be placed in Blackboard so that viewing is restricted to class members only. Also, faculty can set the recording preferences to “content-only view,” in which no participant video is recorded.

Are webcams and microphones going to be listed as required course materials?
Not on the bookstore site, but in the syllabus.

Will the bookstore have these available, since they are out of stock at most online retailers?
The bookstore is ordering from their suppliers.

How will students know what technology they need for their classes, since they cannot access the online classroom until the night before the course starts?
Students may or may not know what technology is needed for their courses, just like they may or may not know what textbooks are required. However, they should have the minimum equipment required for all online classes, which is listed on the Minimum Technical Requirements page. 

Will faculty tell them? And if the answer is yes, does the contract language affect when that will happen? Faculty are off-contract for much of August.
Faculty can notify their students via email when they return on contract.

We need to clarify the support channels for both faculty and students. For Webex, is it ITS for both? For Blackboard, is it OLAT for both?
The College help desk is the technology support channel for both faculty and students. The help desk personnel will route the ticket to the right team based on the issue the student or faculty member is encountering.

What if students need headsets? Will the bookstore sell them?
Yes, the bookstore will sell headsets. Another option is to use a smartphone with the Webex app.

Will the bookstore be able to stock headsets, since they are hard to find at the moment?
Yes.

Overall, what tech support will be available for students, since TLC staff size has been decreased across all campuses?
If faculty are allowed to deliver their lectures from campus, our ITS User Services team will only be on-site per the Phase I reopening modifications (Mondays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., to cover the 9 a.m.-3 p.m. student services hours). Remote assistance is available through the help desk, including TechNow, during normal College hours, so faculty can still receive remote support should they decide to deliver their lectures from campus.