Best Practices in Live Synchronous Online Teaching

Moving from an offline classroom teaching to live online synchronous teaching [teaching face to face, and not using pre-recorded videos] is a giant leap not only in terms of technology but also preparation, etiquette and conduct.

A lot of what worked offline [preparing for your class well in advance, making your class interactive, using illustrations, explaining using an example, giving meaningful homework] continue to work well online too. Somethings change however. We look at some of these in this post:

1. Keep all your equipment ready and test it in advance : There is nothing worse than checking if the mic/ webcam/ headphone is working or not right in the middle of the class. Test once, twice and as many times as you need all your devices : computer/ laptop, mic, headphones, webcam. Try and use standard equipment to minimize the compatibility issues. If possible, test the devices with the students as well.
2. Check your connection settings : You can never have enough of bandwidth. Keep at least 512 kbps or more connection and make sure you do not download, use Skype/ messengers, stream videos during the live online class. The more the bandwidth you will divert to the virtual classroom software, the better would be the experience.
3. Processor Speed/ Memory : Whiteboards and Online Virtual Classrooms are memory intensive applications. Try and close all heavy applications like Adobe Photoshop, PowerPoint, pdf Writer and have maximum processor usage as well as memory available for the Virtual Classroom.
4. Always do a test : Even if you are a seasoned pro, always do a test for students new to your classroom. This will help you see if they suffer from device incompatibility or poor bandwidth issues. Doing this before the actual class can make the difference between a smooth or haphazard class.
5. Schedule your class in advance : Always schedule your class in advance [one week at least] and it is best to have the class at same day/ same time to set a rhythm and predictability to online learning for the students. This also helps students plan their day and week in advance. In case of any doubt, always ask the students for their preference for class time.
6. Prepare your class in advance : Attention spans on Internet are low. Hence, you need to be ready the minute the clock says "Go". Have your whiteboards ready with graphs and drawings as well as  the files [pdf/ PowerPoint/ Word/ Excel] you need and check the links [YouTube/ Slideshare/ Scribd/ authorStream] again to see that they work. The smoother you can make your class, the better the learning experience would be. Premium teachers can get their class ready beforehand easily on WiZiQ.
7. Have a moderator : If you are not that familiar with technology or you have more than 10 students in a class, consider having a moderator who can transfer controls to the students [speaking, writing, streaming video] and answer any technical queries from the students.
8. Have a holding slide : Say your online live class starts at 10 AM. Everyone starts logging in at that time and it can take everyone about 2-3 minutes to join the class. Have a holding slide with class title, objectives and welcoming the students [Please wait for 02 minutes and we will start the class in a few minutes]. Here is a good example of a holding slide : Simple Tips for Feng Shui for Abundance and Wellbeing 
9. Use Illustrations : Computers and Internet open up opportunity to go visual and aural. Make use of graphs, diagrams, emoticons, images, video and audio. This will bring your class alive and help students learn by associating with visuals and sounds.
10. Anonymous Feedback/ Chat : One of the advantage online classes provide to the learners is that they can communicate privately with the teacher [without worrying about what the rest of the class says]. Make use of this feature to the fullest. Let the class know they can send you a private message. This will allow each participant to get their doubts and queries resolved and answered.
11. Audio, video and writing controls : The more the people with audio, video and writing controls, the more chaotic the class can become. Limit the number of students with access to speaking in a class or writing on the whiteboard. This will allow others an opportunity to listen and wait, and if they have something to contribute, they can always type it in the chat area.
12. 02 hours is an epic online : Try and keep your classes under 02 hours. This means each of your class should be focused on key learning objectives and fit in only as many learning objectives as you can in 02 hours or less. If needed, meet daily but keep the live meetings/ classes short.
13. Engage students asynchronously as well : Students should be able to take back class material/ notes [through content sharing] and class recordings at a minimum. This allows students to leverage online environment for their own learning benefit. If possible, also have tests at the end of one/ few classes to check if the students have been grasping the subject. Apart from that, send students interesting videos, content, blog posts periodically as well.
14. Analyze student feedback : Best practices in how to conduct an online class are being currently written and researched. Your best guide would be your students. Talk to them, gather feedback and analyze their behavior. This will help you in the next class(es).
15. Handling Exigencies : You should know how to handle exigencies. If a class can not be conducted for whatever reason or one of the attendees is having some issues, try and extend the session, reschedule the session or ask the attendee to watch the recording later and spend the next class touching on the topic of the previous class.

Vikrama Dhiman

Comments

[Dallas Tutoring]

It seems like it would be a difficult leap to make, but the result would be well worth it if done successfully.