Checklist for synchronous sessions

Keep in mind the following when conducting synchronous sessions:

• Value students’ time
  • Ask yourself if what students will experience is something they need to actually be synchronously online for.  For example, if you’re only planning on delivering content, perhaps they could watch a recording on their own time?
• Make your sessions interactive
  • Plan activities in which students interact with each other and with you. Examples include using breakout rooms for small group work, posing polling questions and student mediated sessions or discussions.
  • Strive for your students leaving the session thinking “I’m so glad I attended. What I gained from that session I couldn’t have gotten through asynchronous activities”
• Watch your timing
  • Keep it short
  • Provide breaks
  • Keep lectures brief
• Set up before class
  • Have all materials you plan on sharing open before session begins, for example slides or documents.
  • Close any other windows you aren’t using
  • Check your audio/video settings
• Schedule accordingly
  • Online activities often take longer than you expect
  • If you have an hour, plan for 45 minutes.
• Ensure high quality sound
  • Hold your sessions in a quiet space to avoid distractions and ambient noise
  • Use a headset / microphone for best sound quality
  • Encourage students to do the same
• Use a high speed connection for best experience
  • If you have an ethernet jack, consider plugging in instead of using wireless
  • Encourage students to do the same
• Provide students with consistent access
  • Put a link to your virtual office in multiple places for example the left hand navigation pane of Laulima, your email signature line, your syllabus.
• Record your sessions
  • Have a reminder for yourself to click the record button
  • Provide recording links in a consistent place, for example in Laulima resources or on a Google doc