Embedded Files
Whether you are new to teaching online or a veteran tech guru, preparation is key to a successful learning experience when conducting class synchronously via Zoom.
Think about your face-to-face class sessions, which might include strategies to:
Provide clear, upfront expectations
Engage your students with yourself, the material, and one another
Ensure equal participation no matter where they sit in the room
Produce clear, concise, and relevant course materials
Diversify your time with lecture, interaction, reflection, and other modes of learning
All of this can and should be done if you are teaching via Zoom! It helps to have a plan.
Sample class schedule
Sample class schedule
Check out this sample Zoom class session schedule for a typical 60-minute session. Feel free to make a copy to your own Google account and modify to meet your needs. Notice how it features a balance between:
Lecture-style content
Active learning
Engagement
Formative Assessment
Feedback
We will cover some of these tools and strategies within the next module!
Writing Course Description and Syllabus Language: Synchronous Participation Required
Writing Course Description and Syllabus Language: Synchronous Participation Required
Your course description and syllabus should make it clear that the online course includes both synchronous and asynchronous participation. (By default, students may assume that online courses are self-paced and asynchronous.)
If you plan to require synchronous meetings, your syllabus should include mention of these up front so students can plan ahead. In addition, consider mentioning:
What students should do if they need to miss a synchronous session
Devices and other technology considerations they'll need for participation (webcam, headphones, adequate internet bandwidth)
Expectations for participation
How many meetings are students expected to attend in order to receive course credit?
What are your expectations for student participation through chat, annotations, and out-loud contributions?
Where should students be when attending this class? For example, if you expect students to participate out loud frequently, then they should be in a location where speaking up periodically will not disrupt anyone else's work.
should i require camera use during class?
should i require camera use during class?
Ideally, no. Faculty should consider adopting a camera-optional practice for teaching through Zoom. A camera-optional approach respects student issues such as access and equity (some may not have cameras on their devices), safety and security (some may be deployed military or in need of safety or privacy), and religious strictures.
Faculty members who previously did not take attendance in their in-person classrooms should continue to respect that their students will attend remotely. Faculty who took attendance previously should explore manual and automatic options for taking attendance through Zoom.
If a faculty member chooses to record a Zoom session, recorded student participation during the session should not be required. Other forms of participation, e.g., private chat, can be required and assessed. Students should be provided the choice to opt out from identification in the recording by muting their audio, disabling video and not typing public chats.
Page updated
Report abuse