Thinking about using Webinars?
In the move to virtual classrooms necessitated by the pandemic, webinars are a practical option for synchronous delivery of course content, that support interaction and engagement if well done. They can also be recorded and saved to your course website (UMLearn or Entrada) so students can view later.
Webinars are typiclly live presentations using interactive software. There are a number of software options. The University has provided teachers with access to Cisco WebEx via an email on the afternoon of Friday, March 13, 2020. Check your email in case you missed it. However, if you have more experience with a different software, feel free to go with what you're comfortable with.
The benefit of using WebEx will be that it is already linked with UMLearn, and it may be easier to enrol/invite your students to join a webinar.
With most webinar software, you can share your screen, and project your presentation (such as if you are using slides, or working through a document). You also have the option to see your students and hear them. Though not equivalent to in-class sessions, webinars are a viable option for lectures, as well as for tutorials or other small group discussions, as there is the capability for two way conversations, either through using microphones or by using the 'chat' feature, where students can post questions, comments, or thoughts in writing, during the class.
For small group work, webinars can be used as a way students can connect, whether with a tutorial leader, or without. In fact, your students may already be using this for group work. Webinars may be the only practical solution, in the short term, for moving case-based or problem-based discussions to the virtual environment.
If you're planning on using webinars in your course, make sure review the documents attached to this topic (from the drop down menu above) for practical tips and tricks for webinars.
This page provides links to getting started with webinars, using them for lectures, office hours, or small group learning.
Also, check out the resources link on the left for resources to help with developing and delivering webinars.
Videos tutorials for getting started with WebEx: https://help.webex.com/en-us/8bzter/Cisco-Webex-Meetings-Video-Tutorials
Video tutorials for getting started with Zoom: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206618765-Zoom-Video-Tutorials
From CATL -technical guides to assist with using WebEx
How to use personal rooms: https://centre.cc.umanitoba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Webex-Personal-Rooms.pdf
How to use WebEx for office hours: https://centre.cc.umanitoba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Webex-Instructor-Quick-Guide-Office-hours.pdf
How to use WebEx to deliver lectures: https://centre.cc.umanitoba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Webex-Intructor-Quick-Guide-Using-Cisco-Webex-to-Deliver-Lectures.pdf
Live streaming is probably the fastest way to convert lectures to an online format. Instructors can deliver content synchronously using presentation tools, but instead of standing in front of a classroom, you would deliver through the camera on your computer. Live streaming platforms also enable ways to engage and interact with student in a live setting.
Tech Tip: With laptop microphones we recommend paying atention to audio quality and avoid moving too close to your computer speak to avoid feedback.
Live-Streaming Options
Zoom: Zoom is a video conferencing platform that enables instructors to interact with students through video, audio and online presentations. Zoom has a variety of supports at https://zoom.us/docs/en-us/covid19.html?utm_source=website&utm_medium=postattendee&utm_campaign=COVID19FY21&zcid=3709
WebEx: Cisco Webex is a video conference solution supported by the university's CATL. Cisco Webex is fully integrated with UM Learn.
Adobe Connect: Adobe Connect is video conferencing platform that allows instructors to interact with students through video, audio and online presentations. Presentations and interactions are possible with Adobe Connect, and sessions can be recorded and posted online. OEFD has two licenses for Adobe Connect and would be happy to help facilitate a class.
You can also live stream using a number of other platforms such as YouTube and even the gamers' platforms Twitch and MineCraft! There are other options such as Skype, Google Hangout, and Facetime, but they aren't really set up as well for multiple simulateous users.
Check with your department or faculty to see if they have any preferences. It makes it easier for students if faculty teaching in the same program are using the same platform, so students don't have to learn a new one for every different teacher they encounter.
Good Luck!
Online meetings for group tutorials allow for real time discussion, but they need to be planned differently that in class meetings. Norman (2017) has the following tips for synchronous meetings:
Before (such as through an email or announcement) or at the start of the webinar, share with students the objective and what learners should take away from the session. A small pre-work element such as a survey help students engage and provide motivation to find ways to accommodate a session.
Less can be more. If you're concerned about finding time in your own schedule for a virtual class, aim to hold one at the start of your online course, again at the mid-point, and in the last few weeks.
Act as a consultant during the session by inviting learners to showcase what they know and where they have gaps in their understanding. Ask students to share drafts-in-progress or problems they're working through. Involve the group in problem-solving: "What is the next best step?"
Encourage webcams and let students know they're expected. Turn on your webcam and practice eye contact through the camera. This will encourage students to do the same, maximizing the immediacy and sense of connection. Marie Norman suggests "If bandwidth issues arise from too many video feeds, you can also elect to turn them off later."
Accept that technology will fail. Screens will freeze. Users will drop unexpectedly. Some elements are outside your control. As with other forms of face-to-face communication, people are generally forgiving of technical glitches. A back-up dial-in number, alternate meeting platform, or even re-scheduling for another day/time are options for when technology is not cooperating.
Have fun! Virtual sessions introduce the spontaneity of a face-to-face meeting. Strive to be personable through ice-breakers and other forms of pauses to check in with participants.
After the virtual class meeting, be sure to ask students what they think. Students feedback helps you adjust the sessions to feel like they are "our" class meetings instead of professor presentations.
One final benefit. Participation in synchronous meetings, even if it means a student watches the recording, appears to have a halo effect on the rest of the week. When online learners return to asynchronous forms of interactions, they do so with a clearer sense of the presence of others in the course which supports sustained engagement.
Adding active learning to virtual/online learning can be done.
The University of Waterloo has an extensive list of software tools that you can explore to add interaction to your learning environment. Check it out at https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-tips/by-category/151
The University of Illinois lists a number of lower tech activities you can do in your online classroom. Check them out at https://www.uis.edu/ion/resources/instructional-activities-index/
Queens University provides a examples of active learning for the online course, as well as how to overcome barriers. https://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/active/22_online_class.html
Labs present a special challenge for online learning. Stanford's "Teach Anywhere" project provides some suggestions in their best practices guide - retrieved from https://teachanywhere.stanford.edu/best-practices.
"Considerations as you plan to address lab activities:
Take part of the lab online: Many lab activities require students to become familiar with certain procedures, and only physical practice of those processes will do. In such cases, consider if there are other parts of the lab experience you could take online (for example, video demonstrations of techniques, online simulations, analysis of data, other pre- or post-lab work). Save the physical practice parts of the labs until access to campus is restored. The [term] might get disjointed by splitting up lab experiences, but it might get you through a short campus closure.
Investigate virtual labs: Online resources and virtual tools might help replicate the experience of some labs (for example, virtual dissection, night sky apps, video demonstrations of labs, simulations). Those vary widely by discipline, but check with your textbook publisher, or sites such as Merlot for materials that might help replace parts of your lab during an emergency.
Provide raw data for analysis: In cases where the lab includes both collection of data and its analysis, consider showing how the data can be collected, and then provide some raw sets of data for students to analyze. This approach is not as comprehensive as having students collect and analyze their own data, but it might keep them engaged with parts of the lab experience during the closure.
Increase interaction in other ways: Sometimes labs are about providing time for direct student interaction; consider other ways to replicate that type of interaction or create new online interaction opportunities, including using available collaboration tools, such as WebEx, Slack, or Google Drive. "
The focus of this workshop was adapting teaching for online delivery using synchronous (live) methods. There was also be a review of technological tools that faculty can use in delivering their content. Active learning strategies that can be utilized in an online setting that promote deep learning were explored and discussed.
Learning Objectives
Evaluate technological tools for active learning that support classes delivered synchronously
Apply active learning strategies to large and small group online classes