Easy and Equitable Ways to Add Synchronous Elements to your Online Course
In October 2020, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences elicited feedback from students in both live and online forums. We asked them general questions: What’s been positive? Challenging? And, if there were one thing that could be changed for winter term, what would that be?
The students had a lot to say. They offered passionate and detailed observations on workload, discussion boards, mental health, grading schemes, resource availability, etc. They also described their preferences for asynchronous and synchronous course formats. For the most part, they articulated their partiality as more than just liking one delivery mode over the other by describing how, when and for which aspects of the course experience synchronous time is most valuable. They also explained what those synchronous hours should look and feel like.
During the pandemic, with little preparation for what the online learning environment would entail, students feel the “distance” in distance learning even more keenly. They yearn for opportunities to see other faces, build community with their instructors and peers, and activate new knowledge. In the undifferentiated sea of four or five asynchronous courses to navigate on Brightspace, they are desperate for consistent contact where they can get questions answered and assurance that they are meeting expectations – they need help keeping it straight! Of course, the biggest barrier to teaching online courses synchronously is equitable student access to learning. Below, I’ll offer suggestions for embedding synchronous opportunities in your course that meet these student needs, in equitable ways.
In the transition to online learning, one of the more lamentable deaths is that of the spontaneous, small moment of interpersonal exchange. No longer can students lean over their desks to conference about a point made, or huddle outside the classroom to share approaches to an assignment or clarify instructions for one another. The bigger community-building activities and spaces are lacking too, such as study groups or special occasion potlucks. Students have noted how important both these small and big moments are, and the difference they can make between getting through a course and abandoning one.
Consider these ideas to encourage community:
If you already use synchronous meeting times, either for lecture, tutorials or something else, leave the meeting open for 15 or so minutes after the session. Students can then “hang back” as they might in the face-to-face classroom, to ask you questions. Double check with students if you can continue recording and include this time in the video you upload later. In Collaborate Ultra’s dedicated course rooms (or “open sessions”), you could even leave after a few minutes to provide an opportunity for student socializing.
Plan special synchronous hours arranged across the term that support the “stickier” spots in the course timeline. For example, midterm and final assignment reviews; a short session before the due date of a large project to answer last minute questions; or after any assignment that the class had trouble with – you might highlight common mistakes and clarify your requirements and expectations for subsequent assignments. Make it equitable: Record these sessions and allow downloads for students who have trouble streaming content.
If you already plan to upload short, weekly videos where you share announcements or important information, consider making some of those live, for a relaxed “coffee chat.” Students can tune in, bring their own hot beverages, and use the chat box in Teams or Collaborate to pose questions to you and chat with one another. Make it equitable: Plan another live chat with Brightspace’s “Live Chat” function for a text-based chat for students with less bandwidth. Alternatively, if you have TA support, and if you use Teams, they can pay special attention to the chat box. In Teams students can choose to just participate in the chat without joining the call.
Building in synchronous points of contact have an additional benefit: helping students structure their weeks. Time management in online learning is difficult, especially if most courses are completely asynchronous. Synchronous weekly slots help students stay on track. As students noted in recent live forums, all-asynchronous courses allow utter flexibility, but they inhibit any real structure to emerge from the cross-course experience. With consistent and reliable synchronous time slots, students have the beginnings of a structure around which they can arrange the rest of their duties.
Here are a couple simple ways to add consistent, weekly synchronous time:
Have a weekly office hour (also let students know you are available by appointment too, in case of privacy concerns). Make it equitable: offer a live chat office hour, using the Brightspace Live Chat or a Teams chatroom, for a low-bandwidth, synchronous option.
If you are working with TAs for your course, have them host study hours or additional office hours.
Tag a few of your most committed students and ask them to “host” a study group in the open Collaborate room. They pick a day and time that works for them, you put it in the course calendar (use the Brightspace widget!), and any student who is free may attend. Try bi-weekly sessions, for example, and create a sign-up sheet for interested student hosts. Or, if you’ve split your class list into groups (to create smaller discussion board groups, for example), create a Live Chat for each group, and encourage them to plan a study hour (or visit the chat at any time!). This last option is a good low-bandwidth solution.
Students are less keen on required synchronous class time that involves passive listening to lectures, with little encouragement or direction in how to ask questions or engage with the material. When it can be helped, we recommend not to use synchronous time for delivering lectures and content – not only to honour the student preferences above, but also because many of our students will have variable internet access and connectivity, and reside in different time zones. Allowing students to asynchronously cover the material themselves (with readings or short, pre-recorded video segments), and using synchronous time for active learning is a helpful shift in approach to content delivery.
Try these ways to satisfy active learning:
Conduct a tutorial. Plan discussion questions or provide a theme and leave space for questions at the end. Use the breakout groups function in Collaborate Ultra, if desired. Record it!
Relatedly, you might begin the synchronous time with the students in break-out groups, where they come up with a list of questions. You can then spend the remainder of the hour addressing those. Provide an asynchronous route: You might generate student questions in the discussion boards about the topic and reading materials before you record your lecture or conduct a live discussion. That way, you are lecturing on, or directing conversation around, precisely those things that students are most keen to learn or had the most trouble with. Then, post the recording so asynchronous students can watch/listen later.
For more active learning ideas, consult “Transitioning Active Learning Methods Online in FASS” and “Transitioning Active Learning Methods Online in FASS, Part II”
Overall, synchronous time can be implemented in easy and equitable ways that will dramatically improve students’ online experience. For many of our students, going entirely (or mostly) online was not a choice, nor were they very prepared. It seems clear that, as instructors, we should prioritize making pedagogical decisions that meet student needs for community and connection, clarity and consistency.
Resources:
Joanne Ong et al. “7 missing pieces: why students prefer in-person over online classes” University Affairs/Affaires universitaires, December 2020.
Kate Crane, “Transitioning Active Learning Methods Online in FASS” FOCUS on University Teaching and Learning, May 2020.
Kate Crane, “Transitioning Active Learning Methods Online in FASS, Part II” FOCUS on University Teaching and Learning, May 2020.
For more detail on using Collaborate Ultra, see its how-to guide.
For help with embedding the “Live Chat” feature in your Brightspace courses, visit the ATS Virtual Drop-In support room.