School of Professional Studies Office of Distance Learning

This page is related to Synchronous Sessions

At a Glance

The School of Professional Studies (SPS) provides, for most of its programs, asynchronous learning to serve the needs of its adult student population. However, we emphasize the importance of strategically integrating synchronous sessions (“sync sessions”) to enhance the learning experience. These live sessions complement asynchronous course work by:

• Building community: Fostering interaction between students and instructors, combating feelings of isolation, especially post-pandemic.
• Improving understanding: Providing real-time interaction for discussions, problem-solving, and guest speaker events.
• Reinforcing learning: Offering a bi-modal delivery of information and support.
• Promoting active engagement: Facilitating instructor feedback and student interaction is crucial for meeting learning outcomes.

Essentially, synchronous sessions are seen as vital for creating a social learning environment within the primarily asynchronous SPS model.

Environment

The goal of sync sessions is to create an inclusive learning environment that fosters engagement and meaningful learning. Here are some strategies to foster a supportive learning environment in your sync sessions:

• Establish a relaxed and welcoming environment that encourages students to share questions, problems, and opinions.
• At the start of the sync session, let students know that there is no judgment and remind them to be respectful of each other’s contributions.
• Always remain sensitive to varying student needs and communication preferences. Consider why students do not turn on their video cameras during sessions. This includes creating an equitable and inclusive plan that encourages them to participate.

Best Practices

• Share clear expectations, objectives, and brief agenda/session overviews with students in advance through announcements. Be explicit that students will not be cold-called upon to speak during the session.
• Let students know that the sync session schedule will include unrecorded time at the end for additional questions and/or informal office hours.
• Provide a space for students to submit anonymous questions in advance (you can create a page in Canvas where students can add questions and agenda items anonymously by just adding a page and selecting the “Teachers and Students Can Edit This Page” option.
• Explicitly link sync session topics to course assignments or assessments and make this clear to students in advance.

Build your student community through enjoyable and supportive interaction. Always welcome each student to your sync session by name, where possible. Make each student feel safe to speak up and ask questions. Encourage students to answer other students’ questions. Do not dominate the discussion.

Offer teasers about future sessions If you have special guests coming to future sessions or even important social events, be sure to regularly advertise them at your sessions before you close. Communicate to students how these sessions will benefit them. This can boost attendance and get students excited about events that are unique to your class.

Breakout Room Strategies

Participants in a Zoom meeting can be divided into separate groups called “breakout rooms.” These support small group, focused discussions and give participants more opportunity to engage with one another. Use these strategies to make breakout rooms effective learning experiences:

• Identify specific tasks with clear objectives and tangible takeaways.
• Specify the time frame in advance depending on the task/activity (typically 10-15 min max).
• Remind students that they can raise their hands during breakout rooms for assistance.
• Explain that activities in breakout rooms will not be recorded.
• Discuss instructions, tasks, and expectations and provide written instructions available during breakout room sessions (e.g. shared document to breakout rooms).
• Include specific follow-up information in advance (What will happen after the breakout room? What are the expectations?).
• Drop in each breakout room to informally answer any questions or help encourage discussion.

If you are new to Zoom breakout rooms, be sure to rehearse your breakout room workflow with a TA, or co-teacher, colleague, or even a family member so you know exactly what to expect. Breakout rooms are only effective if you manage them properly!

Wrapping Up Sync Sessions

• Remind students of the next sync session date, time, topic, and other important details.
• Schedule to stay online after the official sync session for additional questions and/or informal office hours (unrecorded).
• Exit ticket: Create a short 3-item anonymous survey at the end of the sync session for student feedback (e.g. (1) The sync session was a valuable learning experience – Likert ; (2) I plan to attend additional sync sessions – Likert ; (3) Additional questions, concerns, suggestions – optional open-ended).
• Following the sync session:
  • Post a link to the session recording (indicate that breakout rooms and student questions at the end were not recorded)
  • Post a summary announcement with a link to the session recording and any follow-up links, references, and/or action items
  • Include the date/time of the next sync session with specific reference to its relationship to class assignments.

Conclusion

Synchronous sessions in SPS courses play a crucial role in enriching asynchronous learning. They allow instructors to provide immediate clarification and feedback directly to students. Moreover, synchronous sessions can add an element of personalized attention, which can be particularly beneficial for students who are struggling with the material. Most importantly, sync sessions help students to feel engaged in the learning process by providing opportunities for interaction and real-world learning.

Overall, by incorporating synchronous sessions into asynchronous learning, you can create a more dynamic and engaging learning experience for students and support their academic success.