This page is related to Synchronous Sessions
At a Glance
Instructors can conduct synchronous sessions in several different formats and for a variety of purposes. The design of a sync session should be suited to its purpose, support course learning outcomes, and encourage student engagement.
Select a Design
Learning is a social process: the instructor’s active facilitation of learning and of faculty-student and student-student interactions is essential for students’ ability to engage with course materials and meet course learning outcomes.
Active engagement and regular feedback from instructors are major factors critical to student learning. Online synchronous sessions are an integral part of this online learning experience. They provide an opportunity for you and your students to interact in real-time in a way that is otherwise difficult to achieve in the design of an asynchronous course.
Sync session advance planning is critical to success. Begin planning your sync sessions a few months in advance so that you can schedule guest speakers and sync session activities that complement your course topics. With little advance notice, an invited guest speaker may not be available.
Sync Session Designs
Although the specific objectives of a particular synchronous session may differ between programs and courses, and even between different sessions of a course in the same term, the overall goal for all synchronous sessions should be:
- to create opportunities for deeper learning and application of course material.
- to support community-building and develop a rapport between students and faculty.
Sync Sessions should not be dominated by lectures. Course content delivered via lecture should be built into the asynchronous course design instead.
Informal Social Setting
This type of sync setting may be useful from time to time but should not be overused throughout the term. These synchronous meetings can be thought of as a forum for open-ended, unstructured conversation driven by student questions and interests. Faculty may have a few points to go over for that week’s learning objectives and/or assignments, followed by allowing for an open session of Q&A.
Office Hours are a common form of Informal Social Setting.
Formal Social Setting
This category of sync session focuses on community building within the classroom and is best utilized at the start of the term to provide the groundwork for future fruitful discussions in sync sessions (and virtually in discussion boards). You will need to prepare activities that allow students to interact with one another to build a community of trust and rapport. Activities may include:
- Ice breaker – something simple (a book you just read, favorite food). This is a low-stakes opportunity that allows students to get more comfortable speaking.
- Breakout rooms to discuss course-related topics or problem-solving strategies.
- Informal polling of students (using the Zoom polling tools) to assess areas of need or special interest.
The Zoom Icebreakers for Students has eight ideas to help get your sync session started.
Structured
This type of sync session allows for a deeper examination of weekly learning objectives and the application of course materials to real-world scenarios. You should prepare activities in advance for students to interact with during the live sync session (either as a group or in breakout rooms). Activities may include but are not limited to:
- Sharing clear expectations, objectives, and brief agenda/session overview with students in advance through announcements.
- Real-world applications and demonstrations of how to use them.
- Live student presentations
- Breakout rooms that allow students to discuss in smaller groups and report back to the entire class.
- Guidance for upcoming assignments or projects, with any recommended resources and time for Q&A.
- Create multiple engagement activities to break up the sync sessions: polls, interactive activities, etc.
- You can also consider creative uses of existing Zoom features.
Guest Speakers
This type of sync session may be applicable to some courses and not others. Guest speakers are often able to provide a real-world application to a learning objective from the course that can’t be matched. Please ensure that any guest speaker has expertise related to the course material and can communicate their knowledge effectively. The guest should help students deepen their knowledge of the course material and provide insights to this knowledge applied in practice.
- Guest speakers should be utilized sparingly during a term. They should not be the sole sync session experience for the student.
- Incorporate activities with the guest speaker audience to encourage participation/attendance:
- Have an assignment tied to the guest speaker where students need to submit two questions prior to the session and encourage students to come and ask it themselves.
- Have a post assignment where students must reflect on the guest speaker presentation (e.g. two insights tied to the learning objectives that they took away).
- Consider sending an invite to other faculty and students in your program who may be interested in attending. Your program director can help distribute an announcement through the Student Leadership Council and/or Canvas Student Site.
Conclusion
By varying the format of your sync sessions, you can promote student attendance and engagement. The different formats listed on this page can be used to support a variety of instructional goals.