BEFORE: Preparing your First Live Virtual Class
It seems likely that coronavirus may be the big bang for online learning, particularly in third level education. It is literally a disruption engine that is forcing us to increase our innovation absorptive capacity dramatically and rapidly.
Yesterday, I shared a post about structuring your first live webinar. I got a number of comments on LinkedIn but also privately asking for more detail. Be careful what you ask for!
This article comes with a health warning. As it is a Sunday, I am reminded of John Selden's quote:
"Preachers say 'Do as I say, not as I do'"
1. Build Your Kit
For live online learning in higher education, you have five building blocks that are pretty essential:
- Computer
- Broadband
- Presentation Software
- Video Conferencing Platform
- Virtual Learning Environment
You need to make sure your computer is in good working order with a audio input and output and has access to good broadband. During the current pandemic, many of us will be working from home and broadband quality may be impacted in your house by other broadband users but also your neighbours - internet connectivity is going to reach new peaks. So consider:
- Test your broadband speed
- Restart your modem 15 minutes before your session
- If your router supports multiple channels e.g. 2.5GhZ or 5 GhZ, use the 5 GhZ chanel
- Move your router closer to the phone socket
- Move your computer closer to the router and in a location with few obstructions
- Disconnect other devices connected to the Internet
- Turn off other downloading or streaming software
- Electrical interference can impact WiFi signal so may be do a speed test with other electrical equipment off
- Consider connecting directly in to the router using an ethernet cable
- Ask others in the house to schedule walks or non-internet activities during your class time
Have a backup broadband plan. What is it? Your smartphone. You should be able to tether your computer to your smartphone and 4G is often sufficient. If you are really stuck, many online video conferencing software tools support mobile presentations.
Most of us use Microsoft PowerPoint which is, whether you like it or not, a standard for presentation software as is PDF formats. If you plan to embed audio or video, make sure you test it in the online video conferencing platform you plan to use. The other presentation software you use in online learning delivery is your browser so make sure that this is up to date and working.
DCU is using Zoom as our online video conferencing platform and LOOP is our VLE so these are two of the building blocks of my online learning delivery kit. These are, for the most part, out of my control as the University as selected these technologies for faculty and more importantly, students. They can only support so many technologies and we are in a crisis, so hold off on the complaints!
Other optional kit....most people don't like how they look or sound on video. Get over it! For a very small investment, you can improve the experience....I recently posted my portable home video studio kit - it cost me Stg￡62.19 from Amazon. It is a Comica SmartPhone Video Kit with a mini-tripod and shotgun microphone video rig. It works for iPhone and Android phones. I added a Rode VideoMic Pro+ compact direction on-camera microphone but most people don't need that. To be honest, I don't either but it was sitting around dotLAB so I might as well use it. I also have a good set of noise cancelling headphones - mine are Bose QuietComfort ones and have a mic built in but the quality has let me down before. A crucial piece of kit for iPhone users.... and Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter!
2. Know Your Environment
We all know our classrooms relatively well and the technology is standardised. We know the student experience from our own studies and most of us know the teaching experience.
- We don't have that same experience curve for live online classroom delivery.
- Our students don't have that same experience curve for live online classroom delivery.
If you are working from your office or your home, the environment is different.
Typically, others inhabit that environment and just about everyone else does not know that it is now a learning broadcast studio!
Set expectations with others and particularly family members (and pets!) regarding interruptions during working time but in particular broadcast time
This may mean putting up signs or a light! It may be easier just to ask those who live or work around you to schedule outdoor activities (not basketball next to where you are trying to work!) away from your workspace or to have some type of quiet time for kids. This is for everyone's mental health!
3. Know Your Functionality
It is a platform - the video conferencing component is a core feature but only one feature for learning. You need to understand how this works and what additional features your platform has that you can exploit for learning and more importantly engagement. Most platforms allow you record, annotate, have a virtual hand raising, polling, group chat and 1:1 chat etc. I like Zoom. Why? It has a couple of other things - digital whiteboarding, collaborative annotation, captioning and searchable transcriptions. It also integrates with Loop, our VLE based on Moodle.
One feature that is worth trying our is the Attendee Attention Tracking - in the absence of other cues, this could give you a much needed feedback mechanism to nudge individual students privately (or publicly) or modify your pace, interaction etc. It only works when a screen is being shared so when students are interacting, even with audio, ask them to enable video.
Once you know the functionality, you can plan how to integrate these in to your own toolkit and session design. NOTE: You will have to explain to your students how to use these technologies so try explaining it to someone at home...ideally a 9-10 year old. They are honest and fierce critics!
4. Plan Your Engagement
Don't assume your audience is listening or there at all
Students are going to log in and then browse the Internet, wander off, have connectivity problems, are located in other time zones, may not understand you or have any myriad of other issues during your live session. They know you are probably recording so there is a kinda free riding opportunity and risk inherent in knowing this. In the current coronavirus circumstances, there is not much you can do. This does not mean you cannot mitigate risk:
- Build in at least one engagement point every 5-10 minutes
- Use Attendee Attention Tracking
- Monitor chatroom activity and incoming comments and questions
- Acknowledge highly engaged participants and nudge participants with lower engagement
- Use more slides not less so that there are visual on-screen cues denoting movement and catching attention
5. Partner, Pre-wire and Plant
What do I mean here? We need to mitigate risk so use the Three Ps:
Partner
I think if you have someone else working with you virtually or even in the same room in the same session, you are in a team and in it together. They can monitor the questions and answers, compile them and act as a producer. A problem shared is not only a problem halved but also the risk and nerves are also halved.
Pre-Wire
I often think that live online learning is a bit like being a stand-up comedian.
What happens if no one laughs? What happens if no one turns up at all.
Well, firstly you can pre-wire your session by incentivising people to turn up but also by picking specific students and give them a role in the session. This might be answering a question or more importantly asking a question. Similarly, there may be students in your class who have relevant experience and you could pre-wire them and prepare them about you want them to give the example and when. This performs a dual role - it breaks the ice and also provides and example for others.
Plant
Similar to pre-wiring, plant someone in the class - it could be your partner-producer above or a student. You could be using these people to make an example of good or bad behaviour (as long as they know - this was a favoured method of Alex Ferguson in the glory days of Man Utd). You could also use guests etc.
The key to these tactics is to know someone is going to interact with you and lead by example and hopefully (a) give you a break and (b) loosen things up and catalyse more engagement.
6. Understand Virtual Time
Your perception of time is not the same in virtual classrooms as in your real one or rather you are not (yet) used to delivering your content online.
Firstly, instructional design for elearning is generally tighter so your typically delivery time will be naturally shorter.
Secondly, because you aren't as aware of your class, you may deliver your content faster than usual.
Thirdly and relatedly, you don't have the normal cues from your audience with regards to pace, comprehension and satisfaction and therefore it is more difficult to respond and adjust your presentation.
A key thing to understand is that you cannot expect a student (or yourself) to focus intensely at a screen for two hours. This means redesigning your delivery in to smaller chunks of maybe only 30-45 minutes. I think an hour is probably max. This means focusing on what is essential for you to deliver live and what can delivered asynchronously (recorded) or through alternative means. Maybe someone else delivers the same content better online or an article or workbook is better and then have a Q&A using your VLE or video conferencing software.
On a related point, Programme Chairpersons need to consider whether timetables constrained by physical classroom availability are useful here. I see no evidence that 2 x 2 hour contiguous blocks of live online video delivery are in the best interests of students or quality education.
You also have to adjust to checking that everything is technically operational for you and the attendees every session and that will add time.
For me the hardest part, is that people will be late and the will be disengaged. And you need to just let it go.
7. Fine-tune Your Session Design
I shared FlexLabs infographic yesterday. To be honest, I could take or leave the more general stuff on the infographic but the session design component was a useful touchpoint.
Why only a touchpoint? Well, I think it needs more detail. Given my other comments above, for me, I think it is probably something more like what I call the ABC Method (Activation, Body, Closing):
A. Activation (10-15 minutes)
- Press record
- Message everyone to
- Show a relevant intro video (3-5 minutes)
- Provide any technical assistance while video is playing
- Welcome and Agenda
- Explain the recording protocol and where and when the recording will be available
- Discuss online etiquette and explain the messaging and Q&A protocol
- Explain what should happen if there is a technology problem for you as presenter or one of the students
- Explain how the functionality that you plan to use in the session and when and how it will be used
- Get everyone to interact with the functionality once
B. Body (25-45 minutes)
- Part 1 (10-15 Minutes)
- Part 1 Interactive Element (e.g. Q&A, Poll, Chat)
- Part 2 (10-15 minutes)
- Part 2 Interactive Element (e.g. Q&A, Poll, Chat)
C. Closing (10 minutes)
- Summarise key points
- Relate to previous sessions and future sessions
- Identify related resources and independent learning activities
- Final Q&A
- Remind students time and location of recording
Final Remarks
Remember, you are doing something, that for you, right now, is extraordinary and you are doing it in exceptional circumstances. Give yourself a break
If you any more preparation tips, please share!