Large Group Teaching

How do I do it?

Synchronous

It is useful to think of planning your synchronous session in four phases:

• Before the online session
• During the teaching session
• After the teaching session

During each phase, try and promote active learning strategies to encourage student engagement in the learning process.

Before the online session

• Try to provide learning material that will be referred to in your session a day before
• Clearly communicate to your students about what is expected of them in relation to any learning material that is provided – this is particularly important if they are to actively engage in the material (e.g. polls, quizzes, surveys etc.)
• Clearly communicate the location of the material
• Clearly communicate the time and any relevant links to synchronous technologies
• Make sure you are familiar with any technology that you plan on using
• Ensure that students are made aware of any technologies that will be used during the teaching session

During the teaching session

• Outline expectations for student engagement (i.e. you will be required to engage in discussions throughout the session, participate in polls etc.)
• Divide your session up into phases. For example, a recap of the learning material can be provided followed by small class discussions. This can then be followed by small group activities resulting in student-led presentations.

After the teaching session

• Make yourself available after the session for any questions
• Provide a synopsis of the lesson for students who may have been unable to attend – you can use this as an opportunity to engage students in quizzes or polls on the topics that were discussed during the lesson.

Example

• Provide students with an icebreaker activity – this could be a poll or quiz – the aim is to build social cohesion in the group and to develop a safe learning environment
• Provide students with a poll or Padlet task to respond to questions about the material that they have covered prior to the session
• Use this opportunity to respond to student questions or misconceptions and then begin the content delivery phase
• Tell students that you will respond to any questions in the chat after the content delivery phase
• Keep it active – students are then required (individually or in groups) to apply what they have learned in the lesson to a question. This could be done using Padlet or Miro. Students are encouraged to respond to their peers.
• End the session by providing a synopsis of what was covered during the session and perhaps with another content delivery phase which prepares students for the next topics.

Asynchronous

The nature of asynchronous teaching and learning means that teaching and learning events are not as clearly outlined as they are in the synchronous mode. This provides you with an opportunity to create these events – for example, consider providing students with a window (2-3 hours) that you will be available to address any concerns. This can be done using a discussion forum in vUWS. You might also want to consider creating a student-led discussion event and encourage students to attend – they might be more likely to attend if you indicate that you will also be present. Other aspects to consider include the following:

• Clearly indicate what is expected of students so they get the most out of the activities and learning material
• Indicate what you expect students to have covered by a certain date
• Community building is important so it is important that you introduce yourself (video is good for this) so students can place a name with a face
• Consider providing opportunities for student-student interaction to encourage social interaction
• Remember – keep it active and consider providing a range of learning activities such as quizzes, polls or surveys.

Example

• Set expectations – create a set of events and a timeline for students
• Frame your learning material appropriately with learning objectives and how each piece of material relates to the whole
• Use video (it doesn’t have to have high production values) to go over the topics and objectives for the week (or pick the unit of time)
• Use a discussion forum (or other interactive tool such as Padlet or Miro) as an icebreaker for the week (or pick the unit of time)
• Put up a quiz or a poll so that students have an opportunity to provide some feedback and it gives you the opportunity to identify issues that students might have with some key concepts
• Provide a window of 2-3 hours for students to interact on a discussion forum and discuss any difficulties

This is adapted from Sydney University’s document on design strategies for teaching and learning .