Effective interactions

Effective interactions

Initiate frequent interactions

• Frequent varied interactions are very important because.
  • They keep students focussed and less likely to multi task.
  • They break up the cognitive loading.
  • They let you know that your Internet connection is still good.
• Regularly ask students for responses (via poll, typed response, whiteboard annotation, audio). In tutes, ask for responses every 1-3 minutes. In lectures, asking every 10-20 minutes is more appropriate. Wait until you get a response before continuing.
• Activate prior knowledge with interactions (e.g. interactive reviews of previous lessons; ask each student to summarise a problem they have faced)
• Manage cognitive load by staging interactions to provide cognitive breaks for the students.
• Use breakout rooms for small group activities.

Online methods for interacting

Here are some options.

• Verbally
  • Best for longer open-ended questions (e.g. explain reasons for your answers)
  • Audio participation increases social presence (so you should use some)
• Zoom chat
  • Good for short questions and responses
  • Ask learners to answer type answer into chat. If you wish, you can ask them not to hit send until you tell them to. Alternatively, all type in answer but only ask one person to press send.
• Zoom private chat
  • Private chat (with guidelines) for pairs to formulate an answer.
  • Can be used to communicate privately with you.
  • Zoom icons – thumbs up, thumbs down, raise hand – to indicate requests and responses
  • Pose a question and ask for ‘hands up’ or include calling on a particular participant
• Share screens – students share screens of their work
• Polling – via a Zoom Poll or other online polling program
  • Multiple choice questions with anonymous responses. The entire class can see the results. Very useful for deciding which questions or topics to work through in an instructor-led tutorial.
• Collaborative work on a whiteboard
  • Icebreaker tip: Participants mark a location on a map and practice using annotation tools
  • Ask learners to highlight or annotate the shared whiteboard
  • Students can collaboratively annotate shared whiteboards, in breakout rooms or in main room
  • At end of class ask students for anonymous feedback onto whiteboard in two columns: positive and negative.
  • Whiteboards can be saved.
• Breakout rooms
  • 2 to 5 participants in each (groups spokesperson to summarise to whole class)
  • copy and paste white board responses to main room)
• Application sharing

Online discussions are difficult with more than about four people

Here are some options.

• Use breakout rooms with around four people in each.
• Appoint a discussion leader (this will be you in an instructor-led session) to manage the discussion.
• Use Zoom “raise hand” icon to select people to speak.
• Use the Zoom Chat function for the discussion.
• Use the Zoom Chat function for people to indicate their input, then invite individuals (by name) to speak via microphone.