Make online learning more effective with these best practices

As more and more learning moves online, educators and students are scrambling to figure out how to make online education effective. The research team at Cisco Webex spent time with educators and students to understand their needs and challenges in the online learning environment. Based on the interviews with 39 educators and students in the US and Europe, we have compiled a list of best practices that could help educators and students to get the most out of online learning.

Educators:

· If this is your first virtual class, then do a test class with a colleague. This will help you get acquainted with the meeting tool. Test out scenarios that includes sharing screen, muting the microphone, turning off and on the video and muting students

· For the actual class itself, join the meeting 10 minutes early and ask your students to join early as well to iron out any audio or video issues before the beginning of class.

· If taking attendance is required for your class — call out names and have students feel comfortable talking through their microphone. This is more effective in a small class scenario.

· To ensure class engagement, structure your class into 15–20 min intervals spaced by activities that involve discussion with everyone. Additionally, ensure you content is a mix of one-way lecture as well as content sharing (using screen-share) which can bring variety to the class.

· Class engagement can also be improved by having students type their questions into chat. Have the chat panel open and try and keep an eye if questions are coming in.

· Having your video on during the lecture will help students feel comfortable about sharing theirs and help them be more engaged.

· Encourage your students to have their video on — this will help you understand how to the class is feeling and also help students be more focused.

· Record classes so students can go back to it when in need.

· In case of ambient or background noise coming from one of the participants in the call — as a host you can mute that participant during class or even mute all if needed.

· Schedule office hours online with students to ensure they are doing okay with the transition to online classes. This also presents an opportunity for students to provide their feedback.

· If possible, end class 5 minutes early so students have the time to switch to their next class in time.

Students:

· Check your audio and video settings to ensure that they are working properly. If possible, join the class a few minutes early to triage any technical issues.

· Use the chat option to interact with your peers as well as your educator.

· Connect with your educators 1:1 during office hours for follow-up questions and clarifications.

· Keep your video on so your instructor as well as peers can see you. However, if you experience bandwidth issues, turn off your video so you don’t miss out on the class.

We will be sharing more insights from our research in this space, please be on a lookout if you are interested to learn more about online education. In addition, we will also be sharing research about telemedicine from another research project on this blog.

Authors: Varshine Chandrakanthan, Kathryn Parkes and Mani Pande