With many options for teaching modality, effective planning and preparation are essential to deliver a successful course. It is particularly important to consider teaching and learning activities which engage all learners, whether they are in-person or remote, and whether activities occur within or outside of class time.
Sample activities and suggestions for implementation in various teaching modalities are provided in the table below, including synchronous online classrooms, asynchronous online classrooms and HyFlex classrooms. These recommendations consider different groups of learners, evolving public health guidelines, and critically, the central goal of actively engaging all learners, regardless of teaching modality.
Synchronous Online Classroom
Sample Activity
Description
Introductions
Students turn on camera and/or microphone and introduce themselves
Students go into breakout rooms for smaller group introductions
Students write ideas on a shared whiteboard (e.g., multi-user whiteboard in Zoom) or work in a shared document
Students use response system (e.g., polling) to share ideas
Small/Large Group Discussions
For small groups, students work in breakout rooms, share back with larger group
For large groups, students raise their virtual hand to share using audio and/or video, or post ideas in the chat
Student Presentations
Students share screen and deliver presentation with audio and/or video
Case Studies
A case study is shared (slide, document, text copied into chat, etc.), and students work in groups (breakout rooms) or in a large group to discuss and/or answer questions
Think-Pair-Share
Students work in pairs in breakout rooms, then share ideas with the larger group
Question and Answer
Students raise virtual hand or use chat in the web-conference to ask or answer a question
Polling/ Clickers
Live polls (e.g., Zoom, PollEverywhere) used to get feedback, do knowledge checks (e.g., multiple-choice questions); results displayed and discussed in class
Review Sessions
Content reviewed in online session using breakout rooms, polling, and ‘reaction’ features
Content is pre-recorded, then live meeting used for questions/discussion
Peer Review
Students review other students’ materials outside class time, then share feedback in breakout rooms
Quick Check-ins
Students use reactions (e.g., smiling face, frowning face, thumbs up or down) to respond to pace/understanding
Polls used by instructor to verify pace, understanding, etc.
Students use document-editing features to provide feedback on peer work and share over email
Quick Check-ins
Students complete check-in questions via an online quiz, assignment, or H5P lesson after each module, week, lesson, etc. (e.g., multiple-choice questions, note muddy points)
HyFlex Classroom (In-Person and Online Synchronous)
Students use response system (e.g., polling), or raise physical/virtual hand
Tip: Poll Everywhere has versatile activity types, which can be used for online chats, brainstorming, Q&A, upvoting peer responses, and more.
Both sets of learners can use a shared whiteboard (e.g., multi-user whiteboard in Zoom), a shared document, online discussion forums, or online chat within or outside of class time
Small/Large Group Discussions
Instructors should always repeat questions to ensure they are heard by both sets of learners
Student Presentations
Online learners share screen and deliver presentation with audio and/or video
In-person learners present at front of class, using device with microphone (e.g., phone, laptop) to join web-conference audio to be heard online
Instructors may join web-conference with a device with microphone for presenters without a device
Case Studies
A case study is shared (slide, document, text copied into chat, etc.), and students work alone, in small groups (e.g., breakout rooms for online learners, shared documents, online chat or aloud in class, when possible), or in a large group to discuss
Students attending in person and online can use a shared whiteboard (e.g., multi-user whiteboard in Zoom) to collaborate in real-time
Think-Pair-Share
In-person learners use shared documents and/or online chat to collaborate, or speak aloud, when possible
Online learners use breakout rooms to pair up and discuss ideas
Question and Answer
Instructor uses polls (e.g., Poll Everywhere) to ask all students a question
Students in class raise physical hand; online learners raise virtual hand or use chat
All learners use online discussion forum (e.g., FAQ, Ask the Instructor) to ask or answer questions anytime
Polling/ Clickers
Live polls used for both groups used to get feedback, do knowledge checks (e.g., multiple-choice questions), vote for discussion topics, and more; results can be displayed in real-time or later
Review Sessions
Online learners use breakout rooms to discuss or solve problems in groups; polling and ‘reaction’ features used to gauge understanding
Students complete review quizzes during live session, using polling system (e.g., Poll Everywhere’s live remote quizzes can be presented with or without answers, can be timed and/or used in competition format for more live engagement)
Peer Review
Students work in shared documents during class, then share feedback in breakout rooms, online chat, or in class (when possible)
Students use document-editing features to provide feedback on peer work during or outside of class time
Quick Check-ins
Polling can used by instructor to verify pace, understanding, etc. for both groups of learners
Online learners can use reactions (e.g., smiling face, frowning face, thumbs up or down) to respond to pace/understanding
Reflection activities can be used as pre-assessment activities and/or to get students thinking about content before class