Live in 3..2..1: Resuscitating Synchronous Classes with Dynamic Delivery

Students have reported more dissatisfaction with synchronous online delivery over face-to-face or asynchronous delivery.  This can often be attributed to the content expert not being aware of successful practices in presentations or the online medium.

Often instructors are never taught vital presentation skills that are key for capturing their classes attention.  For example, within the first few minutes of a presentation the audience's attention can be commanded by:

• Reflecting on a bold statement
• Considering a story
• Reviewing, and being primed for, the content they will learn
• Engaging in an interactive activity

When the presenter presents in a lively fashion, the movement keeps the viewers' attention.  Also, revealing one’s own humor and why you are excited about the topic both makes the talk personal to the audience. They then become more invested in the topic. These presentation skills benefit both synchronous online presentations and face-to-face presentations.   

The issue with teaching online is that instructors both must wrestle with using technology effectively as well as employ instructional strategies that best suit the medium they are using.  This webinar will first address faux pas with technology that diminishes the instructional effectiveness of the presentation.  Then it continues to investigate effective strategies for the medium.  Specifically, attention spans in this medium our short and instruction must be interactive to be effective. By adopting a micro-lesson approach as well as a flipped approach, instructors can maximize student engagement in their synchronous sessions. The session concludes on some of the pitfalls experienced by faculty using flipped classes online and how to overcome these issues. 

References

 

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