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Preparing for Synchronous Sessions

Practical considerations

There are many practical considerations you should take into consideration when planning synchronous online sessions. These include:

  • considering privacy issues - who will be there? what will be discussed? does the group know each other? will there be trust in the room or does it have to be built?
  • distribution and longevity of the session - should the session be recorded? how will it be shared with others, if at all? what might we need to ask or tell participants about sharing the session itself or session details with others? what impact might recording the session have on the participants during the session itself - do people behave differently if they are being recorded?
  • logistics - will an advertisement need to be created? how will people register for the session? how will they know how to connect to the session?
  • testing the platform - have you used the platform before? how familiar are you with it? do you need to test it again? when? with whom? does anything need to be arranged in advance? does the platform work with your computer system? where will you be connecting from at the time of the session and how good is the internet connection? do you have a headset and is it working?
  • your space - what does your space look like where you will be sitting during your session? what can be seen on camera? will pets, children, phones, partners or other noises interrupt or how could those distractions be eliminated or mitigated?
  • and, as already mentioned on the previous page, working with a co-facilitator or producer - how will you work together? what will your roles be?

The online article Interactive Web Conferencing Brings Benefits to the Online Classroom has some additional practical "tips for success" to think about before and during your synchronous session.

Note: Regarding the "decision to record" above, please note that in this course we ask that you DO record your facilitated session for the purposes of self-reflection and gathering feedback from course peers and facilitators.