What are some good practices for virtual education in a group setting?
The COVID pandemic flung a lot of teachers headfirst into a remote learning environment. This transition was more natural for some than others, but luckily we’ve all learned some lessons from this experience. Here are some best practices for virtual instruction in a group setting:
Use a video conferencing platform that allows screen sharing, breakout rooms, and virtual whiteboards. Google Meet and Zoom remain popular, but checking out platforms explicitly designed for teachers’ and students’ needs is a good idea.
Establish clear expectations and guidelines for behavior and participation, including procedures for using chat and other virtual communication tools. Compile these into a code-of-conduct document that all students are required to sign.
Provide clear instructions and guidelines for group work, including deadlines and expectations for group collaboration.
If applicable, be mindful of time zones and schedule virtual meetings at times that are convenient for all participants.
Begin each session with a clear agenda and set learning objectives. Bored, unfocused students are a fact of life in virtual education, so providing them with a definite direction increases each class’ effectiveness considerably.
Use several instructional methods to keep participants engaged, including lectures, discussions, group work, and individual activities. Expecting them to pay close attention while watching a video is no recipe for success.
Encourage active participation and engagement by asking open-ended questions, calling on students by name, and creating opportunities for participants to collaborate.
Learn which virtual tools, such as whiteboard software and online polling systems, are available. Use these when appropriate to facilitate engagement and collaboration.
Encourage students to reflect on their learnings and provide feedback on the virtual instructions. This needn’t be in real-time, but you should respond to questions and concerns within a reasonable period.
Monitor and respond to participant feedback and adjust virtual instruction methods as needed.
By following these best practices for virtual instruction in a group setting, instructors can create an engaging and practical learning experience for their participants, regardless of location. In the future, we expect teaching skills like running a practical virtual lecture to be just as important as the ability to draw up a coherent lesson plan.
2Sigma School is a virtual first institution that partners with high schools nationwide and brings high-touch, live computer science, and data science classes to elevate the career readiness skills available to young students. Our instruction specialists and EdTech product and engineering teams are constantly innovating on the best-of-breed content and instructional tools to make virtual instructions more effective than most in-person classes. Curious? Check out our program for school partnerships, and let us know how we can help.
