learners' experiences of synchronous online activities

Learners’ experiences of

synchronous online activities

Project report

May 2012

Sarah Cornelius

Carole Gordon

University of Aberdeen

Learners’ experiences of synchronous online activities: a project report University of Aberdeen May 2012

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Please cite this report as: Cornelius S and Gordon C (2012) Learners’ experiences of

synchronous online activities: project report. Written for the ELESIG small grants scheme.

Aberdeen, University of Aberdeen

Contributions and Acknowledgements

Carole Gordon acted as Principle Investigator for this project until June 2011 when Sarah

Cornelius took over this role. Research was conducted jointly by Carole and Sarah. The

support of colleagues on the Teaching Qualification Further Education (TQFE) – Chris Aldred,

Yvonne Bain, Margaret Harris, Lorna Johnson and Jan Schyma -‐ is gratefully acknowledged.

The design and implementation of synchronous online learning on the TQFE has been a

team effort, and members of the team have supported this particular project in various

ways, including providing ideas for the original bid for funding and acting as critical friends

throughout. Thanks are also due to members of the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the

University of Aberdeen, particularly Sara Preston, Loraine D’Antin and Rhian Wood, who

have supported the teams’ work with web conferencing. Finally, sincere thanks are due to

the participants who gave time to the project and provided frank and honest feedback on

their experiences.

Contents

Background to project………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

Aims…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Project outputs…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Methodology……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

Findings……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8

Conclusions and recommendations…………………………………………………………………… 27

References………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 29

Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 30


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Background to project

Web conferencing sessions became an integral part of the online version of the Teaching

Qualification in Further Education (TQFE) at the University of Aberdeen in 2009. By the start

of this research project in 2011 six cohorts of learners (over 60 in total) had completed the

programme using a blended online approach. This includes the use online activities

delivered via a virtual learning environment, tutor led workshops in the web conferencing

software Elluminate Live!, and student-‐led collaborative investigations. Learners on the

programme were all in-‐service lecturers from Scottish Further Education colleges. They

were geographically dispersed, represented a variety of professional and vocational subject

areas, had diverse academic backgrounds and varying levels of IT confidence and expertise.

Following a face-‐to-‐face induction session, web conferencing was accessed by participants

from their home or work location and used throughout the programme to provide a variety

of learning experiences including:

Workshops. Regular sessions involving up to 12 learners included tutor led activities

such as icebreakers, individual activities, large and small group discussions, short

presentations and student-‐led activities such as poster ‘presentations’. They included

frequent opportunities for interaction using audio, text, whiteboard tools, emoticons

and polling. During workshops web conferencing was often combined with the use of

external resources including web sites, YouTube videos and documents.

Tutorials. These were shorter sessions that focused on assignment tasks and included

tutor led activities and discussions with smaller groups on assignment related study

skills.

Open office sessions. Tutors made themselves available for consultation by individual

learners during virtual office hours. These sessions addressed assignment related

issues and file sharing was a commonly used tool.

Student-‐led meetings. Learners were required to work collaboratively to investigate

problems and issues relevant to their professional practice and groups were

encouraged to use web conferencing to facilitate teamwork between geographically


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dispersed group members. Some groups used web conferencing on a regular basis, to

facilitate interaction, whilst others found alternative ways of collaborating.

By the end of the online TQFE a learner will have completed more than 40 hours of study

time using web conferencing. Thus they can be regarded as experienced users, who have

developed a high level of familiarity and confidence with web conferencing software.

Learners were regularly asked to provide feedback on their experiences of the programme

and the delivery approach. Feedback from the first cohort of online learners led to changes

to the structure and presentation of sessions and activities, for example the inclusion of

frequent short breaks during workshops, and revisions to the approach to using icebreaker

activities. However, despite helpful feedback from learners, tutors indicated that they were

still unsure exactly what it was like to be a participant in the virtual classroom sessions.

Reflection on the tutoring experience led the tutoring team to consider the ‘duality’ of

experience that might be taking place – the possibility that there was a significant, but

potentially invisible, difference between what the tutor thinks is taking place and what the

learner is actually doing or feeling. For example, during an activity which involves watching a

short video clip tutors cannot see learners’ actions or responses, so it is almost impossible

for them to tell if learners are enjoying the film, annoyed by it, having technical problems or

engaged in a completely different activity. At the same time tutors suggested that it was

important to be able to appreciate and understand learners’ experiences to facilitate the

development of appropriate, engaging and effective activities for their online sessions.

Whilst there has been other research into learners’ and teachers’ experiences of web

conferencing, much of this has involved learners and/or teachers relatively new to the

environment (for example Ng, 2007; Kear et al., 2012). The TQFE programme provided the

opportunity to conduct research with more experienced and confident learners who were

able to provide evidence of a wider range of experiences over a full academic year – a

period longer than that considered in most other studies to date (including McBrien et al.,

2009 and Wang and Hsu, 2009).


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Project aims

The main aim of this project was to gain a better understanding of our learners’ experiences

in synchronous online classroom to help us, and others, develop engaging and effective

learning experiences informed by learner feedback.

A secondary aim was to share some of the activities and information about learners’

experiences with the wider HE and FE community, particularly those who are using or

planning to use web conferencing.

Project outputs

Project outputs include:

1. The learners’ experiences blog. Contributions to the blog were made between

February and May 2011, but the blog remains accessible at

wtolexperiences.wordpress.com.

2. Recommendations for web conferencing faciltators based on learners’ experiences.

Appendix 1 contains the final set of recommendations developed from the findings

of this project. These recommendations have been made freely available via

slideshare and the ELESIG ning site,

3. This project report

4. Webinar and conference presentations. An online presentation was delivered to the

JISC e-‐learning conference in Novemebr 2011 and a recording of this session is freely

available at:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearningpedagogy/elpconference11

/Activity%20Week.aspx. A paper was also presented to the 4th International

Conference on Computer Supported Learning and received the best conference

paper award (see http://www.csedu.org/PreviousAwards.aspx). In addition,

presentations and a poster (Appendix 1) drawing on the project have been shared


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internally within the University of Aberdeen. All of these events have provided the

opportunity to share details of some of the synchronous online activities used on the

TQFE.

5. Publications. A paper based on the conference paper presented is in preparation

and an additional unforeseen outcome is that the findings of this research will

contribute to a book on live online learning being co-‐authored by four of the TQFE

team. Work on this is currently underway and publication expected in 2013/4.

Methodology

Two methods of obtaining detailed accounts of learners’ experiences were used.

1. Open Access blog

An open access blog was set up at wtolexperiences.wordpress.com. The blog was

introduced at an online ‘project launch’ event in February 2011 and all TQFE participants

who had completed the programme were invited by email to contribute. They were

provided with instructions on how to find the blog, how to add comments and how to

receive RSS feeds. Three tutors posted blog entries on various aspects of the programme

(for example ice breakers, small group work in breakout rooms and discussions), raising

questions to prompt learners to reflect on and share their experiences (an example is

provided in Figure 1). Eight ‘starter postings’ were made by tutors between February and

May 2011. Twenty one comments were received from six learners, some lengthy and

detailed. The blog was promoted on the ELESIG website to encourage contributions from

other learners and tutors, however, all contributions received were from TQFE participants.

Blog entries were reviewed by the two researchers to identify the main emerging themes

and issues for further discussion (see Appendix 2).


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Figure 1: Screenshots from the wtolexperiences blog showing an example message posted by

tutors. Two comments were received in response to this posting.

2. Group interview

The emerging themes and questions (Appendix 2) were circulated to all blog contributors

along with an invitation to participate in a semi-‐structured group interview to allow further

exploration of issues raised. The group interview took place at a FE college in Central

Scotland in May 2011 and was attended by three participants and the two researchers. A

brief summary of the blog postings was presented to open the discussion, but participants

were allowed to take the conversation in any direction they wished and raise additional

topics. The interview provided rich detail of the participants’ experiences and indicates

areas of common and diverse experiences. The conversation was recorded and transcribed

in full.


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Analysis

The blog postings and interview transcript were analysed iteratively by the two researchers

to identify emerging themes and illustrative quotations. Following independent analysis,

themes were discussed, sorted and classified to inform the recommendations and sub-‐

recommendations, each supported by appropriate quotations from learners.

Findings

Analysis led to the identification of nine themes, each with a number of sub themes that

were re-‐worded to produce recommendations. The final recommendations are presented in

Appendix 3 and are considered in turn below. For each theme the recommendation, a

summary statement and any sub-‐recommendations are presented, followed by a narrative

section which includes extracts from blog and interview contributions to indicate how the

evidence obtained from learners has contributed to the recommendations drafted.


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Theme 1: Preparation and initial guidance

Recommendation: Prepare learners for learning in the Virtual Classroom

Learners should be encouraged to consider their study location and technical set up before

engaging in formal learning sessions. Advise them to engage with sessions from a location

that suits them – preferably somewhere where they will feel relaxed and where there are

minimal distractions and interruptions. Initial technological problems create anxieties for

learners and impact on their experiences. Facilitators can help by providing clear and precise

information about equipment requirements and allocating time to help with technological

issues. Making the Virtual Classroom easy to find and access will prevent learners getting

‘lost’.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Encourage learners to consider where they will be when engaging

with the Virtual Classroom – and be aware of where your learners are

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Allow time and provide support to help learners get set up

technically

Sub-‐Recommendation 3: Make the Virtual Classroom easy to find

Learners should be encouraged to consider their study location and technical set up before

engaging in ‘formal’ learning sessions. They should be advised to engage with sessions from

a location that suits them – preferably somewhere where they will feel relaxed and where

there are minimal distractions and interruptions. One blogger worked exclusively from

home where she was more relaxed: “I attended all my classes from home…[this] worked

really well for me since I had no distractions… [it] worked well for evening [student-‐led]

meetings too. Atmosphere at home was more relaxed than it would have been in the office

and a constant supply of tea and biscuits helped. My office environment would have been far

too noisy, busy and cold to allow proper concentration and I suspect there would have been

multiple interruptions. ” Another blogger tried various locations, also noting the importance

of avoiding distractions but preferring a place where she had control over her technological

set up, “[Initially I] used an empty office to participate in the workshop. The environment

was a good one though as I could lock myself in and disconnect the phone -‐ I had no


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distractions. […] In the second block I began to participate in the workshops from home with

my personal laptop. This was much better as I don’t have to involve technicians when I need

anything updated.” Other respondents, possibly those with less confidence, preferred to

engage where support was locally available. Finding out where learners are engaging from

may help a facilitator provide appropriate support.

Initial technological problems create anxieties for learners and impact on their experiences.

One interviewee recounted her experiences of the first workshop when she couldn’t get

connected “I was frantic…it was awful.” Audio problems have a significant impact on

learners, as one interviewee explained: “[there] was whistling, it sounded like the aliens

were landing … it was horrendous.” One interviewee felt she spoke for other students, and

would have appreciated specific advice about which headset to use to prevent audio

problems “I don’t think I would be alone in being faced with a range of possible [headsets]

you could buy. Which is the best for this task? I got to the point where it didn’t really matter

what it cost because I needed to hear what was going on, but it was about product

knowledge”. Additional help to develop protocols for microphone use to prevent audio

problems are also considered under Recommendation 2.

Facilitators can help ensure successful initial experiences by providing clear and precise

information about equipment requirements and allocating time to help with technological

issues. Despite valuing induction time in a face to face context, respondents suggested that

time for testing and set up from their study location would also be useful: “I was also

confident after taking part in the [induction day] activities involving ICT and accessing the

University’s on-‐line community. However, this was in stark contrast to accessing them from

home/work. It might be more useful to try these tasks from the PC you will be using to take

part.”

Making the Virtual Classroom easy to find and access will prevent learners getting ‘lost’.

Interviewees reported going into the ‘wrong room’ where there were several options

available and suggested that ensuring that all sessions took place in the same space would

be helpful.


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Theme 2: Etiquette and protocols

Recommendation: Establish commonly accepted etiquette with learners for working

online, and adopt a set of protocols to facilitate communication

Learning online via web conferencing calls for a certain shared etiquette to be observed by

all participants, and for protocols to be in place to handle group interaction. Early

establishment of orderly group communication by means of a ‘hands up’ tool helps to settle

the group into the fairness of a queuing system during group discussion. Use tools such as

emoticons or ticks and crosses to get instant snapshot feedback. When the group is very

small, or in breakout rooms, there is less need for formal etiquette, such as indicating a wish

to speak or remembering to turn off microphones, and you should be aware of when and

how to adapt your own practice in these instances. Be prepared for silences and develop

strategies to respond to them.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Use web conferencing tools such as ‘hands up’ to control

microphone use and to impose order on group communication

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Establish group use of tools such as emoticons

Sub-‐Recommendation 3: Be prepared to change protocol if the group is very small, or in

breakout rooms

Sub-‐Recommendation 4: Establish your own protocol for handing silences online

Web conferencing calls for a certain shared etiquette to be observed by all learners, and for

protocols to be in place to handle group interaction. When a whole group is present, using

the ‘hands up’ tool to indicate a wish to contribute is a useful way to manage the group, and

it works well, displaying a queue of speakers. When the tutor indicates whose turn it is to

speak, then that learner should turn on their microphone, make their contribution, and turn

off their microphone when finished speaking. Too many microphones on at once frequently

produces an unpleasant echo effect. An interviewee commented that “it would be

frustrating if there were no protocols for people to contribute... There has to be some kind of

control over group discussions and it is no different online as it would be in a real classroom

situation – it would be chaotic if everyone just shouted out when they wanted.” Another


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learner recorded on the blog “My group quickly settled into the ‘hands up to speak’ mode

and I was not aware of any issues from the group regarding this. The tutor was usually on

the ball in terms of facilitating the discussion and ensuring everyone got their chance to

talk.” Similarly, it is good etiquette for the tutor to be aware of which microphones are on

or off and to politely request turn-‐off if a learner has left one on inadvertently.

Online etiquette should also utilise the emoticon tools: these are useful to check “whether

everyone is ‘on track.” Etiquette may differ however if the group is very small, or in breakout

rooms. A tutor commented “In the main groups or in a slightly larger group you needed the

hands up, a protocol just to keep it from being chaotic. In the smaller groups you could

dispense with that, so if there were three or four of you, you could all just keep your

microphones switched on, you could all just pitch in.”

There is also an issue around the tolerance of silent spaces, and here it may be different

from face-‐to-‐face interaction. One learner said “I found it difficult when a question was

asked and there was just silence”, while another added “Yes, dead silence, you start thinking

‘should I say something?’.” A tutor responded, “and that’s somehow different from face to

face. If you ask a question in a face to face group, you can sort of tolerate a wee silence and

you just wait for a response and you know how to handle that. Or you say something else

and that produces a response. Online it is difficult to know how long to maintain that

silence.” Allied to this is the learner experience not only of the fact of a silence, but also the

weighing of their own contribution history, and deciding about whether to break the

silence. One learner stated, “Yes, and sometimes I have to physically stop myself because I

think, ‘you’ve answered every question so far’,” while another added, “I’m also aware that I

talk a lot and I don’t want to take over.” The first learner again -‐ “I’ve actually had to

physically stop myself on a few occasions... you don’t have the non-‐verbal cues you have in

normal face to face.”


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Theme 3: Icebreakers

Recommendation: Use icebreakers to welcome learners to the online session and to

familiarise them with the web conferencing tools they will need to use.

The use of icebreakers at the start of an online session can be used to help learners ‘settle

in’ to the session, encourage participation, and to familiarise them with web conferencing

tools they will use later. The level of challenge in icebreakers should be low to moderate, so

as to be non-‐threatening. Be aware that learner opinion on the use of icebreakers may be

polarised, in accordance with learner preferences and learning styles.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Provide icebreaker activities to welcome learners to the online

session and to encourage participation

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Provide icebreaker activities to familiarise learners with web

conferencing tools

Sub-‐Recommendation 3: Use icebreakers that are fun and interesting, with a level of

challenge that is non-‐threatening

Sub-‐Recommendation 4: Know why you are using icebreakers

The use of icebreakers at the start of an online session helps learners ‘settle in’ and

encourages participation. One blogger wrote that “having simple fun activities as

icebreakers puts people at ease and is a good warm up for the workshop”, and that they

were useful in “getting everyone to participate and work as a team.” A number of learners

posted blog messages saying that they liked the icebreakers. One interviewee said, “I

thought it sort of put you at ease... you are kind of on edge and you are hoping everything is

going to work properly and to just take that time instead of going straight into ‘this is what

we’re doing and do this now’ – it just gave a wee time to settle in.” One tutor commented

on the beneficial use of icebreakers online, “compared with the face to face workshops

where I don’t think there was so much need for them.”

Apart from the social welcoming function of icebreakers, they can also be used to introduce

learners to web conferencing tools they will use later. A tutor commented on this double


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function when she said, “you were getting into your space for learning, to switch off from

whatever you were doing, settle down, try out the tools that we are going to use today,

because there might be a new one and this is an opportunity to do that.” Similarly, an

interviewee stated “I think when we were doing tasks like that, ... for instance doing the

crossword or drawing the picture, they were very, very useful for getting used to the tools.”

Icebreakers should be fun, interesting, and it is important that as a welcoming activity they

should be non-‐threatening, which means that their challenge should be low to moderate.

While learners may use them to familiarise themselves with the tools, getting it wrong and

making mistakes should be allowable, and there should be no concept of failing. One

blogger expressed this well from the learner’s perspective – “I felt comfortable with the

icebreaker, as it wasn’t a pass or fail thing but a chance to experiment and familiarise myself

with the Elluminate tools.”

However, it is important to recognise that learners are not alike, and the use of icebreakers

can result in some polarised opinions expressed by learners. “The ice breakers were a little

childish and a waste of time” wrote one blogger, while another wrote “I didn’t mind the

drawing practice at the induction day, however [icebreakers] irritated me big style on a

weekly basis ...[They] were wasting 10 minutes of valuable time every week.” One tutor

wondered if icebreakers should be explicitly justified to learners, but an interviewee did not

agree that this was necessary – “I think [what was provided] was enough explanation, I don’t

think you should have to justify....” Perhaps what is important here is awareness on the part

of the facilitator that differences exist in terms of learner preferences and learning styles,

and to always know their purpose in providing an icebreaker activity.


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Theme 4: Breakout rooms

Recommendation: Use breakout rooms for small group activities

Choosing interesting or relevant names for breakout rooms can build motivation from the

start of an online session. Optimising the numbers in breakout rooms means that learners

can discuss and communicate with others easily – three or four per room was felt to be

ideal. Move between the breakout rooms when it is felt that you may be asked

supplementary questions or for clarification. You can do so fairly unobtrusively, although at

times you may want to give learners their private space for discussion. Tools such as the

timer can greatly aid time management in breakout rooms and allow learners autonomy in

their moving backwards and forwards between main and breakout rooms.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Choose names for breakout rooms that allow for helpful learner

anticipation

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Select optimum numbers for breakout rooms and allow learners

to move in and out of rooms as appropriate

Sub-‐Recommendation 3: Facilitate group work in breakout rooms by moving between the

rooms judiciously

Sub-‐Recommendation 4: Use the breakout rooms as a safe space for small numbers of

learners to communicate and discuss

Sub-‐Recommendation 5: Use tools such as the timer to support group work

Breakout rooms can be an enormously helpful way of varying an online session. The use of

breakout rooms was generally very well received. A blogger was of the opinion that “break

out rooms worked well and were easy to move in and out of.” Right from the start of the

session, if you allocate breakout room names that are interesting, or relevant to the group

tasks, learners will notice the names on log-‐in, and then already there is some interest and

perhaps intrigue as to how the rooms will be used and what will be required of learners.

One blogger said, “Overall I think the breakout rooms are an excellent tool…when we log on

initially, we get a small idea of what is to come by seeing the breakout rooms and what they

are called – builds the anticipation.” An interviewee added, “I do look at the breakout rooms


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and see what they are named and what they are, and if it’s something like ‘red’ ‘blue’ and

‘gold’, I wonder what that is.”

Learners were of the opinion that an optimum number for each breakout room is three or

four. Facilitators have choices about how to allocate learners to breakout rooms. This may

be done on the basis of interest groups, ability level, or some other factor, or it may be done

randomly -‐ the software should allow you to do this. One blogger said, “I don’t mind how

we divide up to go into a room – whether we are asked to go to a particular room specifically

or it is chosen randomly. Saying that, I hope you never use the ‘team captains taking turns to

choose who they want in a group’ as happened in school as that would dredge up memories

of gym class!” Moving between rooms worked reasonably well, and it is probably best to

provide learners a sense of autonomy by allowing them to take themselves to their

respective rooms, and back again, rather than you as tutor moving them (or as the jargon

has it, ‘dragging’ them). One blogger explained a technical issue about seeing learner names

move about rapidly on the screen during this kind of movement to breakout rooms, and she

had her own strategy – “It is fairly easy to get into the breakout rooms although I do find

that when everyone jumps into a room, my name on the list moves too rapidly for me to

quickly drag so I sometimes wait until the rush is over and then drag my name into the

room.” Care needs to be taken to ensure that there are at least two people in any breakout

room. A blogger had an unfortunate experience – “The breakout rooms work well when

there are a good number of students. I remember being in a breakout room and no-‐one else

being there…feels lonely.”

One issue for the tutor in using breakout rooms is whether or not to ‘visit’ the rooms, to be

available in the smaller groups if required. It could be held that learners’ privacy should be

respected, and breakout rooms are their own space to discuss with each other unobserved

and uninterrupted. One tutor raised this question with interviewees – “I just wondered

about how you felt the way we were facilitating when you were in breakout rooms. Certainly

with my groups, sometimes I would pop in and sometimes I wouldn’t – you’ve said in the

blog that you did notice if we popped in – I was never sure if anyone had noticed me or not.”

Interviewees seemed to have been generally unaware of the tutor’s presence – “I didn’t


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notice unless someone said something.” Others did notice, and saw it as a neutral activity, “I

found I was aware of tutors entering but didn’t feel the need to interrupt the flow of

discussion to acknowledge their presence,” or, “I do tend to notice when the tutor pops in

and don’t mind at all.” Moreover, the presence of tutors in a breakout room can be seen by

learners as an opportunity to clarify or ask supplementary questions. Bloggers said,

“sometimes it can be easier to ask a question when in a breakout room”, “we did on

occasions request the tutor to come in”, and “it gives an opportunity to ask questions when

the tutor ‘pops in’ if anyone is nervous about that kind of thing.”

All in all, breakout rooms provide a safe and confidential space for small groups to discuss

ideas. A blogger put it, “They are great when used to collaborate and then return with

feedback for the group.”

The use of the timer tool can be extremely useful in conjunction with breakout rooms.

Bloggers said, “Timers were a very good tool for ensuring we kept to time”, and, “It was easy

to get into and out of the rooms and with the timer on you could still see when you were

expected to be back in the main room.” This gives learners the responsibility for time

management, and to return themselves to the main room at the appropriate time;

otherwise, the tutor has to go round the rooms and possibly cajole people to return.


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Theme 5: Diversity

Recommendation: Provide a variety of activities to meet different learning preferences

Learners will display wide differences in how they think and learn, and it is in our interests

as tutors to have an awareness of this and to deliberately vary the activities we provide

online. It is not possible to please everyone all of the time, but respect for learners’

differences will enable us to select for variation and also to be sensitive to the variety of

responses and unintended consequences of our facilitation.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Do all you can to accommodate different thinking and learning

styles

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Respect learners’ privacy, in terms of what we ask of them

One tutor reflected on the variety of learning preferences in a group, and spoke of the

difficulty in accommodating these differences – “It’s interesting isn’t it the diversity of

thinking styles in any group... you’ve got divergent thinkers and convergent thinkers... we’ve

got people who are happy to discuss and to look at ideas and to spend time talking about

ideas in a more divergent way. And other people that want to be focused, to know what

they’ve got to do to pass [the course] and they find it infuriating if it’s too waffly and too

discursive. So trying to accommodate these different types of thinking styles is difficult.” An

interviewee replied by saying that “I…like to go off at a tangent. To me it’s not waffling, but

that’s just the way my mind works. It is sort of creative like that.” This learner clearly valued

the opportunity to be divergent and creative.

As a facilitator, one of the types of activities you can use to maintain variation is the

integration of external sources, provided via a link to an Internet site, or other source. Be

aware however that you cannot please everyone all the time. One blogger spoke about

being “neither up nor down” about using external resources: “From the practical point of

view, I would have preferred to review them before coming to class. I felt at times there was

not enough time to digest them or reflect on the questions posed before being asked to

respond, and being first alphabetically, I was more often than not the first one asked. My


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answers would have been a bit more coherent and structured if I had more time.”

Expressing an alternative view, another blogger wrote, “I like the surprise of using external

resources during the session... sometimes an unprepared response to an activity can be more

interesting (and nerve wracking at first). If I was asked to review something beforehand and

it was repeated in the session (for example a YouTube clip), I could see myself losing interest

as I would already have seen it and I dislike repeating an activity.”

Another aspect of tutor sensitivity to learners’ preferences concerns what we call here

‘personal privacy and feelings’. At least two bloggers spoke of a dislike for being “put on the

spot” with questions from the tutor in an online session, in one case saying that “my mind

goes blank!”, while the other experienced embarrassment and momentary lack of

articulation – “I must have sounded like the King’s Speech”, making reference to the film of

the same name.

Facilitators should also be aware that what may seem a question requesting innocuous

information, possibly as part of an icebreaker activity, can impose on the privacy of a learner

in an unintended way. One blogger expressed it like this, “I didn’t like giving out personal

information in a public forum, for example what I did in my holidays”, and as a result, “I felt

under pressure to join in and if anything [this] turned me off in terms of participation.”


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Theme 6: Relationships

Recommendation: Foster student-‐tutor and student-‐student relationships throughout the

course

Relationships of various kinds -‐ learner to learner and between learner and tutor -‐ are vital

for a good online group experience, and the learner identity as part of the group should be

fostered from the start. Mutual peer support should be encouraged.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Provide opportunities for the development of relationships

between learners if participants are not already known to one another

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Encourage mutual support and problem-‐solving

Sub-‐recommendation 3: Don’t get so caught up with technology that you forget your

relationship with your learners

Online relationships are vital to the success of a web conferencing course. Right from the

beginning of a course, it is important to facilitate the formation of a community. This can be

achieved in various ways, including if possible a one-‐off face-‐to-‐face event. In commenting

on this, one blogger said, “I thought the induction session was both useful and necessary, as

it gave me a chance to see in person the people with whom I would be chatting to for a year

or more.” One blogger who already knew a number of course participants still saw a benefit

in initial relationship building – “The main benefit [of the induction] was ice breaking with

the tutor who would be working with us so I could ask any questions I had.”

If such a face-‐to-‐face introductory event is possible, take a group photograph, or else

compile a collage from submitted photos. Some learners pinned their class photo above

their computer as a reminder of their identity as a group, and a blogger said, “I needed the

class photograph to refer to now and again to help put a face to a name and a voice.”

Mutual support and problem-‐solving between learners should be encouraged. Apart from

course content designed to do this, some quite informal peer support can help to build

relationships and be beneficial to the group. Varying IT skills may provide an opportunity for

the more skilled members to help those who are less skilled. A tutor commented to an


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interviewee who had been particularly helpful on a number of occasions, “not everybody

was quite au fait with the IT and quite often you came in and helped out with questions”,

and received the response, “I know, I can’t resist myself sometimes! ”

As a tutor, it is vitally important to remember the pre-‐eminence of relationships.

Particularly when new to the online web conferencing environment, it is all too possible to

focus on the technology, while forgetting about the tutor relationship with learners – “oh

gosh, you know, what about my relationship with my students in there?” There is a lot for

the tutor to manage and to monitor, while bearing in mind the learners and their

experiences in the group, and their feelings as part of the group.


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Theme 7: Minimalists

Recommendation: Consider ways to identify and manage those who participate minimally

In any online course, those who fail to participate or who participate minimally are

problematic not only for the tutor, but also for their peers and for the success of the course

as a whole.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Be aware that those who participate minimally have a negative

effect on their peers, and consider ways to manage this

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Consider that your provision of learning aids such as blogs or

discussion groups may not meet the learning needs of all students

Inevitably in any group of learners there will be some whose participation levels fall at the

low end of the scale. We call them ‘minimalists’. A variety of behaviours can come into this

category, from those who do not attend events arranged for them, to those who attend but

do not participate well. Online, this can cause difficulties for the group as a whole. One

interviewee labelled such non-‐participation “annoying”, while another explained, “In our

group there were some people, like me, who were quite happy to talk all the time, but there

were others who weren’t and that was very, very obvious, they didn’t seem to want to

participate.” One interviewee pointed out that in a face-‐to-‐face situation, there is more

opportunity for the tutor to see what is happening, and to intervene. Online it is not so

easy. Identification may be more difficult, and sensitivity is required to handle the

minimalist, not having complete understanding of reasons for it.

In collaborative work online, it can become even more problematic when one in the group

fails to participate or is less committed or does not make the same amount of effort as

others. Interviewees spoke of the “stress” of this situation, which they were perhaps

reluctant to share with the tutor – “It creates a level of stress that possibly you guys [tutors]

aren’t aware of.” One interviewee regarded coping with a minimalist peer in their group as

being the most stressful part of the whole programme.


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Another aspect of the minimalist issue is where the tutor provides learning activities such as

blogs or discussion groups as part of the course design, but still some learners fail to

contribute. It may be that such activities do not in fact aid learning for some people.

However, in a group situation, it will be observed that some learners fail to participate, and

this engenders feelings in the others – “I was quite disappointed with the amount of people

who did actually input to the blog.” One interviewee felt that it was too easy to opt out,

another was more willing to make allowances, saying that time pressure of other aspects of

work was a factor, while yet another interviewee spoke of initial enthusiasm in using the

blog provided, and then becoming discouraged by the lack of peer response – “I have to

confess then I fell away from it because I wasn’t getting responses.” This de-‐motivation can

be detrimental to the group as a whole, and to the success of the online course, and should

be closely monitored by the tutor.


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Theme 8: Use of Media

Recommendation: Choose how to use the media at your disposal to suit the situation –

video, audio and chat can be used separately or in combination

In web conferencing you may have the choice of video, audio and chat facilities. It is worth

considering the pros and cons of the various media in the overall design of the course and in

its day-‐to-‐day operation in order to react to circumstances such as microphone problems,

which may disadvantage some of the group.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Consider whether video or audio is really necessary

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Consider using the chat facility as a means of equality of

opportunity when there are microphone problems

Sub-‐recommendation 3: Be aware that text can be misconstrued, and use emoticons or

other devices to minimise this

Web conferencing facilities include a number of media, and part of the planning exercise for

the tutor should be which media are suitable in general, or in particular circumstances

during course delivery. While it may be tempting to assume that ‘all singing, all dancing’

facilities should be used, in practice this might not be the best choice. Use of video, for

example, may be impractical if the group size is fairly large, and also quite distracting to

have multiple video images on the screen as well as everything else. One interviewee

certainly did not feel disadvantaged in being restricted to audio, and said, “I’m not sure we

missed too much not being in the same room as one another, you can pick up meaning from

tone of voice rather than facial expressions.” Some learners actively do not wish to have

video switched on, and one said, “it’s just as well you couldn’t see my face some days! Don’t

ever do video conferencing!”

Even the audio facility, which might be considered the ‘bread-‐and-‐butter’ of web

conferencing, might on occasions be forsaken in favour of using the chat facility only.

Describing one occasion when some microphones were not working, an interviewee

remarked, “we used the text box and the whiteboard in addition [to audio] and in my


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opinion this was just as good as a face to face discussion. This meant feedback/opinion could

be given while someone was talking without actually interrupting them and there was no

domineering person trying to take over the conversation.”

Inevitably, technical problems occur from time to time, and it is not uncommon for a learner

to have an issue with their microphone not working properly. Suggesting to that particular

learner that they use the chat tool to type their responses or questions into the text box is

possible, although interviewees pointed out that this does disadvantage that learner,

perhaps partly because of the time taken to type as opposed to speaking, and also because

other learners do not necessarily notice what is typed in the text box. This may be helped

by the tutor drawing attention to the fact that some dialogue is taking place via chat, or

even reading out the text for the benefit of the whole group. One possibility to minimise

any disadvantage is to suggest that the whole group use chat rather than their microphones,

even as an occasional feature.

It is always important for the tutor to be aware that the nature of chat or text means that it

is open to misinterpretation. One interviewee spoke of such a misunderstanding when

someone took what they had written in the wrong way, and suggested something that

might help – “You know how you felt when you typed it, but the person who reads it doesn’t

always. So the smiley faces are a good way of telling people whether you are tongue in

cheek or whether you are serious.” For this person, the additional information supplied via

emoticons can help to supply the missing part of the communication, for example whether

information is intended to be humorous.


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Theme 9: Tutoring

Recommendation: Reassure, encourage, keep things simple

Missing some of the feedback cues of the face-‐to-‐face environment, learners seek and need

regular reassurance and encouragement online. For the tutor, keeping things clear and

within the learners’ comfort zone, should be balanced with the need to be creative and

spontaneous in trying something new.

Sub-‐recommendation 1: Remember that learners need regular reassurance and

encouragement

Sub-‐recommendation 2: Maintain procedural simplicity, don’t overcomplicate things

Learners in the online environment need regular “encouragement and reassurance” as a

check that they are on the right track, especially when new tools, new activities, or some

other new feature is being introduced. Unlike the face-‐to-‐face environment, many of the

feedback cues learners look for are missing, leading to a greater need for tutor feedback

that is clear and constructive.

Procedurally, it is important that the tutor gives a clear lead in terms of “organising us and

explaining what we [are] going to do.” One interviewee spoke of simplicity as being a key

feature of online tutoring, and went on to say, “I think people are often intimidated by what

the task is”, and went on to make a case for keeping the procedure simple and

straightforward. Potentially there is some tension here, as one tutor spoke of her

developing expertise and familiarity with the environment as a springboard for spontaneity

and creativity – “our skills as facilitators have developed a bit so we’re a bit more able to

suddenly think ‘oh let’s have a poll, or let’s do this in the chat’ whereas to start with we felt

we had to stick very much to the plan.” Obviously there is a balance here that should be

struck between trying out new ideas, on the one hand, and maintaining comfort for the

learners.


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Discussion and Conclusions

This study aimed to gain an insight into learners’ experiences of synchronous online

activities. Despite attracting only a small number of participants, the research approach

enabled rich and detailed accounts of experiences to be obtained, and these have been

used to develop recommendations for facilitators. Some of the recommendations and

experiences reported reflect ideas presented in other ‘good practice’ guides and texts about

synchronous online facilitation. For instance Anderson et al. (2006), Chatterton (2010),

Sampson and Shepherd (2010) and Shepherd et al. (2011) all emphasise the need for careful

planning and the inclusion of variety in sessions and these ideas are echoed here. Some of

the reported experiences, for example comments on the use of text and video reflect

theoretical ideas that have been applied to web conferencing, such as the challenge of

cognitive load in a complex multi-‐media environment (Kear et al., 2012). Other experiences

suggest the need for facilitators to pay attention to generally accepted principles of

effective teaching and learning, including the building of appropriate relationships and the

development of learner independence and autonomy.

However, other themes emerging from this study were unexpected and add to existing

guidance. For example, there is limited information in current guidelines about the effect of

tutors’ actions when using breakout rooms. Similarly the impact of minimalist learners is not

considered in other sources, other than though suggestions, such as that heard in a training

session, to ‘randomly pick on individuals’ which, our research suggests, might be an

uncomfortable approach for adult learners.

Clearly these recommendations are made based on the experiences of a very small number

of learners, albeit a group who have considerable experience gained over the duration of a

whole programme of study. Although some divergent views were expressed within the

small sample (for example on the use of icebreakers) it is still possible that the data

obtained does not reflect the experiences of all TQFE participants, and the

recommendations may not be generalisable to other contexts. The proposed guidelines

need to be adapted to suit different learner groups or different web conferencing


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applications (for example, one-‐to-‐one teaching, internationally distributed learner groups,

or guest expert led sessions). That said, we feel that they provide a useful starting point for

discussion of effective facilitation strategies, and they are grounded in the evidence and

stories provided by experienced participants.

The aim to share some of the activities and resources produced by the TQFE team has not

been so effectively met by this project to date. The original vision was that the open access

blog would be a venue for tutors to share activities and experiences, but there was a lack of

external involvement despite announcements made via the ELESIG ning site and twitter.

Perhaps further efforts to promote the blog and encourage contributions could have been

made, however, anecdotal evidence suggests that many facilitators are still at an early stage

of practice with web conferencing, and it may be that for many it is too soon for them to

have the confidence to share their success stories and challenges with the technology. At

the same time, dissemination of the findings has provided the opportunity to present some

of the strategies and activities used, and this has encouraged discussion amongst facilitators

about effective approaches. Future dissemination of this project and other work on

facilitators’ and learners’ experiences of web conferencing may contribute further towards

this aim.

For the researchers, and the TQFE team, this project report is not an end to the research.

The desire to develop best practice in synchronous online facilitation, in a manner that is

sensitive to and appropriate for learners’ needs continues and we will be pursuing further

work in this area. We are grateful for the ELESIG funding which has allowed us to reflect on

our own practice, begin systematic investigations and, we hope, provided an insight into

learners’ experiences which will be helpful for other facilitators.


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References

Anderson, L., Fyvie, B., Koritko, B., McCarthy, K., Murrillo Paz, S., Rizzuto, M., Tremblay, R. &

Sawyers, U. (2006). Best practices in synchronous conferencing moderation. International

Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 7(1), 1-‐6.

Chatterton, P. (2010). Designing for participant engagement with Elluminate Live. Retrieved

May 17, 2012 from: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/elluminateguidance

Kear, K., Chetwynd, F., Williams, J. and Donelan, H. (2012). Web conferencing for

synchronous online tutorials: perspectives of tutors using a new medium. Computers and

Education. 58(3), 953-‐963.

McBrien, J. L., Jones, P. and Cheng, R. (2009). Virtual Spaces: employing a synchronous

online classroom to facilitate student engagement in online learning. International

Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(3), 1-‐17.

Ng, K. C. (2007). Replacing face-‐to-‐face tutorials by synchronous online technologies:

challenges and pedagogical implications. International Review of Research in Open and

Distance Learning, 8(1), 1-‐15.

Sampson, B., Shepherd, C. (2010). How to run a virtual classroom session. ALT Webinar

recording. Retrieved November 20, 2011 from:

http://repository.alt.ac.uk/view/divisions/classroom/

Shepherd, C., Green, P. and Sampson, B. (2011). Live online learning: a facilitator’s guide.

Onlignment Ltd. Retrieved November 20, 2011 from http://onlignment.com/live-‐online-‐

learning-‐a-‐facilitators-‐guide/

Wang, S.-‐K. and Hsu, H.-‐Y. (2008). Use of the webinar tool (Elluminate) to support training:

the effects of webinar-‐learning implementation from student-‐trainers’ perspective.

Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 7(3), 175-‐194.


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Appendix 1: The full recommendations

Recommendation Sub-‐recommendations

1. Prepare learners for learning in the Virtual Classroom

1.1 Encourage learners to consider where they will be when engaging with the Virtual Classroom – and be aware of where your learners are

1.2 Allow time and provide support to help learners get set up technically 1.3 Make the Virtual Classroom easy to find

2. Establish commonly accepted etiquette with learners for working online, and adopt a set of protocols to facilitate communication

2.1 Use web conferencing tools such as ‘hands-‐up’ to control microphone use and to provide order to group communication

2.2 Establish group use of tools such as emoticons 2.3 Be prepared to change protocol if the group is very small, or in break out

rooms 2.4 Establish your own protocol for handling silences online

3. Use icebreakers to welcome learners and to familiarise them with the web conferencing tools they will need to use

3.1Provide icebreaker activities to welcome learners to the online session and to encourage participation

3.2 Provide icebreaker activities to familiarise learners with web conferencing tools

3.3 Use icebreakers that are fun and interesting, with a level of challenge that is non-‐threatening

3.4 Know why you are using icebreakers 4. Use breakout rooms to

facilitate small group activities

4.1 Choose names for breakout rooms that allow for helpful learner anticipation

4.2 Select optimum numbers for breakout rooms and allow learners to move themselves in and out of rooms as appropriate

4.3 Facilitate group work by moving between the rooms judiciously 4.4 Use the breakout rooms as a safe space for small numbers of learners to

communicate and discuss 4.5 Use tools such as the timer to support groupwork

5. Provide a variety of activities to meet different learning preferences

5.1 Do all you can to accommodate different thinking and learning preferences

5.2 Respect learners’ privacy, in terms of what you ask of them 6. Foster student-‐student and

student-‐tutor relationships throughout a course

6.1 Provide opportunities for the development of relationships between learners if participants are not already known to one another

6.2 Encourage mutual support and problem-‐solving 6.3 Don’t get so caught up with technology that you forget your relationship

with your learners 7. Consider ways to identify

and manage those who participate minimally

7.1 Be aware that those who participate minimally have a negative effect on their peers, and consider ways to manage this

7.2 Consider that your provision of additional tools such as blogs or discussion groups may not meet the needs of all learners

8. Choose how to use the media at your disposal to suit the situation – video, audio and chat can be used separately or in combination

8.1 Consider whether video or audio is really necessary 8.2 Consider using the chat facility to provide equality of opportunity when

there are audio problems 8.3 Be aware that text messages can be misconstrued, and use emoticons

and other devices to minimise this

9. Reassure, encourage and keep things simple

9.1 Remember that learners need regular reassurance and encouragement 9.2 Maintain procedural simplicity, don’t overcomplicate things


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Appendix 2: Summary of Blog output to inform

semi-structured interview

Learners’ experiences of synchronous online activities

Summary of lessons drawn from the wtol experiences blog

Carole Gordon and Sarah Cornelius, May 2011

Preparation

- The introductory day had benefits in terms of socialisation (e.g. getting to know tutor

and photograph) and helped with technology issues

- It might be useful for tutors to get learners to think about their learning environment

(space, quiet, distractions, etc.)

Icebreakers

- These need to be explained and justified clearly to participants (e.g. role in

socialisation, building confidence with tools)

- Some could be made more relevant to course content to prevent irritation

- Tutors should expect a diversity of responses to icebreakers

Group work

- There may be an optimal number of participants for small group work

- Clear timings are helpful

- Naming rooms can create a sense of anticipation

- Tutors need to balance privacy for groups and a sense of their presence

- A tutor’s presence in small group rooms will be noticed by learners and may

encourage questions that would not be asked in a larger group

Activities with external sources

- The opportunity to prepare is valued by some, whilst the element of surprise is

important to others – there is likely to be a diversity of reactions from participants.

- Tutors need to ensure a variety of strategies are used, and justify their approach

Interaction


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- Interaction is generally fine, participants feel they have opportunities to speak and

that everyone is heard. Tone of voice allows appreciation of meaning and interaction

can be just as good as face to face

- Interaction needs to be managed in larger groups using appropriate protocols

- In smaller groups participants can just ‘chip in’ to the conversations

Other issues

- Learners may feel under pressure to participate and may not like being put on the

spot.

Questions for further discussion

1. What is the optimal number of participants in a small group discussion? Does this

vary depending on the communication channels being used (e.g. voice vs text)?

2. Does the tutor need to explain and justify the teaching and learning strategies being

used (e.g. icebreakers, lack of opportunity to engage with external sources in

advance)?

3. How can the tutor make accommodate the diversity of learning preferences and

personalities?

4. What protocols encourage effective interaction – for example in large group

discussions, or in smaller break out groups?

5. What preparatory activities are most important? Should the tutor encourage

learners to think about their learning environment?

6. Is there anything else that tutors could do to facilitate your learning in the virtual

classroom?