Better Synchronous Online

We are moving towards a fall which makes more use of synchronous online classes. While it’s important for faculty to know the the risks and issues involved in synchronous online experiences (especially around disability, race, and socioeconomic status), it’s also important that faculty who do use Zoom and other platforms do not recreate the deadening (and often discriminatory) webinar experiences of the past. Over the past few months we have been working with colleagues to apply a variety of structured discussion techniques from theorists such as Stephen Brookfield to the use of synchronous video with promising results. These techniques apply theory as to why discussions fail to the online modality, and pull in modified techniques from the past that can help your class discussions to be more effective and democratic.