Tips for Live Zoom Engagement

[TrailRedCircle]

I've been doing live Zoom this semester.  I have encouraged students many times to turn on their cameras, but they are not, and it is getting really hard to have discussions with little black boxes and have them engaged.  I've tried splitting students up in groups, using class bingo, using Google forms for responses, using Nearpod with questions, using VoiceThread, using student class presentations.  I have taught online classes for years, so I have a nice online component.  It still feels like my classes are lame compared to in-person classes.  So, do any of you have programs, tips, or just any advice on things you have been using to liven up a Zoom/Teams/Whatever discussion class meeting?

[downer]

I've seen some of my FB prof friends say how great their Zoom students are. I haven't done any synchronous classes online, and I am pretty sure that my experience would be more like yours, TrailRedCircle. (I like your name, BTW).
I'm due to teach a synchronous class next semester, so I'm keen to get some tips.
I would be tempted to still make it partly asynchonous, asign videos for the students to watch, and then require them to have a discussion. I might also require them to do presentations.
If it is me just talking to a screen of avatars, I will just record a video and they can watch that instead.

[mythbuster]

I flipped my classes this semester. The standard "lecture" content is all available asynchronously on Canvas, and I'm trying to use my class time Zoom sessions for problem solving, case studies etc. Attendance is a few worth points at these sessions, as is correctly answering a few Zoom Poll questions. I also produce a worksheet prior to each Zoom session that is a guide to that day's activity, which they have access to in advance.
   My big issue is they come totally unprepared.  I actually changed my schedule mid semester because of this. We now have our Zoom sessions on a topic after the weekly quiz, instead of as the lead up to the quiz. Yesterday I sent them to breakout rooms for the first 10 minutes of class so they could find and review the worksheet.

It's utterly miserable. I'm just muddling through the rest of this semester, but I need to come up with a plan to improve for next semester. A big part of the issue is the larger size of my classes. They start at 45 and go up from there.

So no grand suggestions, but I'm all ears to hear from those who have had success.

[Aster]

If the Zoom sessions are not recorded, that will boost both overall attendance and overall engagement.

But I don't recommend doing that with remote classes in the current pandemic environment. There are too many possible complications that may preclude remote students from even attending synchronous class sessions. You'll probably end up recording your classes anyway for people that have special (or not special) accommodations.

[Caracal]

I've seen some of my FB prof friends say how great their Zoom students are. I haven't done any synchronous classes online, and I am pretty sure that my experience would be more like yours, TrailRedCircle. (I like your name, BTW).
I'm due to teach a synchronous class next semester, so I'm keen to get some tips.
I would be tempted to still make it partly asynchonous, asign videos for the students to watch, and then require them to have a discussion. I might also require them to do presentations.
If it is me just talking to a screen of avatars, I will just record a video and they can watch that instead.

I'd describe my experience as mixed. Sometimes it works well, other times it does go a bit dead. One of the problems is that my classes were all supposed to be hybrid and then went first temporarily online and then permanently. As a result, I've been stuck with the hybrid model with multiple sections of the same class meeting throughout the week. In theory, small classes might work well, but I have a few discussion classes where only one or two students ever talk. It may not be all that different from the dynamic in some in person classes, but 6-8 students doing most of the talking in a class of 25 works ok, two in a class of 9 not so much. I'm hopeful that bigger classes will help some next semester.

I also have had some decent success with things where I give students five minutes to pick a passage or something from the reading they want to discuss. I'm going to try to do more of that. I've been thinking that it might work to replace some of the reading discussions students do with similar assignments before class. That would allow me to call on students without feeling like I'm putting them on the spot since they should have something prepared that can lead into a discussion.

[Caracal]

If the Zoom sessions are not recorded, that will boost both overall attendance and overall engagement.

But I don't recommend doing that with remote classes in the current pandemic environment. There are too many possible complications that may preclude remote students from even attending synchronous class sessions. You'll probably end up recording your classes anyway for people that have special (or not special) accommodations.

I've been recording my sessions but not posting them. I haven't had to send them to anybody, but since I'm teaching the same class multiple times a week, people who can't come to one class usually just ask to attend the other one. Next semester, when I won't be stuck with the weird format, I might just only make them available to individual students upon request. I also do take attendance. Obviously, you could log in and then not be there at all, but I've found with attendance and reading, if I can just create some expectation of engagement with a small grade component, it really helps even if there are easy ways to avoid actually doing the work.

[TrailRedCircle]

At my university, we are required to record and post the class videos, so I don't have much choice in regards to that.  I do think recording does keep some of them from responding.

I like the idea of having them pick a passage and take ownership to teach/discuss it.  I have also thought about flipping the class, but I really want to have some form of live discussion with them.

Thanks for the suggestions.  Keep them coming.

[Aster]

If the Zoom sessions are not recorded, that will boost both overall attendance and overall engagement.

But I don't recommend doing that with remote classes in the current pandemic environment. There are too many possible complications that may preclude remote students from even attending synchronous class sessions. You'll probably end up recording your classes anyway for people that have special (or not special) accommodations.

I've been recording my sessions but not posting them. I haven't had to send them to anybody, but since I'm teaching the same class multiple times a week, people who can't come to one class usually just ask to attend the other one. Next semester, when I won't be stuck with the weird format, I might just only make them available to individual students upon request.

One of my colleagues did the same thing, except that he did have to send recordings to students who required them for their special accommodations.  About three weeks into the term, "word on the streets" got out that Professor X was recording his lectures. After that, it has been a regular barrage of random student requests/demands/pleas to release the recordings. It has not been pleasant. And yes, student attendance in synchronous Zoom sessions is also now dropping.

[pepsi_alum]

I'm only teaching 1 undergraduate course this semester, and it was a tough prep even pre-pandemic. I've pretty much decided that synchronous Zoom discussion is impossible. What *is* working for me is to use Monday synchronous meeting time for lecture and to then use Wednesday synchronous meeting time to answer students questions and to let students work in breakout rooms on participation assignments that are due on Fridays. It's not a perfect system, but (1) it allows for at least some level of active learning for the students who want it, and (2) the students have an incentive to attend Wednesday class because they get to work on "homework" together during class time.

I'm not taking attendance this semester. I have about 8,000 other more important things to deal with. I'm also not worrying about students copying work from each other within their breakout groups. In fact, I've told them that I want all of them to type their own work but that I don't care if they talk with each other about what the "right" answers are. My philosophy is that the non-attendees  or hitchhikers (who are present for the groups but not contributing) will bomb the proctored assessments as a natural consequence.

[downer]

. My philosophy is that the non-attendees  or hitchhikers (who are present for the groups but not contributing) will bomb the proctored assessments as a natural consequence.

Is that proctored in a room somewhere or proctored with them using a cam while they do a timed exam? Enterprising students will work out how to get around cam proctoring.

[Vkw10]

I call on people. I say, "graded question", ask the question, then call a name. Student I called on gets full credit for a response that demonstrates they prepared for class, even if answer isn't correct. If they are present but don't respond or respond in a manner that demonstrates they have no clue, they get a zero. There are seven "class question" opportunities in grade book. The syllabus specifies that students can only earn credit if I've announced "graded question" and called on student. It doesn't promote much conversation, but most students are present, attentive, and have skimmed the assignment. Each graded question is only worth 1% of grade.

Next semester, I'll have at least 60 students in class. I haven't figured out how to encourage attendance and participation yet.

[pepsi_alum]

Is that proctored in a room somewhere or proctored with them using a cam while they do a timed exam? Enterprising students will work out how to get around cam proctoring.

Yes, I'm aware there are risks. I'm taking all precautions recommended by my university. At the end of the day, I can only do so much, and my goal is to get through the rest of the pandemic while employed. I'll prosecute cheating if I discover it, but if some students slip through the cracks, I'll accept that as an unfortunate side effect of the pandemic.

[tiva]

I get them to engage (sort of!) in a 75 minute synchronous Zoom class with:
a. Frequent brief movie clips; 1 to 3 minutes, followed by a PollEverywhere question, then a bit of discussion.
b. At least 4 to 6 additional PollEV questions, sometimes multiple choice, sometimes word clouds, so they can't zone out. They're a lot more willing to talk after they've answered a poll question
c. One breakout session each class, with 4 to 5 students per room. They need to turn on their videos for this part. They also need to fill out bullet points in a google slide--and I can watch all the slides at once to make sure they're on track. They then need to present their bullet points when we return to the full room.
It works, well enough. I sometimes have them go off for a few minutes and find an example of what we're discussing to show to each other, or else I have them draw something and hold it up to their camera, or else I have them type something into chat.
d. Before each class, they have to do a reading and answer a quiz in Canvas, and we use that quiz to focus the breakout rooms.
We also have a F2F component, so anyone who wants can come to the actual classroom if they hate Zoom. But Covid rates are so high here, that only 3-4 students come, and the other 20-22 Zoom in.

I do record the Zoom classes, but nobody watches them. Attendance is the best it's ever been--only a few students have skipped a single class so far, even though each student is allowed to skip 2 classes without any penalty. I keep track of points: 1 point for signing into Zoom; 1 point for answering the PollEV questions; 1 pt for entering their name into the breakout slides.

[Liric]

I just found this thread and find it very interesting and informative. The semester started only last week but I already struggle with engaging students in Zoom classes. Break out rooms with randomly connecting to the groups work a little but I still feel the feedback from the students is very limited. I tried to adapt the regular volume of material but probably need to shorten it a lot due to the time limitations when teaching via Zoom (and the majority of the students definitely don't prepare for the class upfront, so I still need to teach in real time).

On a side note, our administration specifically asked to try to make the life of the students easier, so it looks like less material is encouraged.