Strategies & Tools: Real Time Class Sessions

As an instructor, you might find there is still a need for some real-time communication with students. Given that meeting remotely with streaming video and audio requires reliable internet access, as well as the appropriate equipment, you may want to consider how often and for how long you are asking students to participate in synchronous communication. You may not need to meet as often as you would under normal circumstances.

If you do want students to meet in a virtual space at the same time, we recommend two audio/visual conferencing programs, Big Blue Button and Zoom. Both share features, such as the ability:

  • to share and annotate a presentation in real time,
  • for students to call in via phone in addition to joining via the web,
  • to separate students into breakout rooms, and
  • to record the conference.

Contact Tattiya Maruco (tmaruco@berkshirecc.edu), Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Design, for training on instructional technology.

Big Blue Button is an audio/visual conferencing program already in Moodle.

Best practices: Eliminate animations in presentations, embed all videos into your presentation (instead of linking to an outside website), and say student questions and comments present in the chat box out loud, so it is captured in the recording of the session.

Sharable Resources for Students Planning to Use BBB

What is BBB?

BigBlueButton is an audio/visual conferencing program embedded in Moodle. It’s identified by a navy blue circle icon with a white lower-case “b.”

Click here to view BBB as a Viewer (Student) [Video 5:23]

As Student using BBB, how do I ….

More about BBB breakout rooms ….

  1. All students are connected to the breakout rooms with limited moderator status, which means you can be more interactive in a breakout room than in the main class session.
  2. The first student to make a successful connection to the breakout room is allocated the presenter role.

As a Presenter in the BBB breakout room, how do I….

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Zoom is an external audio/visual conferencing program. In order to use Zoom, you (as the instructor) will need to create a free account; we recommend using your BCC email. Students will not need to create an account, and you will need to share the appropriate link with them. Free accounts created with your BCC email are not subject to the 40 minute limit.

Best practices: Have your presentation ready when you share your screen, have students download the Zoom software before the scheduled meeting, upload and embed the recordings in Moodle for students to access at a later date.

Getting Started

Host Capabilities

Using Waiting Rooms

Teaching Strategy: If you are holding office hours, or back-to-back scheduled meeting (e.g., advising meetings), you might want to consider waiting rooms. Originally conceived of as security measure (a way to stop people from automatically joining a meeting), waiting rooms is a secure and private way to let students know they are in the appropriate place at the appropriate time, and you will meet with them shortly. For example, if you have back-to-back meetings, you can enable waiting rooms, such that any one who clicks on your Zoom link before their scheduled time will be placed in the waiting room until the person you‘re currently has left, and you admit the next person.

Sharing Materials During the Meeting

Teaching Strategy: Consider how and why you are sharing your screen. Could the synchronous lecture you’re giving exist as a separate narrated video lecture? How are you providing students a copy of the material you are presenting, or can it only be found at this Zoom meeting? If you are holding a synchronous lecture because you want students to stop you and ask questions, are you building space in your materials (e.g., blank slides that can serve as a whiteboard, pauses) and inviting students to engage in your presentation (e.g., embedding questions into the materials)? The annotation tool in Zoom is a great resources to bring a dynamic element to your materials.

Using the Whiteboard

Teaching Strategy: If you incorporate “board work” or use the whiteboard as a part of your teaching practice, Zoom has a built-in whiteboard that you can use with annotation tools. You can also open the whiteboard to students, and ask them to annotate directly on the whiteboard in Zoom. Annotation via mouse or touch pad is difficult for many people, so be mindful when asking for extensive annotation from your audience. Finally, many BCC-issued Surface tablets came with stylus pens. Please contact moodelhelp@bershirecc.edu if you need academic technology equipment.

Using Breakout Rooms

Teaching Strategy: If you are used to or considering small group interactions in your classroom, we recommend using Breakout Rooms. Breakout rooms allow you to place small groups of students into their own private Zoom meetings (you can float in and out of each of the breakout rooms or wait in the main meeting for student to return). Each breakout room has all the same capabilities, such as sharing screen, annotating, and using the chat function. For example, student can work on group projects or use the space for the “think-pair” portion of the “think-pair-share” teaching strategy.

Using Polls

Teaching Strategy: One way to engage students during a synchronous meeting is to use polls, or quick surveys, to quickly assess their comprehension, what questions remain, and/or which direction to go. For example, you might use the Poll function to present a question that might appear on a summative assessment, and ask the group to discuss and agree upon a collective answer. Or, you might start off the Zoom meeting with a poll to guide the meeting (e.g., Which of the following topics, should we discuss first?”).

Sharable Resources for Students Planning to Use Zoom

What is Zoom?

Zoom is an external audio/visual conferencing program. In order to use Zoom, please make sure you complete the following steps:

Step 1: Download the Zoom Client to all devices that you are planning to use for your school work. The “client” is just an application that will sit on your computer, tablet, and/or phone that allows you to connect to Zoom meetings.

Step 2: Learn how to get started on Zoom on Windows or Mac.

Step 3: Test your connectivity, device audio and video.

As Student using Zoom, how do I ….