Transforming Synchronous Engagement

Presented by: Megan McNamara, Ph.D., UC Santa Cruz, Foothill College, and West Valley College

Speaker Bio:

Megan McNamara is a lecturer in Sociology and an instructional designer at UC Santa Cruz and adjunct faculty in Sociology at Foothill College and West Valley College.

Session Info:

One of the greatest challenges in remote teaching is student engagement. Two years into a global mass experiment in remote synchronous instruction, our students’ collective fatigue – and consequent disinclination to keep their cameras on – is profound. Yet, remote synchronous instruction also confers critical benefits for educational equity by facilitating access for students who thrive in a synchronous setting but cannot attend classes in person.

In this session, participants will explore novel strategies for helping students stay intellectually engaged through an entire class session. Topics include creative approaches to measuring and promoting participation in synchronous courses; simple, low-labor accountability structures that inspire engagement; flipped classroom techniques for remote environments; and non-camera blueprints for generating meaningful participation on Zoom. This session is designed especially with large lecture classes in mind but is equally appropriate for faculty teaching smaller groups.

Session Outcomes:

• Generate ongoing, meaningful engagement in synchronous remote courses.
• Explain the pedagogical role of accountability structures in remote synchronous courses.
• Design and implement effective accountability structures in synchronous remote courses.

Session Resources:

Transforming Synchronous Engagement McNAMARA UPDATED

View the Recorded Session