The challenges (and potential) of the synchronous virtual classroom

It has not been a simple transition from face-to-face to virtual education! Although this type of teaching existed long before the pandemic, it had never been envisioned that the majority of the school population would migrate to it all at once. Thus, apart from the few regulars who were already running this type of class, teachers found themselves forced to use tools with which they had little experience.

As a result, the transition was not the easiest for everyone. The virtual environment seemed more hostile to them than the comforting classroom environment they were more familiar with. In fact, most of the teacher training they received hardly ever addressed the possibility of synchronous online courses. It should come as no surprise, then, that many bumped their noses at some daunting obstacles.

The Challenges of Distance Learning

They weren't the only ones who had to get used to this new device. Students, too, accustomed to going to school every day, faced challenges. So, as this paper by Quebec education researchers reminds us, teachers were confronted with a multitude of problematic attitudes. The research led to a series of rather graphic portraits of students, including:

• The rude one who watches television while attending class,
• The speech-cutter,
• The "grouch" who spends his time expressing his lack of understanding or finding the pace too fast,
• The social one who spends his time chatting with other classmates,
• The octopus who plays online games while attending class, transferring his attention when challenged,
• The unlucky one who has an unstable internet and thus finds himself logging in and out frequently during class time,
• The tech zero who, even after weeks, understands nothing about the digital work environment...

A picture that shows what teachers were treated to during virtual class periods. It's no wonder many were happy to be back in the classroom or wanted to turn to asynchronous solutions so they didn't have to expend as much energy. It's true that synchronous classes take time and organization. Yet the pandemic situation did not allow for adequate preparation.

Now, everything that can be problematic in synchronous mode is just as much in asynchronous. There is no guarantee, for example, that learners will listen to the videos and documents attentively without doing something else. Technological problems can also arise and lead to various inequalities between students. Either way, even an asynchronous course will need to have live meetings with learners, if only on a one-to-one basis, if difficulties arise. Not to mention that synchronous makes it much easier to see who is or isn't keeping up, who seems out of date or who is twiddling their thumbs. Thus, a teacher can then adapt the situation accordingly.

Succeeding in the Virtual Classroom

One of the first strategies is to establish a corner of one's home and accept that it will be that place that goes from private to "public" in the classroom. Indeed, it seems primal, but even before the pandemic, many teachers felt this discomfort or incongruity of telecommuting in teaching. A feeling present even among those familiar with the values of virtual or hybrid training. So it seems essential to get rid of the syndrome of discomfort and invalidity of the activity. It doesn't matter that it's not experienced within the four walls of a classroom, it's still a proper course.

Success also requires a good scripting of classes. They don't all have to be in a lecture format. Some can be used for project work, others to assess learning or remediate difficulties experienced with certain parts of the material. Engagement is even more essential in a synchronous teaching context. It is not difficult for young people to do something else during class to "get bored", hence the importance of ensuring an interactive part in each class, moments of discussion managed by (virtual) hand raising, etc.

Rules of operation are paramount to adopt from the first session. For example, there needs to be a clear "contract" between the learners and the teacher about what is and is not acceptable in a virtual setting. Also, it can be good to set up protocols if a student has technical difficulties. In this way, a good part of the lesson is not lost to problem solving (which will annoy those for whom it is going well). It can be interesting to vary the visual teaching aids. Also, many software programs allow subgroups to work. The teacher can walk from group to group to see the progress of an assignment. To ensure that everyone is participating, distribute essential roles for each student.

Finally, it is not possible to conduct long sessions in a virtual classroom without creating fatigue. Allow for a few breaks during the few hours of the course, and most importantly, also rely on asynchronous to move through the curriculum. Indeed, asking students to have watched a video or completed a particular assignment before the next class usually works well.

Illustration : Giovanni Gagliardi on Unsplash

References:

Carignan, Isabelle, Steve Bissonnette, Charlette Ménard, Marie-Christine Beaudry, and Joanie Viau. "Les Défis De La Gestion De Classe Virtuelle Synchrone | Médiations Et Médiatisations." Mediations And Mediatizations. Last updated November 9, 2021. https://revue-mediations.teluq.ca/index.php/Distances/article/view/260.

"Virtual Classroom: How To Script It And Facilitate It Effectively?" Create Your Training. Last updated October 13, 2021. https://creetaformation.com/classe-virtuelle-comment-la-scenariser-et-lanimer-efficacement/.

"How To Not Burn Out With Virtual Classrooms." Vyfe. Last updated May 14, 2020. https://vyfe.fr/video-training-classes-virtuelles/.

Miller, Audrey. "Concrete Ideas for Getting More Out of Breakout Rooms in the Virtual Classroom." School Connects. Last updated June 24, 2021. https://ecolebranchee.com/conseils-sous-salles-virtuelles/.

Savarieau, Beatrice, and Hervé Daguet. "The synchronous virtual classroom a mediated substitution of the teacher to reinforce presence in distance learning?" ResearchGate. Last updated December 2016. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321906348_La_classe_virtuelle_synchrone_une_substitution_mediatique_de_l'teacher_for_enhancing_presence_in_distance_training.

Lamontagne, Denys. "What do teachers who do distance learning need?". Thot Cursus.
https://cursus.edu/en/23436/what-do-distance-learning-teachers-need