• Write up and distribute best-practice guidelines so that students understand conferencing “etiquette.”
    • Explain how you want students to request an opportunity to speak. For example, raise hands or submit a question via chat box.
    • Set ground rules for use of text chat. Discourage “side conversations” that will distract students from the ongoing conversation. Explain what is and isn’t appropriate for them to post.
    • Moderate use of screen sharing and video sharing. Let students know who is allowed to and/or responsible for the shared content.
  • Design group activities around a challenging problem, case, or thought-provoking question connected to specific learning objectives of the course. Activities could include a debate or a role play, for example.
  • Prepare and provide students guidelines for how to be successful in group dynamics ahead of time. For example, social cues are less obvious in the online environment. Expectations for participation should be clearly defined and interactions should be actively managed and moderated.
  • Explain to students the importance of active listening:
    • Listen actively to what each person says.
    • Resist the urge to interrupt.
    • Clarify what you heard by paraphrasing or summarizing others' comments.
    • Encourage group members to participate and speak their points of view.
    • Model participation by saying what is on your mind. This will demonstrate to others that it is OK to take risks.
  • Provide other helpful tips to students such as:
    • Create a timeline for regular group meetings.
    • Create goals and milestones.
    • Define goals and objectives for the meeting before the meeting starts.
    • Take notes during the meeting to reflect what was covered and what is to be expected for future meetings.
    • Divide and conquer tasks among group members.
  • Tell students to log in prior to meeting time to set up their cameras and microphones and to ensure that they are working properly.
    • Headsets are suggested as they ensure that you can participate with minimum audio problems.
  • Remind students to check their background (what’s visible behind them) and to be sure that it’s appropriate, along with how their image is visible to the rest of the class.

NYU provides a few different platforms to conduct your class using Web conferencing. Each has its own set of features and limitations that will help you to decide which is most appropriate for your needs.