As part of Hallam's Academic Delivery Models, many staff will be developing and delivering a portion of their provision as online, synchronous teaching and learning. To support staff, this page provides:

1. four customisable session templates to assist with planning and delivery of online, synchronous teaching and learning
2. a checklist of practical tips and hints for before, during and after sessions
3. a range of bitesize activities staff can incorporate into online synchronous sessions
4. signposts to guidance on Microsoft Teams and Blackboard Collaborate, including breakout rooms

Hallam’s Digital Learning Team also offer a workshop to support staff to design and deliver synchronous, online learning and teaching. See link for details.

Four re-usable, customizable session templates for online synchronous learning and teaching

The four session types below aim to offer a ready-made, adaptable and clear pathway to designing and delivering engaging, interactive, and activity-led online synchronous learning.

1. The Assessment Preparation session

This session engages students with the assessment criteria for a summative task. It incorporates two learning activities that aim to foster a shared understanding of a task’s criteria and how to meet them.
Click to find out more about the Assessment Preparation session and access the downloadable, customizable session template.

2. The Interactive Lecture session

In this session type, tutors deliver some taught content and students take part in activities to check and develop their understanding. Click to find out more about the Interactive Lecture session and to access the downloadable, customizable session template.

3. The Collaborative Resource Creation session

In this session type, students work together in groups to learn by exploring a topic, gathering information and creating a resource. Click to find out more about the Collaborative Resource creation session and to access the downloadable, customizable session template.

4. The Scenario Based/Problem Based session

In this session type, students take part in group-work activities which aim to explore and solve real-world scenarios and problems. Click to find out more about the Scenario-based/Problem-based session and to access the downloadable, customisable session template.

'Bitesize' learning and teaching activities

Don’t want to utilise one of the full session plans above? You can still incorporate engaging, interactive learning and teaching activities into your online sessions. Take a look at these eleven bitesize online learning and teaching activities. They’re easy-to-implement, flexible and scalable, including with large groups.

Practical tips and hints for delivering online synchronous learning and teaching

Feeling daunted by the prospect of delivering teaching and learning to module cohorts online? These tips for online synchronous delivery (file download) will help you design, deliver and reflect on sessions.

Colleagues planning this type of delivery may also be interested in the Teaching Approaches Menu developed by Hallam. Whilst not specifically geared towards the online synchronous context, it offers a comprehensive list of teaching approaches and technologies to support their delivery. Many of these can be successfully applied to the context of online synchronous delivery.

Guidance on using breakout rooms in Microsoft Teams and Blackboard Collaborate

The Digital Learning Team provides comprehensive guidance for using Microsoft Teams in teaching and learning, including breakout rooms. Guidance on using Blackboard Collaborate is also available.

Breakout rooms can be a great way of dividing a larger cohort into smaller sub-groups to engage in discussion and other learning activities.

Note that from September 2024, Hallam will no longer be using Zoom as a means of conducting online meetings or delivering online learning and teaching.