When I was faced with the sudden pivot to online synchronous provision, I was hesitant to turn my interactive face-to-face sessions into another video call. My institution does not have webinar software and distance learning is delivered through lecture capture software. Thus, I needed a solution that was quick and simple, both for the students and myself. In the past, I have used an online voting platform for rapid anonymous sharing of viewpoints in large classes (120-180 students) during face-to-face sessions. Students have liked the anonymity and freedom to express their views on the online voting platform in real time. Therefore, I trialled using the online voting platform in a virtual teaching environment. This approach offers an easy access authentic interactive learning experience, through meaningful engagement, and requires limited time and resources for development. Sessions are hosted on Skype or MS Teams, and a link is shared so students can view teaching content on their devices as we progress through it. Students do not need to download anything, to register, or to enter a pass code. All they need is an anonymous username to vote when prompted.
Students indicate they “enjoy the interactive element” and that “it was fun answering the questions and seeing the results”. Similarly, colleagues welcome the change from the ‘talking over slides’ mode to an interactive discussion with the students. This session explores the challenges and benefits of this approach, along with possible future developments to create an enhanced authentic interactive meaningful synchronous remote learning experience.
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