Teaching for Multimodal Delivery
A key characteristic of successful multimodal learning experiences is student engagement.
Virtual students are not just observers of in-class activity – both student groups are active participants.
What does this mean for professors?
Being Aware of Audio
A key technical factor relating to the successful multi-modal delivery is audio. Virtual students being unable to properly hear the professor and in-person student responses is the most common complaint.
The mic array will be able to pick up most student questions and responses. However, many factors contribute to the audio experience of the virtual students:
- general noise level within the classroom (e.g. moving chairs, rustling papers, students talking with each other etc.)
- quality of the virtual students speakers or head-set
- audio settings – of in-class equipment and the virtual students’ audio settings
It is a good idea to adopt some teaching best practices that include:
- Re-stating in-person student questions and comments – so that virtual students can hear them
- Making a habit of checking in with remote students at the beginning of class to ensure that their audio is working okay
View practices for ensuring a good audio experience.
Comfort With Multi-Tasking
Research has shown that teaching in a multi-modal environment can be mentally effortful since you are constantly having to switch attention between your in-person/virtual student audiences, between different monitors, and different panels within Zoom (e.g. the chat and participant panels).
However, planning your class sessions and practicing the technology workflows for
key teaching and learning situations will help you to develop confidence.
Consider asking a student to work as a chat monitor. They can inform you of questions that pop up while you are facilitating.
Comfort With Using Zoom and Audio-Visual Equipment
The multi-modal classroom comes with a video camera, mic array, document camera, and multiple monitors. This additional equipment requires being able to set up the learning and teaching scenario that you envision.
The good news is that this can be reasonably managed through Zoom and the existing classroom technology set up. However, it does require familiarity and practice.
Review how to use the multi-modal classroom technology to support certain kinds of learning activities.
Activity Design for In-Person and Online Students
Design learning activities to ensure participation by both in-person and virtual students.
Review active learning ideas that support engagement for all students.
View example class planning examples that show how to design and deliver activities for multiple student audiences.
Re-thinking How Things Are Usually Done
Most faculty are used to writing on the whiteboard during their lessons. Since the video camera does not pick up whiteboard writing well, a different way to share written annotation would be a good idea.
Review ways in which you can write during your lesson – for in-person and virtual students to see – that does not require the whiteboard.
Also, group work and small-group discussions will work differently.
Review ideas for managing group work and small group activities
Teaching FAQs
- What technology will be available for multimodal delivery?
- How do groups work in multimodal delivery?
- How do I engage students during multimodal delivery?
- How do use the whiteboard for multimodal delivery?
Faculty participating in the multi-modal pilot will have access to the following technology solutions – depending on the arrangements made for their specific courses:
- Multimodal-enabled Classrooms
- Mobile Kit – for situations that can not be accommodated by the multimodal-enabled classrooms.
Learn more about these technology solutions.
Professors need to choose whether or not to mix in-person and virtual students.
Easy – Virtual students are grouped together via Zoom breakout rooms. In-person students are physically grouped together.
The following options require some or all in-person students to have Zoom running on their laptop.
Moderate – Add individual in-person students to a Zoom breakout room of virtual students. Or, add an individual virtual student to an in-person group.
Difficult – Divide students evenly between virtual and in-person participants. In the classroom, only use one student laptop per Zoom breakout room to minimize mic pick-up of room noise.
Virtual students can ask or answer questions via their microphone. Have them “raise their hand” in Zoom.
However, virtual students frequently interact through Zoom chat rather than voice. Therefore, it is necessary to make the chat prominent in your teaching practice.
Easy – Some professors ask one in-person student to monitor the chat.
Moderate – Detach the chat window and display on a second monitor. If your classroom set-up supports this: project the chat in the second display monitor.
Due to whiteboard glare and faint marker ink, video capture of your handwriting to online students is not likely to be clear. Instead, use one of these options:
Easy – Share your screen in Zoom and use MS Word or PowerPoint to type your ideas. Learn more.
Moderate – Change the Zoom video source to the document camera. Handwrite your ideas on a piece of paper. Learn more.