Share Paper: Required Synchronous Sessions: Student Feedback for Engaged Design

1. Jean Bryan, DePaul University, United States

Abstract: Online equals anytime, anywhere, right? Not always. Sometimes it means anywhere, but at a definite time. How do online students perceive required synchronous sessions? What do they like, dislike. And, what can faculty members and instructional designers learn from that feedback? Five years of student feedback in a professional graduate-level online program identifies pitfalls to avoid and informs strategies for engagement. Conclusions for this session include program-level considerations, course-level instructional design recommendations, and suggestions for on-the-ground design and structuring of synchronous sessions.