Contingency Planning for Synchronous Sessions

Have a Plan Ready:

In the event that your synchronous session does not go as initially planned, be prepared to end the meeting for all and migrate to another predetermined planned that you and your students can readily access.

Things to Consider:

• Is it important that you retain the ability to have a live session with students? While creating another Zoom link and sharing with students is an option, alternate options might be considered depending on the activity and connectivity of you and session participants. Consider regrouping on Canvas Chat, using a Canvas Discussion to help those with unstable connections, or an email redirecting students to alternate curated resources that might be pre-recorded.

• Evaluate the reasons that you left the live session, and make a reasoned decision. Was it Zoom bombers or poor connectivity that caused you to cancel your first session? Does the plan B then help to resolve those issues, or will it cause further problems for some participants? Base your plan on the situation that you face, knowing that not all solutions will fit all scenarios.

Share Your Plan:

• Share with your participants the "whats" and "wheres" of your contingency plan. Include:

  • Where the information will be shared: Canvas Announcement, E-mail, etc.

  • How you’ll plan on resuming, and when: Another link in 5 minutes, discussion by end of day, etc.

  • Give everyone – including yourself – time to regroup and get back to learning.

Options you Might Consider:

• Zoom Link: If the initial Zoom meeting encounters issues, another Zoom link posted to Canvas and protected with security options and that is only shared with students is an option.

• Canvas Conferences / Big Blue Button: A web conferencing system similar to Zoom with some slightly different features. This option can help maintain synchronous abilities, but should be amply tested before implementation.

• Canvas Chat: An integrated chat tool within Canvas that allows you to interface with students in a given course through the Canvas interface. This is less resource intensive for students with older hardware, as it is only text and not video.

• Canvas Discussions: These can be setup ahead of time and graded or ungraded. This is a great choice to continue a conversation in a way that allows those with connection issues to participate as they are able.

• Canvas Modules: Modules can be setup in a scaffolded way such that students must accomplish certain tasks before accessing others, and can work at their own pace but with a deadline. There are nearly endless options with multiple types of content.

Contact IT Services with Issues:

Contact helpdesk@hws.edu with any issues that you might need assistance with. If you would like help planning some contingency scenarios, please feel free to request a consultation with the Digital Learning Team.