Using digital platforms to interact and communicate with fellow students has become the new normal over the past year. This transition to online learning can be a hard move, so it may be useful to expand your knowledge of social platforms and enhance your digital skills to fit the new hybrid working/studying environment.
Here are some ideas that you could incorporate into your online group sessions henceforth.
- Scheduling the perfect time for a group session can be difficult. Try to keep the group number small so that it is easily manageable. This way everyone gets the chance to contribute equally and schedules are easier to coordinate.
- Having a moderator who can manage the session and keep everyone motivated and sticking to the timeline may be equally beneficial to achieving the end goal. Members can put a rota in place and take turns leading on meetings. The moderator of the meeting can also set an agenda before the session which will help keep the conversation on track to ensure all essential subjects are touched upon in the scheduled timeframe.
- Rather than long marathon sessions, try to schedule regular, weekly sessions which are no longer than 45 to 60 minutes. This way, the material that needs to be covered in each session can be effectively divided and members will find it easier to attend shorter sessions.
- The group session will be much more successful if all the group members make a commitment to come to the session prepared. Every group is different, find what suits your group the most and implement those strategies in your sessions.
It might take a few attempts but once you find the rhythm of your group, you will realise that online sessions can be as fun and productive as in-person sessions, if not more successful in the end. Online learning is not all bad, and has, in fact, revolutionised the way we work, so implementing some of its positive aspects as we transition back to normality may result in more efficient workflow management.
