Teaching over Zoom can be challenging for any instructor. Students often choose Zoom classes for their flexibility. They can attend from anywhere, skip the commute, fit class around work or family obligations, and sometimes rewatch recorded sessions when it’s time to study. That convenience comes with a cost, though. Without the structure of a physical classroom, students are more likely to multitask, turn off their cameras, or tune out entirely, and hours of back-to-back video calls can leave them drained or fatigued. 

Instructors face a similar dilemma. Zoom makes it easier to reach students wherever they are, record lectures, and share materials instantly. At the same time, it can be hard to read the room, and spontaneous discussion rarely happens on its own. The good news is that Zoom gives you plenty of tools to turn a one-way lecture into an engaged conversation. Here is how to rethink your virtual classroom and foster real engagement. 

Why Engagement Matters 

Engagement is what turns passive listeners into active learners. When the students are engaged, active learners in an online course, they stay present in Zoom and will better retain the information. For instructors, engagement provides valuable feedback on what students understand and what they are struggling with. 

Where Engagement Fails  

There are several common factors that can hurt engagement in your Zoom classroom: 

• Camera fatigue – a large amount of time spent on camera can wear people out. 
• Cognitive overload – large amounts of content coming through a Zoom classroom can overload student focus. 
• Tech problems – audio issues, microphone problems, and slow Wi-Fi can hurt the experience for students. 
• Feeling disconnected – without a physical classroom, students can feel more isolated and less likely to participate.  

Strategies to Help Students 

• Start with an icebreaker – a quick warm up sets the tone for the Zoom session. Try a fun poll or word cloud. These icebreakers build interpersonal connections between students and make participation more comfortable.
• Run a chat storm – ask a question to your students and have everyone send their responses to the Zoom chat all at once. The chat will fill with a burst of responses, so no students will have to worry about their response copying someone.  
• Zoom whiteboard – share a Zoom whiteboard and invite students to collaborate with you on it. They can label components, identify errors, or complete a practice problem. Hands on activities like this keep students actively involved with the course material. 
• Polls and Quizzes – Zoom polls and other polling tools all work well for check-ins and opinion questions. Responses are anonymous so students can engage without fear of being wrong or judged.  
• Gamify participation – a friendly competition can make participation more exciting. Consider team-based challenges or a class leaderboard. A sense of progress helps keep students motivated.  

Getting More Out of Breakout Rooms 

Breakout rooms are a fantastic way to encourage collaboration and discussion, but they need some structure to get the best results for your students. Here are some helpful approaches: 

• Give clear instructions – groups should know exactly what to do once the room opens 
• Shuffle groups mid-class – this can be an effective way to vary peer interactions and reset group dynamics. 
• Screen sharing – encourage students to share their screen or zoom whiteboard inside breakout rooms so students can work together on a shared document.  
• Debrief together – having a few groups share their insights when everyone returns can be helpful to get all learners on the same page. 

Best Practices for Zoom Sessions 

• Plan ahead – as instructors, it is important to prepare your polls, activities, and exercises before class, so transitions feel seamless.  
• Minimize distractions – troubleshoot audio, microphone, and camera issues prior to the start of the session so nothing disrupts learning. Instructors should encourage their students to do this as well! 
• Create a supportive environment – begin with easy activities with low stakes, giving students a chance to meet each other and be comfortable. This can result in a strong supportive base for students.  
• Keep it balanced – too much interaction can be overwhelming for students. Break lectures into segments, mix up several types of activities, and check in frequently with students to see how their learning is coming along. 

Building Engagement Expectations from Day One 

Engagement is heavily affected by the expectations set early on by instructors. On the very first day, define what good participation and engagement looks like. Whether that is speaking, chat responses, poll answers, or whiteboard contributions. Additionally, invite students to help shape the expectations. When students are involved in setting expectations, they will be increasingly bought in to meeting them.

ODLT – Upcoming Events

Quick Hits:  Canvas Gradebook, Grade Weights, and Extra Credit

November 19th, 3-4 PM

Facilitated by Gray Jackson, Sr. Learning Tech.

This quick hit will cover helpful settings in the Canvas gradebook, including utilizing grade weights effectively and incorporating extra credit in your course. We’ll focus on practical strategies to streamline your workflow and save time managing grades.

Click here to register!

Workshop Wednesday: Creating Canvas Rubrics with AI

October 20th, 11 am-Noon

Facilitated by Kristen M. Stevenson, PhD, Digital Learning Strategist.

This training will demonstrate how to use Clemson’s AI tools to draft and refine a rubric, then add and use it in Canvas. We’ll discuss the human-in-the-loop approach, with you guiding and refining the rubric to align with your assignment and learning objectives. 

Click here to register!

Office of Digital Learning and Technology – Where Tech and Teaching Meet