Synchronous online learning

Synchronous learning requires the presence of both learners and teachers at the same time, while they are in different geographical locations (Chen et al., 2005).

In addition, there is the possibility of hybrid teaching. This type of teaching occurs when part of the students are in the same classroom as the teacher and physically present, and the other part of the students are connected to the class online. In other words, it is a synchronous modality with a mixture in the way of being present in the class. This form of teaching is common in conferences or short courses. It has also been common during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the number of students in a face-to-face class.

Thus, the challenge of synchronous learning is the active participation of students and teachers who are simultaneously in the classroom, usually behind a screen, and these sessions are usually agreed upon by both parties and occur live on electronic devices.

One of the great advantages of synchronous learning is that everything that happens in the classroom can be recorded so that students and teachers can go back to what happened to share, analyze, and grow in learning.

It should be noted that this type of learning requires a capacity of means and facilities to be fulfilled by the students, the center, and the teaching staff, as well as a mastery of digital tools, not only to access and maintain the classroom itself but also to create tasks as formative as possible (e.g. create different chat rooms (break out rooms) to promote collaborative learning, carry out online tools to promote student engagement, etc.). For these reasons, both institutions, students, and teachers have to do their part to try to reduce the digital divide (and the additional problems associated with online learning such as the socioeconomic, infrastructural, and cultural gaps) as much as possible (Fisher et al., 2021).

Some resources to carry out synchronous distance learning efficiently are:

For teachers:

• Be prepared before the students for the online class.

• Make sure you have completed the pre-class preparation activity so that you are ready to learn.

• Think about your learning objectives for today - what do you want to achieve?

• Find a quiet space that does not disturb other people.

• Make sure you have an uncluttered workspace for writing and storing your materials.

• If there are objects containing personal information that you would not want other people to see, move them out of camera range.

• Check the lighting so that your colleagues/students can see you.

• Check that your name and surname appear on the screen.

At the beginning of the class:

• Welcome the students.

• Check the number of students and ask them for those who are missing.

• Record the session.

• Ask them to turn on their camera.

• Icebreaker starter activity.

During the class:

• Ask clarifying questions to fully understand the learning intentions and success criteria of the lesson.

• Listen carefully to others and ask good questions.

• Use the feedback buttons to let your classmates/peers know when you agree or disagree and give them a thumbs up or a round of applause to encourage them.

• The raise your hand button helps us all know when a student has something important to say.

• When you're not talking, mute your microphone.

• Turn off notifications from other electronic devices.

At the end of the class:

• Review the learning objectives you have set for the session.

• Ask clarifying questions so that you fully understand the learning intentions and success criteria for the lesson.

• Make sure you know that students know how to access the tasks.