Having interactivity is a key challenge in online delivery. As a Teacher I had to use a range of Webinar Platforms ranging from Cisco WebEx, Zoom, Microsoft Teams Meeting and to Microsoft Live Events.
Each of these platforms have built in Q&A which are very effective. However as a Teacher I experienced a few difficulties in using these built in Q&A. Mostly these were in situations where I was sharing my screen to run a powerpoint slide show, or when showing an interactive application in the computer. In these situations I found it difficult to go into the webinar software interface to see if students had questions. Generally my class sizes are over 100 students, so I don't usually encourage students to ask questions verbally during a lecture. This can be solved by having timed Q&A sessions either through the chat or through voice interactions. Still I will not know if students have questions as I go through the lecture material.
Slido was the solution that I discovered which fitted my bill. After you signup with Slido you can create a Quick Event or create a Scheduled Event.
You can give details to your Event by updating the Event Name and also specifying the duration when you want to run the event. The Event Code is automatically generated.
Slido generates a QR code and has an attractive Present Mode.
I discovered the power of QR codes in a live webinar after using Slido. Students find it incredibly easy to interact with content delivered and interact with numerous activities that we present to them. Of course these are limited to activities that they use their mobile phone.
I usually insert the Slido link in the Title page of my presentation, giving ample time for students to get into the Q&A website. There are occasions where students have to use the meeting code number to get into Slido when they need to do interactions on the computer and then copy paste things back to the Q&A.
During the Webinar I use my mobile phone to monitor questions that are coming through by Students. This way I get an opportunity to answer student questions as soon as they ask.
The above is from the Desktop version of the Slido Present View. The paid version of Slido supports moderation and also ability to split students into rooms.
Over 73% of the student population enjoyed using Slido as their main Q&A platform. We generally get around 150 to 250 Q&A for a webinar that lasts around 1.5 hour with a typical average student population of around 300 students.
Slido has Live Polling and Quizes too. I haven't got an opportunity to try them out. The free version has a limitation of 100 students and 3 Polls. Slido seems to be targeting Events like professional webinars at the moment, so their pricing options are not very attractive to academic institutes at present.
A better pricing strategy targeting online delivery by educational institutes, may make it more compelling for educational institutes to opt for the paid versions.
No comments:
Post a Comment