© Copyright 2021/Lorenzo Associates, Inc.
Part III. 19 Rules of the Road for Effective, Live
Video Conferencing
I believe we can draw a logical conclusion that one
of the best things about live video is that it makes
everyone feel more like they are part of
something. It brings a human element to an
online teaching and learning environment that
would not exist otherwise.
In general, there are all kinds of learners with all
kinds of preferences, so you will never please
every student. Nonetheless, in my research on
video conferencing in higher education, I have not
seen any evidence of students not enjoying a well-
thought-out, trouble- free, live video conference. If
an instructor puts in the required time to learn
about this technology and formulate good
pedagogy and sound strategies, the use of multi-
point video conferencing in online education can
absolutely prove to be a truly engaging and
enjoyable experience. Sure, in-person teaching
and learning can easily be identified as the
preferred method for sharing information and
interacting with each other, but the next-best,
most-effective modality for achieving the same
results is video conferencing.
Irrespective of when, why and how you decide to
use video, there are definitely some rules of the
road that you should consider. One very important
thing I learned about being on a webcam, for
example, occurred to me when I reviewed a
recording of a video conference I recently
attended. I never realized that I made such
obvious facial expressions that exposed my
feelings. My frowns, my rolling of the eyes, my
expressions of confusion and discontent were
quite obvious. While this would be a good thing for
the teacher to see as a means to identify whether
or not her students are “getting it,” I don’t think it
would be ideal for an instructor to have such
obvious facial expressions. So, examine how you
look on a webcam in a meeting with someone
prior to holding your video conference just to see
how you look, and then make the necessary
adjustments for when the real event takes place.
Here are 18 additional rules of the road, many of
which are common sense but worth repeating:
1.
Don’t get too close to the camera. I have
been in video conferences where some
faces were so close-up that they made me
feel uncomfortable to look at them.
2.
After you have made exactly sure how you
are going to include a video conference in
your course from an instructional design
perspective, do a test run with some
volunteers or the actual students, record
it, and then review very closely to see how
everything came together and whether or
not you will need to make some
adjustments.
3.
Make sure everyone knows how to mute
and un-mute their microphones.
4.
All those in attendance should really have
high-speed broadband connections
whenever possible. Wi-fi is usually okay,
but it is preferable to have your computer
be connected directly by an Ethernet cable
to a high-speed wired network.
5.
Wearing a headset with a microphone is
best for audio quality. Sometimes the
sound coming from a computer’s
speakers, for instance, will cause an echo
effect that is very annoying.
6.
Prepare a simple sheet of instructions to
send to your students related to where to
click to join a conference, what they may
have to download to their computers,
how to make sure that their webcam and
microphone settings are right, and
basically what to expect during a video
conference and how they can use
whatever tools you may be planning to
utilize, such as polling, testing, when and
how to talk, when and how to text chat,
and how to view your presentation
materials.
7.
Have a back-up plan for those who may
experience a poor stream or packet loss.
Make sure they have an option to move to
audio only over a typical telephone
conferencing bridge, for instance. Also, try
to have someone on board that they can
call on the phone for technical support.
8.
Look professional. Don’t come to class
wearing a tee-shirt or a wrinkled blouse.
Solid, dark colors typically show best on
camera as opposed to white, stripes or
plaids. No shiny jewelry either.
9.
Have an icebreaker activity for the first
time you host a video conference, such
as having each student say their name
and something about their background
and why they are enrolled in the course.
Ask them to keep it short and to the
point. This is also an excellent way for
you to see each student’s ability to fully
comply with instructions and use this
technology.
10.
Get to know each student by first name
and be ready to call on them and/or
engage in a personal one-to-one over
video. This is a great way to make your
students feel welcome and respected,
just like in a traditional classroom
setting.
11.
Make certain that your video
interactions are structured and
moderate them accordingly. Have
specific questions for students to
respond to, for instance, and make sure
they are prepared in advance to
respond in order to avoid the possibility
of embarrassing someone.
12.
Have a good set of etiquette rules in place,
especially with regard to keeping everyone
on task and on topic in a professional
fashion with no opportunities for anyone to
use foul language or be overly critical. Keep
it all positive and engaging with exercises
that reinforce community and respect for
each other.
13.
Make sure you are in a quiet space where
there is no background noise. The same
holds true for the students in attendance.
14.
Try not to talk over or interrupt anyone who
is speaking.
15.
Don’t move around too much. Keep your
hand movements to a minimum.
16.
If you are in a room with students in
attendance on video, you might want to
arrange the seating in a triangle formation.
17.
Another important thing to take under
consideration in a room is to make sure
that windows have blinds to minimize
lighting problems.
18.
Test out camera angles prior to holding a
room-based conference. Also make sure
there are enough microphones, usually
at least one for two people.