How Do I Run My Class?

Webster University

Knowledge Center

How Do I Run my Class?

how to run class

In the spring and summer all courses were taught remotely, and instructors used a wide variety of strategies for remote teaching. Moving into the fall, courses will be taught in one of four specific modalities, and students will sign up for courses knowing what modality it will be taught in. So what will your class look like, and how should you communicate that to students?

  • First, check with your department about their expectations. Departments determine what modality each course is taught in, so it's best to start there. If you need to review what each modality is, check out this Teaching Formats page.
  • Contact time is still an important factor. While we don't recommend that you try to hold your class in WebEx/Zoom for the four hour time period that you may have originally been scheduled for, we recommend you follow the guidance of your schools and departments. Generally, though, it's hard for you and for your students to keep attention on point for longer than 90 minutes. You might consider putting some activities in WorldClassRoom to be completed asynchronously in addition to your synchronous meeting time. Then think about what your schedule might look like and try to follow a similar pattern each week.
  • Reach out to students and communicate your plan.  Even though courses are coded for specific types of modalities, some students will likely be confused, so they'll want to hear specifics from you directly. Student feedback from Spring 2020 indicates that students greatly appreciate instructors who communicated clearly and responded to their questions in a timely way. 
    • Share your schedule and expectations, share the link to your WebEx/Zoom room, answer questions about interaction and engagement ahead of time – remember, students will especially want to know how much synchronous time they should plan into their weeks.

Best practices for live, remote class meetings

If you're teaching any aspect of your courses synchronously you'll want to consider some of these approaches and strategies:

  • Consider what parts of your class lecture/activities could be uploaded to Canvas so students can review or participate before or after your live session.
  • Do plan to meet at the expected time. Students have set aside the time already in their schedules.
  • Look back over your syllabus and try to plan how you will teach each segment – it's ok, really it is, to let some of it be asynchronous, and is necessary if your course is a "hybrid" course. ​
  • You'll want to establish norms and conventions for student participation during your sessions (see the presentation file below).

Top Ten Recommendations for Live Class Sessions