Designing Tutorials
When leading an online tutorial you need to catch and maintain your students’ attention and engagement.
You will achieve this by carefully designing and planning what you and your students will be doing.
Before Tutorials
- Meet with the course instructor and any other TAs for the course before tutorials begin to review the course syllabus and policies
- Know how student attendance and participation in your tutorials should be evaluated
- Discuss procedures for other common situations, such as extension requests or suspected cases of academic dishonesty
Plan ahead:
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- Create a personal pre-class check-list to reduce pre-class stress
- Brainstorm with your peers ideas for your tutorial session
- Create an agenda to help you plan the activities you will lead and the duration of each
- Become familiar with the technology that you will use, practice engaging features like polls and reactions
- Have activity instructions ready to copy/paste into the chat
- Have a backup plan in case you encounter issues: loss of internet connection, lack of participation, etc.
“I would advise TAs to always have a backup plan for activities. In some cases when a planned activity is not going as hoped during the tutorial, it’s easier to change directions if a contingency plan was prepared.” (Jennifer Odenigbo)
For examples of slides and further ideas or resources, please contact the DeGroote’s Teaching and Learning Services team.
During Tutorials
- If you are required to take attendance or track participation, it is best to begin as soon as possible. Be sure to have a good strategy for tracking participation.
- At the beginning of the tutorial session, you may wish to make any important announcements and then introduce the tutorial agenda and learning outcomes.
- Depending on the tutorial, you may then lead the class through an instructional activity in order to clarify or introduce course material. This might include, but is not limited to: a large group discussion, a video clip, guided reading, small group discussions, a lecture, a debate, individual writing assignments, a student presentation, and/or a question and answer session.
Tips for Engaging Students Online
Fine courtesy of Making the Box, here some tips to engage students in the first 10 minutes:
– Create an atmosphere (play music, model the energy you’re hoping to get)
– Greet everyone by name and use names often
– Set operating principles and agree to them as a group
– Use polls and share the results to understand how your group is doing
– Get people in breakout rooms early to wake them up (include sequencing instruction)
– Have something for people to engage with while waiting for others to arrive
For the full deck for planning and leading your tutorial, review Better Meetings Online.
Activities and Tools
Fine courtesy of Making the Box, here more ideas to engage your students:
- Everyone Says Hello
Everyone unmutes and greets each other all at once in whatever language and fashion they like. Why do this? To wake people up at the beginning of a meeting. To start a path towards greater engagement. - New Yoga
Introduce and mirror some “new” yoga positions (ie. the angry seagull, the pizza box opening etc…). Why do this? Try this as people are arriving or after a break to elevate connection and energy. - Ugly Things
Everyone races to find something in their space they feel is “ugly”. After returning with it, each person shares 1) what it is 2) why they still possess it? Why do this? To spark some physical energy. To better understand each other on a personal level. - Mindmeld
Two people select one random word each, then say “got it”. They count down and say their word at the same time. The group tries to find the overlapping word between the two established words. Iterate. Why do this? To spark focus and connection-making. To practice making mistakes, so it’s easier for everyone to participate. Research shows, that five minutes of group improvisation can lead to greater participation and focus online, when compared to 5 minutes of open conversation. (Lavik, 2020) - Three Word Story
Build stories together using three words at a time each. Alternatively, build new wisdom-filled proverbs each adding one word at a time. End them with a hearty “Yes genius!”. - Once There Was … Unfortunately… Fortunately…
Build three sentence stories together in pairs trading one sentences using the titular framework. Why do this? This is a really simple warm-up activity to spark creative collaboration. - First Letter, Last Letter
Have a conversation where the first letter (or word) of one sentence is the last letter (or word) of the prior. Why do this? Practicing this allows us to remove interruption and focus on listening to understand rather than just respond. Exploring this activity allows us to Notice More and develop more confidence with uncertainty. - Remember When
The group recalls a made-up vacation they took together. After establishing the destination and activity the group adds information starting with “Yes but…”. Repeat the activity with “Yes and…” Why do this? Exploring the tools of Yes And… and Yes But… can help us better understand our ingrained reactions to unforeseen information and how to better collaborate in rapidly changing environments. - Alternate “Yes and…” frameworks:
“What I like about that is _____ and…”
“It sounds like you care about ____ and…” - Thank You For That
One person shares, the other offers disconnected words (using a random word generator) for the speaker to incorporate (using with a “Yes and…” Mindset). Why do this? To practice giving up control. To practice affirming and incorporating unforeseen changes/needs, rather than immediately blocking or evaluating them. To get know someone in an engaging way. - Drawing Game (Thanks to Christina)
Ask the group to grab pen and paper. Pick a simple thing to draw (ie. Snowman) but don’t tell the group. Guide them through drawing instructions describing each shape and line for them to draw individually (ie. small circle, then a bigger circle below it). Once the drawing is complete, have the group guess what the drawing is. Trade who is leading. Try more complicated drawings. Enjoy and discuss the accuracy of the drawings and the challenges of communicating effectively.
Resources
- Designing vs Planning for Synchronous Components
Priority considerations when designing and planning synchronous components.
- Considerations for Various Groups of Learners
Needs to address when designing for first year undergraduates; STEM and non-STEM students, and large classes.
- Training Events at MacPherson Institute
Training and development events offered through the MacPherson Institute and campus partners.
- Leading Tutorials and Labs
The first half of this section explains what tutorials are and suggests how to prepare for and lead an effective tutorial.
