Using eLive in online teaching and learning

Teaching guide

Ways to increase interactivity in eLive sessions
Things to do well before your first session
Tips for setting up a good session
Tips for running a good session
Further information

Ways to increase interactivity and interest in eLive sessions

eLive is an interactive communication tool. A one-way, non-interactive delivery will tend to result in participants tuning out. It is too easy for them to flick to their email, instant messaging and the web if they start to get bored. Here are some suggestions to increase interactivity and interest in eLive sessions:

• There is a trade-off between the number of participants in a session and the amount that each participant will be able to contribute. If you want a highly interactive session with each participant having a chance to speak at some length you will need to limit the group size to about 15. However, larger groups can still work successfully provided all participants do not expect to speak. You can still include interactivity in the form of polling, asking particular participants to speak, or asking a volunteer to speak on a certain subject.
• The main way to ensure participants contribute is to use eLive sessions to enhance core teaching/learning activities, rather than just offering them as an 'add-on'. For example, schedule an eLive session at the start of a collaborative group activity involving off-campus students, to speed up group formation and task allocation. It is not advisable to make eLive sessions mandatory, as it may be difficult for some students to be available at a particular time, but if most of your students attend the session then making separate arrangements for the minority remaining should not be too difficult. If it's appropriate, you could record the session for the benefit of non-attendees, or summarise the results and post them in an asynchronous discussion topic.

• Set the audio tools to allow multiple speakers at once. This speeds up interaction and makes the conversation more natural. Refer to the the Using the audio window in eLive guide for instructions.
• Encourage participants to use the 'raise hand' tool to indicate they have something to say, and respond to a raised hand as soon as possible.
• Get students to use the whiteboard, eg use the whiteboard to provide visuals, and move through them rather than display one image for the whole session.
• Build in brainstorming sessions in which participants type onto the whiteboard.
• Prepare questions in advance:
  • Word some questions in a way that requires yes/no or multiple choice answers and ask participants to use the polling tool to respond. You might like then to publish the results of the poll to the whiteboard. (Refer to the Using the Participants window in eLive guide for instructions.)
  • Avoid asking too many difficult questions that could result in long silences while participants wait for someone else to respond.
  • If you do have an awkward silence, ask one or two particular participants to answer.
• If you have to give a monologue, make it as short as possible, and every now and then ask for confirmation that participants understand or agree. Ask them to use the polling tool to respond.
• Encourage participants to use the emoticons under the Participants window to respond to each other's comments. Use the emoticons yourself to show them the effect.
• Ask participants to application share a file on their computer or their web browser, rather than dominating the delivery of visuals yourself. (Refer to the Using application sharing in eLive guide for instructions on how to application share.)
• Use the chat window to answer or ask individual students' questions if these are not relevant to the whole group.
• Ask a teaching assistant to assist you in the session to deal with individuals' technical or other issues while you get on with the session. If a participant has technical difficulty or needs something clarified, you can send the participant and teaching assistant to a breakout room to solve the problem without involving everyone else.
• Send groups of participants to breakout rooms to discuss topics amongst themselves. Then bring them back to the main room and ask them to report to the whole group.

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Things to do some weeks before your first session

• Organise a headset for yourself through your faculty teaching and learning support staff.
• Set up your computer for eLive. Refer to the eLive set-up guidelines for staff details. If you have any trouble, check the eLive Frequently asked questions.
• Find out how to use eLive:
  • Contact your Faculty teaching and learning support staff.
  • Refer to the participant and moderator guides attached to main eLive page.
• Think about how eLive can support your teaching and learning strategy. Refer to the Designing your online/blended unit in Desire2Learn:Site design and development for some ideas.
• Practise running sessions:
  • Think about what you want to achieve with your sessions and hence the tools you will need (eg polling, whiteboard PowerPoint, application sharing, video, quizzes, etc.). Practise using each of those tools until you are comfortable with them.
  • Practise with your colleagues, Faculty teaching and learning staff or contact ITL staff.
  • Set up a session that is always open so you can go in and practise with another participant whenever an opportunity arises.
  • Run meetings using eLive.

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Tips for setting up a good session

• Schedule a session and set it to open an hour before the nominated session start time. Set it to end an hour after you intend to end the session, in case it lasts longer than you expect. (The session will continue running as long as there are participants in it, but after the scheduled ending time recording will cease and no-one else will be able to enter.)
• Give your students clear instructions on how to set up for eLive and access to the session. You could download and save the sample instructions (49 KB) and then just substitute your session's details in the places indicated before you send them out or post them on your DSO site.
• If it is your first session, or you will have a large number of participants, ask a teaching assistant to join the session to help you. They could:
  • keep an eye on the text area and tool icons while you concentrate on the audio and whiteboard
  • alert you when a text question needs answering or a hand is raised
  • sort out technical problems individuals might have while you carry on with the session.
• Ask your students to join the session at least half-an-hour before the nominated session start time, to sort out technical issues and familiarise themselves with the environment.
• Before you enter the session, go to the toilet, get a glass of water and forward your phone to voicemail.
• Enter your eLive session early in the hour before the nominated start time so you can greet students who arrive early and help them with any technical issues. Refer to the first item under Tips for running a good session in this guide for points to help orientate them to the interface.
• Create a 'Welcome' slide that the students will see when they first enter the session. You can suggest they practise messaging each other, talk amongst themselves or introduce themselves if they don't know each other before the session officially starts. Leave the session open on your computer from this point on, or you will have to recreate or reload your welcome slide. (You might like to right-click on and save the image below to your computer and upload it to your eLive session as the first whiteboard. Refer to the Using the whiteboard window in eLive guide for instructions on uploading an image).

An example of a whiteboard Welcome message

• Prepare an agenda or activity outline and load it as the second screen on the whiteboard. Don't try to do too much in your first session, concentrate on getting students to familiarise themselves with the interface rather than tackle anything important. Introduce more of the eLive features in later sessions, once your participants are comfortable with the basics.

An example of an eLive session agenda

• Set the audio tools to multiple speakers, if you prefer. Refer to the Using the audio window in eLive guide for instructions.
• Before students enter the session, upload any PowerPoint, audio or video files you are planning to use. The files will then start to load onto your students' computers as soon as they enter the session, which will save time during a session. Refer to the Using the whiteboard window in eLive guide for instructions.
• If you plan to application share, open all the files you will be sharing in the session on your computer (on your primary screen, if you use two). Refer to the Using application sharing in eLive guide for instructions.
• Close all programs and files you will not be using (especially email - you don't need the 'new mail' alerts going off while you are in a session!).

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Tips for running a good session

• Welcome each participant as they arrive. If it is a participant's first session, explain briefly:
  • How to use the 'talk' button
  • Where to write text messages
  • What to click to show you have 'stepped away'
  • What to do if they have problems with their headset - if they have a laptop it might be easiest to use its internal microphone and speakers, otherwise they will have to rely on text messaging.
• If you are planning to record the session, you will need to at least inform all participants that the session will be recorded (say in the description field for the URL if you are providing a link from DSO). If is preferable to obtain each participant's permission before you start recording, but this may not be possible if you have set up the session to record automatically. You should also consider whether students who do not agree to taking part in a recorded session will be unfairly disadvantaged. Refer to the recording section in the Using the audio window in eLive guide for instructions on recording.
• When all participants have arrived, and if it's appropriate, ask them to introduce themselves in turn. Work down the participant list from top to bottom, so each is ready for their turn. Watch for late arrivals and get them to introduce themselves later.
• After your introductions have finished, replace your Welcome message on the whiteboard with your agenda or activity outline. This gives participants something to look at - an empty whiteboard becomes boring after a while, and a set of topics or tasks to achieve can help keep the participants focused.
• As you work through the discussions and activities you have planned, keep focused and keep control! Keep the conversation moving, as pauses of even a few seconds are disconcerting. Speak clearly and be patient - it will take time before your students work out how to use the tools properly. Give clear directions as to who should talk next. You might need to clarify some participants' comments or questions, and you will certainly need to wrap up each point or activity when you sense it's time.
• Maintain a good level of interactivity and avoid monologues - from you or any of the participants. Refer to the Ways to increase interactivity and interest above.
• If a participant leaves the 'talk' button on accidentally, you might have to click on their microphone icon in the Participants window to take them off air and free up the 'talk' button for others. (Remember to click on it again to give them back access to the button for the rest of the session.) Tell the participant what you have done and it will reinforce the point to the other participants.
• You (or an assistant) will need to keep an eye on the participant list to check for delays in transmission. These show up as orange and red marks against participants' names. When delays happen, keep talking slowly and explain that you are waiting for everyone to catch up.
• Keep an eye on time. The initial session will be tiring so don't let it go on for more than about an hour.
• If notes need to be taken, ask a helper or another participant to scribe.
• Before you close out of a session, remember that the contents will no longer be available once the session is closed (unless you have recorded the session). However, you can save the messages and/or whiteboard images if you wish. These are options on the File/Save drop-down menu.

Further information

Elluminate Live!® 9.5 Training and Documentation for Moderators website.

Murphy, E & Ciszewska-Carr, J 2007, 'Instructors' experiences of web based synchronous communication using two way audio and direct messaging',Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 68-86 http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet23/murphy.html(accessed 29 October 2007).

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