Alternate plan or ‘Plan B’
Technology does not always perform as expected and there may be sessions where the technology fails. Plan for these times! The tutorial does not need to be a write-off if you have a good tutorial lesson outline and a plan of what steps to take if you are cut off.
Consider the possibility of using phone conferencing, Skype, or discussion board to cover all or part of the intended tutorial work and activities.
At the start of the session, when covering the outline content and objectives, mention what to do if Collaborate cuts off and what the alternative plan is.
A quick ‘Plan B’ might consist of a couple of readings or a video clip to watch with an activity to complete, for example. The information could be just a few lines on a word document that is then emailed to the students, or the document could be placed in the BB module space to be downloaded. This extra material can be activated at the time of the incident or sent pre-emptively.
The alternate plan should be meaningful. For example rather than say ‘revise last week’s work’, use a more specific approach directing them to revision questions and activities with formative outputs. This could be written work or online such as on a discussion board, wiki or blog.
Note: Be aware that any difficulties with Collaborate may not be a problem with the BB software but could be a system problem with your College or UHI systems so it is always best to ring Helpdesk (150) if there are any difficulties.
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Audio
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Reading
Download
Information
External link
Activity
Question
Asterisk
Discussion
Collaboration
Reflection/journal/log
History
Pause for thought
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