Web Conferencing Classrooms: Ground Rules

After learners have tested their connection and equipment and know they can successfully participate, it is time for your class to establish ground rules for actual participation. How often have you been in a meeting—particularly a phone conference—and had multiple people begin to talk simulatenously? Then, invariably, they will all realize they're talking at the same time and each one, will say, "Sorry. You go ahead; no, go ahead." Then they all talk at once, again. That happens in web conferencing courses as well. It's usually a little easier simply because you can see one another, but it almost always happens. It's time to establish ground rules.

In one of the first class sessions, the participants should set ground rules for participating in their web conferencing classroom. Learners should generate the suggestions. When ground rules are developed by consensus, it allows everyone to have a voice.

An Idea for Your Course

If you need to kick-start the conversation on setting some ground rules, here are some suggestions.

• If your conferencing software has this option, click the "raise your hand" function to allow a moderator recognize the "speaker."
• Actually raise your hand. Because you're on camera, this will let others know that you wish to interject a comment or question.
• If the conversation is an activity like a debate or presentation, establish a moderator/timer to monitor and "call time."
• Until the group is well known to one another, be sure to identify yourself each time you speak. If there are callers on the telephone and not on-camera, everyone should always identify themselves as they begin to speak.
• Every participant except the one currently speaker must mute their microphones.
• At the beginning of the call, the moderator/faculty should "call roll" so that everyone can introduce themselves.

We will continue this conversation by talking about technology components next.