Synchronous online meets Hollywood Squares

Abstract

This article explains a pedagogical approach designed for synchronous online classes. It is designed to encourage online presence and participation. Students are put into smaller non-interactive groups which take turns rotating into encouraged or required visibility (turning on their cameras), and higher expectations of participation. This rotation of ‘Hollywood Square celebrities’ for the day raises the level of discussion, clarifies when students are and are not ‘on the spot’, helps teachers gauge their own effectiveness by providing faces they can see, and adds interest and humanity to the online classroom.