ABSTRACT
Like asynchronous courses, synchronous courses are strengthened when instructors take the time to set the tone for community. Student-facilitation increases student agency in the course, and provides students with an opportunity to share more of themselves with the learning community. Creating agendas is one way that instructors can support the needs of diverse learners. Synchronous instructors must make many decisions about how they will use technology to facilitate connection online. The flipped classroom is one instructional model that has gotten the attention of educators over the past decade. Digital social reading and annotation is one asynchronous activity that can be brought into the synchronous classroom. Instructors can also use synchronous time to have students engage in collaborative writing. One of the most important features of a synchronous online classroom is the breakout room. Breakout rooms allow instructors to split apart large groups of students, allowing them to work in small groups and teams.
