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Library Skills: live online training guide

Guidance, best practices and suggestions on how to design and deliver live online library skills training.

Ahead of the event

  • Set up any polls you wish to have during the session. Only the person who created the Zoom meeting can create polls.
  • If you are going to use breakout rooms, consider setting them up ahead of the event.
  • Check your Zoom account settings are correct for the way you wish the session to work.
  • Ensure you have any URLs you wish to share readily available to copy and paste.
  • Ensure that any websites, presentations or other files to be shared using the 'Share your screen' feature are open.
  • If your session is part of the Doctoral Skills Programme and you haven't received the link by the day before, contact Sabrina or Angela.
  • Prepare a feedback survey using LibWiard and ensure you have the URL or shortened URL ready.

Attendees joining ahead of the event?

When the first attendee attempts to join your meeting you will receive an email that says they have joined the meeting. This is a bit misleading because actually they will be faced with a screen that says 'Please wait for the host to start this meeting.' If you receive an email alert and it is not time for your scheduled meeting, ignore it. The most likely scenario is that someone has clicked on the link in their confirmation email accidentally.

During set-up time

  • Log on to the session in advance of the start time. 15 minutes is a good benchmark, but there is no restriction as to when you can enter a Zoom meeting.
  • Make sure you have turned off any pop-up notifications (e.g. Outlook, Teams), especially if you intend to share screens.
  • If you intend to introduce yourself on camera, check the lighting and your background is appropriate. Note that using the camera uses a lot of bandwidth; sometimes it's appropriate to introduce yourself on camera but the switch it off.
  • Check settings for attendees by clicking on the 'More'  ... button at the bottom of the Participants pane. E.g. Mute participants upon entry. 
  • Check Chat settings by clicking on the 'More ... button at the bottom of the Chat pane. E.g. ensure participants cannot chat privately to each other.
  • Turn on autocaptions by selecting Enabling Auto-Transcription. Participants can then turn off auto-captions in their own settings. (See Enabling auto-transcriptions).
  • Ensure your co-facilitator is in the session and you are both happy about the running of the session. If you have the Waiting Room enabled, you can do this verbally before admitting any participants. Otherwise this can be done by private messages to each other in the chat.
  • Share your screen with a title slide slide that includes instructions for attendees regarding checking their audio is working. 
  • If you have the Waiting Room enabled, when you are ready, admit all in the waiting room. Then admit any other participants as they arrive.
  • If you wish to run a poll during the setup time, activate the poll.
  • Welcome participants as they arrive – this helps people to feel acknowledged and they will be more likely to join in.
  • Speak regularly during the 15 minutes prior to session start time, advising the session will start at the scheduled time and this is an opportunity for attendees to check their AV setup is working, as per the slide..
  • On Everyone chat, welcome attendees and inform them you are speaking, can they hear you? And if not, to look at the guidance on the slide to check audio.

Welcome and housekeeping

  • Introduce yourself and welcome,
  • If applicable explain session is being recorded – Start recording by clicking on Record in Zoom control bar.
  • Before we get started, some housekeeping (adapt as necessary depending on format of session.)
  • If you are using chat for questions:
    • Explain, if applicable, that attendees should remain muted with video off. Encourage questions using the chat (explain where that is). Explain whether you / your co-facilitator will answer chat as you go along (this may be in the chat or live), or that you will pause at convenient times to address questions, or that you will answer all questions at the end. Note that if you are sharing your screen you can still choose to see that chat in Zoom, but it is very difficult to manage screen sharing and viewing chat. 
    • When asking questions in the chat, please ensure the question makes sense as it stands alone so that it can be answered at the end. E.g. if you just say ‘can you tell us more about that?’ we don’t know what the ‘that’ is, so indicate which presentation you are referring to if necessary and give the context of the question.
  • If allowing audio ask attendees to ensure they are on mute unless they are speaking.
  • Explain that you may not be able to troubleshoot technical issues within the session.
  • If the session is part of our scheduled programme, trainer’s assistant should note peak attendance number for recording in LibCal, or attendance can be obtained from reports after the event. See Reports and recording attendance.
  • If using other resources for interactivity e.g. mentimeter, say that you will explain how to use these at the time.

During session

  • When responding to questions in the chat, there is no way to indicate which question you are responding to. Also, when sending two consecutive messages they will appear as one, so an answer might be missed. You might like to put the person's name before you type the answer.
  • Paste any links that you are sharing in the chat so people can click on them in the session (unless you don't want them to go to that page at that time in case it distracts).
  • When sharing your screen you may find the Zoom toolbar gets in the way. You can hide the toolbar by clicking on the More... button and selecting Hide Floating Meeting Controls. To view the toolbar again, press Escape.  Alternatively you can simply move the toolbar around the screen by hovering over the red and green section just below the toolbar when screen sharing; when your cursor changes to a four-pointed arrow you can drag the toolbar round.
  • Reactions are available only if at least one person at some point in the session has had their camera on.

End of session

  • Thank speakers and attendees.
  • Share link to feedback form in chat. Note that response rates are much higher if you ask attendees to complete the form in time at the end of the session.
  • Where the session is part of the DSDP, share Inkpath code by clicking on the link that will have been provided to you.
  • Explain what to do if people have questions after the event.
  • [if recording] Recording will be available shortly – explain where.
  • Explain how slides will be available, and how / where. For sessions as part of our scheduled programmes, these should be emailed to attendees.
  • Thank again.
  • Stop the recording by clicking on 'Stop recording'.

After the session

  • Reflect on how the session went, ideally with your co-facilitator, to inform your future session design and delivery.
  • Record attendance in LibCal (for scheduled sessions) or in your own record (for sessions delivered for academic programmes or other user groups). For sessions as part of our scheduled programme, the attendance figure should be entered in LibCal by the trainer or their LibCal administrator. Zoom generates reports including names and email address of participants. See Reports and attendance figures. You can use these reports to note the attendance figure.
  • If you wish to contact attendees after the event for example with any training material see contacting attendees after the event. A follow-up email is recommended, to include:
    • Thanking participants for attending;
    • Circulating post-course materials or links shared in the session or for further information or contacts;
    • A link to the feedback form, asking anyone who did not complete it in the session to please complete it now.