With the rise of remote and hybrid classes, educators are leveraging ThinkHub to deliver engaging and interactive classes to students worldwide. Here's how one university has set up their remote learning studio:
Classrooms come in all shapes and sizes—even small learning studios designed for an instructor to teach online courses. Including ThinkHub in such a learning studio provides instructors with an engaging digital workspace to capture students' attention and keep them engaged. Here's how we're seeing ThinkHub used in the remote world of online learning:
1. The Studio
Learning studios can be configured in a variety of ways, but some key components are essential for a state-of-the-art learning studio. These include:
- Interactive Displays with ThinkHub: ThinkHub's advanced presentation, collaboration, and whiteboarding abilities transform traditional presentations into interactive learning experiences. Features such as screen sharing, annotation tools, and real-time collaboration enhance engagement and facilitate active learning.
- Video Conferencing Equipment: High-quality cameras, microphones, and speakers enable seamless virtual communication, connecting remote learners with instructors and classmates. Pair these with a preferred VC platform, such as Zoom, Teams, WebEx, or Barco weConnect to bring remote education to the next level.
- Student Monitors: Monitors that show the remote students empower the instructor to engage more with students, encouraging greater student participation. Large displays positioned directly across from ThinkHub allow the instructor to see student faces while they teach.
- Confidence Monitor: A dedicated monitor allows instructors to monitor their presentation and student engagement without turning away from the audience.
2. Preparing the ThinkHub Cloud Canvas
Instructors kickstart the process by creating a comprehensive ThinkHub Cloud Canvas in advance of the class session. This Canvas serves as a centralized hub for all course materials, including links to Office 365 web-based presentations, agendas, class assignments, and relevant resources.
3. Initiating the Virtual Classroom Session
Once the ThinkHub Cloud Canvas is ready, instructors send their ThinkHub Cloud Canvas to the ThinkHub Room, where they can then engage with the content in meaningful ways. Instructors then join a virtual classroom session using their video conferencing platform of choice. They can then screen share the ThinkHub Cloud Canvas through video conferencing, allowing remote students to view the canvas in real time.
4. Interactive Learning Experience
Utilizing ThinkHub's interactive features, instructors enhance the learning experience by annotating on the Canvas, highlighting key concepts, and facilitating discussions. This dynamic approach encourages student participation, fosters collaboration, and ensures that remote learners feel actively involved in classroom activities. Remote learners can ask questions, contribute insights, and interact with peers, creating a collaborative learning environment that mirrors the dynamics of an in-person classroom setting.
5. Post-Class Review and Follow-Up
Following the class session, instructors can review their ThinkHub Cloud Canvas to remember what was covered in their most recent class and gather insights into student engagement and performance. They can revisit a previous canvas to initiate follow-up discussions to reinforce learning objectives and ensure student comprehension.
These learning studios accommodate a wide range of courses, from business research to civil engineering. Often, these online programs are tailored to diverse students, including veterans, business professionals, and parents. Many students balance coursework with family responsibilities, managing tasks such as getting children to school and meeting professional deadlines. The flexible and interactive nature of these learning environments ensures that students can engage with course material effectively, regardless of their personal or professional commitments.
By leveraging ThinkHub in online learning studios, instructors empower students with a rich, immersive learning experience. The platform's integration with virtual communication tools, interactive features, and collaborative capabilities revolutionizes how higher education is delivered, fostering engagement, knowledge retention, and academic success in the digital age.