{"id":11175,"date":"2023-06-26T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=11175"},"modified":"2025-04-06T14:04:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T13:04:35","slug":"permission-to-chat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2023\/06\/permission-to-chat\/","title":{"rendered":"Permission to Chat"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Vicky Butterby @vickymeaby <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When facilitating online learning, educators are often unable to engage with separate group discussions or one-to-one conversations with learners in the ways that we might do naturally when in a face-to-face environment. Similarly, we are not always able to have a quiet word with a learner who is confused or disengaged, who needs an extension task or who requires additional support with a task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many online learning platforms and remote conferencing software tools do however have an inbuilt chat function that can be used as an alternative way to facilitate both group and individual conversations with learners. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our small team were already fairly well versed in the basic functions of chat in online spaces such as Zoom, having used the platform regularly for our team meetings, to facilitate webinars and to provide Continual Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for teachers and trainers working in Further Education (FE). Typically, our use of chat in these events included asking people to: share their name and where they were from; respond to a question; record key information (for example minutes of a meeting or key points during a group discussion); network with one another; share contact details; and ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An opportunity to reflect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not until all our teaching and CPD provision moved online that we began to reflect more deeply about how we were using chat in our online spaces and how we could further develop our practice to help facilitate effective, engaging and inclusive online teaching and learning approaches within our team. To do this, we had to think carefully about four things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. What underpinning pedagogical approaches were we utilising regarding our use of chat in online spaces?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. How were the approaches we were already taking supporting learner progress and engagement?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Which approaches from our face-to-face work in physical spaces did we want to be able to replicate or adapt for the online world?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. How could chat functions in online spaces be used more creatively to support teaching, learning and assessment activities?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>
    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Expanding the use of chat by giving express permission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Whilst some learners naturally gravitate towards the use of chat, others may be more reticent to engage. This may be because they:<\/p>\n\n\n\n