This document discusses using backchannel technologies to enable in-class collaboration and feedback. Backchannels allow students to ask questions, respond to polls, review questions and answers from their peers, and make notes during a lecture. This provides benefits like rapid feedback, reinforcement of concepts, and a sense of community. It also benefits educators by supporting engagement, reducing clarification questions, and providing analytics on engagement and retention issues. The document recommends several resources on using backchannels and their impact on inclusive teaching and active blended learning.

1. Backchannels for in-class collaboration and feedback
John Couperthwaite, Education Consultant, Echo360

2. AccessibilityCoalescent Spaces
Active Blended LearningBYOD/SocialMedia

3. …gender differences
In-class verbal discussions
…language differences

4. Inclusive Teaching
• Make some materials available
in advance;
• Make your slides accessible;
• Use closed captions and
transcripts;
• Plan to vary your delivery;
• Record your sessions;
• Encourage participation;
• Allow time for questions;
https://inclusiveteaching.leeds.ac.uk/

5. How?
…some
backchannel
technologies

6. Show Presentation Slides
Interact with Polling
questions
Review all Q&A’s
Make notes
Question threads
Up-voting and
bookmarking Q&A’s
Question context
(slide/video
timestamp)
Anonymous or
personal response
All searchable
post-class
Teacher analytics
available on posts

7. 48
24
22 21
17
15
10
5 2 1
https://journal.alt.ac.uk/index.php/rlt/article/view/2323/2611

8. http://2016conference.ascilite.org/wp-content/uploads/ascilite2016_montpetit_concise.pdf

9. Backchannels for in-class collaboration and feedback
John Couperthwaite, Education Consultant, Echo360, @johncoup
Benefits for Learners
o Rapid verification of concepts and
feedback on ideas;
o Reinforces metacognitive approaches;
o Sense of community with peers and
teacher;
o Potential for connecting learning across
rooms and online;
o Improves self-efficacy and inclusivity;
Benefits for Educators
o Teaching tool to support class
engagement;
o Reduce clarification questions;
o Promote greater group identity for class;
o Ability to link pre-class, post-class and
distance learners;
o Analytics to evaluate engagement and
early warning retention issues.

10. Backchannels for in-class collaboration and feedback
John Couperthwaite, Education Consultant, Echo360, @johncoup
Further reading…
• Have a question? Just ask it: using an anonymous mobile discussion
platform for student engagement and peer interaction to support large
group teaching (Tan et al, 2020) - Link
• Inclusive learning and teaching project (University of Leeds) - Link
• 21 ways to teach with Echo360 – Link
• Coalescent spaces (David White, UAL) – Link
• Active blended learning (University of Northampton) – Link
• Assessing the impact of an “Echo360-Active Learning
• Platform”- enabled classroom in a large enrolment blended
• learning undergraduate course in Genetics (Montpetit & Sabourin,
2016) - Link