| Issues / observations | Fixes / improvements |
| Lack of knowledge on tools | Clear structure for the workshop, use of initial exercises / games / engagement activities at the start to build confidence. Particularly relevant for more complex environments such as Miro or Mural. |
| Cameras off, speaking to a blank screen | Recognise cultural and national differences and levels of comfort with engaging / debating, and level of education and expectations of participating, e.g. Undergraduates vs mature / post-graduate students. Setting out expectations / norms at the start. |
| Improving engagement | Use of voting / quizzes using padlet/mentimeter/Kahoot! To get participants interacting with the ideas. |
| System fatigue, unable to run sessions for the same amount of time as face to face | Consensus that around 2 hours is the most for an online session and it gets tiring beyond that. |
| Technology choices | Wide range of choices available but limited by technology (e.g availability of iPads) or policy limitations, e.g. Use of approved software only. In this case, adapt usage to use Microsoft Word templates with copy / paste, share pictures taken with a smartphone to a shared space. Can create approaches that don’t require the use of specific apps such as Miro or Mural. |
| Use of parallel channels by students / participants | Recognise that participants may use other communication channels such as Slack, Discord, LinkedIn or messaging apps to communicate during or after sessions. |
| Lack of attention / disengage, checking emails or reading other material instead of focusing on the workshop. | Use engagement techniques (voting/ polls) to capture attention, get people talking / interacting. |
| Large group sessions | Use video conferencing tools with breakout rooms, allow sufficient time for engagement and discussion, followed by feedback to the larger group. |
Handcrafted insight 