Connecting & curating knowledge through Google+: How to host virtual office hours

One of the things that educators and professors have to be aware of are the new emerging technologies that are available to incorporate and use in the classroom.

The Internet has opened a window into the digital world of information and resources for students and professors to use, and social media has allowed professors to connect with students outside of the classroom to extend the conversations from the traditional classroom setting.  However, we are seeing a shift in the realm in the classroom, and what others have classified as being the “flipped classroom.”

One of the things that I have done in my online classes at WVU has been to offer virtual office hours – and I have done this through the Wimba software.  However, with the release of Google+, the idea came to me to host my office hours through Google+ – where students and the professor are able to chat and see each other virtually to discuss current topics in class as well as ask any questions related to the assignments for the course.

I had my first virtual office hours through Google+, and I thought that it went very well.  This is not the only way to use Google in the classroom – there are various resources available for educators.

Here are some guidelines I found to be useful in setting up virtual office hours for students through Google+:

1. Invite students to Google + and set up class circle.  The first step for all of this would be to make sure that you send out invites to the students for Google+, and make sure that you designate a circle just for the class.  For example, it can be the title of the class or another name – but you need to make sure to communicate this for all of the students.
2. Set up a time and place for the virtual office hours.  Determine which would be the best time for all of the students to meet for this virtual office hour.  Make sure that you communicate which time zone that this will be in as well – in case there are students not on the same time zone.
3. Send out a step-by-step email telling the students what they need to do in order to join the hangout for the virtual office hours.  Some students may be coming on board for the first time onto Google+, so they will need to know what steps and software / equipment they will need to have in preparation for Google+.
4. Designate the hangout to host the virtual office hours.  Make the announcement on the class circle page to state that you have begun the discussion and virtual office hours.
5. Host virtual office hours.  Set up the chat function for those students who do not have a webcam so they can still ask questions.  In addition, the professor should have a web cam so the students can see them, especially for online classes.  This interaction and face-to-face conversation will help in establishing more of a traditional feeling to the classroom.
6. Have material on hand in preparation for various topics of discussion.  The art of multitasking is key when hosting virtual office hours through Google +.  You want to make sure that you answer questions both asked through video as well as through the chat function, and provide additional material (ex. urls for reports, or additional information related to PR, etc) in this option as well.
7. Encourage the students to participate and ask questions.  This will help create an engaging learning experience for everyone involved.  We can all learn from each other – and the professor is not only the person who is managing the conversation, but also serves as a curator and connector along with being a resource of information and knowledge.