How to Facilitate a Club with a Remote Instructor

This guide assumes that:

1. The primary instructor leading the activity will be teaching remotely
2. There will be an in-person facilitator and activity participants at the same location
3. Everybody involved has a stable internet connection and can use a computer to access online resources

Requirements

1. One laptop or desktop computer for each participant. Or, if the activity allows, one laptop or desktop computer per group of 2-3 participants.
2. At least one laptop or desktop computer for the in-person facilitator(s)

If participants will be viewing the remote instructor’s video feed through an in-person facilitator’s screen (rather than on their own computers):

1. An overhead projector and screen (or another way to project a computer screen to a room of participants)
2. A speaker system for projecting audio to a room of participants
3. A web camera to capture the room of participants and display it to the remote instructor

If participants will be viewing the remote instructor’s video feed through their own computers (rather than through an in-person facilitator’s screen):

1. A pair of headphones for each participant
2. A web camera for each participant (may be included with laptops)

Roles

Those who participate in the club will likely take one of the following roles:

1. Remote instructor(s)
2. In-person facilitator(s)
3. Participants

Remote Instructor

The remote instructor will be in charge of preparing to convey the lesson material to participants and walk them through the educational activity. The remote instructor will communicate with the in-person facilitator(s) and participants via video conference (e.g., Google Meet, Zoom, Jitsi).

The remote instructor role will typically be filled by a Codecraft Works instructor.

In-Person Facilitator

The in-person facilitator instructor will be the in-house aide for the remote instructor, assisting the participants in completing the remote instructor’s instructions.

The in-person facilitator will also act as the go-between communicator for the remote instructor and the participants. This may include relaying students’ questions to the remote instructor and providing the remote instructor with updates on how the group of participants is progressing with certain tasks.

Teachers, teaching assistants, and even a participant may fill the in-person facilitator role.

Participants

Participants will be the ones following along with the remote instructor to complete the designated activity.

Best Practices

The remote instructor (or another Codecraft Works representative) will typically be available sometime prior to the event for a virtual connection test. This is especially recommended when the group will be viewing the video conference from one screen and speaker system.

Participants will need to be able to see the instructor’s screen or follow along with their verbal instructions.

Some groups may prefer that the participants be in the video conference with the remote instructor so they may ask them questions directly, without using the in-person facilitator as the communicator.

In this scenario, participants will likely need their own headsets. Microphones will be optional for the students, as they will be able to communicate with the remote instructor via chat. If the participants have microphones and are all in the same room, it will be important for them to keep their microphones muted to avoid feedback. This is mostly relevant for younger groups of participants.

Some groups may prefer to only have the in-person facilitator and remote instructor in the video conference. In this case, it is still recommended that all participants be able to view the instructor’s video feed and hear their verbal instructions. This may be accomplished with the use of an in-house projector and speaker system.