Idea 6: Using Google Hangouts for Office Hours

What is a Google Hangout?

Google Hangout is a free service that allows groups of up to ten participants to video chat. Hangouts works across devices, allowing people on computers, Android and Apple devices to all be in the same conversation.

Instructions

• Add students to your Google contacts.
• For later sessions, you can create a Google circle for the class.
• Start a Google Hangout.  This can be done through Gmail or Google+.
• Add students to the session.  Google Hangout can support up 10 people at once.
• Depending on the topic, students can share screen and files with other circle members.

Best Practices

• While it caps out at ten participants, it may be too many for useful discussions.
• If problems are worked on during the session, they can be digitized and saved as PDF for easy sharing.
• Students can also hold their work up to the camera to quickly check it.
• Caution students to minimize their typing, or mute their microphones when they aren’t talking to reduce background noise.

Adapted from:

Bull, J. (2012). Holding Virtual Office hours via Google+ Hangouts. Retrieved from: https://www.crlt.umich.edu/node/708

Note: BigBlueButton, integrated into Canvas at WWU, is another option for web conferencing.

 

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