{"CACHEDAT":"2026-04-14 03:08:03","SLUG":"designing-interactive-synchronous-on-site-activities-mHiIbVNAVk","MARKDOWN":"Designing interactive synchronous on-site activities involves creating engaging and collaborative learning experiences that **take place in real-time within a physical classroom or training setting**. These activities are structured to promote active participation, immediate feedback, and peer-to-peer interaction, using various digital tools and pedagogical approaches to support the interactive learning environment, such as group discussions, hands-on tasks, simulations, quizzes, or problem-solving exercises. The goal is to foster a dynamic learning environment where learners can actively engage with the content, teachers, and their peers. \n\n ![](/api/attachments.redirect?id=d91991bf-ddd2-4670-85d8-3ae850cafa8e \" =728x609\")\n\n## Synchronous **On-site Interactions Between Students and Students** \n\n\n:::tip\nDesigning synchronous on-site interactions between students involves creating opportunities for real-time, face-to-face collaboration and discussion. These activities should encourage students to engage with one another, exchange ideas, and work together on tasks through structured group work, peer dialogue and collaborions, or hands-on activities in the physical classroom setting. \n\n:::\n\n\n1. **Group Brainstorming Session**\n\n To enhance interactive and collaborative activities in the classroom, teachers can add activities such as icebreakers or brainstorming sessions. For example, at the beginning or in the middle of a lesson, students can collaborate in groups to generate ideas for a project or solutions to a problem.\n\n \n 1. Assign students to small groups to brainstorm ideas or solutions for a specific topic.\n 2. Use [Miro](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/miro-v9VdklCdXR) to visually map and share their brainstorming outcomes with the entire class.\n2. **Think-Pair-Share**\\nTo provide students with active and creative activities in the classroom, teachers can add think-pair-share activities with technology. For instance, students first discuss a question with a partner and then engage in a quiz to share their ideas with the class. \n\n \n 1. Students discuss a question in pairs for 2 minutes (Think-Pair phase).\n 2. Each pair participates in a [Kahoot](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/kahoot-r6Cb6a9zCw) quiz to compete and share their answers with the class.\n3. **Collaborative Storytelling** \\nTo enhance student collaboration in the classroom, providing collaborative storytelling can be an effective activity. Students work in groups to co-create parts of a story and present it digitally using Genially.\n\n \n 1. In groups, students co-create parts of a story, either by writing or acting.\n 2. Groups use [Genially](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/genially-J3F6gD8pbo) to present their stories in a digital format.\n4. **Peer Teaching**\\nStudents prepare mini-lessons for their peers and use Wooclap to facilitate interactive feedback. For BIT and BIP, this activity can be used to practice and improve teachers' teaching strategies.\n\n \n 1. In pairs, students prepare mini-lessons on a given topic to teach their classmates.\n 2. The class uses [Wooclap](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/wooclap-DGDzlIUBZM) to ask questions or rate the explanations provided by their peers.\n\n## Synchronous **On-site Interactions Between Teachers and Students**\n\n\n:::tip\nDesigning synchronous on-site interactions between teachers and students involves creating structured and flexible opportunities for real-time, face-to-face engagement with the teaching content that teachers present. The design should enable teachers to communicate clearly, provide immediate feedback, and support students' learning actively within the physical classroom environment.\n\n:::\n\n\n1. **Interactive Lecture with Quizzes**\\nTo enhance interaction during your teaching or lecture, designing engaging teaching materials followed by interactive quizzes can be an effective approach to keep students engaged while assessing their understanding throughout the lesson.\n\n \n 1. Deliver a short lecture on the topic, explaining key concepts, such as teaching about socioscientific issues and their related terms.\n 2. Use [H5P](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/h5p-5LPqpt6Ln1) to integrate interactive quizzes within the lecture, allowing students to respond during the session.\n2. **Live Quiz**\\nTo engage students in interactive activities, teachers can add and provide students with real-time quizzes to assess their understanding and discuss responses immediately. \n\n \n 1. The teacher conducts a live quiz using a range of technology and apps such as [Kahoot](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/kahoot-r6Cb6a9zCw), [Plickers](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/plickers-atQMEB1VBy), or [Blooket](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/blooket-BIYigoqCJc), to assess prior knowledge.\n 2. Teacher reviews results and clarifies misconceptions immediately.\n3. **Guided Brainstorming**\n\n Teacher facilitates a brainstorming session with real-time input from students on Flinga.\n\n \n 1. Pose a question to the class and have students post their ideas on [Flinga](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/flinga-f9rx9QA4aI) in real time.\n 2. Organise the ideas into themes and discuss them with the class.\n4. **Rotational Q&A**\\nTo encourage active participation during onsite activities, the teacher can design and use a Picker Wheel to randomly select students for Q&A sessions.\n\n \n 1. Use [Picker Wheel](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/picker-wheel-in-progress-lqxD95gJtv) to randomly select students for a Q&A session.\n 2. Provide constructive feedback to deepen students' understanding and encourage them to ask questions for active participation.\n5. **Q&A with Anonymous Submissions**\\nTo provide students with active participation, teachers can design activities that encourage students to ask questions without fear of judgment.\n\n \n 1. Invite students to ask questions about the lesson or material.\n 2. Use [Slido](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/slido-of2Tf1hCTN) to allow anonymous submissions, making it easier for students to engage.\n\n## Synchronous **On-site Interactions Between Students and Learning Materials** \n\n\n:::tip\nDesigning synchronous on-site interaction between students and learning materials involves providing content that students can access and engage with in the physical classroom. In these settings, students can be provided with both printed materials and materials that can be accessed using technology and digital platforms such as interactive videos, game based learning, and interactive quizzes. When designing this activity, it is also important to avoid overly passive tasks such as prolonged silent reading or individual seat work that limits real time interaction.\n\n:::\n\n\n1. **Interactive Text Analysis**\\nTo engage students with interactive activities related to the learning material, teachers can provide students in the classroom with interactive passages or texts to enhance their understanding of key concepts.\n\n \n 1. Provide a passage or text relevant to the lesson.\n 2. Use [H5P](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/h5p-5LPqpt6Ln1) to create an interactive text where students highlight and annotate key concepts or unfamiliar terms (e.g., deepfakes, manipulation, hashtag, filter bubble, etc.).\n2. **Interactive Video-Based Learning**\\nTo provide students with interactive learning materials, teachers can design interactive video-based learning and encourage students to explore key points in the video while interacting with embedded content.\n\n \n 1. Show a short video clip related to the lesson topic.\n 2. Use [ThingLink](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/thinglink-in-progress-Mys3YMfQM8) or [H5P](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/h5p-5LPqpt6Ln1) to add clickable hotspots within the video for students to engage with.\n3. **Instant Matching Games**\\nReinforce concepts by having students match terms or definitions with the learning material you have provided during the lesson activities.\n\n \n 1. Provide a set of terms or definitions that students need to match.\n 2. Use [LearningApps](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/learningappsorg-V3FZinMb72) to create an interactive matching game where students drag and drop the correct terms to their definitions.\n4. **Interactive Flashcards**\\nTo provide students with learning materials that encourage active reflection, teachers can design flashcard activities. Before starting, decide on the specific terms or concepts you wish to focus on for your flashcards (e.g., terms related to digital misinformation or socio-scientific issues).\n\n \n 1. Create a set of flashcards for the selected terms or concepts.\n 2. Use [LearningApps](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/learningappsorg-V3FZinMb72) to create interactive flashcards where students can flip them to test their memory and understanding.\n\n# Differences in Designing Synchronous On-site Activities Across Educational Settings \n\nWhen designing interactive synchronous activities for students or learners in a physical environment, it is also important to reflect that the approach often differs depending on the objectives and the target audience. For example, the design and approaches may differ for those in higher education, continuing professional development (CPD), and secondary education. While some of the ideas and examples provided above work across settings, others need to be adapted and aligned with your target audience, and we should acknowledge that each learner in these three settings has different learning styles and needs.\n\n## Designing Synchronous On-site Activities for Higher Education \n\n\n:::tip\nLearners in higher education are generally comfortable with a flipped learning, which combines both technology and traditional teaching methods in a physical environment. Unlike virtual sessions, the onsite environment should enable learners to engage actively with both teachers and peers and to provide spaces for discussion and immediate feedback on tasks and activities. Also, the onsite environment needs to be aligned with prior asynchronous work, as learners benefit from having their learning connected and structured, and from having questions and issues about earlier online tasks clarified during these sessions.\n\n:::\n\n### Design Considerations and Examples \n\n\n1. #### Clear Instructions and Expectations\n\n Learners in higher education value a clear structure and clarity during synchronous on-site sessions. Begin the session by acknowledging and addressing any questions related to pre-class or online tasks in Moodle. Then present the learning objectives and a brief agenda for the activity on that day. This approach is similar to that used in synchronous virtual sessions, and the underlying principles are the same, which aim to help learners understand the purpose of the session and set a clear expectation for the learners.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n Begin your session with a brief icebreaker activity (5–10 minutes), but the activity should be different for every meeting. In an on-site setting, the activity can be conducted with or without the help of technology. For example, you can refer to some examples above on how to design a **Think-Pair-Share,** or perhaps start with a **Group Brainstorming Session**. After this activity, you also provide space and facilitate a short Q&A session, and use digital apps such as [Wooclap](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/wooclap-DGDzlIUBZM) and [Mentimeter](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/mentimeter-baTF8qq5wu) to enhance engagement. You can also provide a quick recap to address questions from previous or preparatory tasks, and clearly outline the agenda and learning objectives on a projected slide or whiteboard to set expectations and guide the session.\n\n :::\n2. **Peer Interaction and Collaboration**\n\n Learners in higher education benefit from engaging and learning with others and their peers. Within the physical environment and to make use of this potential in practice, it is important to design activities that place emphasis on active collaboration and interaction, and provide tasks that push them to discuss and create understanding with others. Technology and digital apps also have their potential and can be used in these activities to enhance students' active, collaborative, and interactive learning.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n To provide guidance on how to design this in practice, you can refer to examples such as **Group Brainstorming Sessions**, **Think-Pair-Share**, or **Peer Teaching** activities as inspiration to adapt into your teaching. For instance, in peer teaching, you can ask learners to prepare mini-lessons on sub-topics that have been discussed for their peers and use [Wooclap](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/wooclap-DGDzlIUBZM) to facilitate interactive feedback.\n\n :::\n3. **Interactive Lecturing** \n\n Learners in higher education sometimes have long lectures on theories or topics that they need to master and understand as part of a mandatory element of onsite teaching activities, and these theory-heavy lectures can sometimes lead to disengagement. To avoid this during onsite sessions, teachers can add interactive presentations that include videos, interactive content, and quizzes. Including activities between presentations can also promote more learner-centred learning and active engagement.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n To provide guidance on how to design and use multimedia in your teaching, you can refer to the example above on how to design an **Interactive Lecture** with quizzes using [H5P](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/h5p-5LPqpt6Ln1), as well as an interactive activity during the presentation, such as a **Q&A with Anonymous Submissions**, to keep learners engaged and active. \n\n :::\n4. **Self-assesment**\n\n In an onsite setting, learners in higher education can also have an individual activity to reflect on and assess their understanding of the content or topic they have learnt that day. Teachers can design a reflective activity where learners complete a short self-assessment and reflection on the topics or key elements and their understanding of them.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n To provide learners with opportunities for self-assessment and reflection in an onsite session, you can see the example above showing how we can offer **Interactive Flashcards**, as well as how to design **Virtual Instant Matching Games** to give learners time to reflect on their understanding of the topics that have been discussed.\n\n :::\n\n## Designing Synchronous On-site Activities for CPD\n\n\n:::tip\nLearners in CPD often have only a short duration for their onsite elements as part of their training schedule, usually ranging between 3 to 5 days of onsite meetings or training. When designing activities for the onsite sessions in a blended setup, it is important to create opportunities for learners to engage in practical activities that connect to their existing practices, as well as collaborative spaces where they can discuss and develop strategies to address challenges in their current work.\n\n:::\n\n### Design Considerations and Examples \n\n\n1. **Showing and Adapting**\n\n When designing the onsite element of blended learning for learners in CPD, the content and tasks should be brief and clearly focused on practical outcomes. It is also important to avoid excessive theory and lengthy lectures. Instead, allow time for questions, discussions, and include practical examples. For instance, showing learners good practices and real-life examples that they can later discuss and adapt during the onsite activities can help facilitate their needs and provide space for them to reflect on and discuss their existing practices. \n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n To design this in a more engaging and practical way, see the example above on how we can design **Synchronous On-site Interactions Between Students and Learning Materials**. You can create an example based on one of them. For instance, you could first prepare **Interactive Flashcards** using [LearningApps](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/learningappsorg-V3FZinMb72), which you design and ask learners to work with. After that, ask them to reflect on their existing practices, how this may suit their current teaching methods, and allow some time for them to try designing something similar that they could use in their own teaching.\n\n :::\n2. **Peer Interaction and Collaboration**\n\n Learners in CPD also benefit from engaging with their peers, especially since this can be more engaging during onsite sessions. It is important to make use of this potential by including some collaborative activities and opportunities to discuss topics and tasks with their peers. In this way, they get time to share their practical experiences and challenges, and to co-create their understanding.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n There are some examples above on how to facilitate this collaboration for learning and make it more engaging with the use of technology. Such as providing learners with **Group Brainstorming** sessions using [Miro](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/miro-v9VdklCdXR), or **Think-Pair-Share activities** where learners in groups prepare to summarise one topic and do peer teaching for their peers. This can be one way to collaborate and engage their understanding with the content and topics.\n\n :::\n3. **Use Multimedia and Interactive Content to Engage**\n\n While learners in CPD should engage more in practical activities rather than theory, they still need to cover small portions of content that require learning and discussion. However, most of the time, presentations of content combined with theory-heavy lectures can sometimes lead to disengagement. To avoid this during onsite sessions, teachers can include interactive presentations featuring videos, interactive content, and quizzes as part of their content delivery.\n\n \n:::success\n For example \n\n To provide guidance on how to design and use multimedia in your teaching, you can refer to the example above on how to design an **Interactive Lecture** with quizzes using [H5P](https://web.scilmi.eu/doc/h5p-5LPqpt6Ln1), as well as an interactive activity during the presentation, such as a **Q&A with Anonymous Submissions**, to keep learners engaged and active.\n\n :::\n4. **Spaces for Feedback and Reflection**\n\n Learners in CPD also benefit from understanding how what they have learnt can be applied to their existing practices. Therefore, it is important to provide time for learners to complete a short self-reflection activity at the end of each day. This activity should focus on the topics covered, their understanding of them, and how the content could be adapted into their own professional contexts.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n To provide learners with opportunities for self-reflection, teachers can design an activity where learners share their thoughts, either verbally or in writing. For instance, learners can write a short reflection on TaskCards, and at the end, the teacher can guide a whole-group discussion based on the reflections. \n\n :::\n\n## Designing Synchronous On-site Activities for Secondary Education \n\n\n:::tip\nLearners in secondary education are typically at a stage where they are still developing their independence, motivation, and self-regulated learning skills. Learners at this level often benefit most from onsite interactive activity and clear guidelines on the activities, or their well-structured onsite activities that combine teacher direction with opportunities for exploration and collaboration. When designing the onsite activity to support the blended learning with integrating technology to enhance learners' engagement, it is important that the design of the activity and the tools are used purposefully to motivate learners, visualize content, and support peer interaction rather than simply adding entertainment value.\n\n:::\n\n### Design Considerations and Examples \n\n\n1. **Start with Icebreaker Activities to Build Engagement**\n\n Learners in secondary education are usually energetic and value their social interactions, in this way, designing a short opening classroom activity with engaging icebreakers can help establish a positive classroom atmosphere and capture their attention early in the session. These activities should be fun, but it is also important to ensure that the activity is connected to the lesson topic, and with this, students can benefit by activating prior knowledge or curiosity before moving into the main contents of the learning objectives for the lesson that day.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n Begin your session with a game or quiz that is interactive and engaging for the icebreaker activity if you want to include elements of games and review of previous activities. These can be played individually or in groups. For example, a Quiz Game in [Blooket](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/blooket-BIYigoqCJc) or [Kahoot](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/kahoot-r6Cb6a9zCw) can be used to review concepts from the previous lesson or to introduce the day's topic. In many cases, you as a teacher can also use a [Picker Wheel](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/picker-wheel-lqxD95gJtv) to randomly select students or questions to encourage participation, or run a quick Word Cloud poll in [Mentimeter](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/mentimeter-baTF8qq5wu) or [Slido](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/slido-of2Tf1hCTN) to triger students' initial thoughts or emotions related to the topic.\n\n \\\n :::\n2. **Peer Interaction and Collaboration**\n\n Learners in secondary education benefit from collaborative activities within onsite settings. In this way, collaboration can help learners develop effective communication skills, problem-solving abilities, as well as social learning skills. When designing onsite lesson activities for this type of learner to enhance peer interaction and collaboration, the design should include structured opportunities for group work and sharing, and the use of technology can support this by giving every student a voice and also allow for visible group outputs, and encouraging teamwork in a safe and guided environment within the onsite settings.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n This collaboration activity can be designed as an interactive activity, for example, a brainstorming session. To facilitate a group brainstorming session, teachers can use [Miro](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/miro-v9VdklCdXR) or [Flinga](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/flinga-f9rx9QA4aI) to allow students to collect and organize ideas collaboratively on a digital board. Another example in relation to this activity is a Think–Pair–Share activity supported by [TaskCards](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/taskcards-EGFMIMfzgh), in which students first write short notes individually, discuss them with peers, and then present key insights to the class. These examples can help students enhance their peer interaction and collaboration with their peers in onsite settings while keeping the learners engaged.\n\n \\\n :::\n3. **Use Multimedia and Interactive Content to Engage**\n\n Learners in secondary education are typically visual learners, and the use of interactive activities with multimedia can help them learn better. Teachers can use technology or multimedia content to visualize difficult concepts, make content more relatable and engaging, and keep learners actively involved during lessons and assessment activities to test their understanding of the topics.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n To facilitate this interactive activity with multimedia, teachers can use [Genially](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/genially-J3F6gD8pbo) to design interactive presentations or storytelling slides that include clickable elements, short quizzes, and animations. On top of this, teachers can embed the lesson with [H5P](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/h5p-5LPqpt6Ln1) activities, as there are many activities that teachers can design to enhance students' active learning while keeping with the topic and learning objectives of the lessons.\n\n \\\n :::\n4. **Active Teacher Monitoring and Support**\n\n Learners in secondary education often require structured guidance and continuous feedback during onsite sessions. In these settings, teachers play a crucial role in facilitating and monitoring group dynamics to ensure that learners remain on task, as well as in assisting those who need additional support during lessons and activities.\n\n \n:::success\n For example\n\n To monitor students' activities and provide support for those who need additional help during a lesson, teachers can use [Wooclap](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/wooclap-DGDzlIUBZM) for live comprehension checks or short reflection polls mid-lesson to identify areas where learners might need clarification. At the end of the session, students can be invited to complete a quick reflection using [TaskCards](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/taskcards-EGFMIMfzgh) or a digital exit ticket through [Mentimeter](https://wiki.scilmi.eu/doc/mentimeter-baTF8qq5wu) to ensure they have time to reflect on what they have learned during the lesson.\n\n \\\n :::\n\n\n### References\n\nAdmiraal, W. & Putra, I. W. (2026). Towards a Pedagogy of Engagement in Technology-Enhanced Teaching. In M. Cruz, R. Queirós, & D. Mascarenhas (Eds.), *Building Teaching Competencies for AI-Driven and Inclusive Learning* (pp. 1-68). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. \n\nAdmiraal, W., Lockhorst, D., Post, L., & Kester, L. (2024). Effects of students' autonomy support on their self-regulated learning strategies: Three field experiments in secondary education. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 10(1), 1- 20. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.3343\n\nBates, A. W. (2022). *Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning* (3rd ed.). Tony Bates Associates Ltd. \n\nDe Hei, M., Strijbos, J. W., Sjoer, E., & Admiraal, W. (2016). Thematic review of approaches to design group learning activities in higher education: The development of a comprehensive framework. *Educational Research Review*, *18*, 33-45. \n\nHaleem, A., Javaid, M., Qadri, M. A., & Suman, R. (2022). Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. *Sustainable operations and computers*, *3*, 275-285. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004 ](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004)\n\nO'Flaherty, J., & Phillips, C. (2015). The use of flipped classrooms in higher education: A scoping review. *The internet and higher education*, *25*, 85-95. ","HTML":"

Designing interactive synchronous on-site activities involves creating engaging and collaborative learning experiences that take place in real-time within a physical classroom or training setting. These activities are structured to promote active participation, immediate feedback, and peer-to-peer interaction, using various digital tools and pedagogical approaches to support the interactive learning environment, such as group discussions, hands-on tasks, simulations, quizzes, or problem-solving exercises. The goal is to foster a dynamic learning environment where learners can actively engage with the content, teachers, and their peers.

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Synchronous On-site Interactions Between Students and Students

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Tip
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Designing synchronous on-site interactions between students involves creating opportunities for real-time, face-to-face collaboration and discussion. These activities should encourage students to engage with one another, exchange ideas, and work together on tasks through structured group work, peer dialogue and collaborions, or hands-on activities in the physical classroom setting.

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  1. Group Brainstorming Session
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To enhance interactive and collaborative activities in the classroom, teachers can add activities such as icebreakers or brainstorming sessions. For example, at the beginning or in the middle of a lesson, students can collaborate in groups to generate ideas for a project or solutions to a problem.

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  1. Assign students to small groups to brainstorm ideas or solutions for a specific topic.
    2. \n
  2. Use Miro to visually map and share their brainstorming outcomes with the entire class.
    3. \n
  3. Think-Pair-Share\\nTo provide students with active and creative activities in the classroom, teachers can add think-pair-share activities with technology. For instance, students first discuss a question with a partner and then engage in a quiz to share their ideas with the class.
    4. \n
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    \n
  1. Students discuss a question in pairs for 2 minutes (Think-Pair phase).
    2. \n
  2. Each pair participates in a Kahoot quiz to compete and share their answers with the class.
    3. \n
  3. Collaborative Storytelling \\nTo enhance student collaboration in the classroom, providing collaborative storytelling can be an effective activity. Students work in groups to co-create parts of a story and present it digitally using Genially.
    4. \n
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    \n
  1. In groups, students co-create parts of a story, either by writing or acting.
    2. \n
  2. Groups use Genially to present their stories in a digital format.
    3. \n
  3. Peer Teaching\\nStudents prepare mini-lessons for their peers and use Wooclap to facilitate interactive feedback. For BIT and BIP, this activity can be used to practice and improve teachers' teaching strategies.
    4. \n
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    \n
  1. In pairs, students prepare mini-lessons on a given topic to teach their classmates.
    2. \n
  2. The class uses Wooclap to ask questions or rate the explanations provided by their peers.
    3. \n
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Synchronous On-site Interactions Between Teachers and Students

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Tip
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Designing synchronous on-site interactions between teachers and students involves creating structured and flexible opportunities for real-time, face-to-face engagement with the teaching content that teachers present. The design should enable teachers to communicate clearly, provide immediate feedback, and support students' learning actively within the physical classroom environment.

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    \n
  1. Interactive Lecture with Quizzes\\nTo enhance interaction during your teaching or lecture, designing engaging teaching materials followed by interactive quizzes can be an effective approach to keep students engaged while assessing their understanding throughout the lesson.
    2. \n
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    \n
  1. Deliver a short lecture on the topic, explaining key concepts, such as teaching about socioscientific issues and their related terms.
    2. \n
  2. Use H5P to integrate interactive quizzes within the lecture, allowing students to respond during the session.
    3. \n
  3. Live Quiz\\nTo engage students in interactive activities, teachers can add and provide students with real-time quizzes to assess their understanding and discuss responses immediately.
    4. \n
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    \n
  1. The teacher conducts a live quiz using a range of technology and apps such as blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kahoot, blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plickers, or Blooket, to assess prior knowledge.
    2. \n
  2. Teacher reviews results and clarifies misconceptions immediately.
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  3. Guided Brainstorming
    4. \n
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Teacher facilitates a brainstorming session with real-time input from students on Flinga.

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  1. Pose a question to the class and have students post their ideas on Flinga in real time.
    2. \n
  2. Organise the ideas into themes and discuss them with the class.
    3. \n
  3. Rotational Q&A\\nTo encourage active participation during onsite activities, the teacher can design and use a Picker Wheel to randomly select students for Q&A sessions.
    4. \n
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  1. Use Picker Wheel to randomly select students for a Q&A session.
    2. \n
  2. Provide constructive feedback to deepen students' understanding and encourage them to ask questions for active participation.
    3. \n
  3. Q&A with Anonymous Submissions\\nTo provide students with active participation, teachers can design activities that encourage students to ask questions without fear of judgment.
    4. \n
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  1. Invite students to ask questions about the lesson or material.
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  2. Use Slido to allow anonymous submissions, making it easier for students to engage.
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Synchronous On-site Interactions Between Students and Learning Materials

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Tip
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Designing synchronous on-site interaction between students and learning materials involves providing content that students can access and engage with in the physical classroom. In these settings, students can be provided with both printed materials and materials that can be accessed using technology and digital platforms such as interactive videos, game based learning, and interactive quizzes. When designing this activity, it is also important to avoid overly passive tasks such as prolonged silent reading or individual seat work that limits real time interaction.

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  1. Interactive Text Analysis\\nTo engage students with interactive activities related to the learning material, teachers can provide students in the classroom with interactive passages or texts to enhance their understanding of key concepts.
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  1. Provide a passage or text relevant to the lesson.
    2. \n
  2. Use H5P to create an interactive text where students highlight and annotate key concepts or unfamiliar terms (e.g., deepfakes, manipulation, hashtag, filter bubble, etc.).
    3. \n
  3. Interactive Video-Based Learning\\nTo provide students with interactive learning materials, teachers can design interactive video-based learning and encourage students to explore key points in the video while interacting with embedded content.
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  1. Show a short video clip related to the lesson topic.
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  2. Use blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ThingLink or blank\" rel=\"noopener\">H5P to add clickable hotspots within the video for students to engage with.
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  3. Instant Matching Games\\nReinforce concepts by having students match terms or definitions with the learning material you have provided during the lesson activities.
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  1. Provide a set of terms or definitions that students need to match.
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  2. Use LearningApps to create an interactive matching game where students drag and drop the correct terms to their definitions.
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  3. Interactive Flashcards\\nTo provide students with learning materials that encourage active reflection, teachers can design flashcard activities. Before starting, decide on the specific terms or concepts you wish to focus on for your flashcards (e.g., terms related to digital misinformation or socio-scientific issues).
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  1. Create a set of flashcards for the selected terms or concepts.
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  2. Use LearningApps to create interactive flashcards where students can flip them to test their memory and understanding.
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Differences in Designing Synchronous On-site Activities Across Educational Settings

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When designing interactive synchronous activities for students or learners in a physical environment, it is also important to reflect that the approach often differs depending on the objectives and the target audience. For example, the design and approaches may differ for those in higher education, continuing professional development (CPD), and secondary education. While some of the ideas and examples provided above work across settings, others need to be adapted and aligned with your target audience, and we should acknowledge that each learner in these three settings has different learning styles and needs.

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Designing Synchronous On-site Activities for Higher Education

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Learners in higher education are generally comfortable with a flipped learning, which combines both technology and traditional teaching methods in a physical environment. Unlike virtual sessions, the onsite environment should enable learners to engage actively with both teachers and peers and to provide spaces for discussion and immediate feedback on tasks and activities. Also, the onsite environment needs to be aligned with prior asynchronous work, as learners benefit from having their learning connected and structured, and from having questions and issues about earlier online tasks clarified during these sessions.

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Design Considerations and Examples

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  1. #### Clear Instructions and Expectations
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Learners in higher education value a clear structure and clarity during synchronous on-site sessions. Begin the session by acknowledging and addressing any questions related to pre-class or online tasks in Moodle. Then present the learning objectives and a brief agenda for the activity on that day. This approach is similar to that used in synchronous virtual sessions, and the underlying principles are the same, which aim to help learners understand the purpose of the session and set a clear expectation for the learners.

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For example Begin your session with a brief icebreaker activity (5–10 minutes), but the activity should be different for every meeting. In an on-site setting, the activity can be conducted with or without the help of technology. For example, you can refer to some examples above on how to design a Think-Pair-Share, or perhaps start with a Group Brainstorming Session. After this activity, you also provide space and facilitate a short Q&A session, and use digital apps such as blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wooclap and blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mentimeter to enhance engagement. You can also provide a quick recap to address questions from previous or preparatory tasks, and clearly outline the agenda and learning objectives on a projected slide or whiteboard to set expectations and guide the session.

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  1. Peer Interaction and Collaboration
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Learners in higher education benefit from engaging and learning with others and their peers. Within the physical environment and to make use of this potential in practice, it is important to design activities that place emphasis on active collaboration and interaction, and provide tasks that push them to discuss and create understanding with others. Technology and digital apps also have their potential and can be used in these activities to enhance students' active, collaborative, and interactive learning.

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For example To provide guidance on how to design this in practice, you can refer to examples such as Group Brainstorming Sessions, Think-Pair-Share, or Peer Teaching activities as inspiration to adapt into your teaching. For instance, in peer teaching, you can ask learners to prepare mini-lessons on sub-topics that have been discussed for their peers and use Wooclap to facilitate interactive feedback.

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  1. Interactive Lecturing
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Learners in higher education sometimes have long lectures on theories or topics that they need to master and understand as part of a mandatory element of onsite teaching activities, and these theory-heavy lectures can sometimes lead to disengagement. To avoid this during onsite sessions, teachers can add interactive presentations that include videos, interactive content, and quizzes. Including activities between presentations can also promote more learner-centred learning and active engagement.

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Success
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For example To provide guidance on how to design and use multimedia in your teaching, you can refer to the example above on how to design an Interactive Lecture with quizzes using H5P, as well as an interactive activity during the presentation, such as a Q&A with Anonymous Submissions, to keep learners engaged and active.

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  1. Self-assesment
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In an onsite setting, learners in higher education can also have an individual activity to reflect on and assess their understanding of the content or topic they have learnt that day. Teachers can design a reflective activity where learners complete a short self-assessment and reflection on the topics or key elements and their understanding of them.

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For example To provide learners with opportunities for self-assessment and reflection in an onsite session, you can see the example above showing how we can offer Interactive Flashcards, as well as how to design Virtual Instant Matching Games to give learners time to reflect on their understanding of the topics that have been discussed.

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Designing Synchronous On-site Activities for CPD

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Learners in CPD often have only a short duration for their onsite elements as part of their training schedule, usually ranging between 3 to 5 days of onsite meetings or training. When designing activities for the onsite sessions in a blended setup, it is important to create opportunities for learners to engage in practical activities that connect to their existing practices, as well as collaborative spaces where they can discuss and develop strategies to address challenges in their current work.

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Design Considerations and Examples

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  1. Showing and Adapting
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When designing the onsite element of blended learning for learners in CPD, the content and tasks should be brief and clearly focused on practical outcomes. It is also important to avoid excessive theory and lengthy lectures. Instead, allow time for questions, discussions, and include practical examples. For instance, showing learners good practices and real-life examples that they can later discuss and adapt during the onsite activities can help facilitate their needs and provide space for them to reflect on and discuss their existing practices.

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For example To design this in a more engaging and practical way, see the example above on how we can design Synchronous On-site Interactions Between Students and Learning Materials. You can create an example based on one of them. For instance, you could first prepare Interactive Flashcards using LearningApps, which you design and ask learners to work with. After that, ask them to reflect on their existing practices, how this may suit their current teaching methods, and allow some time for them to try designing something similar that they could use in their own teaching.

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  1. Peer Interaction and Collaboration
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Learners in CPD also benefit from engaging with their peers, especially since this can be more engaging during onsite sessions. It is important to make use of this potential by including some collaborative activities and opportunities to discuss topics and tasks with their peers. In this way, they get time to share their practical experiences and challenges, and to co-create their understanding.

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For example There are some examples above on how to facilitate this collaboration for learning and make it more engaging with the use of technology. Such as providing learners with Group Brainstorming sessions using Miro, or Think-Pair-Share activities where learners in groups prepare to summarise one topic and do peer teaching for their peers. This can be one way to collaborate and engage their understanding with the content and topics.

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  1. Use Multimedia and Interactive Content to Engage
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While learners in CPD should engage more in practical activities rather than theory, they still need to cover small portions of content that require learning and discussion. However, most of the time, presentations of content combined with theory-heavy lectures can sometimes lead to disengagement. To avoid this during onsite sessions, teachers can include interactive presentations featuring videos, interactive content, and quizzes as part of their content delivery.

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Success
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For example To provide guidance on how to design and use multimedia in your teaching, you can refer to the example above on how to design an Interactive Lecture with quizzes using H5P, as well as an interactive activity during the presentation, such as a Q&A with Anonymous Submissions, to keep learners engaged and active.

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  1. Spaces for Feedback and Reflection
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Learners in CPD also benefit from understanding how what they have learnt can be applied to their existing practices. Therefore, it is important to provide time for learners to complete a short self-reflection activity at the end of each day. This activity should focus on the topics covered, their understanding of them, and how the content could be adapted into their own professional contexts.

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For example To provide learners with opportunities for self-reflection, teachers can design an activity where learners share their thoughts, either verbally or in writing. For instance, learners can write a short reflection on TaskCards, and at the end, the teacher can guide a whole-group discussion based on the reflections.

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Designing Synchronous On-site Activities for Secondary Education

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Learners in secondary education are typically at a stage where they are still developing their independence, motivation, and self-regulated learning skills. Learners at this level often benefit most from onsite interactive activity and clear guidelines on the activities, or their well-structured onsite activities that combine teacher direction with opportunities for exploration and collaboration. When designing the onsite activity to support the blended learning with integrating technology to enhance learners' engagement, it is important that the design of the activity and the tools are used purposefully to motivate learners, visualize content, and support peer interaction rather than simply adding entertainment value.

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Design Considerations and Examples

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  1. Start with Icebreaker Activities to Build Engagement
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Learners in secondary education are usually energetic and value their social interactions, in this way, designing a short opening classroom activity with engaging icebreakers can help establish a positive classroom atmosphere and capture their attention early in the session. These activities should be fun, but it is also important to ensure that the activity is connected to the lesson topic, and with this, students can benefit by activating prior knowledge or curiosity before moving into the main contents of the learning objectives for the lesson that day.

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Success
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For example Begin your session with a game or quiz that is interactive and engaging for the icebreaker activity if you want to include elements of games and review of previous activities. These can be played individually or in groups. For example, a Quiz Game in blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blooket or blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kahoot can be used to review concepts from the previous lesson or to introduce the day's topic. In many cases, you as a teacher can also use a blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Picker Wheel to randomly select students or questions to encourage participation, or run a quick Word Cloud poll in blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mentimeter or Slido to triger students' initial thoughts or emotions related to the topic.

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  1. Peer Interaction and Collaboration
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Learners in secondary education benefit from collaborative activities within onsite settings. In this way, collaboration can help learners develop effective communication skills, problem-solving abilities, as well as social learning skills. When designing onsite lesson activities for this type of learner to enhance peer interaction and collaboration, the design should include structured opportunities for group work and sharing, and the use of technology can support this by giving every student a voice and also allow for visible group outputs, and encouraging teamwork in a safe and guided environment within the onsite settings.

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Success
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For example This collaboration activity can be designed as an interactive activity, for example, a brainstorming session. To facilitate a group brainstorming session, teachers can use blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Miro or blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flinga to allow students to collect and organize ideas collaboratively on a digital board. Another example in relation to this activity is a Think–Pair–Share activity supported by TaskCards, in which students first write short notes individually, discuss them with peers, and then present key insights to the class. These examples can help students enhance their peer interaction and collaboration with their peers in onsite settings while keeping the learners engaged.

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  1. Use Multimedia and Interactive Content to Engage
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Learners in secondary education are typically visual learners, and the use of interactive activities with multimedia can help them learn better. Teachers can use technology or multimedia content to visualize difficult concepts, make content more relatable and engaging, and keep learners actively involved during lessons and assessment activities to test their understanding of the topics.

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Success
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For example To facilitate this interactive activity with multimedia, teachers can use blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Genially to design interactive presentations or storytelling slides that include clickable elements, short quizzes, and animations. On top of this, teachers can embed the lesson with blank\" rel=\"noopener\">H5P activities, as there are many activities that teachers can design to enhance students' active learning while keeping with the topic and learning objectives of the lessons.

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  1. Active Teacher Monitoring and Support
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Learners in secondary education often require structured guidance and continuous feedback during onsite sessions. In these settings, teachers play a crucial role in facilitating and monitoring group dynamics to ensure that learners remain on task, as well as in assisting those who need additional support during lessons and activities.

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For example To monitor students' activities and provide support for those who need additional help during a lesson, teachers can use blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wooclap for live comprehension checks or short reflection polls mid-lesson to identify areas where learners might need clarification. At the end of the session, students can be invited to complete a quick reflection using blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TaskCards or a digital exit ticket through Mentimeter to ensure they have time to reflect on what they have learned during the lesson.

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References

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Admiraal, W. & Putra, I. W. (2026). Towards a Pedagogy of Engagement in Technology-Enhanced Teaching. In M. Cruz, R. Queirós, & D. Mascarenhas (Eds.), Building Teaching Competencies for AI-Driven and Inclusive Learning (pp. 1-68). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. <https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-7729-2.ch001>

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Admiraal, W., Lockhorst, D., Post, L., & Kester, L. (2024). Effects of students' autonomy support on their self-regulated learning strategies: Three field experiments in secondary education. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 10(1), 1- 20. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.3343

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Bates, A. W. (2022). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning (3rd ed.). Tony Bates Associates Ltd. <https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev3m/>

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De Hei, M., Strijbos, J. W., Sjoer, E., & Admiraal, W. (2016). Thematic review of approaches to design group learning activities in higher education: The development of a comprehensive framework. Educational Research Review, 18, 33-45. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.01.001>

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Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Qadri, M. A., & Suman, R. (2022). Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustainable operations and computers, 3, 275-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004

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O'Flaherty, J., & Phillips, C. (2015). The use of flipped classrooms in higher education: A scoping review. The internet and higher education, 25, 85-95. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2015.02.002>

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