Live Workshop with Virtual Audience

Virtual Programming - Blended

As you plan an educational workshop or program you may need to think about combining both an in-person and virtual audience. Events such as this involve planning, the right equipment, practice, and staff who are willing to coordinate various aspects of the event. Below are some best practices to get you started:

Location: The location you select will have a significant impact on the success of your program. The room where the event will be held should have access to power outlets, an Internet Connection (wired connection preferred), good lighting, projector/screen, and a sound system.
Equipment: You will need to have the right equipment to connect your virtual audience. Examples include a laptop, microphone, video camera, and even simple items such as an extension cord! Please refer to the checklist below for location and equipment details.
Checklist - Location and Equipment for Blended Workshops: Please review the following checklist to assist you in making sure you have the right equipment and set-up for your event: Location and Equipment Checklist for Blended Workshops. The checklist includes detailed recommendations, as well as a sample room set-up as shown below.

Location and Equipment Checklist for Blended Workshops

Virtual Programming Room Setup — Sample Room Set-up for Virtual Program

Zoom Considerations

When planning your event, you will need to decide if you will be scheduling a Zoom Meeting or Webinar, what Zoom features to use during your event, and how you will be sharing instructions with the remote participants. Below are resources to get you started – there are several listed but choose what items you think applies to your program or event.

In the “Field”

If your program includes coursework that is held outdoors there may be some limitations in terms of including the virtual participants. For example, you may not have an Internet connection where the outdoor work is being held such as if the event is in a corn field or in a forest. You may also have limitations of specific equipment such as if you are teaching in-person participants to use a microscope to look at plant disease. Following are a couple of ideas for this type of event:

Offer two options for the workshop including a higher price for the in-person and hands-on activities and a lower price for those who are joining virtually (the virtual participants would not be a part of the hands-on activities).
When planning the field events align them to work in a virtual environment. For example, if you are planning to have participants work in small groups allow your virtual team to be one of the small groups and have someone on-site assist in giving feedback from the virtual team.
Record the outdoor events and share with virtual participants after the event. This may require assistance from a professional video editing team. For more details contact the CANR Video Production Team: Video Production - ANR Communications & Marketing