A Guide To Developing Live Virtual Group Education

Step 5: Schedule your virtual group education

Whether you are planning one virtual group education session, a series, or are going to repeat the same session over a period of time, try to maximize the opportunities your intended participants have, to attend.

When you are figuring out the best date and time, consult your participants and co-facilitators and ask:

• Are there days of the week that tend to work better for my participants?
• Are there certain times during the day that work better based on their health condition?
  Example: If you are presenting to patients with diabetes, is it wise to schedule sessions during mealtimes?
• Do they have any competing priorities that may prevent them from attending?
  Example: How many work, have certain treatments such as dialysis, or attend other classes on a regular basis?
• When are my co-presenters or co-facilitators available?
• When do I have access to the virtual platform I plan to use?
• When do I have access to technical support (people) I may need to help me run the session?

Note: If you plan to record your virtual group education for future viewing and there is a chance that your participants' names or pictures might be visible, you must consider their privacy and confidentiality by:

• Ensuring all the appropriate permission forms are completed before your virtual group education session to avoid delays in posting it
• Informing your participants before and during the session where they can find the recording and how long it will be available for
• Restating at the beginning of your session that it is being recorded and that their voice and video may be captured. Do this both verbally and through platform features that require them to acknowledge the recording in order to be admitted to the session.