Special Session and Panel Facilitator Instructions

Before your session:

• Designate one person from your Special Session or Panel facilitation team as the lead facilitator. This person will be responsible for managing the conference platform and communication with the Special Sessions, Panels, and Pre-Conference Workshops Committee (SSPCW) Chair (Dr. Meagan Kendall, mvaughan@utep.edu) and the technical support staff.
• Revise the Hopin platform training video and attend a training session if you would like additional practice.
• Notify SSPCW Chair of the finalized facilitation team, panelists and/or speakers that will be needing full access to the conference platform during your session by October 9^th.
• Work with your team to determine the flow of your session and which elements will be broadcast live and which will broadcast as pre-recorded presentation which will be available to all conference attendees.
• Please note time adjustments to fit the conference schedule. You do not have to use the full time if it is not needed.
  • Panel Sessions are up to 60 minutes.
  • Special Sessions are up to 120 minutes with a 15-minute break included.
• Confirm attendance and registration of all panelists/speakers and the facilitation team.
• The technical support staff member assigned to the session will assist as needed and can be contacted via the in-platform messaging system during the session.
• If you need any other assistance in preparing your session, please reach out to the SSPCW Chair with questions.

Conference platform features:

• Recording: Panel Sessions will be recorded automatically in the conference platform and will made available to conference attendees. Please notify the SSPCW Chair if you would NOT like the Panel session recorded by Oct. 9^th. Special Sessions will not be automatically recorded but can be recorded upon request. Again, notify the SSPCW Chair if you WOULD like the Special Session recorded by Oct. 9^th.
• Audience permissions on the platform can be adjusted to suit the design of your activities. Please notify the SSPCW Chair to request modifications to the default format by Oct. 9^th (Moderated vs. Open):
  • Panel Sessions will default to a Moderated format where up to 9 people (i.e., panelists and other members of the facilitation team) can be given full access to share their audio, video, and content. These individuals should be identified in advance to pre-assign their access. The assigned individuals can also be changed by the facilitator and the technical support staff on the fly during the session.
  • Special Sessions will default to an Open format where up to 20 people can be given full access to share their audio, video, and content. The facilitator can adjust on the fly during the session who is assigned to these slots if more than 20 participants attend the session.
• The chat function will be available in all sessions.
• Breakout Sessions: Special sessions will have 6 breakout sessions generated by default and more or less can be created upon request. Panels will not have breakout sessions by default but can be requested.
  • Please note, breakout sessions will function as unlisted sessions on the conference platform. Facilitator will be sent a list of links that they can post in the chat of the main session to direct attendees to the breakout sessions. Consequently, facilitators will NOT be able to bring attendees back to the main session automatically, and participants will have to rejoin the main session manually. As such, we recommend having a designated leader or member of the facilitation team in each breakout session to help with this.
  • Like the main special session, these breakout sessions will use the Open format where up to 20 people can be given full access to share their audio, video, and content.
• Session specific polls and document sharing are not built into the platform, rather should be created externally and shared as a link in the chat feature.

During your session:

• Be in your session’s virtual room at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time. This will allow time to convene the facilitation team, speakers, and/or panelists; collect their bios for introductions if you have not done so already; discuss session procedures; and confirm presentation modes with the technical support staff.
• To join your session early, a link will be sent to the moderator in advance to share with the facilitation team, speakers, and/or panelists. The session will not be visible or accessible to attendees until the start of the session and will automatically go live at the assigned start time.
• Introduce your session briefly and make any FIE announcements that are needed.
• Briefly introduce each facilitator/panelist and the agenda for your session.
• Manage your allotted time during the session according to your agenda.
• Manage audience questions and breakout sessions, as appropriate.

Other notes and suggestions:

• Work directly with the assigned technical support staff if there are technical problems during the session.
• To help panelists/speakers stay on schedule, we suggest that you provide a prearranged cue for presenters when they have 3 minutes left and when they have 1 minute left (we recommend you use the chat).
• In the event of a no-show, cancellation, or other unanticipated change in the session agenda, feel free to use the time to best benefit the audience.

Checklist of information to send to the SSPCW Chair (Dr. Meagan Kendall, mvaughan@utep.edu) by October 9, 2020:

• Names of designated lead facilitator, facilitation team members, panelists, and/or speakers
• Session recording preference, if different from the default
• Session format preference (Moderated vs. Open), if different from the default