Live Q&A sessions are held in Microsoft Teams in all remotely delivered modules to provide an informal space for students to ask questions about the materials on the course, much like students approaching lecturers at the end of a lecture.

Often the live sessions are intended for general questions about the module, while other sessions focus on specific content. Sessions are typically 30 minutes, and they are generally hosted twice a day to cover different time zones.

Students take part using a mix of video, audio and written chat posts in real time. Questions relating to content not taught by the lecturer hosting the live session are directed to the appropriate lecturers on their Blackboard discussion board.

Interacting in this way allows students to have more personal contact with their lecturers and each other, fostering better communication and contributing to building an online learning community.

Students have responded favourably to these sessions. As one student put it: "The Q&A sessions have been helpful and in fact likely increased lecturer/student contact compared to a normal term - it's also a good way to see and interact with the other students on the course which there won't be many opportunities to do beyond coursework teams … The Q&A sessions have also encouraged me to keep on top of the lectures as they have been released."

Q&A sessions in Teams are a chance for informal communication between students and their lecturers, as they would have experienced in labs and lectures when on campus.