I am definitely in the same boat here. I do not feel that these sessions are the "best" method of interaction, but they do ensure that we are offering a variety of methods, and some students do benefit from them. I think that most online students do not expect such time-bound interaction from the outset, so most students end up not using this method. I think that the "live lab" may actually be a greater benefit if it were to be recorded and offered as an audio session for students to listen to on their own time. Perhaps more students would actually make use of the information that way. I wonder what others think about this.
