About VIAL
What a typical VIAL session looks like:
While you are welcome to walk in and attend any session, it may be helpful to know how our interaction analysis (IA) sessions run and what the week’s session will be about.
Each week, a VIAL session host will bring a small piece of video (or other interaction material) to share with the group. The shared material is often related to the individual’s research, but it is not always, nor does it need to be! Hosts have brought videos from their daily lives, found clips online, and more.
The first ten to fifteen minutes of a session involves giving context and outlining some session goals. Next, we watch the video as a collective, often re-watching segments of interest. This is the fun part, the meat of the session, as we talk, chew on, and develop ideas for approximately 90 minutes. In the last ten to fifteen minutes, we have a round (with folks both on zoom and in person) where we will each share a “gift” of a final thought or insight to the session’s host. Each session begins at 2:00 pm CT and ends at 4:00 pm CT.
We strive to create a robustly accessible hybrid + in-person experience, and in-person attendees often will have the zoom portal open to participate in the running chat conversation, and our running notes document. You can find the notes from each session on our VIAL Blog.
To check the session’s topic, visit the session schedule linked below.
Prospective first-time session hosts should attend 3-4 sessions before requesting a slot to get acquainted with the process.
If you’d like to learn more about the methodology (including the structure of an IA session), we recommend reading Jordan & Henderson (1995), and Derry et al. (2010).
Other resources:
Quick Links for VIAL Members