Lectures

Planning Online Lectures

A Guide for Educators

As of May 5, 2020

The choice of tool for delivering a digital lecture depends primarily on how the lecture is to be conducted. Key factors to consider are student activities and the number of participants. These two factors are the primary determinants of whether a synchronous or asynchronous format should be used. The choice of tool depends largely on this decision. Therefore, the following section briefly explains synchronous and asynchronous learning and presents useful tools for each. This document is primarily intended to help you adapt lectures and presentations to online formats. If you are wondering how to implement a course as an online course in which students are actively involved, you will find guidance under

Table of Contents

1. Synchronous Learning

2. Asynchronous Learning

3. Creating Lecture Recordings

4. Notes on Screen Recordings

5. Contact Information

Synchronous Learning

Synchronous learning refers to a situation in which all learners can view, listen to, discuss, and work on content at the same time. A synchronous format is recommended for online courses only if two-way interaction between instructors and students and/or among students themselves is the primary focus and accounts for a significant portion of class time. At the same time, the number of participants is a key factor in such interactions. Synchronous online formats are not very effective when there are more than 20 participants. If a large portion of the lecture consists of presentations by the instructor (guideline: 70% of the time), we recommend an asynchronous format (see below).

Synchronous learning takes place in:

  • Online office hours
  • Chats
  • Video/audio conferences

The following tools are available to support synchronous learning:

Asynchronous learning

Asynchronous learning refers to a format in which all participants can view, listen to, and work on course content whenever they choose. Especially in online teaching, the focus should be on asynchronous learning, supplemented by individual synchronous activities. Conducting a lecture asynchronously avoids the problem of students missing content due to technical issues. This is a factor that should not be underestimated, particularly when there are a large number of participants.

In general, the requirements for students should be transparent in courses. However, this is particularly important in asynchronous settings so that students have the opportunity to take targeted action. Ideally, you should communicate with students about their learning objectives. In their basic structure, learning objectives consist of at least one content element and an action verb and should describe an observable action (e.g., ... to create a table or ... to calculate the point of impact of a throw). This allows students to assess, as they learn, whether they are able to perform the action described in this way. You can find further guidance on formulating learning objectives here.

Asynchronous learning takes place through:

  • Lecture recordings
  • Screen recordings, instructional and explanatory videos
  • Online assignments
  • Worksheets
  • Forums and wikis
  • Texts (literature, lecture notes, etc.)

The following resources are available to help create content and activities for asynchronous learning:

  • Lecture halls for recording lectures, experiments, etc., provided by staff at the Computer Center
  • Camtasia (screen recordings and other video sources)
  • Moodle (online assignments, forums, wikis, integration of videos and other materials)
  • StudIP (management of teaching materials, links to the video server, Moodle, and Big Blue Button)

Creating Lecture Recordings

Before you create teaching materials, we recommend that you first review the materials that are already available. You may find videos and other documents that already cover parts of your course content. We recommend the following as initial resources for your research:

The Computer Center offers two solutions for recording lectures. You can have your lecture recorded in one of three lecture halls at Clausthal University of Technology. If you are interested in having your lecture recorded in a lecture hall, please contact @.medientechniktu-clausthalde. Alternatively, you can record your lecture via screen recording. A campus license for the Camtasia software has been purchased for this purpose at Clausthal University of Technology. You can find more information below.

Notes on Screen Recordings

If you decide to record your lecture yourself, please note the following:

  • Divide your recording into shorter segments (maximum 10–20 minutes); you can easily edit them together later.
  • Ensure good audio quality. Use a desktop microphone or headset. Microphones built into laptops usually do not provide a sufficiently good audio signal and tend to pick up more background noise.
  • It has a positive effect on students if they can see the instructor’s face, at least at the beginning and/or end.
  • When recording with a webcam, check the frame for objects that might distract the viewer and/or should not be included in the shot, and make sure your lighting is adequate.

Please keep data protection and copyright issues in mind when making lecture recordings available:

  • Point out that recording and distributing lecture recordings constitutes a violation of privacy and copyright laws.
  • Add a copyright notice to your title slide. In Big Blue Button, such a notice is displayed by default so that everyone can see it.
  • Make videos or links to videos available only in secure spaces such as StudIP. This helps avoid copyright-related issues.

Contact

Florian Kainer is the contact person for planning online lectures. You can find his contact information here.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses enormous challenges for everyone at Clausthal University of Technology, including in the area of higher education teaching. We at the ZHD are constantly working on solutions and recommendations to support faculty and students. Given the constantly changing (higher education) policy decisions and technical conditions, the content of this page is subject to ongoing updates. The ZHD team considers it important that the information and concepts be developed in collaboration with colleagues from a wide variety of institutions. If you, as a faculty member or student, have concerns regarding technical matters or examination regulations, you must contact the relevant departments to discuss your concerns and proposed solutions. If you have questions or comments about the content of this document, or if you cannot find the information you need here, please write to us at: @.hochschuldidaktiktu-claustalde. We’re here to help!