Digital Teaching Options
The sheer amount of software, technical services and apps makes it difficult - particularly for those who are new to teaching - to choose the best options. We put together this overview to give you some orientation.
Note: We enlist here only the options and services, which Humboldt-Universität offers.
Short Overview
In this short overview we describe the different options for you as briefly as possible. We have also included some basic information on technical, didactic and organizational implementation.
Pure Online Teaching
Teaching purely online is a responsible choice at present times. Your options reach from purely synchronous scenarios (live) to asynchronous scenarios (flexible in regards to time and place) to blended scenarios.
We recommend a blended scenario where you combine live sequences with asynchronous phases for self-studying. The synchronous phases, can be used for exchange, interactionn, feedback, onboarding etc.
In the following charts you will find notes on the options of hybrid teaching, including technical, didactic and organizational tips as well as helpful links.
|
Description |
The course will be taught live with a web-conference-software. The participants join the live meeting at the requested time for the length of the meeting. |
|
Services |
Synchronous teaching formats are realized with Zoom. |
|
Details |
For using HU Zoom, you need an HU account. To prevent Zoom fatigue and enhance concentration, incorporate breaks and interactive activities (e.g. quizzes, polls, short individual tasks, breakout sessions, Q&A etc). Technical problems can always arise in synchronous teaching formats. Please ensure technical support during live sessions and/or use asynchronous formats to make contents accessible (e.g. recording, protocoll). Try putting individual sequences of your teaching content into videos. |
|
Links |
Information on HU Zoom: https://www.digitale-lehre.hu-berlin.de/en/handouts/handout?set_language=en FAQ and guides on HU Zoom:
|
|
Description
|
Recording/Teaching videos: Your course will be held at the computer or in a classroom (without participants) and will be recorded on video or you create videos for individual teaching sequences. The recordings will be distributed through a accompanying Moodle course. The participants can watch the videos and work through the materials wherever they are and whenever they want. Support: The class will be accompanied through activities in Moodle (e.g. reading materials, questions, exercises, tests etc). |
|
Services |
Several services can be used for video recording and video editing
For distributing videos, materials and activities usw.
|
|
Details |
HU holds Camtasia and Snagit licences only for HU staff members in research and teachhing. To use Camtasia und Snagit you need a licence key. Please ask your IT staff member of your institute/faculty for the key. Before starting to record your lessons, please use a microfon and record a trial video. Please check the microfon's audio quality and the video quality. Videos usually need some video editing afterwards. Please cut longer videos (>15 min) into smaller sections, e.g. by chapters or topics. Videos can never stand alone, they are part of a so-called "learning path". Please include also other learning materials and tasks in your Moodle course (e.g. reading material, questions, exercices, tests) and write down the order that students should work trough the materials. |
|
Links
|
Camtasia https://www.cms.hu-berlin.de/de/dl/multimedia/bereiche/video/Screencasts/camtasia Snagit https://www.cms.hu-berlin.de/de/dl/multimedia/bereiche/video/Screencasts/Snagit PowerPoint https://hochschuldidaktik-online.de/lehrvideos-auf-die-schnelle-einfacher-als-sie-denken/ Einsatz von Videos in der Online-Lehre https://moodle.hu-berlin.de/course/view.php?id=95147 Handreichung Videoaufzeichnung https://www.digitale-lehre.hu-berlin.de/en/handouts Moodle Moodle-Tools für die digitale Lehre |
|
Description |
The course is taught as a combination of synchronous elements and asynchronous elements. You can for example share videos on some topics. Synchronous teaching sequences, where you discuss issues with your students, do Q&A sessions or let the students work in groups, complement the course. |
|
Services |
Please see the sections above under "synchrononous" and "asynchronous" online teaching |
|
Details |
Blended learning designs offer a great amount of flexibility and are easy to adapt to the concrete necessities of the situation. However, the concept and creation of such courses are more work, because you need to define for each teaching/learning sequence exactly how you want to implement it. Please see the sections above under "synchrononous" and "asynchronous" online teaching |
|
Links
|
How to conceptualize a blended learning onlne course Please see the sections above under "synchrononous" and "asynchronous" online teaching |
Download Example Course (in German)
Hybrid Teaching
Hybrid teaching solutions are at the center of discussion at the moment. The idea is to combine in-classroom hours (with small groups) and digital teaching in order to make learning a more real experience. While social learning communities develop in in-classroom teaching rather casually, such a community needs to be created deliberately. However, hybrid teaching formats are much more laborious to organize, technically more difficult and does not make always sense didactically.
We recommends that you ask yourself a) what is the aim of your hybrid teaching format, b) if the implementation can be done at a justified expense of time and ressources (hygiene concept, working hours, staff support), c) if your work space allows for the technical necessities and d) if there are any alternatives.
In the following charts you will find notes on the options of hybrid teaching, including technical, didactic and organizational tips as well as helpful links.
|
Description |
The course is taught with a mix of in-classroom sessions with alternating student groups and asynchronous online phases. Sequencen, where information is distributed, can be done with videos. In-classroom sessions complete the course with discussions, Q&As or group work. |
|
Services |
Which services are helpful, depends on the sequence. Please see the sections above under "synchrononous" and "asynchronous" online teaching |
|
Details |
You need a hygience concept for your in-classroom sessions (number of participants, distancing rules). You need to book the classrooms seperately. Please speak to "Technische Abteilung" or the Classroom Booking Service of your institute/department. Please see the sections above under "synchrononous" and "asynchronous" online teaching. |
|
Links
|
Please see the sections above under "synchrononous" and "asynchronous" online teaching. |
Download Example Course (in German)
|
Description |
Taking into a account the hygiene concept and the room conditions (number of participants, distancing rules), the course is taught with a small number of students present. The lesson is recorded on video for those students, who are not present at site. |
|
Services |
The HU offers the following services:
In lecture rooms without technical devices for video recording, you can use your own laptop and the software Camtasia to record lessons. |
|
Details |
All rooms need to be booked seperately. Please speak to "Technische Abteilung" or the Classroom Booking Service of your institute/department. Please use a microfon and do some trial videos first to ensure good audio and video quality. Always repeat any student questions or statement as they will not be heard on the video otherwise. The video should only show you as the teacher, not the students. Please take in mind, that the video recordings will need some editing afterwards. |
|
Links
|
|
Description |
Taking into a account the hygiene concept and the room conditions (number of participants, distancing rules), the course is taught with a small number of students present. Those students, who are not at site, can participate online (via video conferenc, chat).
|
|
Services |
The HU offers this service here:
|
|
Details |
All rooms need to be booked seperately. Please speak to "Technische Abteilung" or the Classroom Booking Service of your institute/department. If there are any technical problems, it can happen that online participants do not have access. This is why you should make the contents available also in asynchronous format (e.g. video recording). Putting together online and offline student groups should be done in a transparent manner. The more interactive options are used, the higher the requirements for the teacher. We recommend co-teaching, so that one person can take of technical support and the chat with the online students. This format needs a lot of ressources, in particularly when it comes to having some interaction between the remote students and the students at site. |
|
Links
|
--- |
In-Classroom Teaching
Classic in-classroom teaching is at the moment only allowed for particular courses that cannot take place online (e.g. classes in the laboratory, practical classes) and for courses that need to take place in person for other, important reasons (e.g. classes for first-year students).
Further information you can inquiry from your supervisor and/or the faculty.
|
Description |
Taking into a account the hygiene concept and the room conditions (number of participants, distancing rules), the course is taught with the students present. |
|
Services |
—- |
|
Details |
In the winter term, this format will only take place for a small number of courses (courses in the laboratory, practical courses, courses for first year students). For information regarding the hygiene concept, room conditions and booking rooms, please contact your institute/department or faculty. If the COVID-19-situation gets worse, it is possible that these courses will be forbidden again. Teaching staff, who is teaching purely in-classroom courses, need to speak to their supervisors about alternative options in time. |
|
Links
|
—- |