Methodological guidelines for e-learning

Contact learning scenarios

What to do if the teacher and students cannot be at the same time in the classroom?

When planning face-to-face teaching (lectures, seminars, practical classes), it is necessary to be prepared that all learners and teaching staff may not always be able to participate in the classroom. This guide gives an overview of possible face-to-face teaching scenarios that teachers can experience when teaching a course. 

Definitions

  • Contact-based teaching – teaching and learning takes place in the same learning environment, with both the student and the teacher participating at the same time; contact-based teaching may take place on campus (everyone is in the classroom/ on-site teaching/learning), online (everyone is online) or in a hybrid format (some are in the classroom, some online simultaneously/ both on-site and remote students can simultaneously attend learning activities). 
  • Hybrid teaching – form of contact-based teaching in which some learners are in the classroom and some learners are online synchronously. 
  • Partly online teaching – form of study where the teaching and learning takes place partly online and partly in the classroom or in the form of hybrid study. 
  • Fully online teaching – form of study where the whole learning process in the course (presenting the content, communicating, giving feedback) takes place online, without any meetings on campus. 

Some general recommendations: 

  • Prefer meeting students in the same learning environment (all online or all in the classroom, following the guidelines for responsible conduct in COVID-19);  
  • If necessary, replace on campus lectures with video lectures, reading materials, independent work and assignments; and after that plan a seminar or practical class to meet students to discuss or apply the materials;  
  • For large study groups, organise seminars or practical sessions in smaller groups, so that the group could meet in the same learning environment;  
  • Think carefully whether, and to what purpose, it is necessary to record contact sessions; 
  • Take a record of all students who participated in face-to-face teaching sessions on campus

Some more aspects to consider:  

  • When choosing equipment and applications, follow the purpose of teaching session: is it necessary to transmit the audio and/or video of one or several people. 
  • You should test technical equipment and applications before meeting the students, and have a back-up plan ready. 
  • When you conduct hybrid teaching, first see what equipment and options are available in your unit or the classroom you use. 
  • When recording contact session: in the case of lectures, inform the learners of the recording in advance; in seminars and practical sessions, ask for the learners’ consent and share the recording only with learners who have registered for the course. 

Five possible scenarios can be distinguished when conducting contact-based teaching: 

contac-scenarois

These instructions have been compiled by academic developers and instructional designers of the University of Tartu in cooperation with the IT Office. If you have any suggestions for amendment, please contact Katri Kütt (katri.kutt@ut.ee) or Kaire Uiboleht (kaire.uiboleht@ut.ee). 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW?

TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM
What is it called in English and Estonian?  Lecture (loeng), seminar (seminar) 

What technical equipment do you need? 

 Equipment for classroom teaching (e.g., internet-connected computer, presentation equipment, etc.). 

If you need to record a classroom session, you need a camera and a microphone. The camera should be placed so that the teacher is in the camera’s field of view and close to the microphone during the lecture. Using a (wireless) collar-clip or lapel microphone would be especially recommended. 

Before the class, ensure that the equipment and applications necessary for the planned teaching are available in the classroom and in working order

What applications to use? 

 You can use Panopto for recording the lecture (see instructions). In a video recorded with Panopto, it is possible to cut out the unnecessary sections, add captions and questions for a test. 

What to consider when planning the teaching session?  

 When you need to record, it is worth paying attention to the following aspects: 

  • Stay close to the microphone or use a lapel microphone to ensure that the audio quality enables listening to important parts of the lecture. When you receive questions and comments from the audience, it is recommended to repeat them briefly near the microphone. 
  • Before publishing, clean the recording: cut out the unnecessary sections (for example, students gathering in the room) and long pauses; arrange the list of contents, and add questions for students to think along or interactive questions. In lectures delivered in English, it is possible to add automatic captions in English

How to record attendance of participants? 

 To register students attending a class, it is possible to use the Moodle Attendance activity (see instructions). 

Information on students viewing the video and responding to questions in the video can be retrieved from the video statistics (the statistics shows names of students if they were logged in to Panopto while watching the video). 

What help could be needed? 

 To record in Panopto, you need to have a folder in Panopto with recording permissions. The Panopto folder can be created in a Moodle course (see instructions). Before recording, it is useful to make a test recording in Panopto. For basic advice on using Panopto, contact instructional designers or eope@ut.ee. If you need help with starting recording in a classroom, contact the IT specialist in the academic building or the e-learning support person of your institute. 

If you want to preset the recording of your classroom sessions by means of a remote recorder (for example, it is possible to program automatic recording in the room every week from 10:15 to 11:45, and you do not need to start the recording manually), contact IT helpdesk +372 737 5500 (5500) or arvutiabi@ut.ee. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW?

WHEN MOST LEARNERS ARE IN THE CLASSROOM AND FEW ARE ONLINE

What is it called in English and Estonian? 

 Synchronous hybrid learning; HyFlex; hybrid class (hajaõpe,  paindõpe,  hübriidõpe);  hybrid lecture (hübriidloeng); hybrid seminar (hübriidseminar) 

What technical equipment do you need? 

 Teacher: internet-connected computer, presentation equipment, webcam on the teacher’s computer or an independent camera in the classroom, microphone. 

Online learners: internet-connected computer, speakers or earphones, and a microphone and webcam for speaking and showing the video/. 

For recording a teaching session: a (web) camera and microphone(s). 

Before the class, ensure that the equipment and the applications necessary for the planned face-to-face teaching are available and in working order.

What applications to use? 

 Online learner(s) can participate using BigBlueButton (see instructions), Teams Meeting (see instructions), Zoom (see instructions) or another application that enables video conferencing.

What to consider when planning the teaching session?  

 Plan the teaching session just as you would usually conduct it . Agree about the rules of participation with those who join the class online (for example, participation with webcam). If necessary, the teacher may previously send the slides or the presentation to the online learner(s). 

Place the laptop or tablet near the person or group who is talking so that online learner(s) could hear and/or see them. To enable online learner(s) to participate in group work, place the laptop or tablet at the respective group. 

You may assign the task of involving online learner(s) to one of the on-site students. 

How to record attendance of participants? 

 It is important that students inform the teacher of their online participation in advance.  As agreed, it can be done by email or by using the Moodle Choice (see instructions). 

To record attendance, the Moodle Attendance activity can be used (see instructions).

What help could be needed? 

 Ask one of the on-site students  to take the responsibility of communicating with online learners. If necessary, involve the online learners in group discussions and forward their questions to the teacher. 

In case of technical problems, contact the IT specialist in the academic building or IT helpdesk +372 737 5500 (5500) or arvutiabi@ut.ee. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW?

WHEN MANY LEARNERS ARE IN THE CLASSROOM AND MANY LEARNERS ARE ONLINE 
What is it called in English and Estonian?  Synchronous hybrid learning; HyFlex; hybrid class (hajaõpe,  paindõpe,  hübriidõpe);  hybrid lecture (hübriidloeng); hybrid seminar (hübriidseminar) 

What technical equipment do you need? 

Teacher: internet-connected computer, presentation equipment, webcam on the teacher’s computer or an independent camera in the classroom, microphone. 

Online learners: internet-connected computer, speakers or earphones, and a microphone and webcam for speaking and showing video. 

For recording a teaching session: a (web) camera and microphone(s). 

With the help of the software application, the learners who are  in the classroom can see remote participants in a small window. 

It is recommended that remote learners post their questions or comments in the chat window. When a remote participant asks a question using a microphone, all participants can hear it but only the teacher can answer. 

When a question is asked in the classroom, the teacher can share it with remote learners. 

Online learners: internet-connected computer, earphones, and a microphone and webcam for speaking and showing your video. 

If you want to record the teaching session, a (web) camera and microphone(s) are necessary to capture the audio of all speakers. 

Before the class, ensure that the equipment and applications necessary for the planned teaching session are available in the classroom and in working order. 

What applications to use? 

Hybrid lecture: 

  • for webcast: Panopto (see instructions), Teams Live Event (see instructions). 
  • A Panopto webcast is automatically recorded. In a Teams Live Event, recording must be set manually. 

Hybrid seminar: 

  • BigBlueButton (up to 100 participants simultaneously) (see instructions), MS Teams Meeting (up to 300 participants simultaneously) (see instructions) or for very large audiences, Teams Live Event (up to 10,000 participants) (see instructions), or Zoom (see instructions). 

When recording the teaching session, think which room’s activities you want to record: those in the classroom or those online. To record the online activities, use an application for hybrid seminars

What to consider when planning the teaching session?  

  • For the teacher, this situation means parallel teaching in two separate rooms. This is why it is important to carefully consider all activities for the two different rooms (see an example). 
  • Consider all the activities in which learners may need instructing (entering the virtual room, learning activities, interruption in the live webcast, etc.). Take time to instruct both remote and on-site learners (especially during the first meeting). 
  • Agree about the rules of participating in classes with online learners (for example, participating with webcam). To enhance the sense of inclusion of online learners, share a video of those in the classroom with them, and vice versa: learners in the classroom should be able to see those online, but remember there should be no more than 16 online learners’ video images in BBB and no more than 25 in MS Teams. 
  • When you deliver a lecture, take care that you can be heard and seen in both rooms. Think how you use the blackboard in such a way that it can be seen in both rooms. 
  • If you want to engage learners, think: 
    • how learners in the classroom and those online can speak up or ask questions (separate time for questions and answers, chat window open, etc.); 
    • how to divide online learners into groups for discussion or group work (breakout rooms); 
    • how learners in web and on-site can present their seminar work to all other learners (e.g. online whiteboard; shared document in One Drive or Google Drive); 
    • how remote and on-site learners can share their experience of learning online and in the classroom). 
  • If you have several seminar or practical study groups in your course, create a separate group of those who can learn online (for example, learners who are ill or self-isolated are always in the online group and other groups study in the classroom). 

How to record attendance of participants? 

For better organisation of studies it is recommended that students give an advance notice to the teacher of their online or in-class participation: it is possible to use the Moodle Choice for advance registration (see instructions). 

To record attendance, the Moodle Attendance activity can be used (see instructions). 

What help could be needed? 

To actively engage all learners, a team of teachers is needed: 

  • the teacher in the classroom conducting the teaching; 
  • a co-teacher or teaching assistant in the classroom who supports the learners who participates online (instructs and guides the learning activities in the online environment)  
  • a co-teacher or teaching assistant online who supports learners who participate online (divides them into groups, is in contact with the group, gives instructions when contact with the lecture hall is lost); 
  • a person who offers technical support, if necessary (sees that the desired picture is displayed on screens, cameras show everything that is necessary, audio reaches the online learners, etc.). 

PS: It is important to discuss the role and activities of each team member. 

In case of technical problems, contact the IT specialist of your unit or IT helpdesk +372 737 5500 (5500) or arvutiabi@ut.ee. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW?

WHEN LEARNERS ARE IN THE CLASSROOM AND THE TEACHER IS ONLINE 

What is it called in English and Estonian? 

 Synchronous hybrid learning; HyFlex; hybrid class (hajaõpe,  paindõpe,  hübriidõpe);  hybrid lecture (hübriidloeng); hybrid seminar (hübriidseminar) 
What technical equipment do you need?  The teacher needs an internet-connected computer, webcam and microphone. 

In the classroom: presentation equipment, a microphone for students to ask and answer questions; if possible, a camera to stream a video of the classroom. 

Before the class, ensure that the equipment and applications necessary for the planned teaching session are available in the classroom and in working order.
What applications to use?  For the lecture webcast: Panopto (see instructions). 

The teacher who is online needs an internet-connected computer, earphones, and a microphone and webcam for speaking and showing video. 

Students in the classroom need an internet-connected computer, presentation equipment, webcam on the teacher’s computer or an independent camera in the classroom, microphone. 

Online learners: internet-connected computer, speakers or earphones, and a microphone and webcam for speaking and showing video. 

To conduct a teaching session: BigBlueButton (see instructions) or MS Teams Meeting (see instructions). 

For questions and answers and conducting surveys, it is possible to use online whiteboard, Mentimeter or Google Form (long URL can be replaced by a short link or a QR code). 

Teaching sessions can be recorded using the respective application. A Panopto webcast is automatically recorded. In BBB and MS Teams sessions, recording needs to be started manually. 

Before the class, ensure that the necessary equipment and applications are available in the classroom and operational. 

What to consider when planning the teaching session?   

Decide whether students also participate online or they can be (incl. communicate with each other) in the classroom. If possible, conduct the class so that everyone is online. 

If it is a one-time, unexpected situation and it is impossible to move the class to an online platform, take care that the teacher can see the students and that the technical equipment enables communication between the teacher and students. It is possible to agree with a student to mediate the students’ activities and questions to the teacher.  

To maintain attention and for better engagement of learners, divide the lecture into parts (for example, 15–20 min lecture, 3–4 min learner activity, for example, asking questions, making summaries). 

 Plan opportunities/learning activities, such as:  

  •  learners asking questions; 
  •  communication between learners; 
  •  presentation of results of the class. 

It is possible to ask students to make a written summary or report of discussions that arose during group work or in the classroom. 

If the teacher cannot conduct  classroom sessions during a longer period (for example, due to self-isolation), or visiting teachers are used who are in another city or country, the lecture may be recorded beforehand and the link to the lecture may be presented in the Moodle course. Seminars should be planned as webinars (BBB).

How to record attendance of participants? 

 To record attendance, the Moodle Attendance activity can be used (see instructions).
What help could be needed?  To conduct the teaching session, you might need an assistant who starts the computer and the application in the classroom, displays the teacher who is online on the screen, and sees that the technical equipment and applications are in good working order (computer, camera, microphone, speakers). 

The application may also be opened and displayed on the screen by a learner through his or her personal account or, if necessary, an academic affairs specialist can be given access to the Moodle course in which the BBB session takes place. 

During the class, an assistant is needed to mediate what is going on in the classroom to the teacher and vice versa (forward the questions or summaries of discussions to the teacher, moderate the classroom session, repeat the questions asked in the classroom by learners near the microphone so the teacher can hear). It is also possible to agree that the mediating task is performed by a student. 

In case of technical problems, contact the IT specialist of your unit or IT helpdesk +372 737 5500 (5500) or arvutiabi@ut.ee. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW?

WHEN ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE ONLINE 

What is it called in English and Estonian? 

 Webcast (of a lecture) (loengu ülekanne veebis, loengu veebiülekanne) 

Webinar (veebiseminar) 

What technical equipment do you need? 

 Teacher: an internet-connected computer, webcam, microphone, speakers or earphones. 

Learners: if they listen only, an internet-connected computer, speakers or earphones; to participate in a teaching session: earphones, microphone and webcam. 

Before the class, ensure that the equipment and applications necessary for the planned contact-based teaching are available and in good working order
What applications to use?  You may use: 

  • For lecture webcast: Panopto (see instructions). Users who have joined Panopto can post comments during the Panopto webcast (on the Discussions tab). Please keep in mind that the delay in a Panopto webcast is 40 seconds to one minute. The webcast is automatically recorded for later viewing. 
  • For the webcast of an online lecture: Teams Live Event (up to 10,000 users) (see instructions).  If necessary, recording and the questions and answers window need to be configured before the lecture.   For an online teaching session: BigBlueButton (see instructions). BBB is suitable for use with smaller groups (up to 100 participants simultaneously), and when it is desirable that learners can ask questions either orally or post questions in the chat window during the lecture.  BBB enables to conduct polls during the teaching session. 
  • For webinars: MS Teams Meeting (see instructions) (up to 300 participants simultaneously). 

An online lecture or webinar can be recorded for later viewing in the application used.

What to consider when planning the teaching session?  
  • Consider all the activities in which learners need instructing and demonstrating ect. (for example, entering and using the applications, participating in study activities, interruption in the webcast, etc.). Keep in mind that this requires additional time. 
  • To keep the learners engaged, it would be preferable if students participate with their camera and microphone switched on (at least at the beginning or when they speak). In BBB, the screen can show the video images of up to 16 people, and in MS Teams, up to 25 people.  If video transmission is not essential, it is better to use audio only, to save resources. 
  • To maintain learners’ attention and to better engage them, divide the lecture into parts (for example, 15 min lecture, 3–4 min learner activity, for example, asking questions). Remember that an online session is more tiring than a physical session of the same length in the classroom. 
  • Plan 
    • an opportunity for learners to ask questions (chat window etc.); 
    • an opportunity for learners to communicate with each other (for a large group, in smaller groups); 
    • some time for presenting the results of individual or group work. 
  • Offer students the possibility to take a break to stand up and move. 
How to record attendance of participants?  To record attendance in classes, the Moodle Attendance activity can be used (see instructions). 

What help could be needed? 

 If the study group includes a large number of learners, you may need an assistant who monitors posts in the chat window, answers questions, if necessary, or sends the questions on to the teacher. An assistant may also be needed when dividing students into breakout rooms, monitoring group activities and making summaries of the group work. The assistant may be a co-teacher, a teaching assistant or a student who is assigned the task of assisting. 

In case of technical problems when using Panopto or BBB, contact the IT specialist of your faculty, and when using MS Teams, contact the IT helpdesk +372 737 5500 (5500) or arvutiabi@ut.ee.