Holding Class Online

Introduction

You can choose to hold live (synchronous) class at a scheduled time with students online together, or offer a pre-recorded (asynchronous) class that students can access at a time that works for them. You can also choose a mix of both.

BYU has institutional licenses to products such as Zoom that are free for professors and students. Detailed training is available at https://go.byu.edu/zoomtraining.

Video tutorials for getting started using Zoom are also available at support.zoom.us.

Recommendations and Suggestions

• Read these tips for teaching engaging classes on Zoom.
• Audio quality really matters. Consider getting a decent microphone and experiment with gain/other settings to make sure that your signal (your voice) to noise (other background noises) ratio is good.
• Use multiple screens. You can continue to use whatever presentation software you are comfortable with.
  • Try using one screen for the "presenter view". This allows you to use notes, prompts, a preview of upcoming content, timer, etc. as you present, while students just see the slides.
    • “I used Google Slides to present material. It worked well. You can put the presenter-view panel on a separate monitor with the presentation on screen you are sharing with students.”
  • Try moving your Zoom controls and other materials to a second monitor.
    • “I presented from my office... and having LOTS of screen-estate was a big help so I could have presentation, notes, Zoom window, student view, and chat view all up at once.”