There are many different options for recording your classes, each with different pros/cons.

• One of the simplest options is to record audio directly into your PowerPoint file and make it available to students in Canvas.
  • This works fine if students have access to a computer or laptop, but it’s not the best option is students are accessing course content on a phone or small tablet.
  • For students who do not have PowerPoint software, you can save the file as a PowerPoint Show (.ppsx), which creates a self-contained file that can play independently. Be sure to keep your original PowerPoint Presentation (.pptx) as a separate file for future updates.
  • If you would like to see suggestions for how to structure an online lecture in PowerPoint, Madeleine Redlick explains her approach (UT Austin email required to access).
• Panopto is a lecture capture platform that allows instructors to record video, audio, and screen activity. It comes with many benefits:
  • It is integrated into Canvas.
  • Panopto allows you to embed graded or ungraded quizzes within a recording.
  • You can allow students to post private comments or public comments to discuss the video.
  • Students can use Panopto to create presentations for assignments.
  • Captioning is automatic and UT has unlimited storage space for recordings.
• For Mac users, Quicktime Player is free and can be used to screencast, record audio/video from your computer's built-in mic/camera, and edit video. It can be used on iPhone, iPad, or Mac computers.
• Screencast-o-matic can be used to record you, your screen, or both. You can also do basic video editing (e.g., snipping out mistakes). The free version is limited to recording 15-minute videos. Fortunately, it is a best practice to break recorded presentations into short segments. The deluxe and premium subscription plans are reasonably priced and several video tutorials are available to help learn how to use it.
• Snagit is an easy-to-use screen capture and recording tool. It costs $30 with educational pricing. Here is a training video.
• Screenflow is a full-featured video editing and screen recording tool for Mac only. The cost is $129. Several faculty in Moody College and around campus use it and recommend it highly for those who need a more robust feature set.
• Keri Stephens provides a short video to help you overcome the awkward feeling of delivering lectures without an audience.
• Whatever tool you use to record your lectures, apply these “Best Practices for Recorded Lectures.” 

There are many options for class communication. When deciding which tool to use, consider:

• Are you giving the class information (one-way communication)?
• Do you want students to respond to you and each other?
• Do you want students to be able to reference the information at a later time?

Canvas is UT Austin's web-based learning management system (LMS). We offer a very brief overview of some of the more popular options here, but please visit the Canvas guides for more in depth explanations and options available.

• Inbox is a messaging tool, similar in function to email, that can be used by anyone in a course to communicate. Instructors are able to send messages to the entire class, individual sections, groups, TAs, or individual students.
  • Pros: Inbox keeps the conversation thread within Canvas so you can reference it at a later time without having to keep track in your regular UT email. Because it links to students and TAs in the course, you don’t have to keep track of individual email addresses. And, any messages sent by a student can be set to show up in your UT email so you don’t have to be in Canvas to communicate with students.
  • Cons: You do have to be in Canvas to see the email thread; each new message that appears in your UT email does not contain the previous emails, too. Although you can send a message to the entire class, students report difficulty keeping track of that email message, especially if they need the information at a later time.
• Announcements allow the instructor to broadcast information related to course content (e.g., reminders, changes to syllabus, expectations for an assignment). Unless you delete announcements, they remain within the Canvas course and are listed by title and date.
  • Pros: Students reportedly have an easier time locating and referencing information in Announcements, as compared to Inbox. Instructors can post announcements as videos or as texts with file attachments. If a student adds the course after the first day of class, you can direct the student to review the announcements to catch up and not have to dig through your inbox to forward previous whole-class messages.
  • Cons: This is not an effective way to communicate with individual students. Although students can reply to announcements, their communication to you does not show up in your inbox/UT email.
• Discussions allow for interactive, bi-directional communication among participants of a course. Discussions can be used for general communication or as a graded assignment.
  • Pros: Discussions in Canvas encourage students to interact with each other. The Discussions can be open to the entire class, restricted to sections, or set up for small groups at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, discussions can be set up for short-term posts (Focused) or longer, cumulative discussions over time (Threaded).
  • Cons: Instructors need to be proactive in setting expectations for the type of communication that is accepted within discussions to keep it a safe and respectful environment for all students. It can be more time intensive for instructors and TAs to monitor and/or grade student responses.

Slack is a group chat service that has computer, web and mobile options. It is used in many newsrooms and technical-oriented businesses. It is easy to invite students to a “Team” and use “Channels” to organize classes or group discussions. It is especially useful in technical situations where students and faculty share code and files.

• Pros: Slack is easy to use and common in industry so many students are already familiar (or should become familiar) with it. It allows both private and public conversations. You can control who can create both public and private channels.
• Cons: Slack is not run by the university. If you want to control access after a class ends, you have to manage user accounts.

Teams is a Microsoft product that offers workspace chat, videoconferencing, file storage, and application integration. UT supports and manages the platform.

• Pros: All faculty, staff, and students are automatically provisioned with an Outlook account giving them access to Teams. Faculty and staff accounts use “@austin.utexas.edu.” Student accounts use “@my.utexas.edu.”
• Cons: Many students prefer to use their Google-based “@utexas.edu” email accounts which cannot be used to access Teams.

If you have used Adobe Connect for live web conferences or recorded lectures, please be aware that it will be discontinued at UT by the end of August, 2020.

• Canvas is the primary online course platform at UT Austin. It is a full-featured learning management system where you can communicate with students, share files, create and grade online assignments and tests, have in-depth asynchronous discussions, and organize content and activities into modules. It even allows you to control how students progress through the learning activities within modules. Mobile apps are available for both teachers and students. The Zoom video conferencing platform, Panopto video recording platform, and Proctorio remote proctoring system are fully integrated within Canvas to expand your online teaching tool set.

• Zoom is a video conferencing platform that allows you to have live virtual meetings with students. You can use Zoom to deliver lectures or conduct seminar-type discussions. Polling allows you to gauge student understanding and increase engagement. Breakout rooms allow you to do small group activities and discussions. Meetings can be recorded and transcribed. A mobile app is available. To use the full capabilities of Zoom, instructors and students need to have a device (laptop, tablet, or smartphone) equipped with a camera for video and a microphone and speaker for audio. When you schedule a Zoom meeting through Canvas, a calendar entry will be created for every student in the course. You can also use your Personal Meeting Room to meet with an individual or small group of students. Bear in mind that some students may not have reliable or high bandwidth internet connectivity. If you opt for live Zoom meetings for classes, record the sessions and make them available for students to watch later if they have internet interruptions. Watching a recorded session requires less bandwidth than a live videoconference. Consider other options that might help students with limited connectivity, such as asking students in the live presentation to crowdsource notes in a Google Doc or providing an annotated PowerPoint file.

• Panopto is an online video platform that’s great for pre-recording lectures. UT’s license provides unlimited video storage. It can be set to automatically transcribe the audio. You can embed graded or ungraded quiz questions into videos. Students can add bookmarks in videos and private or public comments. Media recorded outside of Panopto (e.g., a screening assignment, a recorded Zoom meeting) can be uploaded into Panopto. There is a setting to prevent downloading videos. You can create assignments that allow students to use Panopto to record their presentations.

Holding live class meetings via Zoom provides a way for students to interact in real-time with you and with their peers. However, Zoom fatigue is real, and students may be hungry for the immediacy and spontaneity that a live virtual meeting can provide. Here are some tips to make Zoom meetings engaging and instructional: 

• Set clear expectations for civility and respectful communication. Let students know this applies to audio/video communication, as well text-based communication in the Zoom chat.
• Tell students how to ask questions. The Raise Hand feature on the participant panel is ideal for this. Some instructors choose to use the Chat exclusively for questions, rather than chatting. In large classes, it helps to have a TA monitor the participant list for raised hands or monitor the chat for questions.
• Consider starting the Zoom session 10 minutes early to give students time for the kind of social interaction they would have in a classroom. Be disciplined about starting and ending class on time.
• Start each meeting with a “check-in” question using the Polling feature to gauge the mood of the class. It could be as simple as: "How are you feeling today?" with response options set to "great,"  "ok," and "not so great." 
Display the poll results so everyone can see the overall mood of the class. Dig deeper if a large number of students are “not so great.”
• Consider letting students “chat” during the Zoom meeting. This creates a back channel of communication and allows some levity and self-expression. If possible, ask a TA to monitor the chat and enforce rules of civility.
• Use Breakout Rooms for small group interaction. Be sure to give clear instructions about what students should do, and how you expect them to report out after the breakout session. If you provide instructions on a screen-shared PowerPoint or in the chat box, they won’t be able to see that once they are in the breakout room. Ask them to take a screen grab or a photo with their phone and refer to it while in the breakout room. Let them know how much time they have to complete the assigned task. Visit the breakout rooms to check on progress. Ask if they need more time. When everyone is back together, call on specific individuals to summarize their group’s discussion or conclusion. Don’t indicate who will report out before the breakout session. That keeps everyone engaged and on their toes.
• If possible, don’t have meetings longer than an hour. Zoom fatigue is real. If you must have longer meetings, take a 10 to 15 minute break every hour. If you say "we’ll start again at 2:45," then start at 2:45.
• Use the polls to do quick knowledge checks to gauge if most students understand the topic. Adjust your presentation as needed based on poll results. Note that if you schedule your Zoom meetings in Canvas, you can find an option to pre-load your polls at the bottom of the meeting description.
• Stay animated during your presentations. Encourage students to use the non-verbal communication features (e.g., thumbs up/thumbs down or applause) to indicate their reaction.
• Call on one or two students to summarize main points every 15 minutes or so. Keep a list of who you have called on to make sure you eventually call on everyone. This helps keep everyone engaged because they don’t know when they will be called on to summarize.
• In discussions, make sure everyone has a chance to speak, even the introverts. Don’t let one or two individuals dominate the conversation. If the conversation becomes chaotic, tell students to use the raise hand feature when they want to speak and you will call on them to unmute.

Proctorio is a remote proctoring system that works with Canvas Quizzes. It can be set to lock the browser and record audio/video of students while taking a test. The system uses facial recognition algorithms to flag potential inappropriate behavior for the instructor to review. Proctorio provides security features that prevent unauthorized web browsing or content capture (e.g., screen-capturing or printing test questions). Proctorio also offers a more streamlined lock-down browser option. It only works with the Chrome web browser on a laptop.

What are the disadvantages of using Proctorio?

• Proctorio requires students to have a laptop with at least 2GB of RAM. Mobile devices are not supported. This may limit access for students who are using tablets or smartphones.
• Proctorio requires a stable broadband connection, which some students may not have.
• Proctorio requires students to have a webcam and microphone, which some may not have.
• Proctorio does not allow using the Canvas feature to show only one question at a time.
• Students may have problems if they use keyboard shortcuts or if their computer pops up a software update.

What can I do to deter cheating without using Proctorio?

• Have students agree to abide by an honor code at the beginning of the exam. Clearly outline what you consider to be cheating and then outline your penalties for proven violations. This can be the first question of the online test.
• If it's a closed book test, let them know you expect them to answer without referring to books or notes. Or, allow an open book/notes test, but time it so there is not enough time for students to catch up on readings or look up answers.
• Focus questions on application and analysis rather than memorization. If students don’t know the memorized part, they can’t apply it.
• Give shorter exams but ask students to apply concepts, give examples, make comparisons, provide reasons, etc.
• Randomize order of questions so each student sees the questions in a different sequence. Even better, create a pool of questions and set Canvas to randomly select a subset (e.g., pick 10 or 20 questions in the group) so students don’t all get the same questions. Be sure questions are an equivalent level of difficulty. You can create different question groups for questions with different levels of difficulty. Use the Canvas feature that shuffles the order of multiple-choice options.
• Consider giving frequent low-stakes tests rather than a small number of high-stakes tests to reduce the pressure that may motivate cheating.
• Allow students to drop the lowest of their quiz or exam scores to reduce the pressure of failing.

Beyond the features in Canvas, you can enrich the student experience with external tools. Some popular platforms that can be used to support student learning are listed below.

• Slack is a business communication platform that allows chat rooms and discussions organized by topic or group. The free version has limited storage and integrations.
• Perusall allows students to annotate readings and respond to each other’s comments. It is integrated in Canvas.
• Trello is a web-based list-making and task management tool. A limited free version is available.
• Discord is a free chat app that enables communication through voice, video, and text.
• Timeline is a tool that allows students to create visually rich, interactive timelines.
• Padlet is a virtual bulletin board where students can post pictures, videos, and text, and comment on other students’ posts.
• Amy Sanders provides a short video on tools she uses to keep students engaged.
• Artificial Intelligence offers many new and exciting ways to enrich the classroom!

• Moody College faculty and graduate students can request assistance by scheduling a CATE consultation.
• UT's Center for Teaching and Learning provides a wide range of information and events to support teaching and learning issues.
• The Commons focuses on online and blended course planning.
• For 24/7 Canvas technical support, click the Help (?) icon in the left navigation panel of Canvas to access a support representative via phone or text chat.
• UT’s educational technology support team provides live virtual training on Canvas, Zoom, Panopto, and Proctorio. Recorded training is also available for on-demand support. You can schedule a one-on-one consultation.
• UT’s Canvas Training Center provides numerous web-based on-demand tutorials on Canvas, Zoom, and Proctorio. You can also search the Canvas Guides for answers to common questions.
• UT’s School of Information provides numerous Panopto training videos.
• For specific Canvas problems or questions, contact IT support staff at Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu.
• For specific Zoom problems or questions, contact IT support staff at Zoom@utexas.edu.
• Moody College Tech Services are located at CMA 3.104. Classroom support is available Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 8pm. Phone: 512-471-1199.
• View the Panopto Made Easy open educational resource Canvas course, developed by the UT iSchool.
• Check out UTLearn and LinkedIn Learning for more topics, platforms, and ideas!