Flu-proof your course: Lecture sessions

The H1N1 influenza virus could cause significant absences from your class sessions this Fall if an outbreak occurs on campus.  Duke administrators have set up an informational website for students, faculty and staff on flu updates and policies.  The CIT is contributing to this effort by offering a series of blog posts to help you think about contingencies in your own courses.

If you have a significant number of students absent from class or if you have suspected flu symptoms and are unable to hold a class session, there are options available at Duke to deliver your lecture session online.

Adobe Connect is an online collaboration tool that allows you to stream a live audio or video session and share your desktop, web pages and PowerPoint with students.  Adobe Connect also includes a chat tool for real time interactions with students.  OIT offers information on Adobe Connect; your local IT support staff can work with you if you need to set up an Adobe Connect license and session for your class.  (Faculty in Trinity can contact Trinity Technology Services for more information and to obtain access to a Connect license).

On OIT’s website on web collaboration, they also mention free publicly available tools – dimdim and argoo – that you can use to set up an ad-hoc collaboration session with a webcam on your computer.

Some classrooms on campus are equipped with Lectopia, a technology that allows you to automatically record a class session and have it uploaded to streaming servers, Blackboard or iTunes U for later viewing or downloading by students through a service called DukeCapture.  More information about the service is available at the OIT website and Trinity Technology Services.  If you are teaching in one of these equipped classrooms, this may be a good option for you.

If you do not wish to capture and stream a live or recorded class session, you may wish to consider recording a “mini lecture” using the Wimba voice recording tools in Blackboard.  Wimba is a plug-in that gives you an easy way to record audio directly in Blackboard using a mic attached to or built-in to your computer.  Wimba could be used to do a short lecture summary after your class session for students unable to attend, or to create a short lecture with still images if you happen to fall ill and are unable to conduct a class session.

Other options for recording presentations for later viewing include Camtasia or Jing screen recording software. Camtasia is available for instructor use in the CIT lab, and Jing is available online (free for a limited version, or for a small fee for the “pro” version).

An alternative to broadcasting or recording lectures, if you or numerous students are unable to come to class, is to substitute other types of activities for lecture, such as assigning additional readings or viewing topically-relevant online media which covers the same course content.

If you would like to talk more about course planning and options available on campus for streaming your lectures, contact the CIT for a consultation.  For more information, see the CIT’s website for a summary of resources to flu-proof your course.