Hybrid lecture

Create Zoom rooms ahead of time

In order to create an equitable situation, it is important that students receive information about the place for the course at the same time, regardless of how they will participate. Therefore, create a Zoom room at the same time as you book a room for the lecture and enter both the link and the room in the schedule.

Remain in view of the camera

It is important that the students sitting at home can see you in the picture when you communicate with the students. Therefore, do a picture check before the lesson begins to see how far you can move in the classroom without leaving the picture.

Keep an eye on the microphone

If you use a fixed room-recording microphone, it is important that you constantly turn in the direction of it when you speak, otherwise the sound quality will vary greatly for the students who participate from home. It is easy to turn your back on the microphone if you are used to walking around the classroom, so it may be a good idea to encourage distance students to remind you as a teacher if the sound gets worse. It may be a good idea to start the lesson by doing a sound check with the students participating at a distance so that everyone can hear well and find out approximately how far from the microphone you can go before the sound quality diminishes. It also makes it easier if the microphone is portable or has a long cord so that it can be moved around the classroom when someone is speaking.

Wide camera range

If you let an external camera cover as large a part of the classroom as possible, you will not have to move the camera all the time if, for example, student groups are holding presentations in the classroom.

The same start time regardless of where the students are

Starting the Zoom room and the classroom at the same time may seem less important, but there is a lot that can be discussed before a lesson starts. It is important that all students feel included and receive the same information no matter where they are.

Introduce the layout

Take a moment at the beginning of the lesson and tell students how you want the hybrid lesson to go. It can be about how you want the remote students to do to raise their hand, for example, or how questions to teachers and classmates should be communicated.

Turn off microphones and turn on cameras

Ask remote students to turn off their microphones and turn on their cameras. Since all sound from Zoom can be heard in the speakers in the classroom, it is important that everyone who participates remotely turns off their microphones and only turns them on when they have the floor. Feel free to encourage remote students to have their cameras turned on as it increases the interaction if the teacher and classroom students can see them.

Appoint a moderator/co-host

Feel free to appoint one or more moderators among the students in the classroom who can keep track of the chat and raised hands in Zoom. This is a fundamental factor in making remote students' feel as valuable as campus students. It also lightens the burden on the teacher, who can then concentrate on organizing and leading the learning activity.

Work on the lighting

Make sure the classroom is well lit so that everyone is clearly visible. Feel free to also encourage remote students to sit in a place with good lighting so that you can see facial expressions and reactions.

Minimize noise in the room

Sound is the most important factor for the success of hybrid teaching. Therefore, make sure that the classroom is as soundproofed as possible so that everyone can hear well.