Especially at the start of semester it is important to provide information to your students: about the new format, technical specifications, joint work, and communication within the course. We are all in this new situation together and have to get used to it together.
The important thing in practice groups and tutorials is not just your communication with the students in your own course; communication with other tutors and teachers is also key.
Communication channels practice groups and tutorials:
- Chat: You can designate a regular time window in which you will be available to chat - your virtual office hours.
- Weekly message to everyone regarding current issues (ILIAS: “Mail an alle”, moodle: Message forum/ announcements) from the practice group/ tutorial
- Forum for the practice group, also in addition to a forum for the lecture; moderation and “keeping people informed” are essential in the forum
- Because the students are not likely to know each other, a round of introductions and exchange - going beyond the actual course contents - could be useful for the students. For this, a separate forum or thread within the course forum could be set up.
- It is very helpful for everyone to upload a photo of themselves (into their profile)
- Synchronous video conferencing as a standard method of communication is not recommended due to the heavy load on the networks. It could be used for very small groups or one-to-one, e.g. using the VC system jit.si (possible on the Uni network)
Higher communication channels - with other tutors and teachers
- Forum on lectures – cf. notes there, important: Moderation
- Common forum for tutors and teachers, for subject-specific questions and to share tips: e.g. What were the questions frequently asked? What has been the experience with online formats?
(Many thanks for the suggestions from the Department of Mathematics.)