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As a new semester starts, it is vital to remember what tools are available for pedagogues at the university and how they can help in addition to teaching also with other work activities.
Remote Online Teaching
At Masaryk University, it is possible to use various tools for remote teaching. Moreover, there are always people available who can advise and guide teachers or methodically support them.
Where can Teachers Seek Help with Online Teaching?
The primary contact persons for help with online teaching and e-learning are e-technicians who can refer teachers to other contact persons if needed:
- Common email address: etech@fi.muni.cz
- e-technicians list
General tips, tools, and instructions for remote teaching are published continuously on the IS page. The page also contains experiences and inspiration from teachers.
The CERPEK University Department offers webinars to support online teaching within the RVV project. More detailed information is described here.
What Tools does the University Offer to Teachers for Providing Online Teaching?
In remote online teaching, teachers are usually not satisfied with one tool, but it is necessary to combine several tools and options. The basis is a Learning Management System (LMS). Various video conferencing tools can be used for online meetings with students. Special tools are available to increase the interactivity of online sessions.
The primary LMS is the MU Information System at the university, alternatively other LMSs (e.g., Moodle) are also used at some faculties.
MU Information System
- Organization of teaching and communication with students, online teaching recordings, seminar groups organization
- Electronic support of teaching
- Through the e-mail in the course or the interactive syllabus, teachers initially address their students and communicate access information to the selected video conferencing platform.
- Submission of homework and essays (including possible cheating prevent control)
- Archiving records from online teaching and exams
- Online exams
The primary university tool where online meetings take place is MS Teams. Alternatively, some faculties use other tools (ZOOM, Google Hangout Meet…).
MS Teams
- Online meetings with students (lectures and seminars)
- Live events for more than 300 participants
- Oral exams and individual consultations with students
- Collaborate on shared documents
- More information on the MS Teams Teaching Options page
Zoom
Zoom
Videoconference application with many features and configuration options.
- Up to 3000 participants
- Calls including voice, video and desktop sharing
- Possibility to record the conference on the organizer's computer
- Possibility to stream on YouTube and Facebook
- A number of options to limit features for participants (ban presentation, force microphone off)
- Possibility to connect anonymous participants (no login needed)
- Possibility to chat with all participants even 1:1
- Possibility of "breakout rooms" - separate videoconferences of subgroups
- polls
Unlicensed Access
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Zoom can be used without an assigned license with the following restrictions:
- Conferences with more than 2 participants can have a maximum length of 40 minutes.
- The conference can only be recorded to the organizer's computer (not to the cloud).
Licensed Access
- The CESNET Association has secured a certain number of full licenses for the academic sphere in the Czech Republic, of which 250 licenses are available for MU. The license can be obtained on request at milos.liska@cesnet.cz (for employees of Masaryk University).
- Before sending the request, log on to https://cesnet.zoom.us (using the UČO and PRIMARY password).
- Please apply only in case you will be using the tool intensively due to the limited number of licenses. Use free access to try it out.
- Licensed users have full functionality.
- Only the meeting organizer needs a license.
Instructions and license information are available here.
Recommendations for choosing the right application and a statement on the security of the Zoom application can be found in the article here.
Various special and third-party tools (Socrative, Kahoot, Padlet, etc.) can be used to increase interactivity in online classes. It is good to use them with caution; in some cases, there may be problems with GDPR or security. In case you are not sure about the suitability of use, it is recommended to consult with authorized persons at the university. To address specific teaching requirements, it is possible to contact the E-learning Service Center for assistance in selecting the most suitable solution.
Learn More
News and Inspiration
Remote Teaching Possibilities Overview
It Redirects you to the MU IS.
It redirects you to the MU IS.