How do I make the writing on the monitor visible to students in the back of the class?

Just like a physical whiteboard or chalkboard, if you are writing you will want to write large and legibly. If you’re using the digital whiteboard to write, and you find the writing is too small, you can use the pinch-to-zoom feature on the whiteboard to enlarge the writing or drawings to make them visible to all students.

If you are presenting content through PowerPoint or other media, we recommend you choose a sans-serif font with no less than 24pt size and use high contrast colors such as black text on a white background, or yellow text on a black background. Remember, the bigger the room, the bigger the font should be.

Is it possible to show the written content on the whiteboard or chalkboard to students taking the class remotely?

Content that is written on chalkboards or whiteboards is rarely legible when captured by a camera set to capture the whole classroom. We strongly encourage instructors to use the digital whiteboard feature in Zoom to ensure all students can see the content. This ensures a high-quality capture for remote students viewing live and/or viewing the recording of the class session.

 

Is it possible to show the same content on all the monitors in the room?

If there are no remote participants, the participant monitor in the room will mirror the content on the main screen/projector.

 

Is it possible to have each monitor display different content at the same time?

In most classrooms, this functionality is not yet available.

 

Can the class show the interaction/questions from in-person students to those attending synchronously and can a recording be saved for online students with the same interaction?

Yes, instructors can start a Zoom meeting in the room, and record their class session. Recordings made using Zoom will capture the audio and video from the classroom. Zoom recordings are kept for 120 days after they are made, or they can be automatically copied to an EchoVideo course to be available throughout the semester. 

 

Can students attending synchronously be seen by other students in the class if asking questions or responding to the class?

Yes, small and team-based learning classrooms are configured to capture the in-person students using tracking cameras. Large classrooms and auditoria are not configured for this due to their size and the limitations of the camera equipment. Microphones will still capture audio from the class to allow student voices to be heard.

In the Zoom meeting, based on the instructor's settings, a participant can share their screen and the content will be sent to the main projector. Participant video will appear on the participant monitor.

Guest presenters can also use the Presenter layout for screen sharing in Zoom and appear in the same location as their content.  

 

Can the room be used efficiently for lecture style as well as flexible interactive team-based teaching style within the same class as well as during the semester?

In most cases, the answer is yes. However, facilitating this type of interaction across physical spaces and multiple groups takes planning. Please reach out to the IDEAS Team at instruct@umass.edu to discuss options and best practices based on the space and technology available in your classroom.