How to Create Online Lectures

The following options can deliver lecture material via the Internet to students not able to come to class because of emergency conditions, or when you want to teach from home. 

These options primarily utilize CTools, which is expected to be available in the early and recovery stages of a pandemic emergency, and other limited disasters, but not during stages of greatest emergency.

Text only

Instructors can post lecture outlines, notes, or scripts; and/or PowerPoint files.  Post these to a CTools site, if you are familiar with CTools; otherwise, send these to your students via email to a list of class members.   Students may be directed to do assigned readings before or after reading the lecture materials.  

Audio lecture

An instructor who has a computer with an internal microphone (Macs and some PCs) can audio-record an in-class lecture, or record a lecture or mini-lecture from anywhere, and save it as an electronic file by using a free, easily downloadable software like Audacity [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/].   

The instructor can post the audio file to a CTools site, or send these to students via email. 

Audio lecture with slides

If the visual materials are important to your lecture, choose from the following options that involve widely available (and downloadable) software. 

Options that create a file through which students can see the slides in synch with the audio of the lecture include ProfCast (for the Mac) and Camtasia (for the PC).  The instructor delivers the lecture with the media, just as s/he usually would in class.  The software creates a file including both the visuals and the audio recording, all ready to play.  To make sure that all students can play the recordings, it may be important to save the file in multiple formats (or make sure the recording program is set to do that automatically).  (LSA faculty may download software from the following sites:  http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsait/SWL/view-mac.asp for those with Macs... and for those with PCs, Solaris, or Linux, go to the same page so you can click the link for your computer type.)

A second option is to make an audio recording (as above) and include in the lecture cues to change slides (“next slide please”) as the instructor goes along.   Then post the audio and the corresponding slides, and let the students play the audio and the slides, changing slides when the lecture tells them to.

A third option, although it creates a big file that takes a long time to download, is to use PowerPoint.  PowerPoint has a sound recording function built in.  The instructor can deliver the lecture with slides, either to a classroom or at home, and PowerPoint saves a file, with audio, for the students to download.  Students can then watch the slides and hear the audio in synch. 

Help in Making Your Decisions

If you need assistance making decisions about how to proceed, or clarification about any of these suggestions, you can contact a CRLT consultant via email at crlt@umich.edu .   If you need CTools technical support, you need to find it through the CTools website help link or “contact us” link.  Other technical support should come from your department or School or College. 

Instructor's Guide: An Outline of How to Proceed
Online Discussion Strategies
Other Creative Teaching Strategies, Adapted for Use Online
Emergency Teaching Home
CRLT Home

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