Simulcast Support Resources

About the Simulcast Course Model

• In a Simulcast course, each group of students attends a face-to-face class once a week while the other half/third views the class live online.
• Each class session would be unique and would not repeat content.
• All students are always attending synchronously, either in person or online.
• Simulcasting can be conducted in both special simulcast classrooms and standard campus classrooms.

About Simulcast Classrooms

New Simulcast Classrooms (15 total)

• New equipment, tracking camera, wireless microphones
• Staffed/facilitated during class sessions to provide support for instructors
• Requests for a simulcast classroom go through Department Chair/Associate Deans

Standard Campus Classrooms (242 total)

• New USB microphones added to podiums for optimum simulcast recording audio quality
• Upgraded computers with more storage and faster processing speeds
• No webcams on the podiums due to availability and cost

Training for Simulcasting

“Test Drive Your Classroom” Sessions

• Faculty will be able to set an appointment with tech staff during all of August to come test out the new equipment and personal equipment
• Faculty will be trained to use the podium/lectern system and how to use your own laptop to simulcast from the classroom
• This training is strongly recommended for those who want to use their own laptops or Smart Podium equipment
• Please make an appointment for training in the dedicated simulcast classrooms
• Please make an appointment for training using the lectern system for simulcasting

Training for Special New Simulcast Classrooms

• Zoom: Creating, Joining and Managing Meetings is being offered by OneIT. You can sign up for Zoom training sessions by viewing their training calendar.
• Zoom: Navigating the UNC Charlotte Interface (Custom Content)
• How do I manage teaching activities with Zoom FAQ
• Percipio Training Resource

Teaching with Web Conferencing Help Guides & FAQs

• General Web Conferencing Info
• Teaching with Web Conferencing FAQs

Simulcast Technologies

• The 15 Special New Simulcast Classrooms will use Kaltura video streaming and will have lecture capture tracking cameras and wireless microphones
• You will have access to Zoom for Simulcasting in all other classrooms
• Zoom lets you do the following teaching modalities:
  • Breakout Rooms
  • Screen Sharing (for faculty, guests, and students)
  • Polling Options
  • WhiteBoard tools
  • Recording of sessions
  • Chat capability

How to Schedule Your Simulcast Sessions in Canvas

• Teaching Using Zoom
  • All Teaching with Zoom FAQs
  • What do I need to do before using Zoom in Canvas?
  • How do I create a Zoom meeting in my Canvas course

Best Practices for Simulcast Course Facilitation

• Arrive to class early to ensure your tech setup is ready to go.
• Ensure all materials that will be used during a course session are available on Canvas before the class starts (*If you show a PowerPoint during class, upload it to Canvas after the session at the latest).
• Familiarize yourself with the Classroom Recordings and FERPA FAQs
• Consider Accessibility for students (those who rely on lip-reading, those with attention disorders, those for whom English is a second language). Recording your sessions, including transcripts, ensuring your captions are accurate, sharing the recorded sessions on Canvas so students can re-watch as much as necessary, will help accommodate ALL students.
• Upload the course session recording to MyMedia in Canvas as soon as possible and embed the recording in a Canvas Page or share it in the course Media Gallery for students to view again on-demand.
  • See: How do I record a Zoom Meeting and save to My Media in Canvas?
• Kaltura in Canvas will automatically caption videos uploaded to My Media. Ensure you review your captions for accuracy.
  • See: How do I edit captions in a video?
• Consider using Poll Everywhere as a way of actively engaging in-class students and online students. Poll Everywhere can be used to:
  • Check for understanding (multiple choice)
    • Capture student feedback (open ended answer, word cloud, survey)
    • Gamification (Competitions)
• Consider using shared Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides as a way for students in person and students remotely joining to actively engage with each other during class.
  • Use Breakout rooms for facilitation
• Use of TAs in Simulcast Classes:
  • Plan course flow with instructor
  • Track online and in-class attendance
  • Monitor chat
  • Repeat content when necessary
  • Identify and call out questions
  • Support technology
  • Monitor polls
  • Encourage active engagement
• Simulcasting in a Campus Classroom: Cautions and Considerations
  • The lecture will need to be recorded, captioned, and uploaded to Canvas in a timely fashion.
  • The quality of laptop microphones is low compared to the standard classroom microphones.
  • Faculty are cautioned that any demonstrations or content written on board may not capture in high-enough quality to be visible to students viewing online.
  • This option is less friendly to students from an access/technical perspective for students who may have limited bandwidth or trouble connecting at a prescribed regular time.
  • This model may sometimes require real-time captioning or live professional captioning in partnership with the Office of Disability Services, if you have a student who has registered with Office of Disability Services to have reasonable accommodations made in your class.
  • This model also requires additional technical support during class (e.g. an undergraduate preceptor or undergraduate TA) to monitor and troubleshoot technology problems. IT will be limited in its ability to quickly respond to technical problems.
  • Faculty are cautioned to use a moderator during these class sessions to facilitate far-end student questions and comments
• Simulcasting Using Personal Equipment: Cautions and Considerations
  • Faculty can lecture in a standard campus classroom and broadcast the lecture using their own equipment.
  • Any personal equipment will need to be tested by appointment with the Classroom Support technical staff to ensure compatibility with the classroom systems.
  • The quality of laptop microphones is low compared to the standard classroom microphones.
  • Faculty will be responsible for turning on recording and for uploading video to Canvas after the class.
  • Faculty are cautioned that any demonstrations or content written on board may not capture in high-enough quality to be visible to students viewing online.
  • This option is less friendly to students from an access/technical perspective for students who may have limited bandwidth or trouble connecting at a prescribed regular time.
  • This model may sometimes require real-time captioning or live professional captioning in partnership with the Office of Disability Services, if you have a student who has registered with Office of Disability Services to have reasonable accommodations made in your class.
  • This model also requires additional technical support during class (e.g. an undergraduate preceptor or undergraduate TA) to monitor and troubleshoot technology problems. IT and Classroom Support will be limited in its ability to quickly respond to technical problems.
  • Faculty are cautioned to use a moderator during these class sessions to facilitate far-end student questions and comments.