STUDENT ACADEMIC STAFF

Dear Faculty Members,
Audiovisual materials, such as videos, created for our students to follow the lessons within the scope of distance education should not be shared publicly on video sharing sites (Youtube etc.) due to the protection of intellectual property rights. For this reason, these videos should be shared as "unlisted / unlisted" on video sharing sites like YouTube etc.

It is important to pay attention to the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 in videos containing students' images during the lesson and to share them on ODTUClass only for the students enrolled in the course. Videos with class and student images should not be shared publicly without the open consent of the students.
 

Last updated:  08.10.2020 - 15:20
Video Conference Tools Comparison List has been added.

Dear Faculty Members,

In our university, the work related with the measures concerning the Coronavirus is organized and updated continuously under the guidance of The Higher Education Council (YÖK) and The Ministry of Health being in close contact with these institutions.

In this regard, as stated by The Higher Education Council, starting from 23 March 2020, Monday, distant education process will begin in the Basic English Department and all associate degree, undergraduate and graduate courses in the 2019-2020 Academic Year.

As METU family, we wish all of you a healthy and successful period with the belief that this process will be completed with the support of all our faculty members in a fully mature environment that befits our university.

Courses and Exams

COURSES
The 2019-2020 Spring period will be completed by distance education. Courses, necessary online sources and activities will be prepared by the instructors.

EXAMS
The exams at the Department of Basic English and exams of the undergraduate and graduate courses, the qualifying exam for the doctoral thesis, thesis committees, and thesis defense meetings can be given and carried out via digital platforms as long as the procedures are transparent and legally accountable.

You can see the videos to prepare a Quiz on ODTUClass in below.

Making an Online Quiz in ODTUClass

With the "Quiz" activity in ODTÜClass, you can make an online exam to your students.
  Some features of Quiz activity: Being accessible between the dates you set, completing in the time you set, including many question types, presenting the questions and options in random order and selecting a different question group for each student by choosing random questions from your question bank, etc.
Please Click Here for the document Online Quiz in ODTUClass prepared by Instructional Technology Support Office.

Safe Exam Browser Setup and Usage

Safe Exam Browser is a web browser environment to carry out e-assessments safely. The software turns any computer temporarily into a secure workstation. It controls access to resources like system functions, other websites and applications and prevents unauthorized resources being used during an exam.
It does not allow other windows to be opened during the exam. You can learn how to install and use Safe Exam Browser in the video.

Developing Asynchronous and Synchronous Courses

Work on alternative tools to prepare course material for use in distance education are ongoing. In parallel, the tools on this page will also be updated.

ASYNCHRONOUS COURSE OPTION
All the courses on ODTUClass are accessible, and all the registered students can access their courses through ODTUClass. You can offer course notes, PPT slide files, word documents, Pdf documents and homework tasks to your students on a weekly basis. You can also organize interactive and asynchronous discussions with your students using ODTUclass forum services.

There are various tools you can use to record and present your lectures. Screencast –O- Matic software is a free and easy-to-access option which helps you prepare a class video with the images of the course content and your webcam image. The video that shows how you can use this tool to prepare your online courses is at the link below:

The training on preparing class videos with screenshots and uploading them to ODTUClass

This training includes step by step instructions on how you can download Screencast-O-Matic software free of charge and how you can use it to prepare online course videos combining your lecture notes and you lecturing. It also explains step by step how you can upload your lecture notes to ODTÜClass.
Due to the limitations of the software, your course video can be 15 minutes maximum. You can prepare your lessons in 15 minute sections. Small sections will also make it easier for your students to follow the lesson.

Preparing Interactive Videos using H5P on ODTUClass

In this training, how to transform your videos into interactive materials using the H5P (Interactive Content) software on ODTUClass is explained through examples.
With this technique, you can check whether video-based course materials have been watched or not, and evaluate students during the process.

Creating a Course Video by Recording Sound on Slides with a Smartphone or Tablet

For this purpose, download the PowerPoint application for your smartphone (for iPhone please click / for Android please click). PowerPoint will allow you to show the slides and also write on the slides. Hence, you can use this method to create videos in which you use the slides as a whiteboard and write on it with you finger, or stylus if you have one).

If you have an Android phone, (that is if you don't have an iPhone or an iPad), you will need to download a software to create a video of whatever you see on the screen. Please click to download Screen Recorder from Google Play Store.

iPhone or iPad users (with iOS 11 or later installed) don't need to download any application as the screen recording capability is built in. To learn how to record your screen, you can follow the instructions here.

Note: It might be a good idea to put your phone in airplane mode to prevent any messages to appear on the screen while you are creating your video.

Sample course video prepared by Prof.Dr. Altuğ Özpineci with this method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq6TP67PGE8

Making a Lecture Video with a Mobile Phone and Paper - Pen

You can prepare a lecture video using paper, pen and mobile phone at a table for lectures that are mostly narrated on the board in the classroom. You can record your video by fixing your mobile phone to a suitable place, upload the video you have prepared to YouTube and share it on ODTÜClass. .
You can use this h5p application to make your video interactive: Preparing Interactive Videos using H5P on ODTUClass
A sample video prepared by Altuğ Özpineci with this method: https://youtu.be/8YTzxEztUPI

SYNCHRONOUS COURSE OPTION
Although there is a variety of tools to use for synchronized instruction, METU Instructional Technology Support Office has prepared instructional videos for the use of three different tools. You may not get any responses about the questions and problems concerning the tools other than those provided.

Synchronous Tool-1: Blackboard Collaborate

You can access Blackboard Collaborate option by using ODTUClass. You can reach 250 people simultaneously using this tool. You can also use other options if you come across problems due to the excess of campus quota limitations which are a result of the limitations on the number of licenses.

Synchronous Tool-2: BigBlueButton

You can reach BigBlueButton tool through ODTUClass. You can access the training video for this tool at the link beside.

Synchronous Tool-3: Cisco WebEx

With the initiation of the distance education process, Cisco Webex application has been opened for use by our University in order to meet the online meeting and web conferencing needs that may be experienced in addition to the courses. Registered users can create meetings and invite unregistered people to the meeting.

In order to apply, the pre-registration form at https://bidb.metu.edu.tr/forms/cisco-webex-kullanimi must be filled out. You can access the form with your METU user code and password. The pre-registration form is accessible to our faculty members. Currently, research assistants and part-time faculty members do not have access.
After the registration confirmation is done by the Computer Center, you can create your password with the link in the e-mail you will receive, download the program from the left-hand menu at https://metu.webex.com and start the meeting.
For more information about Cisco Webex usage please go to: Cisco Webex for e-School

Synchronous Tool-4: Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams has features such as working together on a common document, sharing opinions within the team on different topics, making group conference calls, sharing meeting notes.

University students and academic staff can use Microsoft Teams for free.
You can check the page prepared by the Computer Center on the use of Microsoft Teams: How to use Microsoft Teams?

Synchronous Tool-5: ZOOM

ZOOM is an easy to access and free tool that is simple and easy to use. The fact that one session can only take maximum 40 minutes and can support only 100 users at the same time is the limitation of this tool. If your session takes more than 40 minutes, you can start another session and use it for another 40 minutes.

VIDEO CONFERENCE TOOLS COMPARISON LIST


Please click to see larger view.

Tips for Distance Education

Tips for Teaching Remotely
To reach the Tips for Teaching Remotely material created by METU ÖGEM - Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching Please click here.

Distance Education and Accessibility
Dear Faculty Members,
As announced by President’s Office, as a part of the precautions regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) Basic English Department courses and associate degree, undergraduate and graduate courses will be adapted to distance education starting on March 23, 2020.

We would like to take your attention to some accommodations that you may consider when you are planning and preparing distance education practices (i.e., video recordings, sharing online course materials, etc.) to support the students with disabilities in terms of their accessibility to the course materials.

Please Click Here for the document Distance Education and Accessibility prepared by METU Disability Support Office.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to give my course online? Do I have to give my course online?

Do I have to give my course online?
It is highly recommended to use distance education for the theoretical parts of the courses that include practical applications. For activities that require practice, it is recommended to use alternative teaching methods, if possible.

Should I give my lesson synchronously or asynchronously? Should I give my lesson synchronously or asynchronously?

Should I give my lesson synchronously or asynchronously?
Our primary suggestion is that you give your lessons asynchronously. This is a more comfortable process both for you and your students.
Synchronous option is recommended especially for courses where interaction is very high and all students are required to attend. As the number of students enrolled in a course increases, the effect of synchronous courses decreases rapidly. Synchronous lessons also have limitations due to the technological infrastructures needed. That not every student may have a good internet infrastructure may cause problems in class participation.

When deciding on whether to use synchronous or asynchronous distance education techniques, the following should be taken into consideration: The system resources required by the video conference tools used in synchronous distance education, the effect of a high number of concurrent connections on our university’s bandwidth, the Internet and equipment resources of students.

Who can I contact with and/or get support from when preparing a synchronous lesson? Who can I contact with and/or get support from when preparing a synchronous lesson?

Who can I contact with and/or get support from when preparing a synchronous lesson?
Although there are many different tools for using the synchronous option, our METU Instructional Technology Support Office has prepared instructional videos for three different tools. Questions and problems related to tools other than these options may not be answered.
You can send an e-mail to odtuclass@metu.edu.tr for problems and solutions during the process.

Who can provide assistance when preparing asynchronous lessons? Who can provide assistance when preparing asynchronous lessons?

Who can provide assistance when preparing asynchronous lessons?
For asynchronous lessons, ODTUClass platform will be used. METU Instructional Technology Support Office has prepared a video on how to use the tools on ODTUClass (accessible at the link below). You can email odtuclass@metu.edu.tr for your questions and the problems you face during the process.

I want to prepare video-recordings of my lessons. Do I need a special camera? I want to prepare video-recordings of my lessons. Do I need a special camera?

I want to prepare video-recordings of my lessons. Do I need a special camera?
You do not need to use a special camera to video-record your lesson. You can use a mobile phone with a video-recording option.
Due to limited human and technical resources, we cannot provide video-recording support to all our academics. However, METU GISAM will do the video-recording of lessons for courses offered to large groups of students.

I cannot upload the videos I prepared for my lesson on ODTUClass because the file size is too big. What should I do? I cannot upload the videos I prepared for my lesson on ODTUClass because the file size is too big. What should I do?

I cannot upload the videos I prepared for my lesson on ODTUClass because the file size is too big. What should I do?
In order to avoid disc space problems, there is a quota limiting the size of the files that can be uploaded on ODTUClass. You can share your videos on Youtube, selecting the unlisted option.

I am trying to upload my videos on YouTube, but I am not allowed to do so since the videos are longer than 15 minutes. What should I do? I am trying to upload my videos on YouTube, but I am not allowed to do so since the videos are longer than 15 minutes. What should I do?

I am trying to upload my videos on YouTube, but I am not allowed to do so since the videos are longer than 15 minutes. What should I do?
Users who have a Google account can enter YouTube and share videos. However, users whose account is not verified can upload videos maximum 15 minutes in length. In order to upload longer videos or to do live broadcast, your YouTube account has to be verified. You can access information about how to do the account verification using the link below.
Creating and Verifying Your YouTube Channel

What should I do if some parts of or an entire course I am offering consist(s) of practical applications such as laboratories/studio? What should I do if some parts of or an entire course I am offering consist(s) of practical applications such as laboratories/studio?

What should I do if some parts of or an entire course I am offering consist(s) of practical applications such as laboratories/studio?
It is highly recommended to use distance education for the theoretical parts of the courses that include practical applications. For activities that require practice, it is recommended to use alternative teaching methods, if possible.

How can I access a sample online course offered at ODTU? How can I access a sample online course offered at ODTU?

How can I access a sample online course offered at ODTU?
You can study the course “Excel for Engineers” as a sample for an asynchronous course instruction, prepared by Prof. Dr. Eres Soylemez. Dr. Söylemez designed an 11-week course consisting of the screens of the lessons he uses on the computer as well as his own webcam image.
A sample lesson recording: https://bit.ly/3b8nCeY
The entire course: https://ocw.metu.edu.tr/course/view.php?id=248

As another sample for an asynchronous course, you can study “Analytical Mechanics” prepared by Prof. Dr. Altuğ Özpineci. Dr. Özpineci designed 11-week course content by recording the instruction with a video camera in a classroom with no students. In addition to the video recordings, some PDF files are also offered to students.
https://ocw.metu.edu.tr/course/view.php?id=239

What can I do for courses designed as Final Project? What can I do for courses designed as Final Project?

What can I do for courses designed as Final Project?
If the Research Project includes theoretical information, the course can be offered by using one of the synchronous or asynchronous education modules, and with the support of programs, such as skype, zoom, microsoft teams, which enable group interaction with students on the Internet.

If applications in a Final Project, such as experiment/laboratory/studio, cannot be realized by using digital options, these can be done during the summer, after the COVID-19 pandemic has cleared, with a condensed academic calendar that will be prepared for each program. This condensed academic calendar will not be regarded as the calendar of the summer school; instead, it will serve to compensate for the spring semester.