Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the University of Helsinki has announced exceptional measures to curb the spread of the virus. The staff members are encouraged to telecommute and all of the teaching is done online. Our DigiREES project is no exception and the project’s training sessions have now completely moved online.
When we started the project, we planned that most of our training sessions will be done during the spring semester, with video training – how to use Screencast-O-Matic for recording and editing, and also possible Unitube studio use sessions – scheduled for March. Video training seemed useful and exciting back in December-January when we were planning the programme, but the importance and relevance of it grew tremendously with the deployment of exceptional measures last weeks.
Initially, the video training was meant to be organised offline, on-premises, and we are very glad that our instructors Esko Kuittinen and Mikael Kivelä from the video team were so flexible and could organise both sessions via Zoom at short notice. At the first session on the 16th of March, they taught us how to use Screencast-O-Matic and make scripted videos. Screencast-O-Matic proved to be a useful tool for recording lectures for online teaching, which many teachers found themselves in need of doing these days. During the session 2, we learned how to edit videos and upload them at Unitube. The second training revealed, that editing is not that complicated, and with a few tweaks the quality of the video can improve significantly.
DigiREES as a part of Digiloikka project was aimed at providing the teachers with the skills allowing to use digitalisation meaningfully in teaching and learning. The current situation with the coronavirus outbreak dictates this digital leap to happen faster than expected. But with the support that the Digiloiika team and the University community in general provides, the leap does not have to be cumbersome. In the post below you can read the services and measures for digital teaching that the University offers. We also encourage our DigiREES participants to continue with the tailored training we organise and contact us if you want more sessions to be offered.