How reliable are video conferences for teaching and for collaboration when working from Home?
When planning your classes, please bear in mind that this semester is not going to take place under ideal circumstances. It is likely that many students will be missing technical devices (sharing computers, missing headsets etc.) or a poor internet connection.
Moreover, video conferencing can be quite demanding, especially given that students might take part in several conferences a day. This might be more tiresome than going to classes on campus.
This is why we recommend you do not only rely on video conferences for teaching clases. If possible, please make use of asynchronous learning or mix your synchronous conferences with asynchronous learning times.
If possible, plan for learning situations in which can study in their own pace. Instead of video streaming a lecture via Zoom, you can record a video. This way students with poor internet connection can also participate.