Video
Video tools are vital for remote teaching. There are numerous tools that you can use, each with their own pros and cons.
Need help with choosing a videotool? Consult the comparison of all tools, or contact us at seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl for advice.
Click on the tools below for more information about the possibilities that each tool offers.
Note: for the technical support for MS Teams, please contact the ISSC Helpdesk. The SEEDs team is available to help you with creating the Team, and selecting the right tool for your education.
Kaltura Capture
This programme enables you to record your screen and your webcam at the same time. You can also choose to either only record your screen, or only your webcam.
Tips & tricks
- There are several tools available in Kaltura Capture that allow you to make notes on your screen/recording. You can also pause the recording, e.g. if you want to prepare something for the next part of the video.
- Consult the video toolkit for tips on how to make a recording
- You can also find tips on presenting in front of a camera in the video toolkit.
For an extensive explanation on Kaltura Capture, consult the the manual videoportal website.
Kaltura Live Room
Kaltura Live Room has been designed for online teaching. The programme is integrated in Brightspace and the video portal. This gives you easy access to all videos that you've previously uploaded on the platform.
Tips & tricks
- Kaltura Live Room offers many functionalities specific to education, such as the whiteboard, break-out rooms, making 'live' or 'muting' participants, sharing videos or your screens, and taking quizzes.
- There are two forms in which you can start the live room: 'webinar' and 'virtual classroom'. Webinar is intended for large lectures, as participants cannot be made visible or audible, while virtual classrooms are intended for smaller groups, with the option to make all participations visible and audible. The default setting of a Kaltura Live Room is the webinar mode. Note: only up to 25 participants can be made audible at the same time in Kaltura.
- Kaltura Live Room can host a maximum of 200 participants (in webinar mode). There are larger live rooms (350 participants) available. Please contact seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl to check their availability/book a large live room.
You can find more information on the Kaltura Live Room on the teaching support website.
Kaltura Interactive Video
Kaltura also offers an interactive video functionality. This function allows you to create a video through which you can navigate yourself by clicking on 'hotspots'. These are areas in the video which link to a new video or web page. You can for instance create a video in which viewers will get to see different videos, depending on the 'hotspot' that they have chosen. In this way, you can add to the level of interactiveness and fun with which viewers watch your videos.
Tips & tricks
- Write a script before creating the interactive video to ensure that the videos fit well together.
- You can see it as a "choose your own adventure" novel, but then in the form of a video. The choices you make impact the ending of the video.
You can read everything there is to know about the interactive video functionality in Kaltura on the manual videoportal website.
Kaltura Quizzes
Through the Kaltura Quiz functionality in the video portal, you can make videos more interactive by adding quizquestions. There are several types of questions that you can add to your video like multiple choice, true/false, open question, and reflection points.
Tips & tricks
- Once students have finished and submitted their quiz, they can review their score to see what questions were answered incorrectly.
- As an instructor, you can find and review the quizquestions and answers in the video analytics.
- This is a fun way to make videos more interactive. You can for example choose to divide lectures into 6-9 minute parts and ask a question after each part to reflect on what has been presented.
For more information on Kaltura Quizzes, consult the manual videoportal website.
Microsoft Teams
MS Teams is a videoplatform that enables you to plan and hold meetings, chat, and share files with colleagues.
In regard to video calls, MS Teams is not only a great platform to host meetings, but lectures as well.
Tips & tricks
- MS Teams provides functionalities like a whiteboard, the ability to mute participants, screen sharing, break-out rooms, and more.
- Calls on MS Teams are limited to a maximum of 300 participants.
- For more tips and information on MS Teams, check out the staff webpage, and the official Microsoft Teams webpage.
For MS Teams support, please contact the ISSC helpdesk.
If you want to organize events for larger groups, please check out the drop-down tab for MS Teams Live Events.
Microsoft Teams Live Events
MS Teams Live Events enables you to host events for upto 10000 participants! Live Events is a less interactive version of Teams. The participants can join the event through an invite link, after which they can watch the event live and react in the chat, but they cannot present or speak. This form is particularly well-suited for events with multiple speakers and a large audience that does not require live interaction with the participants. It is also good to be aware that there is a 10-20 second lag in the livestream.
Tips & Tricks:
- Note: It is not possible to add moderators after the event has been created. All moderators have to be added when creating the event. It is possible to add panelmembers afterwards.
- Make sure that someone keeps an eye on the chat, and that someone with knowledge about MS Teams is moderator during the event. It is possible to request a moderator from the CFI.
- You will need to request the permissions for the Live Events at the ISSC helpdesk.
You can find more information on MS Teams Live Events on the teaching support website.
Recording support: studio and location
If you have a great idea for a video which requires a greenscreen or chalkboard, you can use our studio. To make a reservation click here. The SEEDs team will contact you to confirm your appointment. Together, you will be able to record the video, which will be edited by Seeds. We have, among others, a greenscreen, light set-ups, wireless microphones, good quality cameras, and an autocue set available.
We are also more than happy to assist with on location recording. Contact us at seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl for the possibilities and our availability, (for both recording and editing).
Tips & Tricks:
- If you want to make a more elaborate recording, check out the video toolkit for things to take into account. Consider writing a script beforehand, and whether you want to present by heart or use the autocue. Please note that the autocue can be difficult to use without practice. You risk sounding unnatural without practicing first.
- We are happy to help you plan and design your recordings. Feel free to contact us for a brainstormsession at seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl.
Video equipment rental service
Do you need equipment for the recordings? There are several options:
- Rent a webcamset at one of the receptions if you want to livestream, or just record, a video. These are high-quality webcams, with a built-in microphone, and come with a tripod. Recording a video with Kaltura Capture will be a walk in the park!
- We also have several camcorders with tripods and microphonesets available at seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl. Contact us to make an appointment to collect/return them.
Video portal: Captioning
You might like to offer subtitles in order to make your videos as inclusive and understandable as possible. The university offers a captioning tool to help you with this.
Tips & Tricks:
- We can imagine that you are not looking forward to the time-costly task of captioning your videos during these busy times. Ask a student to caption the video instead. This way, the student will better retain the information in the video while you don't have to spend time on it! You will have to give the student co-editor rights to do so.
- Captions can be automatically generated, which means that you will only have to filter out the mistakes.
You can find more information about how captioning in the video portal works on the manual videoportal website.
Video portal: Channels
The video portal is where all your videos will be saved. There are several ways in which you can share your videos, one of which being through channels. Channels are restricted (or open) groups on the video portal where you can post your videos to.
Tips & Tricks:
- You can add students to a channel to keep the channel private, or you can choose to create a restricted channel. This means that anyone with a ULCN-account can access the content and find the channel on the video portal through the search function. You can also request that your channel be made public at seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl.
- Please note: If you decide to make your channel either restricted or public, please be careful with the videos that you share on the channel. The images, or other content, could have copyright, which means that it might not be allowed to use them in a video. Questions? Send an email to seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl to inquire about the possibilities.
Consult the manual videoportal website for information about creating and adding people to a channel.
Video portal: My media
You can upload your videos to the video portal. Videos that are recorded in Kaltura Capture or Kaltura Live Room will automatically be stored in the video portal under 'My Media'. This is also where you can change the video settings, shorten the videos, and share/publish your videos to a channel or Brightspace course.
Tips & Tricks:
- All videos, including those recorded in Brightspace with Kaltura, will be stored in My Media on the video portal.
- It could be the case that you are not automatically the video owner if it was recorded in a Kaltura Live Room. This occurs when someone in the live room, who was not logged-in with their ULCN-account, started the recording. If this is the case, you can send an email to seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl with the title, date, and time of the recording. We will manually make you the video owner.
- From the My Media section of the video portal you can: publish videos to your channel or your Brightspace course, add people to a video as an editor of co-viewer, or set the link to a video to 'unlisted', which entails that anyone can watch the video through the link.
- You can also check the video analytics.
For more information about video settings, consult the manual videoportal website.
Video toolkit
If you need help or don't know where to to start with recording a video, check out the video toolkit. The toolkit gives useful tips on what to take into consideration when making kennisclips, but also on topics like how to present in front of a camera, and what to think about when setting up a camera.
These are more general tips. If you feel like you could use more help, please contact seeds@science.leidenuniv.nl. We are happy to help you with making your video and also have materials that you can use to do so.
Zoom
Zoom is a tool similar to MS Teams and Kaltura. For now, Zoom is only available for teachers, as it was not a hundred percent safe in regards to privacy. It is advised to use Zoom as a back-up for Teams or Kaltura.
Tips & Tricks:
- Zoom has many functionalities like a whiteboard, break-out rooms, annotations, muting/unmuting participants, and much more!
- Use Zoom through the Brightspace integration in your course or create a meeing at https://universiteitleiden.zoom.us/.
For troubleshooting and more information on using Zoom, consult the teaching support website.