Tips for starting online teaching

Are you wondering how you can conduct a current or upcoming course partly or entirely online ? Teaching on screen differs significantly from face-to-face teaching: Important non-verbal communication is often reduced and handling the technology requires more attention and new skills. The functional variety of possible media and digital tools in combination with the didactic possibilities is enormous. Through our information offer and these tips, we want to offer you assistance in making a sensible selection.

Do you have any questions?

Then please contact us by e-mail: elearning∂studium.kit.edu


Both students and teachers are often unaccustomed to working in online teaching-learning scenarios, in part because content delivery and communication take place in different forms and ways than they have been used to. Take time to explain these changed structures to students, either in the form of a written explanation or as part of an online lecture/video conference. Provide students with redundant and transparent information about the structure and process of the course in a variety of places.

>> Instructions for teachers to pass on to students (German)


Netiquette for online participants

Students who participate via the Internet often have a sense of distance and anonymity. This feeling sometimes tempts them to do things they would not do in the presence. Often this is a sign that they do not feel part of the student group. The more anonymity is broken and they are involved, the more you support these students to participate actively and meaningfully in the course. A first step is to establish netiquette. In addition, ask students participating via the Internet to activate their own camera. Of course, this must always remain voluntary. If, despite this, disruptions occur frequently, individuals can be removed from the Zoom meeting and the waiting room activated so that they do not reappear.

>> Netiquette in online teaching

Problems with disruptors? A handout with recommendations on how to deal with disruptors has been created for KIT, which you can request via elearning∂studium.kit.edu if necessary.


Treasure trove for online teaching

  • The 15 minute media didactics introduction:Professor Gabi Reinmann describes in one video the essential didactic functions that should be harmonized in a digitally supported teaching-learning setting: Content transfer, activation and support.
  • Getting Started Course:The Higher Education Forum on Digitization (HFD), e-teaching.org and the Society for Media in Science (GMW) conducted the qualification special "Quickstarter Online Teaching" at the beginning of the Corona pandemic. The recordings and accompanying materials of the twelve course modules are still available free of charge.
  • Hochschulforum Digitalisierung: The University forum on digitizationaccompanies the discourse on higher education in the digital age throughout Germany.
  • e-teaching.org: The colleagues at e-teaching.org have been supporting the process of digitizing teaching at universities for many years. Accordingly, you will find extensive assistance and materials for the implementation of teaching courses, including