Digital Teaching Toolbox

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Web Conference Systems

Overview of internet-based videos and online conference platforms

For some time now, solutions for online communication in research, teaching and administration have been available at the university. In the course of the Corona pandemic, we have built a new scaling cluster with the open source software "BigBlueButton" and have docked it to the learning platform ILIAS. For the external solution ZOOM , licenses for lecturers were obtained to cover the need for solutions for large groups (lectures and seminars with more than 30 participants). Additionally, "Panopto" is available for video recording and WebCasting without participant interaction.

In the table below you will find an overview of the recommended systems, as well as, for the sake of completeness, systems that you can continue to use if you have already used them with prior experience in previous semesters:

Application requirements / Field of use

Platform

Interaction possible?

Recommended max. no. of participants

Hosting / Provider

Remark

Internal servers within the university (also suitable for online oral exams)

Teaching
Smaller online seminars

BigBlueButton
(Server of the university)

Yes

30 (incl. interaction)
up to 200 viewers without video interaction (and max. 16 video streams per page)

University of Freiburg, IT Services

Server of the University of Freiburg;
set-up directly via ILIAS course rooms

Purchased external cloud-based video conferencing solution (not suitable for video-based oral examinations)

Video conference solution
for larger groups

Zoom
(external cloud solution)

Yes

Up to 300, in individual cases up to 1000

Zoom, cloud solution for the University of Freiburg

Provider zoom.us
Licenses are distributed via University IT Services (RZ)

WebCast System Panopto (only for large lectures - live session without video interaction)

For lecturers of large courses, who do not need any video interaction with their students, the new cloud-based video tool Panopto is ideal for recording and live streaming of courses:

Video hosting and streaming of courses

Panopto

Teaching staff:
Livestream
Participants:
Chat

Unlimited

Panopto cloud solution for the University of Freiburg;
University Library – Media Center

Use and access via https://ilias.uni-freiburg.de
Information:
https://uni-freiburg.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages
Questions:
panopto@ub.uni-freiburg.de

Additional Offers of the University and of German Research Network (DFN Association)

The offers of the German Research Network are also available to all members of the University of Freiburg. However, we recommend that you focus on BigBlueButton and Zoom in the winter semester, and only use the systems listed below if you already have experience with them. Before using the services of DFN, please check the DFN News Blog (in German) for the current status.

Working groups and web conferences with larger groups
Video chat with screen sharing and streaming option

PexIP

Yes

23 participants
+ live streaming unlimited

DFN Association

Offers of the German Research Network
(provider DFN is currently under heavy strain)

Larger online seminars

Adobe Connect (website in German)

Yes

150