The challenge was not so much the technical connection, but rather the professional usability of the ZOOM tool, namely to use a tool that was previously unknown to me in such a professional way that I could offer my students a content-rich course.
At our institute, we therefore worked through all possible scenarios and operating options with the scientific staff. According to the motto “What can the tool do? Which features help or disrupt the course of a lecture?” all possible buttons could be pressed.
From a didactic perspective, I asked myself how I could actively engage students online in the course and thus maintain their attention. Because let’s not kid ourselves: as a listener, it’s often difficult to follow a 1 ½-hour online lecture attentively the whole time – moreover, in a home atmosphere where you get distracted more quickly. To meet this challenge as well, I looked at various online tutorials before the semester began to see what options ZOOM offers here. Also, ZLL had provided me with the opportunity to attend an external ZOOM training, which helped me a lot.