In order for everyone to have such a good experience of participating in video- based communication, the following video meeting guidelines are suggested guidance, teaching and recording of teaching videos on your own computer.

Norsk versjon: Videokonferanse-vett-reglene

See also: Recommended practice for online sessions

1. If you send an invite to a video meeting, be clear about which video platform to use for the meeting. In addition to a meeting agenda, be sure to include alternative contact information that can be used if any of the participants encounter technical problems
2. Turn off software that you do not use while the video call or -recording is in progress. This is especially true of software that generates some web traffic or machine resources (such as Outlook, backup programs, etc.)
3. Meet up well in advance of the meeting so participants can test the quality of their connections and equipment and make adjustments if needed. The meeting leader should take the responsibility to point out technical or user problems and suggestions before the meeting begins
4. Be prepared to give and receive feedback on the technical quality of the conversation along the way. Use the chat feature in the video software if it exists, or stop the meeting if the technical quality becomes too poor so that errors can be corrected
5. Use and respect any functionality for raising hands and other meeting management functionality that exists in the tool you are using. Evaluate and decide how the chat-windows will be used during the meeting.
6. Practice in advance to master your computers ́operating system and the video platform. During a call, you should be able to quickly:
   1. Mute/unmute your microphone and turn on/off your camera feed if requested
   2. Adjust the sound level from your microphone (in the software or in the operating system)
   3. Share your screen and demonstrate things you are working on, if applicable
   4. Share files to meeting participants, if possible in the application you are using
   5. Be present in the chat-window and be able to respond to «polls» and other activities
7. You should preferably use an external microphone and mute the sound during those periods in the call when you are not talking. A wired headset with a microphone is usually the best technically choice
8. Pay attention to other sources of noise where you are sitting and reduce them or move to a more suitable location. Also note the noise you may make yourself. Your keyboard, papers or lunch wraps are common examples of noise. Listening to your own sound may help you to be more aware and empathic
9. Do not sit with your back against a window during a video meeting or recording. The large contrast difference between the foreground and the background will often make it difficult to see your face for the other meeting participants
10. Frame yourself sensibly in the video window and look into the camera when you speak. If using a regular laptop, raise your webcam/laptop during the conversation and make sure the video window and webcam are close to each other. Show your face when you are talking, and be open to to turning off your camera feed when you are not talking to save on bandwidth
11. Use preferably a wired network connection during video conferencing. Overall, it will provide the best technical quality. The use of WiFi will in some cases work, but the speed and stability of a wired network will always be more reliable and provide the overall best technical meeting quality for you and the other participants

By Kjell Are Refsvik, Department of design, NTNU, version 3, May 2020

Contact

Contact Section for Teaching and Learning Support for help with digital teaching best-practices through NTNU Help.