Moving all undergraduate and postgraduate classes to remote delivery mode before the autumn session recommences on Monday, April 6 is proving a challenge for the University of Wollongong.
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In an email sent to UOW academics, Professor Theo Farrell said bandwidth was emerging as a significant area of concern for universities "as we move rapidly to remote delivery".
"I am writing to encourage everyone please to keep this front of mind as you plan for remote delivery of your subject," Professor Farrell wrote.
His email also included a number of tips and other helpful resources from IMTS and LTC -Preparing to Teach Online Moodle.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education is in charge of transitioning all undergraduate and postgraduate programs to remote study delivery.
Prof Farrell said the internet service delivered to people's homes (NBN) is struggling to keep up with the huge growth in service demand.
"We are already getting indications that this problem includes the required bandwidth to support digital learning for students at home," he said.
"This will be felt most strongly in services such as Zoom or WebEx video conferencing.
"This will not only impact students receiving content, but also academics at home who are attempting send (to teach via videoconferencing). Tools used for video conferencing to teach may also encounter impaired recording capability.
"We strongly recommend that you prepare a backup option for remote delivery of your subject, in case bandwidth issues are encountered. IMTS has more information regarding teaching options in the IT Working Remotely FAQ."
Asking academics to consider a range of self-paced activities, readings or pre-tutorial preparation for students, thus limiting Webex and Zoom sessions to circumstances that require real-time interaction, was one of many tips Prof Farrell recommended.
He also encouraged academics to record videos and presentations using UCAP.
"I have been hugely impressed with the way colleagues across UOW have embraced the challenge of moving to remote delivery," he wrote.
"I am confident, thanks to the passion and commitment of our staff, that we will deliver the best possible learning experience for our students under the circumstances."
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