So You’re Teaching With AV

Smaller rooms are ideal for group discussion sections and data projection. Most rooms of this size on campus do not support lecture capture or voice amplification.

These medium sized spaces typically have voice reinforcement systems, projection capabilities, and may be suitable for lecture capture or class session recordings.

• Larger spaces typically have the most technical features. All lecture halls have projection capabilities along with laptop sound/speech reinforcement. 
• Most lecture halls are capable of lecture capture. Please contact us at ess@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-9460 to inquire about this.

ESS can help familiarize you with the space you will be teaching in and its audiovisual capabilities. 

Contact us at ess@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-9460 to set up an in-person orientation to your teaching space with ESS technicians or for a consultation regarding a particular teaching activity involving AV.

ESS technicians are available to support AV issues that may arise during your class sessions.  All teaching spaces have quick-start and troubleshooting guides in them; please feel free to refer to those in advance of teaching.

For immediate assistance, call us at 617-495-9460.  For less urgent issues, reports of equipment failures, and future requests, please email us at ess@fas.harvard.edu. 

ESS is available to train Teaching Fellows on AV system operation. 

Please email us at ess@fas.harvard.edu to set up an in-person training session.

ESS can assist with training speakers on how to operate these systems before their talk and are available to meet the day of the event, to ensure everything starts smoothly. 

Please contact us at ess@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-9460 for assistance.

Please visit getonline.harvard.edu for instructions on how to connect.

For further support, contact HUIT (Harvard University Information Technology) at huit@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-7777

Please refer to the process and policy page here. NB: the Office of Undergraduate Education and ESS recommend alternatives to lecture capture or the use of Zoom as a means to include students who are unable to attend class sessions owing to illness or absence.

ESS can advise you in welcoming remote speakers to your class and can assist with getting the sessions started during your class period. Orientations and lead time are ideal for remote speakers — please contact us 1-2 weeks before to ensure support.

Guidance on instructional continuity in the case of student absences owing to illness can be found at https://oue.fas.harvard.edu/teaching-resources-spring-2023.  Please note that the use of Zoom or other technologies to connect a student remotely with the class session may  not be the most effective means of ensuring their understanding of the material and participation in the class discussion.  

Students must inform their instructors of their situation and take some responsibility themselves for staying on top of their work, as best they can. Academic continuity remains an important principle in such cases but given the shorter COVID-19 isolation period now in effect, any measures taken by instructors to help students out can probably be relatively simple and follow the normal processes in effect prior to the pandemic. 

Education Support Services (ESS) does not recommend using Zoom as means to include an absent student in class sessions; many Harvard classrooms do not have the requisite installed AV equipment to support the equitable, effective inclusion of students in a class session or discussion.  Rather, instructors should: 

• Encourage students to identify a “study buddy” with whom to exchange notes and information at the beginning of the semester. 
• Use their discretion to provide alternative assignments or other ways for a student to stay caught up in class if they need to isolate. 
• Have a TF or fellow student they have identified use a smartphone to make a simple recording that can be uploaded to Canvas, along with any slides or presentations from class. ESS has compiled guidance and instructions for self-service lecture capture by TFs or students assigned to this task available here.
• Information for faculty who are recording their class sessions themselves can be found here. 
• If the class takes place in a room already equipped with lecture capture technology,  ESS can assist you to record the class and make the recording available on Canvas.  ESS policies and a list of classrooms with lecture capture installed can be found here.
  Contact us at ess@fas.harvard.edu for more information. Please note that ESS has limited capacity to support staffed lecture capture. 

Classrooms with installed lecture capture equipment include: 

Harvard Hall 101, Harvard Hall 105, Harvard Hall 201, Harvard Hall 104, Emerson 105, Emerson 210, Biolabs-1080, Northwest B-101, Northwest B-103, Northwest-B108, Pfizer Auditorium, and Sever 113. 

If you choose to record your class, please be mindful of Harvard’s privacy policy on recording lectures.  

• Sound systems, cameras, portable projectors, presentation remotes, and other items are available for loan for classes. 
• ESS has standard display adapters (USB-C and mini display port) attached to the primary display cable in each room (typically HDMI) for you to use to connect your laptop to the projection system.

If you need another style of adapter or if they are missing from your teaching space, contact us at ess@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-9460

ESS can help train you on these types of classroom activities. Including… 

• Presentation setups 
• Microphone use 
• Media testing and playback
• Connecting your laptop to the in-room projection system 
• Setting up additional portable equipment, including:
  • Document cameras
  • USB cameras and microphones for remote speakers
  • Additional microphones, etc.

Are you looking to explore new approaches to presenting material or fostering interaction in your teaching space?   Unsure of how AV technologies might support your pedagogical needs and approaches?

ESS is available to consult with you to see how we can best support your vision. 

Contact us at ess@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-9460 to set up a consultation.