Teacher’s Handbook
This handbook contains practical information for a teacher on teaching at Aalto University.
Zulip chat platform
Zulip is an open-source chat platform suitable for group discussions. It offers LaTeX support and collaborative features that can be useful in teaching. Features like private streams, user groups and the option to mark topics as resolved can be used to enable Q&A and groupwork activities.
Key features
- You can use Zulip as a group chat and create small groups.
- You can organise your chat in Streams (channels) and topics (threads of messages).
- You can write mathematical equations with LaTeX.
- You can mark topics as ‘Resolved’ when a question is answered or a chat thread is finished.
Important links
Q&A on Zulip
When considering whether or not to use something like Zulip in your course, one must have in mind the pedagogical outcome or added value of the activity as well as think about possible alternatives. Here are a few questions you might ask to evaluate the suitability of Zulip for your course:
- Do you want a way to chat and ask questions or have discussions in a lower-threshold platform than forum posts? Then this could be good.
- Do you want a Q&A forum or an announcements board? Then this may work, but MyCourses also has good options.
- Do you want a place for your student to be able to chat in small groups? Zulip allows the creation of user groups and private streams that can be used for this purpose. MyCourses and Zoom might also be good alternatives.
Start using Zulip in a nutshell
1. Request a Zulip account.
- Request form here
2. Configure at least the following settings:
- ‘Organization permissions’ and ‘Authentication methods’, to determine whether you will use ‘Invitations only’ or ‘Aalto login’ as the method to join the chat.
3. Create your initial streams.
4. Send your Zulip chat link and instructions on how to use the chat in your course, along with Zulip for participants tutorial.
Yes, but Zulip chats are meant to be used for a limited amount of time, so you should be aware that the chat instance will eventually close. Any staff member can request a Zulip chat instance to be used, for example, with a project team for the duration of a project. Note that confidential information should not be discussed on Zulip.
Teaching and learning
A landing page for teachers to help them find services and support related to teaching and learning.
This service is provided by:
Learning Services
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