Etherpad in Teaching
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The Etherpad documents are course-related within Stud.IP and only registered participants of the course are authorized to edit them.
Why use Etherpad?
Etherpad is a simple tool that encourages participation thanks to its ease of use. It allows for easy, quick, and straightforward collaborative text editing. Students can work together on a document, communicate with each other, follow their own and others' lines of thought, and complete or expand texts.
How do I use Etherpad?
Etherpad is suitable for activities that involve creating and editing various texts.
Pads can be created based on topics, groups, or individuals (i.e., only one member of the group). Topic-based pads can/should be edited by the entire group. In group-based pads, predefined groups work together. In individual pads, only the person for whom the Stud.IPad was created works. An integrated chat is available for communication during the editing process.
Etherpad is suitable for example for…
- Brainstorming, finding topics, forming groups
- Collaborative editing of texts (e.g. translations of foreign language texts, Old and Middle High German texts, scientific texts, etc.)
- Noting down links that belong to a specific, predefined topic
- Collecting bibliographic information
- Creating glossaries as a preliminary stage before entering the texts into a wiki or another program
- Writing meeting minutes
- Collaborative analysis of case studies
- Joint interpretation of graphics
- Collaborative written preparation of a group presentation
What challenges should you be aware of?
This tool focuses on content-related, collaborative text creation and editing. Advanced text formatting, such as that offered by software like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice, is not available. The text must be copied into another program for formatting after being completed in Etherpad.
Furthermore, the current version of the tool does not include a formula editor, which limits its applicability in STEM subjects.
Coordinating collaborative writing in an Etherpad should not be underestimated. The potential time investment must be considered when planning and organizing a course. Establishing time structures (e.g., deadlines for completing specific chapters) can be helpful.
How do I use Stud.IPad? / Where can I get help?
A video tutorial will help you get started with Etherpad. For questions regarding didactic concepts, the team of the Service for Digital Learning and Teaching will assist you.
Instructions on how to activate Etherpad in a Stud.IP course can be found here.