Even before the pandemic itself, many people came to know about online class learning where many predicted it would be a future way of learning. But due to this pandemic, the closure of schools and colleges paved the way for live streaming and online classes concept. Studying online gives flexibility to both students and educators.  

Internet connections and Live streaming are the main parts of online education. With the help of an online education platform, proper equipment setup and the internet, streaming live classes online are very simple. Not only during pandemics but also during natural calamities running online classes will be very beneficial. In the future, and also at present many schools and colleges have integrated online live streaming classes in their schedule even though they started running in-person classes. It is noted that there is a significant increase in student engagement and achievement in education through online education.

Even if you are an individual educator, you can start your own eLearning business with the help of launching an online education platform. Then you can stream classes online to reach a broader audience. Here are four steps to consider for Live Streaming Classes Online

With the support of live video streaming platforms, educators can easily host online live classes. By following the below-mentioned steps, you can create online classes that give students an experience as they feel like attending a lecture in person.

Steps for starting live-streaming classes online 

1. Selecting the Equipment:

To start online live streaming classes specific essential equipment like camera and microphone. It is required to match the experience of real-time classroom learning.

Important equipment required is a High-quality Recording camera, transcoder and encoder, external microphone for audio.

 A high-quality camera is needed when you want to present yourself in front of the camera. Otherwise, if you include only a presentation in your learning course, only a microphone is needed, but the camera is not required.

Other important equipment needed for live streaming are an encoder and transcoder. The encoder is used to compress and convert video files to digital format for transmission. The transcoder is used to convert the video file into different resolutions to view the video at different resolutions on any device at varying internet speeds to avoid any buffering or lag.

2. Choosing a Live streaming platform with powerful functionality and advanced features 

Here comes the main part of choosing the correct live streaming platform provider for conducting online classes. It is better to select a Live streaming platform provider that builds a live streaming platform with features like a Content delivery network, analytics dashboard and video monetization options.

Choose a live streaming platform that is very useful and affordable to all types of educators. It must be easier to use as you don’t need any technical knowledge to use it. Select live streaming platforms that tie-up with global CDN that helps in faster delivery of video content to end users without any delay and deterioration in video quality. CDN distributes content in various edge servers that help in more rapid transfer of content to users and prevent overloading of edge servers.

Select a live streaming platform that gives complete control and rights over the video content. Another important feature required is the analytics dashboard, as it lets you know the viewer’s behaviour and engagement. You can also analyze the performance of the online course content. You can find out the most engaging content and identify whether the student is watching videos until the end or logging out of the classes before it ends.

It is also best to have a Video On Demand feature in the video streaming platforms where live videos are recorded and stored in a media library where students can use it for later use. Another important feature is video monetization, where educators can make money. Different video monetization methods are Subscription-based, transaction-based and advertisement based. Finally, educators can also make money through subscription fees or one-time payments from students for accessing the educational content.

3. Fast and Stable Internet Connection

For any live streaming, a faster and stable internet connection is required. For e-learning, you want to make sure that the video reaches students without any lag or issues. Streaming high-quality live video content requires good upload speed. It is safer to have a faster connection twice as fast as the uploading speed you want to stream. That means it is better to have a speed of 3Mbps for 480p video and 6 Mbps for 720p video.

4. Prepare educational content and get ready to start live streaming.

Changing Teaching from traditional style in front of students to teaching in front of a camera takes a little effort. Create engaging and unique content that attracts students to listen to lectures online. Make a plan to present your content and remain confident when teaching for the first time in front of a camera. Elearning increases teacher effectiveness and student engagement.

Once you have prepared the educational content, the last step is to start your live stream. here are a few steps to consider before starting live streaming :

• Have a clear plan and idea on how will you be presenting before going live
• Keep all your computer and camera charged before starting 
• Always have extra things ready for backup like camera, computer etc
• Check the internet connection speed before starting
• Run a trial live video streaming to check whether everything is working fine 

By going through these steps finally, you are all set to start streaming live classes online.

Conclusion

Streaming live classes online gives the flexibility to students to learn educational content from the comfort of their homes. The eLearning industry is booming at present, and it will increase to reach a new height. Being a teacher or educator following the steps mentioned above and choosing a live streaming platform will help run a successful online class.