Module 0388: SyncFlex

Tak Auyeung

2023-06-02

The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

1 What is SyncFlex?

SyncFlex is a buzzword that combines “synchronous” and “flexibility.” It suggests a combination of the following:

In-person instruction.
In-person instruction being live-streamed (hence synchronous).
In-person instruction being recorded.
Asynchronous instruction via recordings (hence flexibility).

2 Reasons to consider SyncFlex

Some students benefit from in-person classes, while others benefit from remote instructions, synchronous or asynchronous. By combining all three methods to “attend” a class, SyncFlex helps with enrollment as well as providing opportunities for students to find a way to fit a class into their schedules.

SyncFlex also allows students to switch mode of instruction within a semester. For example, a student may prefer in-person instruction. The same student may need to switch to asynchronous instruction for a few sessions due to transportation issues. Likewise, an asynchronous student may choose to be in-person a few times when the class discusses a subject that is complex.

3 SyncFlex technologies

3.1 Live-streaming

YouTube, Discord, and Zoom are just a few ways to live-stream content. Each platform has its advantages and disadvantages. Zoom offers the best combination of features.

Screen capturing
- Zoom and Discord can both capture a window or a screen with little lag.
- Zoom can also offer real-time closed-captioning if the service is requested. This helps to meet ADA requirements.
Live action
- Unless a screen is being captured, Zoom records the host’s video feed. This can be used to capture live action.
Simultaneous screen and live-action capturing can be accomplished by using OBS (Open Broadcasting System) to combine a screen with a picture-in-picture (PIP) portion of live action.

3.2 Recording

There are a few ways to record, each has its advantages and disadvantages.

criterion	Zoom	OBS+YouTube
lag	about 10 minutes for an 80-minute lecture	none
quality	very good	depends on encoder tweaking
file size	very compact, 150 MB for an 80-minute lecture	standard, 1 GB for an 80-minute lecture
cloud or local	Depends on account type.	Can be local with just OBS, OBS can also stream to YouTube and some other cloud-based destinations.
difficulty to use	Easy!	Can be a little challenging.

3.3 Distribution of recordings

The distribution of recordings depends on how the recording is done.

criterion	Zoom	OBS	OBS+YouTube
difficulty	Zoom itself can distribute recordings, but without post-processed closed-captioning	OBS by itself does not distribute recordings, still needs to be uploaded to some cloud-based distribution channels.	Easiest option.
Closed-captioning	Okay quality.	Depends on the cloud distribution channel.	Very good.
player flexibility	Limited options to scan	Depends on distribution channel.	Very flexible.

A method is to combine Zoom for recording, download the video file from Zoom, then upload to YouTube for distribution. This combines the best features of both.

3.4 Live interaction

This can be a challenge depending on how students interact and the platform.

Zoom is great for voice interaction, but text-chat is not the best. This is because Zoom in-meeting chat does not have any sound notification. This makes it difficult to notice interaction from remote students.

Of all the platforms, Discord offers the best remote interaction mechanism due to notification options as well as flexible chat features.

4 In-person/synchronous classroom management

4.1 Remote participation

The main challenge of adding the SyncFlex component is the monitoring of the remote students. This is best handled by asking remote students to participate by voice and not by text.