Explore the MIT Sloan Teaching Studio

Explore the Studio

We designed the MIT Sloan Teaching Studio with you and your teaching in mind. The technology is streamlined so you can focus on your students and the teaching experience. The studio is equipped with

• cameras that capture your session in 4K;
• a green screen, which is what makes the studio’s scenes possible;
• a podium for your laptop, with a touchpanel for controlling the studio;
• a whiteboard that you can use just like the whiteboard in a classroom;
• foot pedals and floor pads for changing scenes hands-free;
• a monitor (we call it Studio Preview) where you can see exactly what’s being captured on camera;
• a height-adjustable teleprompter that scrolls your script by following your voice;
• three “Gallery View” monitors so you can see your remote participants on Zoom during a live class;
• wireless microphones; and
• an iPad at the podium for reading and answering Zoom chat during a live class.

Your slides can be 4:3 or 16:9, up to 4K resolution. The studio is designed to make either look great.

Screen Layout for Videos

Videos recorded in the studio usually use a picture-in-picture layout we create in editing. In this layout, your slides fill the screen and you appear in a small circle in the lower right-hand corner. If you’d like, you can also use other layouts during a recording session. If you have a different look in mind (for example, if you’d like to use the virtual lightboard), talk it through with our team.

Picture-in-picture layout with slides full screen and the presenter in the lower right

Studio Scenes

When you teach live or broadcast from the studio, you can switch between different onscreen layouts that we call scenes. You might use just one or multiple scenes during your session. Part of planning your session is deciding when to use what scene (and we’re happy to advise).

Speaker Only

Professor Ben Shields using the Speaker Only scene in the Teaching Studio

• What it looks like: A full-frame view of you, the presenter. Your slides are not visible.
• When to use it: Speaker Only creates a sense of immediacy and connection with your audience. Since the focus is on you rather than your slides, it’s great for starting and ending sessions and for changing topics.

Projector

Professor Shira Springer using the Projector Screen scene in the Teaching Studio

• What it looks like: Your slides appear in a window next to you, like a classic formal presentation.
• When to use it: Great for slides with a medium amount of content. Since the slides do not take up the full screen, you might want to use an extra-large font size for easier viewing.

Full Screen

Professor Court Chilton using the Full Screen scene in the Teaching Studio

• What it looks like: Your slides fill the entire space behind you. You’re visible from the legs up and can move around the space.
• When to use it: Great for creating content with an immersive feel, where you and your slides share the frame.

Speaker Corner

Professor Renee Gosline using the Screencast scene in the Teaching Studio

• What it looks like: Your slides fill the screen while you appear in the bottom right-hand corner.
• When to use it: Great for dense slides. Your audience can focus on the content without losing their connection to you. Consider leaving the lower right corner of your slides empty so you don’t block anything essential.

Content Only

A world map occupying the entire screen in a Content Only scene in the Teaching Studio

• What it looks like: Your slides occupy the entire screen. You are not visible.
• When to use it: Great for highlighting important visuals. During a live class, you might use Content Only to show your remote participants a video.

Whiteboard

Professor Renee Gosline using the Whiteboard scene in the Teaching Studio

• What it looks like: The camera shows you and the in-studio whiteboard.
• When to use it: Board writing is great for introducing new content and clarifying complex ideas.

Virtual Lightboard

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• What it looks like: You appear to write on a transparent screen between you and your audience.
• When to use it: Work through equations, diagrams, or annotations while keeping eye contact with your audience the whole time.

Split Screen

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• What it looks like: Two sources side by side, such as you and a remote guest.
• When to use it: Built for interviews and conversations with someone joining over Zoom.

Phone

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• What it looks like: You present with a phone screen displayed beside you.
• When to use it: Demonstrate a mobile app or anything your audience needs to see on a phone.