Some universities and colleges across China started classes on time on Monday, according to a reset schedule caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

But teaching has shifted online, for the time being.

According to the official WeChat account of Tsinghua University, professors and tutors have been provided with useful online teaching items to help ensure the smooth rollout of online teaching in the new semester. 

Tutors are turning themselves into "live broadcast hosts" of classes with the use of a writing pad, webcam and laser pointer with remote control. Before the tuition session starts, some teachers have been busily modifying the teaching plan to fit in with the requirements of online teaching, while others "met students" through trials conducted beforehand and adjusted their broadcast plans as a result. Many have found a place of their own at home or in offices filled with textbooks and equipped with online broadcasting devices.

Yang Zheng, an associate professor at the School of Software at Tsinghua, has transformed and upgraded his working environment at home showcasing his ten "artifacts."

1. A computer for lectures set up in video conference mode. A tablet computer with stylus and touch screen functions that can be combined with a whiteboard function from video conferencing software is very convenient and is especially suitable for math teachers who need to derive formulas. 

2. A function responsible for playing the class bell regularly. Czerny Etude Op.599 NO.25 is used by Tsinghua University at the moment. 

3. Displaying time in large font to control the class progress 

4. WiFi router that can meet performance requirements.

5. Alternatives – 4G CPE routers are designed to cope with home fiber disconnection. Next to it is an expansion dock that can connect to the ethernet.

6. This mobile phone enters the video conferencing software from a student's perspective, so it is easy to understand a student's situation at any time. Generally, when the network is better, the PPT display will have a delay of 1-2 seconds and teachers need to pay attention. If the network conditions are normal, there may be a delay of tens of seconds, requiring even more attention. Highly recommended.

7. Alternatives – the phone is used to access the live broadcast platform in case the preferred solution collapses. A live broadcast still saves more bandwidth than video conferencing.

8. Alternatives – physical whiteboard.

9. Alternatives – UPS power to cope with power outages.

10. A missing mobile phone (missing) for accessing the rain class.  

There are a number of universities that have prepared to send free-to-charge website traffic to students who haven't got Wi-Fi at home. China University of Petroleum has announced that the first batch of 1,878 college students without broadband or Wi-Fi at home would begin to receive 30 gigabytes of traffic volume each for online classes from February 14 onwards.

Relevant departments of Shandong University also issued a notice stating its funding would go to those undergraduates who have not installed a broadband network that meets the requirements for online courses,  or whose mobile phones cannot handle sufficient traffic. The funding standard is 30 gigabytes per student.

The schools' responses have won wide approval from Chinese netizens. "The devices are truly advanced and many would start to appreciate this form of tutoring," commented Weibo user @youtaituderen. Another user @shenshenshikabule asked "how to join the classes," while @0921swallow said the setup was truly congenial.

Apart from Tsinghua University, a number of universities have also started their classes online, including Peking University, Beijing Technology and Business University and Nanjing Tech University.

Schools and kindergartens in China have also adopted online tutoring sessions for teachers, parents and their children to encourage the latter's self-management and audio studies. Parent-kid interaction and gaming activities are also conducted online. A special session educating and informing about the coronavirus outbreak is also applicable.