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Etherpad [at the TU | on the Web]

Really simple tool for creating texts and notes together

Etherpad is a web-based text editor that is suitable for collaborative work. Several people can access a pad (like a text document) from any location and edit it both simultaneously and at any time. Etherpads can be used directly within the Moodle learning platform or from an external web provider. Another alternative to the Moodle activity “Etherpad Lite” is the GWDG Pad , which can be used by TU members free of charge and without any data protection concerns.

All changes are immediately visible in real time. Text entries can be assigned to individual persons using colour coding. Every change can be tracked at any time using a time slider.

One of the strengths of Etherpad is that it is very simple, intuitive to use and therefore requires little explanation and can be used spontaneously.

It is designed to support phases of collaborative work and is therefore less intended for long-term documentation of content. For this purpose, the finalised collection or the jointly drafted text should be exported and stored in a classic text document, for example.

An Etherpad can be used directly within Moodle by integrating the Moodle activity "Etherpad Lite“ into the course.

There are also several providers on the web that offer a free Etherpad server on which users can create a pad without prior registration (e.g. yopad.eu, ZUMpad).

Example of an Etherpad

Joint production of a translation from English into French (click on image to enlarge)
Joint production of a translation from English into French (click on image to enlarge)

Possible Uses

An Etherpad can be helpful for a wide range of collaborative activities (e.g. project-based group work), for example for:

  • Joint note-taking (e.g. minutes)
  • Brainstorming
  • Organisational agreements and planning for a joint project
  • Joint development of a text (see example above)
  • Revising draft texts

Teachers may also find it interesting to use it in classroom teaching. For example, methods such as a pro/con discussion or a shout-out question could also be used in larger courses where the use of a flipchart or a metaplan wall is difficult to imagine and the Etherpad becomes a digital substitute medium at this point.

  • Standard text formatting options (bold, italics, bulleted lists, etc.); no integration of tables or images possible
    >> Tip: The GWDG-Pad is a tool alternative to the Etherpad, in which tables, images and links can be inserted.
  • Author colours, which indicate who has written which text, can be reset so that the coloured marking disappears
  • A chat enables parallel meta-communication during the process of joint text creation
  • Import/export of various formats possible (e.g. Word, PDF, text file, HTML). Word, PDF, text file, HTML)
  • In the “Editing history”, a time slider can be used to track exactly which text was written when by which person
  • Intermediate states of the joint text development can be explicitly saved as individual versions
  • Various configurations can be made in the “Pad settings”, e.g. whether line numbers and author colours should be displayed (= default setting)

The functions listed here refer to the Moodle activity ”Etherpad Lite“ .
If you use a free Etherpad service on the web, a slightly different range of functions may be available. However, the basic functionalities such as collaborative editing in real time, colour coding of editors, chat and version history should be available in all Etherpads.

If an Etherpad is created in Moodle, it is only accessible to course participants.

If a free Etherpad service is used on the web (e.g. yopad.eu, ZUMpad), a pad usually only needs to be created there without the need for prior registration. The URL to this pad is then sent to all persons who are to collaborate on the pad. This means that everyone who knows the URL to the pad has editing access to it.

The Etherpad software is available under an open source licence. This means that Etherpad can also be installed on your own server (download at etherpad.org).

If you do NOT use the ‘Etherpad Lite’ within Moodle, but an Etherpad from a web provider outside the TU, the following applies:

This tool is a suggestion to facilitate everyday digital work in teaching and studying. It is freely available on the web and can be used free of charge (at least in a basic version). As it is not made available centrally by TU Darmstadt, we would like to point out that you are responsible for checking your own data protection. Please refer to our guidance on the assessment of digital tools with regard to data protection .

If in doubt, please ask our colleagues in the data protection department.