Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most instructors in the U.S., the fastest way to stream an online course is to use a browser-based studio like StreamYard, then embed or share that live stream in your course platform. If you specifically need deep scene control or custom encoder settings, tools like OBS or Streamlabs can sit underneath—but they add setup and maintenance.

Summary

• Use StreamYard as your primary teaching studio for live and pre-recorded online classes.
• Send your stream to YouTube, then embed it into platforms like Teachable, or share the watch link inside your LMS. (Teachable)
• Keep your setup simple: good mic, stable internet, clear slides, and repeatable layouts matter more than fancy effects.
• Consider OBS or Streamlabs only if you truly need complex scenes or local encoder tuning.

What does a simple online course streaming setup look like?

Think of your streaming setup as three layers:

1. Studio – where you and your slides/camera actually “live.” For most people, this is StreamYard in a browser.
2. Destination – where students watch: usually YouTube (unlisted or private), or another video platform.
3. Course platform – where content is organized, paid for, and accessed: Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, a university LMS, etc.

In a typical workflow, you go live in StreamYard, send that stream to YouTube, then embed or link that player inside your course. Many course platforms explicitly support embedding livestreams from sites like YouTube, Twitch, or Vimeo into lesson pages. (Teachable)

How do you plan a course that works well as a live stream?

Before you touch any tech, get the teaching flow right:

• Chunk your content. Plan 20–30 minute teaching blocks, followed by Q&A or exercises. Long, uninterrupted talking heads are tough to follow.
• Decide what’s live vs. pre-recorded. Use live sessions for interaction (Q&A, demos, critiques) and pre-recorded for core lectures.
• Map tech to moments. For each segment, decide: camera only, slides + camera, screen share, or a guest.
• Script your visuals, not your words. Outline slide titles, key screen shares, and when you’ll bring guests on. Keep spoken delivery natural.

This prep makes your actual studio setup almost mechanical: you’re just stepping through planned layouts and scenes instead of improvising under pressure.

How do you set up StreamYard as your teaching studio?

For most instructors, StreamYard is the easiest “home base” for live teaching because it runs in the browser, students don’t need anything extra, and guests join via a simple link.

Here’s a practical setup checklist:

1. Create your studio. Log into StreamYard in Chrome or Edge, create a new broadcast, and choose your primary destination (for example, YouTube).
2. Dial in audio first. Select your mic and headphones, then use StreamYard’s independent control of screen audio and microphone audio to keep voices clear while you share videos or app sound.
3. Design your layouts. Add branded overlays and logos, and pick layouts for camera-only, camera+slides, and full-screen screen share. You can keep 2–3 layouts you use all semester.
4. Prepare notes. Use presenter notes visible only to you so you can track talking points and calls to action without cluttering the screen.
5. Invite co-instructors and TAs. Add them to the studio so you can use multi-participant screen sharing for pair programming, design critiques, or peer review sessions.
6. Record smart. Use local multi-track recordings for your voice, guest audio, and screen so you can easily repurpose clean clips or fix small mistakes afterwards.
7. Think mobile. If it fits your course, stream both landscape and portrait from the same session using multi-aspect ratio streaming (MARS) so desktop students and mobile learners each get an optimized view. (StreamYard support)

At this point, you have a reusable studio: same link for co-teachers, consistent visual branding, and a workflow that “just works” for non-technical guests.

How do you connect your stream to your course platform?

Most online course platforms are not live-video tools themselves; they embed or link out to a player:

1. Stream to a video host. In StreamYard, set YouTube (public, unlisted, or private) as your destination.
2. Grab the embed code or watch link. On YouTube, copy the video’s embed code or share URL.
3. Embed in your lesson. In Teachable, for example, you can embed a third-party livestream directly into the lesson area using the code from YouTube, Twitch, or Vimeo. (Teachable) Many other platforms work similarly.
4. Post support materials. Under the embedded player, add links to slides, worksheets, and any homework.

If your institution uses a dedicated lecture capture tool (like Panopto at some universities), you can still use StreamYard as the production studio and send or upload the recording into that system after class. (MIT Sloan)

How do you schedule pre-recorded lessons to run “as live”?

Running a pre-recorded lesson as if it’s live gives you the best of both worlds: polished teaching plus live chat and Q&A.

A practical pattern:

• Record in StreamYard. Use the same studio you use for live class, but record off-air to keep things focused.
• Edit lightly if needed. Trim the start/end, add intro/outro if you like.
• Schedule as a simulated live event. Some streaming services let you upload a file and schedule it to broadcast “as live” at a specific time so students get a real-time experience. (OneStream Live)
• Host live Q&A. During the scheduled broadcast, join the chat as an instructor and answer questions while the lesson plays.

You can repeat this for each module: record once in a calm environment, then “go live” with students as many times as your calendar allows.

Which live streaming software should you use to teach online courses?

For course creators, the main decision is between browser-based studios and desktop encoders:

• StreamYard as the default. Because everything runs in the browser, you avoid installs, driver issues, and hardware tuning. Instructors often switch from tools like OBS or Streamlabs when they realize they prefer ease of use and a clean setup over deep technical control.
• OBS for advanced customization. OBS is free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming, and it lets you set up an unlimited number of scenes with custom transitions for complex layouts. (OBS) It’s powerful, but you’re responsible for all encoder settings and your computer does all the heavy lifting.
• Streamlabs for monetized creator workflows. Streamlabs Desktop builds on OBS and adds overlays, alerts, and, with the Ultra subscription, extras such as multistreaming and premium overlays. (Streamlabs) It’s attractive for gaming-style creator channels but still requires a capable machine.

A few practical guidelines for educators:

• If you’re co-teaching, bringing in guest lecturers, or relying on non-technical TAs, StreamYard’s browser links and simple guest flow tend to save far more time than you’d save by avoiding a subscription.
• If your PC is older or already under heavy load from IDEs, slide decks, and tooling, offloading encoding to a cloud studio is often more stable than running a heavyweight desktop encoder.
• If you’re teaching something like visual effects or high-end game design and you want 100% control over every pixel and transition, OBS or Streamlabs may be worth the extra complexity.

OBS vs StreamYard — which suits live teaching needs?

In plain language, here’s how many instructors think about the trade-off:

• Setup and learning curve
  OBS gives you full control but expects you to manage scenes, sources, and encoder settings yourself; its own site emphasizes that you can set up unlimited scenes and transitions for production-level control. (OBS) StreamYard focuses on quick learning—many users are comfortable enough to configure accounts over the phone with guests.

• Hardware and reliability
  OBS and Streamlabs Desktop run all encoding on your CPU/GPU; Streamlabs even recommends 16 GB+ of RAM for a smoother experience. (Streamlabs) With StreamYard, your browser sends one stream to the cloud, and we handle the fan-out and processing, which is often kinder to laptops and shared office machines.

• Guest experience
  With desktop tools, guests typically join through separate meeting apps or more technical NDI/RTMP workflows. In StreamYard, guests just click a link in their browser—this is why many instructors say it passes the “grandparent test.”

For most U.S.-based instructors whose priority is clear audio, clean slides, and low-friction guest lectures, starting with StreamYard and only adding OBS/Streamlabs if you hit a concrete limitation keeps your course focused on teaching instead of tech.

How to embed a livestream into an online course lesson

Once your studio is stable, embedding becomes a simple checklist you can reuse each term:

1. Schedule your session in StreamYard and connect it to YouTube.
2. Create a new lesson in your course platform.
3. Paste the embed code from YouTube (or another supported platform) into the lesson’s HTML/embed block. Many platforms explicitly support embedding livestreams this way. (Teachable)
4. Add context text above the video: what students should prepare, how to ask questions, and where replays will live.
5. After the session, replace the live player with the replay (if needed), or simply leave the embedded video as your on-demand lecture.

Once you’ve done this once, you can clone the lesson structure for future cohorts, swapping in new embed codes while keeping the instructions and resources intact.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard as your main live teaching studio and keep your layouts and scenes deliberately simple.
• Send streams to YouTube (often unlisted) and embed them into your course platform so students have a single, consistent home for all lessons.
• Use pre-recorded sessions scheduled “as live” for complex topics, then show up in chat for Q&A to keep energy high.
• Consider OBS or Streamlabs only if you have a clear, advanced production requirement and the time to maintain a more technical setup.