Collaboration & Learning Environments

Holding multi-site meetings without travel

There are four ways of holding multi-site meetings without the need to travel between sites:

• Desktop web-conferencing using NEFSIS – no telephones, see up to 20 people through webcams, share documents and applications – recommended for staff meetings working on common documents
• Desktop web-conferencing using Wimba Classroom – see who is talking, join by phone if you have no mic, make presentations and get class feedback – recommended for teaching sessions
• Skype – audio and webcam video images via the Internet, but no sharing of documents or presentations – not recommended on University networks but very useful from home
• Conventional Teleconferencing – all by phone – recommended when no document sharing is needed and when it is unimportant to see anyone in the meeting.

NEFSIS

Introductory information is available in the form of a datasheet and a pocket reference guide.

This system uses voice over the Internet (VOIP), like Skype. It is highly desirable to have a webcam and a headset with microphone to make best use of it, but from early in 2009 there will be a new voice engine with echo cancellation which should enable users to use it with open speakers and microphones if appropriate.

There are two categories of user for this system:

a) those able to initiate meetings - the licence group users - these need to load a piece of software onto their PCs, the NEFSIS Client, which will not only let you initiate meetings but also see which other licence group users are online in case you want impromptu meetings with any of them;

b) participants in meetings - although these users need training, they do not need to pre-load any software - they simply click on a link provided by the meeting host to go to the appropriate online meeting room.

Please note that Mac users will need to use VMware (e.g. VMware Fusion) or a dual boot system (e.g. bootcamp) to use the system as it is designed for PCs. A native Mac version is under development but cannot be expected to be released until late 2009.

There is no cost to you. There are no limits on the number of users we can have in each category.

Online training normally takes about 30-40 minutes. It is available from WiredRed at mutually convenient times. To arrange an online training session please contact Steve Swain online through NEFSIS or by emailing him at saswain@wiredred.co.uk.

Please email cle@swlacademicnetwork.ac.uk to get the link and password you will need for this.

Sessions will be “open house” format - so users may drop in when convenient. Just make sure that you have your headset and webcam connected if you have them.

NEFSIS is a very intuitive system and most people only need to attend a session once in order to grasp the basics. But note a trap for the unwary – you need to click “Push to talk” once to unmute your microphone even when the online room is set up to have audio “always on for everyone”.

Wimba Classroom

Wimba Classroom has been integrated into the Virtual Learning Environments (Moodle and Blackboard) at each institution in the SWan Alliance. This is the recommended way to access it if it is being used for teaching purposes.

If, however, you wish to use Wimba Classroom for meetings you can either request your own online room to be dedicated to you and your colleagues, or you can book time in the general SWan Management Meeting Room. All such requests should be made by email to: cle@swlacademicnetwork.ac.uk giving at least one working day’s notice. Guidance is available on use of Wimba Classroom for staff meetings.

Skype

Skype can be downloaded free from www.skype.com. It is not recommended for use on University networks because the way the software works causes your PC to become a network hub, resulting in the risk of greatly increased network traffic. However, it provides an easy way to set up a teleconference with the addition of instant text messaging and seeing attendees through webcam video images.

Teleconferencing

Each institution has its own arrangements for setting up teleconferences.

In SGUL, the usual teleconferencing supplier is BT. Bookings should be made to the Estates & Facilities Helpdesk by email: estates@sgul.ac.uk, indicating the time of call and phone numbers of those involved. The Departmental Cost Code is requested at time of booking. Conference phones can be booked from Estates & Facilities.

At RHUL, the usual teleconferencing supplier is all-call.com. Calls are charged at 5p per minute from your telephone network provider; there are no charges from all-call.com, which claims to be the UK’s lowest cost conference call service – much cheaper than BT. It is all arranged through the website www.all-call.com.

In Kingston, Faculties & Departments are encouraged to have their own speaker phone called a Polycom SoundStation that facilitates setting up conference calls, provided that the phone line is set to take multiple calls. No special lines are needed but some phone lines may not have the correct class of service, e.g. public phones in classrooms etc.


Most office phone lines should be OK but it's wise to test the line before using it for real. See the recommended procedure for setting up the conference call. It is not essential to have a Soundstation, but they are recommended if there is more than one person participating in the conference call in the same room.If in doubt, you should contact Steve Barkley (s.barkley@kingston.ac.uk).