How to Use Virtual Classroom (Author: Brad Eichhorn, SCMC)
Equipment You Need
- Use a laptop or desktop computer if possible; tablets and mobile devices may not support all the available features
- Use headphones instead of speakers to prevent echos if your microphone is turned on.
- Best Practices:
- Keep your video camera off unless needed - it will help performance and quality
- Keep your microphone off unless you need to speak - it will eliminate background noises
Technical Information
- Here is a link to check your system's compatibility (new window).
- Here is a link to check your bandwidth (new window). Please do not share your video unless there is some reason to do so - sharing video consumes significant bandwidth that could hurt the entire session.
- Chrome, Firefox, Edge (Chromium version), or Safari are the recommended and supported
browsers.
- If you are using Chrome, you will need to add the Bongo Screen Extension for Chrome (new window). This is a Chrome browser add-in that you will only need to do one time.
Background information
- D2L provides a Virtual Classroom and Video Assignments page (new window) about the tool at a product level.
- D2L has a useful 18 minute video (new window) demonstrating the creation and use of Virtual Classroom sessions.
- The first 3:25 focus on information for the instructor.
- You may want to skip to 3:25 where it begins to show how the tool is used by both the instructor and student.
- UM provides a "Getting Started" document (new window) that explains much of what you would need to know.
- Pages 1-10 are focused on instructions to help instructors create these VCs.
- Pages 11 and beyond deal with actually using the tool.
- UM also provides a video demonstrating its use (new window).
- The first 2:55 is information for only instructors creating Virtual Classroom sessions.
- Students should skip through to about 2:55 (the first 2-3 minutes are how an instructor creates a session)
- Some of the material beginning at 5:00 is only available to instructors (such as allowing the screen to be shared or loading a file), while other information (muting your microphone or turning off your video) applies to everyone.