Communication

Collaborate Ultra/Webex

1. Be consistent. When deciding on which platform to use for your classes, choose one and stick with it throughout the semester.

2. Clarify the access procedures for your chosen platform. Before a class is scheduled to meet, make sure the students know procedures and basic troubleshooting tips for joining the session. OUR RECOMMENDATION: Always have students use the built-in interface for Collaborate Ultra/Webex within Pilot; you can add that external learning tool link under the Content tool.

3. Web Browser tips: Completely close your browser before beginning a session, always use the most up-to-date version of your browser (preferably Chrome or FireFox), and limit open browser tabs to ones you are using for that session.

4. Communicate technology and browser requirements to your students at the beginning of the term.

5. Make sure students know how to check their connectivity information while within a session/meeting so they can check it if the tool is trying to notify them that they may be experiencing issues(Collaborate Ultra only.)

6. Connect via ethernet if at all possible OR move as close as you can to your WiFi router if you have any problems. This will provide a stronger connection to conduct your online class. 

7. Have a backup plan in case a live session gets interrupted and participants cannot immediately get back into it. Create a plan for when things go wrong and communicate this plan including how you will notify them and where they are to go BEFORE class sessions begin.

8. Provide students with information on where to get tech support if they have an issue. For students in need of tech support, direct them to the CaTS Help Desk.  Faculty support is provided by the CTL.

9. Set clear expectations within your sessions. Do you want students to use profile pictures, have their webcams on, mute their mics, raise their hand before opening their mics, how you expect them to use the chat function, etc.?

10. Breathe. Take a deep breath and contact the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) or the CaTS Help Desk if you need any assistance including questions, features and overviews of how Collaborate Ultra or Webex works. We’re here to help!

The Center for Teaching and Learning, ctl@wright.edu, 937-775-2885

CaTS Helpdesk, helpdesk@wright.edu, 937-775-4827

Webex Education Connector Tutorials

The Cisco Webex Education Connector is an external learning tool in Pilot that is used for conducting classes in a live virtual classroom. This tool can be used to schedule virtual class meetings, promote online group work, and to schedule virtual office hours using Cisco Webex Meetings.

Webex Education Connector

Browser Requirements

While Webex is compatible with most browsers, we strongly recommend using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. The links to download these web browsers are found below:

            Google Chrome

            Mozilla Firefox

How to Add the Webex Education Connector to Pilot

To utilize the Webex Education Connector in your course, you must add the Webex External Learning Tool in Pilot by going to your Content tab and creating a module. We suggest creating a module labeled, “Webex” or “Class Meeting.” This makes the link easy to find for the students.

Once you have created a module for your Webex Education Connector, you will go into that module and click on the gray button labeled Add Existing Activities and select External Learning Tools.

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This action will open a small window with all the External Learning Tools that are offered in Pilot. You will scroll all the way to the bottom of the list and click on Webex.

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After selecting Webex, it will populate in your chosen module as a link for both you and your students to access.

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Setting up your Webex Education Connector

To customize your preferences in the Webex Education Connector, click on the Webex link in your Content module. If this is the first time you have accessed the tool, it will automatically take you to the Setup tab.

In the Setup tab, you can customize the following Webex Education Connector preferences:

• Choose your features: Classroom Collaboration, Virtual Meetings, and Office Hours are all disabled by default. Check the features that you want to be available for your course and select Apply. Then, each feature you selected appears as its own tab.

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• Time Zone: Regardless of your location while teaching the course, the Time Zone for the course should be set at GMT-4:00, Eastern (New York). Once you’ve ensured this time zone has been set correctly, click on the blue Save button.

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• Authorize with LMS: Authorize the Webex Education Connector before you start to use its features. Enter the same credentials you use to sign in. If this button is blue, you will need to authorize. If this button is gray, it has already been done.
• Webex Meetings Attendance Grading: You can award participation points to students automatically when they attend a meeting or class using the Webex Education Connector. This sets up a grade item in your Gradebook in Pilot. If you would like to turn on attendance grading, select the blue button labeled Turn on.

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• Reminder Bot: The Reminder Bot posts a message into the Webex Teams space (Classroom Collaboration) before a Webex meeting is about to start for that class or meeting. Select Turn On and select the amount of time before your class you would like the reminder to be sent.

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Support Links for Instructors

Quick Tips

Best Practices

Support Links for Students

Webex-Education-Connector-for-Students

Webex

Quick tips to avoid or quickly recognize common problems:

• If possible, use the Cisco Webex Desktop App for your computer or device
• If using a web browser, make sure it is the latest version (Chrome and Firefox are strongly recommended)
• Connect via Ethernet or ensure you are as close to your WiFi router and that your Wifi connection is strong AND stable

Have a Backup Plan:

• Create a ready-to-use backup session OR your personal Webex meeting room (if recordings are critical to remote students, create the session via Webex in Pilot so the recordings are listed there!)
• Communicate to your students where the backup session is located and how you will communicate the need to switch to the backup meeting BEFOREHAND, so they know where to go.

What to do when issues come up:

• An issue that impacts only a single user or very few users
  1. Turn off the webcam if it is on
  2. Have the user check their connectivity and connect via ethernet if possible
  3. Stop application/screen sharing (if running) if the person having the issue is presenting
  4. Quit the Webex App or Web browser being used and try to reconnect (if the above steps do not resolve the problem)
  5. Contact the CaTS Help Desk

• An issue that affects all users or the entire session:

1. Have everyone turn off their webcams (if on)
2. Mute all microphones (if on)
3. Have everyone leave the session, quit the app or web browser they are using and rejoin the session
4. If the above steps do not resolve the issue, go to your Backup Plan session.

Collaborate Ultra

Quick tips to avoid or quickly recognize common problems:

• Completely close your browser and open a fresh window before beginning a session
• Only have browser tabs/windows open that you will be using during your session.
• Make sure ALL PARTICIPANTS are using the latest version of their web browser (Chrome and Firefox are strongly recommended, especially for presenters and moderators)
• Connect via Ethernet or ensure you are as close to your WiFi router and that your Wifi connection is strong AND stable
• Know how to access your own experience indicator (either in the participants list or the MyStatus and Settings at the bottom of the page.)
• Instructors: Keep the Participants list open if practical so that you can see EVERYONE’s experience indicators to readily see if a participant is having an issue (their experience indicator will show 2 bars or less and will turn yellow or red.)

Backup Plan:

• Create a ready-to-use backup session OR use your Collaborate Ultra Course Room so you have a “go-to” solution if a session is disrupted and participants are unable to rejoin
• Communicate to your students where the backup session is located and how you will notify them to use the backup session BEFOREHAND, so they know where to go if an issue arises that disrupts the entire session.

What to do when issues come up:

• An issue that impacts only a single user or very few users

1. Turn off the webcam(s) if it is on
2. Make sure they are using the latest version of their web browser (preferably Chrome or Firefox)
3. Have the user experiencing the issue stop application/screen sharing IF that person is presenting
4. Refresh the browser page containing the open Collaborate Ultra session
5. Quit the browser and try to reconnect (if the above steps do not resolve the problem)
6. Contact the CaTS Help Desk

• An issue that affects all users or the entire session:

1. Have everyone turn off their webcams (if on) and ONLY have the presenter use theirs
2. Mute all microphones (if on)
3. Have everyone leave the session, quit their web browser, and rejoin the session
4. If the above steps do not resolve the issue, go to your Backup Plan session.

With Pilot’s integration with Microsoft Office 365, you can upload files to Pilot directly from your OneDrive. The following directions show how to attach a file to a discussion post. The same process applies to Dropbox folders and other areas where you want to attach a file.

If you have a copy of the file saved on your computer, and not in a OneDrive folder on your computer, it’s often simpler just to upload that file from your computer. But if you store and edit your files in OneDrive, here are the directions below.

Attach a file to a discussion post

1. To attach a file to a discussion post, either a new thread or a reply, click the little arrow to expand “Add attachments,” which is below the box where you write your message.

   

2. Click the “Choose existing” button that you will now see. (Note: If you have a copy of the file on your computer, not in OneDrive, you can click the “Upload” button instead. That will let you attach the file from your computer.)

   

3. Next, click “OneDrive Files” from the list of sources.

   

4. OneDrive may prompt you to log in at this point. If asked for an email address, that would be your Wright State email address. Of course, you will use your campus user name and password.
5. Navigate your OneDrive files and check the box in front of the file you want, then click “Add.” You can check multiple files to add them all at once.

   

6. Once you’ve clicked “Add,” you will be back in your post and should see the name of your file listed. Assuming your post has a heading and content, you can click post to make the post with it’s attached file available to your class.

   

View attached files in discussions

There are two ways you can view files attached to discussion posts. You can view them from the list of threads. Or you can view them from within posts.

Access attached files from the list of threads

Once you click a discussion topic, you will see a list of all the posts to that topic. Beneath a post, click the “More” link,

That will reveal the name of attached files. Click a file name to download and view it.

Access attached files from within posts

One you click the name of a post, you will see any attached files listed below the main message. Click a file name to download and view it.

Students who do not have a Wright State “w” number and enroll in some courses through self-registration. After registering, a student will receive an email with a link to change their password. Finally, the student must go to pilot.wright.edu and click the “External Users Login” link.