Leicester Learning Institute Adobe Connect Quick Guide Request an account If you want to publish materials to Adobe Connect or run online meetings or teaching sessions, contact the IT Service Desk on 0116 252 2253 and request an Adobe Connect account. Once you have an account you can log in using your University IT account username and password. You do not need an account to view published materials or take part in an online meeting. About meetings An Adobe Connect meeting is an online conference for a group of people. Adobe Connect has meeting rooms that consist of display panels or pods, and components. You can use a pre-built meeting room layout or create your own. For example, the screenshot below shows a meeting room with pods for Camera, Attendee List, Chat and Share. The meeting room enables the meeting attendees to share computer screens or files, chat, broadcast live audio or video, and take part in online activities. A meeting room exists until you delete it and can be used multiple times. Hosts can leave meeting rooms open or closed Technology Enhanced Learning www.le.ac.uk/lli
between meetings. If you leave the meeting room open then the participants can access materials at any time. You can record meetings so people can watch them later. Contact Learning and Teaching Room Support on 0116 252 2919 or email bookav@le.ac.uk for help with setting up equipment such as microphones. Roles and permissions There are three different roles: Host, Presenter and Participant. By default, the person who created the meeting is the host and can decide the roles of the other participants. Host hosts can set up and run meetings, invite participants and control their permissions. They can share materials and control the layout of the meeting room. Presenter presenters can share content and broadcast live audio and video. Participant participants can be named participants or guests. They can view the content that the presenter is sharing, including audio and video. Create a new meeting If you are hosting a meeting in Adobe Connect then you first need to create a new meeting. Meetings are not removed automatically and a meeting can be used several times. For example, if you wanted to hold a weekly Q&A session with your students, you would only need to create one meeting in Adobe Connect. You could then use the same Adobe Connect meeting each week. Create a meeting 1. Go to https://connect.le.ac.uk 2. Log into Adobe Connect with your University IT account username and password 3. Click the Create New Meeting button on the Adobe Connect Home page Meeting Information 1. Enter a Name for your meeting 2. You may want to enter a Custom URL so that you have a meaningful link to your meeting 3. Optionally, enter a Summary of the meeting to describe what it will be used for 2
4. Choose a Start Time for the meeting. This is the first time that the meeting will be available. It is not necessary to specify a Duration since a meeting doesn't end until you explicitly choose to end it. 5. Usually you will choose the Default Meeting template from the Select Template list. Different templates come with different default layouts but you can also create your own layouts. 6. For Access, you will usually choose either Anyone who has the URL for the meeting can enter the room or Only registered users and accepted guests may enter the room, depending on how much control you need over who can attend Audio Conference Settings 1. Choose Do not include any audio conference with this meeting unless you have set up a separate telephone conference for participants 2. Click Next Select Participants Click Next without making any changes in this section, unless you need to invite specific people such as other hosts or presenters. If you do need to invite anyone specific, they must have an Adobe Connect account. Then: 1. Choose their name from the list of Available Users and Groups and click the Add button 2. Click on their name in the Current Participants list, click the Permissions button and choose their role. The different roles are described on the About meetings help page in the Adobe Connect section of the IT Help website Send Invitations Click Finish to create your new meeting. You do not need to send invitations at this stage. However before the meeting you will need to send people the link to the meeting to enable them to join. 3
Run a meeting As a host, you may want to alter the layout of the meeting room. You should also make sure that the audio and video are set up correctly before holding a meeting. Before a meeting You need to send the link for your meeting to the attendees so that they can join the meeting. Open your meeting 1. Go to https://connect.le.ac.uk/ 2. Log into Adobe Connect with your University IT account username and password 3. Go to the My Meetings tab on the Connect Home page 4. Click the Open button next to your meeting 5. If you ended the meeting previously, click Start Meeting to open the meeting again Set preferences 1. Choose Meeting > Preferences... from the menu 2. Choose Room Bandwidth from the list on the left of the Preferences window 3. Choose the DSL/Cable option, unless you are sure that all your attendees are on a fast connection 4. If you are using a webcam and your attendees do not have fast internet speeds, choose Video from the list on the left of the Preferences window and reduce the video quality 5. Click Done Set up audio 1. Choose Meeting > Audio Setup Wizard from the menu 2. Click Next 3. Work through the four steps of the Audio Setup Wizard, following the instructions on the screen. It is important that you do this, since audio is a common cause of problems with online meetings 4. Click Finish Choose a layout Assuming you created your meeting using the Default meeting template: 4
Hide any pods that you don t want to use. For example if you are recording a lecture then you would hide the Attendee List, Chat and Note pods, leaving Camera and Voice and Share. To show a pod again, choose the option from the Pods menu, for example Pods > Attendees You can move pods around the screen by clicking on the header bar and dragging the pod to a different position. To resize a pod, move your mouse over one of the edges until it turns into a doubleheaded arrow then click and drag. For an online meeting or teaching session you often hide the Notes pod and make the Chat pod larger. If you want to create your own layout, choose Layouts > Create New Layout from the menu Share your screen If you need to share your screen, a document, or the whiteboard, choose an option from the Share My Screen menu on the Share pod. To show a PowerPoint presentation: 1. Choose Share Document from the Share My Screen menu 2. Click Browse My Computer... and open your presentation 3. Your presentation will be converted to Flash, ready to share in the meeting. You can then use the arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen to move through your presentation. 5
At the start of a meeting Start Audio Choose Connect My Audio from the menu to share audio from your microphone: Start Webcam If you are using a webcam to share video, choose Start My Webcam from the menu: Start Recording If you are recording a meeting, for example to record a lecture, choose Meeting > Record Meeting... from the menu. During a meeting To enable participants to share materials, you can make them presenters or hosts. Click on the person s name in the Attendee List and choose Make Host or Make Presenter. You can click on a participant and choose the option to Enable Audio so that the rest of the meeting can hear them. Once you have done this, the participant will need to click on the microphone symbol to connect their audio. Similarly you can Enable Video so that they can share their webcam. To participate in chat, type your message in the box and press Enter on the keyboard or click Send It is very difficult to present information and read the chat at the same time. Either have someone else to handle the chat, or set aside time to consider the chat separately. At the end of a meeting If you are recording the meeting, choose Meeting > Record Meeting... to end the recording Choose Disconnect My Microphone and Stop My Webcam from the menu If you close the Adobe Connect window, your meeting will remain open and participants will still be able to access the information 6
To close the meeting and prevent participants from being able to access the meeting room, choose Meeting > End Meeting... Participants will see a message saying that the host has ended the meeting. Access recordings If you have recorded an Adobe Connect meeting, you can access the recording and share the link with others. 1. Go to https://connect.le.ac.uk 2. Login to Adobe Connect using your University IT account username and password 3. Choose Meetings from the menu at the top of the page 4. Click on My Meetings and find your meeting 5. Click on the name of your meeting 6. Click on Recordings. You will see a list of the recordings that have been made for this meeting 7. If you want to share a recording with others, click in the box to the left of the recording to select it and click Make Public 8. Click on a recording then click on the URL for Viewing to open the recording. You can also send this link to others to share the recording 7
Attend a meeting To take part in a meeting you need an internet connection and browser and a copy of Flash player version 10 or higher. You do not need an Adobe Connect account to attend a meeting. You will need headphones to hear the meeting and a microphone if you will be talking. A headset with microphone is ideal. The built-in speakers and microphone in your PC or laptop will not be good enough and may cause feedback. Join the meeting You need a Flash player to attend a meeting. If you are using a university computer then Flash will already be installed. If you are off-campus, you can download Flash from Adobe's website. If you are using a mobile device, you can download the Adobe Connect mobile app from your app store. 1. The host should have sent you a link to the meeting. Click on this link to enter the meeting 2. Choose the option to Enter as a Guest 3. Enter your Name. This will appear in the Attendee List and if you take part in the Chat. 4. Click Enter Room. You may have to wait for the host to allow you to enter the meeting. 5. Choose Meeting > Audio Setup Wizard from the menu and work through the four steps During the meeting 1. If you want to change how your name appears, choose Edit My Info... from the Attendee List menu 2. To participate in chat, type your message in the box and press Enter on the keyboard or click Send 8
3. You can change your status, for example raise your hand to indicate that you want to ask a question, by choosing an option from the Set Status list 4. To send a message to just one person, click on their name in the Attendee List and choose Start Private Chat 5. If you need to adjust or mute the audio, choose an option from the Mute My Speakers menu 9
Further help with Adobe Connect Web guide You can find more information in the Adobe Connect section of the IT Help website: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ithelp/services/adobe-connect There are tips and case studies on webinars on the Leicester Learning Institute website: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/lli/tel/webinars IT Service Desk Ring 0116 252 2253 or email ithelp@le.ac.uk to ask a question or report a problem. Learning and Teaching Room Support Ring 0116 252 2919 or email bookav@le.ac.uk for help with setting up equipment such as microphones. 10