Taking part in our online events

Hints and tips for getting the most out of the online events hosted by the University's Postgraduate Student Recruitment team.

The University of Edinburgh's online events may utilise a variety of platforms, for instance, Gecko Engage, Blackboard Collaborate, Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

General Recommendations

No matter what platform is being used there are a few recommendations that we suggest you keep in mind:

Use of laptop and desktop computers

For the best event experience, when attending this online event, we strongly recommend that you use a desktop or laptop computer (rather than a mobile or tablet).

Internet Connection

Inconsistent and poor bandwidth can have a detrimental effect on your experience of a virtual event. Wherever possible, we recommend a hardwire connection rather than WiFi. To test your internet connection, you can utilise a speed test, for instance this website by Speedtest.net (external organisation).

Browsers

For the optimum virtual experience, we advise you use an up-to-date browser. The number one action that will have the biggest impact on your experience is to use the Google Chrome browser. We recognise that this is not always possible and in some countries Chrome is not downloadable. In which case our next browser recommendation is Firefox.

Download the Google Chrome browser

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

If you are joining our virtual events and are experiencing connection problems you may wish to utilise a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

A VPN is a method of securing communications between your computer and another network. A VPN helps not only hide passwords from a cyber eavesdropper, but also provides a degree of privacy since it hides the content of your data.

A small number of previous participants trying to access our virtual events from international locations have told us that they experienced minor difficulties in accessing our events platforms, but that these have easily been resolved by accessing the events after registering for a VPN service.

Firewalls

Some organisations will have security or firewalls in place that may block live streaming videos. If you are using an organisation issued laptop, please speak to your organisation's IT team in advance, or optionally use a personal laptop.

Give yourself time to prepare

No matter how the event is being hosted, it is worthwhile giving yourself time to familiarise yourself with the features of the event platform and to check that it's compatible with your device. You'll also want to ensure you know the correct start time of the event, and if relevant to you, be aware of time zone differences. Time zone checker

Ensure that your device is ready to be utilised, this includes:

Internet access
Charged battery or charging cable
Headset (headphones and microphone) for listening to the presenters, and a keyboard so you can participate using text chat.

Session recordings and personal data

Many of our events will be recorded so that you can re-watch the session, or if you were unable to attend after registering you can watch the session at a time convenient to you. Any information that you provide during a session, for instance during the discussion and/or Questions and Answers portions, is optional and in doing so you give us consent to process this information.

You may not wish to have your name read out by the presenter during the discussion or Q&A, in which case we recommend that when you first enter the event platform, you edit your personal details to be a pseudonym.

You can read about how we utilise your Personal Data, and specifically our privacy statement about Photographic images and video on our "Use of Personal Data" web pages.

Accessibility

The University of Edinburgh is fully committed to ensuring that the services we provide are both usable and accessible to all users.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, e.g, materials in advance, materials in different formats, etc please include this information in the Event Registration Form in the section that asks about Accessibility Requirements. We will then follow up with you individually via email to discuss how we can best support you.

Camera and Microphone settings

There is no requirement for you to share your video camera image or audio with us during an event. Some sessions may allow for this feature, if you so choose, while others may simply allow you to communicate via text chat.

Getting to your next live session

If you have opened a new browser tab to participate in a session, please close that  tab and return to your e-Ticket.

If you have closed the e-Ticket tab in your browser, you can retrieve it in the email we sent you on the day of the event.

Viewing closed captioning

Depending on the platform on which the webinar takes place, If live captions would be helpful for you, here are the available options:

There may be an option to turn on live captions and view a live caption display during live sessions.

Where this option is not available, you may wish to use Google Chrome’s live captioning feature. Follow the link below for guidance on how to turn on this feature.

How to enable Google Chrome live captions

As with all live captioning, it’s not 100% accurate but it is fairly reliable and accurate. Please note this is a tool offered through Google Chrome, not the University of Edinburgh.