Thing 3: Web Conferencing

As cross-institutional research collaboration becomes increasingly common, more and more researchers need to communicate with one another via web-conferencing tool that allow them not only to talk but also to share screens, collaborate on documents and share files. Even within a single institution, such as the University of Melbourne, web-conferencing can be useful as a way to connect researchers on different campuses or carrying out fieldwork. The University Library also makes use of these tools to deliver webinars for Endnote and Library Scholarly Literacy classes. Particularly with our regional campuses and off-site cohorts, web-conferencing has become an effective way to offer classes, manage team meetings and to deliver online consultations with researchers and students.

Getting Started

There are some ‘best practice’ tips for conducting webinars and online meetings and these can be found at the various webinar program websites, such as Zoom, and also web technology sites, such as this. 

The most important element is making sure the technology you are using supports the online experience, so paying attention to the quality of your internet connection, the audio and video equipment and the devices that your participants will be using is critical.  There is no point using a large resolution screen to demonstrate if your participants are on laptops or tablets with small screens! 

While there are a number of good programs available, such as Adobe Connect, WebEx and GoToMeeting and free tools such as Skype, the University currently provides and supports the Zoom program.  

Zoom 

Cost: Free for basic account from Zoom; paid versions provide more features. The University provides the program and support to staff, see the Learning Environments website for details.  

The Meeting version offers up to 100 participants per room while the webinar version extends this number and also provides more controls for the presenter.  Typically, a Meeting version will allow audio/video by all participants and also access to Screen Share and other features, whereas the Webinar version gives watch and listen functionality to the participants. 

Key Features 

• One-on-one video calls 
• Group video calls 
• Easy to send files to other users 
• Easy to share screen 
• Whiteboard and Annotation sharing 
• Breakout rooms 
• Mobile versions available for Android and IOS 
• Online support available 
• Available for Windows, Mac OS, Linux and Chromebook 
• Available on centrally-managed computers at the University of Melbourne 
• Can dial in via phone and H.323/SIP system rooms 

Skype 

Cost: Free for basic account; paid versions provide more features. Costs for calling mobiles and landlines. 

Skype is undoubtedly the most well known and most popular web-conferencing tool currently available. Even if you haven’t used it in a professional setting, you’ve probably used it to contact friends and family. Signing up for an account is free and very easy: just enter your details and download the software, which is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. There are paid (‘premium’) versions of Skype available but the additional features on offer change quite regularly, so it’s worth checking the Skype website to keep up-to-date.  Skype for Business is a new version, based on the Microsoft Lync program. 

Once you’ve set up an account and installed Skype, you can connect to other Skype users, anywhere in the world, free of charge. You will of course need a microphone and audio output; your computer’s speakers and microphones might be fine for casual use but if you’re contacting professional colleagues it would be worth investing in a headset and a web-camera, which applies to all the web-conferencing tools discussed here. You can connect with more than one Skype user at a time and create a large-scale web-conference; a maximum of ten simultaneous users is recommended. You can also send files—such as PDFs, Word documents, or PowerPoint presentations—and share your screen with both individuals and groups. Although Skype does require each user to have a Skype account, it is so commonly used that this is rarely a problem. Nonetheless, in a university setting your contacts may not have access to Skype at their workplace. The University of Melbourne, however, has Skype installed on all centrally managed Learning Environments spaces. It is not otherwise pre-installed on university computers but it can be downloaded via the Software Self Service portal for staff or, if needed, requested via the Services Portal.  

Key Features

• One-on-one video calls 
• Group video calls 
• Easy to send files to other users 
• Easy to share screen 
• Mobile versions available 
• Online support available 
• Available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux  
• Available on centrally-managed computers at the University of Melbourne 

Considerations/Risks 

Most major web-conferencing platforms require all the participants to be using the same software or require installation of various plugins; this requires more co-ordination and involvement on the part of all the attendees. Within the University of Melbourne, Zoom is recommended for staff who want to manage online tutorials with students or web-conferencing with colleagues. Nonetheless, Skype is also accessible, versatile and user-friendly so it is worth considering as an easy-to-use alternative, especially for interviews, guest lecturing and for student web-conferencing. Learning Environments provide a variety of video conferencing facilities on campus that can be booked in advance; see here for further details. 

As said above, it is important to know your technology and the protocols around online meetings and webinars, this ensures that the experience is positive for both you as a presenter host and also for your participants.     

Summary Table

Try This 

Do you use web-conferencing tools on a regular basis? If so, which ones and do you use specific products for specific purposes? Are there any other tools that you would recommend? 

Take a look at a list of Online program solutions.

This post was written by Gerry Fahey (Liaison Librarian, Science & Engineering).