Tech Support, Guidance & Workshops

This section contains support and guidance relevant to your OCA (Google) account and integrated Google applications, such as Google Mail, Google Drive and Google Groups.

Available in this section you'll find the Google Support & Guidance activity, which contains guidance regarding your OCA email account, such as how to access and sign in, and better manage multiple Google accounts, and the integrated Google applications, such as Google Mail, Google Drive and Google Groups.

Additionally, you'll also find the Google Homepage Interface activity, which supplements the aforementioned Google Support & Guidance activity, and outlines the interface and various options and best practices.

This section contains support and guidance relevant to OCA Learn, the college's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), used to access course materials and resources, submit assignments and receive feedback, and schedule or attend student and tutor group work sessions.

Available in this section you'll find the OCA Learn Support & Guidance activity, which contains guidance regarding OCA Learn, including how to access course materials and resources, submit and access assignment feedback, the OCA Learn interface, and activity completion.

Additionally, you'll also find the OCA Learn Interface activity, which supplements the aforementioned OCA Learn Support & Guidance activity, and outlines the OCA Learn interface and options available.

This section contains support and guidance relevant to OCA Spaces, the college facility used to create a website, journal or learning log using the WordPress platform.

Available in this section you'll find the OCA Spaces Support & Guidance activity, which contains guidance and support applicable throughout the entire process of using OCA Spaces, from accessing and signing in, right through to the more immediate and advanced features available within your blog.

Additionally, you'll also find the interactive Gutenberg Editor Interface activity, which supplements the aforementioned OCA Spaces Support & Guidance activity and outlines the Gutenberg interface and the various options available, and finally, an OCA Spaces Dictionary, which details and explains the more advanced technological terms.

This section contains support and guidance relevant to Padlet, an online collaborative whiteboard tool which can be used for;

• collaborative or individual note taking or brainstorming
• gathering and sharing suggestions, ideas or development
• creating a collective resource or research hub
• documenting a process, trip, exhibition or experience
• creating a portfolio

Available in this section you'll find the Padlet Support & Guidance activity, which contains guidance regarding signing in, using both a browser and the mobile or tablet app, importing or exporting a Padlet and the different account types.

Please note that information available in this section may not be applicable to all OCA students and is dependent on the course you're studying, although students can also use Padlet for their own and personal use if desired.

This section contains support and guidance relevant to Panopto, the college's media server, which can be used to upload and record video and/or audio, which can be subsequently be embedded in your learning log on OCA Spaces.

Available in this section you'll find the Panopto Support & Guidance activity which contains guidance regarding recording or uploading video and/or audio, editing and later sharing media.

Additionally, you'll also find the interactive Panopto Capture Interface activity, which supplements the aforementioned Panopto Support & Guidance activity, and outlines the interface various options available.

Available via the Further Support & Guidance activity, this section contains ad hoc guidance not directly applicable to any of the previous sections.

Additionally, the General Discussion Forum can be used to engage in IT related discussions with fellow students. Alternatively, post questions to the TEL Team using the TEL Team Q&A Forum, although please note that while the forum is monitored, there is no agreed SLA for a response. 

Introduction

Please note that the TEL Team no longer hosts technology workshops each month due to the repetition of questions and guidance provided during each session. Instead, please access the Tech Workshop Recording Archive for previous workshops, or contact techsupport@oca.ac.uk to request additional guidance.

A maximum of twenty registered students can attend each session and participate in subject specific demonstration(s) and a Q&A session.

Hosted via Zoom, the workshops are approximately ninety minutes long - although you’re free to join and leave as you please - and begin with any requested subject specific demonstration(s), before transitioning into a Q&A session with those in attendance.

Each workshop is recorded and later available to all OCA students via the Tech Workshop Recording Archive activity. As the sessions are recorded, participants therefore have the option of disabling their webcam and/or microphone, with a window of opportunity at the end of the workshop for students to use Zoom’s integrated chat feature to ask any further questions.

The schedule for the forthcoming month is announced around the start of each month, not accounting for any bank holidays or weekends, and using the Technology Workshop Announcements forum activity. To cater to as many students as possible, the day and date in which workshops are hosted will also differ each month.

Attending a Technology Workshop

Registering

Register to attend one of the forthcoming Technology Workshops using the Technology Workshop Registration activity and selecting your preferred option.

During the registration process, you’ll have an opportunity to request any specific subject demonstrations and add any preexisting questions. Your response will then help build the workshop agenda which will later be published on the Technology Workshop Forum - only available to registered students - and isn’t limitive of the questions to be asked during the workshop. 

Registered

Upon successfully registering to attend one of the forthcoming workshops, students are encouraged to read following additional information and advice which you may find helpful prior to or during the workshop;

Prior to:

• Approximately a week prior to the workshop and to provide sufficient time for students to register, an announcement regarding the workshop agenda and information on how to join the Zoom session will be made using the Technology Workshop Forum. Students who register prior to the announcement will also receive an automated email notification.
• You may wish to download the Zoom application, although you can join using your browser if preferred.
• If you have any questions regarding the workshop or for any reason you’re unable to attend the workshop, please use the Technology Workshop Forum to post your question and/or withdraw your registration.

During:

• The Zoom session will be available approximately fifteen minutes before the scheduled start time, during which students are welcome to join and engage in conversation.
• All workshops will be recorded and later available to all OCA students via the TEL Tech Workshop Recording Archive activity. If you do not wish to feature in the recording, please disable your microphone and/or webcam prior to the start of the recording; an announcement will be made prior to and again at the start of the recording.
• Upon starting the session, all participants should be muted and should remain muted throughout the session until it's your opportunity to speak. Please be respectful to others in the session and allow them the opportunity to ask their question(s) in full and without interruption. Please refer to OCA's video on Netiquette for more information.
• If you have any questions throughout any demonstration(s) or would like to ask a follow-up question, please raise your hand, literally, or using the Zoom interface; the option can be found at the bottom and by selecting 'Reactions', followed by 'Raise Hand'.
• Those in attendance do not need to ask a question and in such circumstances, feel free to say so and we'll move onto the next student.
• Prior to the end of the session, all students' will have the opportunity to ask any question(s) via the integrated Zoom chat feature and will serve as an opportunity for those with their microphones disabled to ask any question(s).

After;

• Following completion of the workshop, students are welcome to provide feedback on the workshop using the Workshop Feedback activity.
• Students are invited to attend as many and as frequently as desired, although to facilitate as many students as possible, students are limited to attending one workshop per month.

Workshop Recording Archive

The recordings for all previous workshops are available to all OCA students indefinitely via the Tech Workshop Recording Archive activity.