Update and guidance for teaching staff: Academic Year 2024/25 

Pauline Brown
Tuesday 27 August 2024
PC Classroom

We really do want you to tell us about any IT/AV issues in teaching spaces

We understand you may not want to bother us with minor technical issues you experience, but chances are, if you’re experiencing issues, your colleagues who use the space after you will experience issues too. Please do report issues to the IT Service Desk. Where possible, our evening/weekend IT/AV technicians will investigate and resolve the issue, ahead of teaching the next day. If there’s a hardware issue, we’ll put a workaround in place and make sure users of the space and Timetabling are aware. We’ll also put details on our new IT Service Status page.  

Are you teaching in a venue that’s new to you? 

We appreciate that teaching in an unfamiliar environment can be daunting.  We want you to be confident using the technology in the University’s teaching spaces and are therefore happy to offer familiarisation sessions for teaching staff, to allow you to practice using the technology, ahead of your teaching commitment. Simply log a call with the IT Service Desk, requesting a familiarisation session in your chosen venue with one of our IT/AV Technicians.   

If using Panopto, we have a  video tutorial available for you to watch. Find out more on the web at the Digital Learning Environment. You can also review our earlier blog posts and web guides . 

Rolling programme of teaching space upgrades  

IT Services now manages and maintains the IT/AV technology in over 230 teaching and meeting room spaces. We have a seven-year refresh programme of teaching spaces, and over the last 12 months we have upgraded over 25 spaces, including Schools II and III, Physics 222 and the Forbes Laboratory.  

During the next academic year, we have another ambitious programme of upgrades scheduled. We will always liaise with the Head of School/Director of Teaching when planning teaching space upgrades in Schools to ensure that we meet the needs of users of the space.

Our new IT Service Status page now includes lecture theatres!  

If a system or service you rely on, such as Eduroam or MMS isn’t working as you’d expect, there could be a wider problem that IT Services are dealing with. The best place to check is our new IT Service Status page as the first port of call.  This page is updated as soon as any major issue is identified or reported to us. You can subscribe to receive alerts from the systems and services you are interested in.  

Rebooting your device is always a good first step if the issue isn’t listed on our IT Service Status page.  Are others experiencing the same problem? If not, contact the IT Service Desk, who will be happy to check for you.

We have recently added lecture theatres as a listed service, following a great suggestion from the Maths Director of Teaching.  

Here you will be able to see the status of the University’s main lectures, using the Red-Amber-Green colour coding.

  • Red – it’s unavailable. 
  • Amber – it’s usable, but there’s an issue, which will be detailed with a workaround in place.
  • Green – working as expected.

Please note that IT Services will liaise with Timetabling Services should there be an issue that impacts teaching in one of the teaching spaces we support.

Short term loan laptops for students   

This service is available during the Main Library opening hours and operates on a first-come, first served basis. For staff who require to borrow a short-term loan laptop, please contact the IT Service Desk in the usual way.

You can read more about it on our Short loan laptop web page.

Evening and weekend IT support

We understand that events and teaching take place in the evening too.  If you require IT support outside of normal working hours, please submit your request via the IT Service Desk with as much notice as possible.    Where possible, we will always try to have an on-duty IT/AV technician available until 8pm on weekdays and between 9am to 5pm at the weekend. If assistance is required, please dial x3674. 

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Presentation mode

In presenter view, a variety of tools are available to enhance your presentation experience. Navigation is simple with arrows next to the slide number, you can view your current slide, the next slide, and your speaker notes all in one place. The thumbnail icon provides an overview of all your slides, allowing you to jump quickly to a different slide.  You can use the magnifying glass icon to zoom in on specific parts of a slide for a closer look or annotation tools, including a pen for drawing and a laser pointer. Learn more at Presenter View by Microsoft Support.

Don’t unplug equipment – find an available port or ask IT Services for help

IT/AV Technicians are often called out to teaching spaces, only to find that essential equipment had been unplugged by the previous user of the room. This caused unnecessary stress for teaching colleagues and delayed the class from starting.   Generally, there should be no reason to unplug equipment. In doing so, you may remove an essential piece of equipment that’s needed for classes which follow yours.   

We understand you may want to plug in a device, such as a presentation clicker dongle, laptop or iPad cable, and there should be capability to do so without unplugging other pieces of equipment. If not, log a call with the IT Service Desk.  

To reduce issues for fellow colleagues, avoid unplugging equipment, but if you do, please ensure you return it to the state you found it. 

Order or request a wireless presenter remote (a ‘clicker’) 

We recommend that individuals have one or that School Offices hold a stock for loan. Unfortunately, it’s not feasible for IT Services to leave one in every teaching space. They are often unintentionally removed, or sometimes run out of batteries. We recommend Kensington Wireless Presenters. They aren’t expensive, don’t require software, and are compatible in our classrooms.

Place an order using the IT purchasing form.

Sign out the classroom PC, don’t shut it down

Windows computers are set to install necessary updates once per month. If the PC is left switched on, this update will happen automatically between 20:00 and 08:00 hours to minimise disruption to users. The next user to logon to the machine will not be aware this update has happened. However, if the PC is switched off, it will update the next time it is switched on, potentially impacting your class.

To log off the teaching PC: 

  1. Select the Windows icon
  2. Select your name then sign out

Upload files you need for your class to OneDrive 

If you’re planning to use the teaching PC, upload PowerPoint presentations or documents to OneDrive that you wish to display on the projector beforehand. If you aren’t familiar with OneDrive, contact the IT Service Desk to arrange a short demo. 

Sign in to OneDrive for Business

When you get to the room

1. Log in to the teaching PC or connect your laptop 

Centrally managed teaching spaces have been designed to offer a consistent experience for staff and students. Microphone and camera settings for each room are listed online.  

If you want to connect your laptop to the camera and microphone in the room, use the cable highlighted in the video,  ‘How to use the camera in lecture theatres‘ and skip to timeframe 7:27.

If you are familiar with using a tablet when teaching, use the manufacturers own adapters to connect to the system.  An iPad will also need to be connected to power when sharing the screen. 

2. Check the display settings to presenter view

To adjust the display settings:  

  1. Hold the Windows + P button on your keyboard  
  2. Use the arrow and Enter keys to select Extend 

Emergency call for assistance if you have any teaching room technology issues 

We appreciate things can go wrong and you may need urgent assistance during your class.  Call our emergency line, 01334 46 3674. This number operates as a “ring-a-round” and will divert to an available IT/AV Technician. Please do hold until your call is answered. 

One to one new staff induction

If you’ve had colleagues join your School in the past month, IT Services will get in touch to organise a one-to-one induction.

Join the Microsoft 365 User Community 

Get updates about new features, learn tips from other colleagues and ask questions about Microsoft 365.

Join the Microsoft 365 User Community

Attend an awareness session

We run regular Microsoft 365 overviews in-person and online on a wide range of topics. Details are posted in the user community and on our Instagram and X accounts. Feel free to request a bespoke session for your team if this is more suitable. 

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