Welcome to your Wimba Classroom session

(Instructions for teaches to load this checklist in Wimba Classroom)

Before the session formally starts could you please do the following things so we can start on time knowing that everyone can hear and speak:

  1. type your country or state in the little box at the bottom of the screen and then pressing the enter key. Your message should then be shown in the text chat window
     
  2. if you have a microphone, please hold down your control key then say your name and where you are from.  When you hold down the control key the TALK button should turn orange and the audio levels on the right move up and down when you talk
    1. If others hear you, they can confirm this in  text and you can click the tick at the bottom of the screen to put a green tick next to your name to confirm that your audio is working. Once we have several people with ticks next to their name we can move you to a breakout room so you can discuss your studies (or whatever you want) before the session starts.
    2. If they can't hear you, can you put a cross next to your name and someone will assist you. Please also type the issue in the text box and you could scroll down and click the suggestions to see detailed assistance.

Solving Audio issues, Video issues, Setup Issues

Things you could do while waiting for the session to start.

Solving audio issues  (click the item to show suggested solutions)
How to check your headset if you can't hear other people (or hear "clicks" when you press the CTRL key a couple of times)
  1. check that your your audio leads are plugged in - if you have two round connectors, unplug both, wait 5 seconds, then plug in the microphone (often coloured pink) and if a window opens confirm that you have plugged in your microphone. Then plug in your headset.
  2. click the audio levels and drag the slider on the left (under the speaker) to the max
  3. that your headphones are not muted and the volume is turned up
  4. go to START > SETTINGS > CONTROL PANEL > SOUNDS AND AUDIO DEVICES > AUDIO > SOUND PLAYBACK VOLUME > and increase the volume and make sure that your playback is not muted
How to check your microphone if others can't hear you when you hold down the CTRL key and speak
The TALK button should turn orange and the audio levels on the right move up and down when you hold down the CTRL key and talk
  1. check your audio connections
  2. check that your microphone is not muted
  3. go to the OPTIONS popup menu > AUDIO INPUTS and check that the correct input is selected - try all of them if you are unsure which one to use
  4. if you have a USB Microphone or a microphone in your camera you need to select it using the OPTIONS popup menu > AUDIO INPUTS and check that it is selected
  5. go to the OPTIONS popup menu > AUDIO FILTERS and check that MICROPHONE BOOST is selected
  6. click the audio metres to show the sliders and drag the volume control on the right (under the orange person) up to increase the your microphone sensitivity
  7. make sure that your headset microphone is selected and it is not muted in Windows by going to START > SETTINGS > CONTROL PANEL > SOUNDS AND AUDIO DEVICES > AUDIO > SOUND RECORDING VOLUME > and make sure that the your headset microphone is selected and it is not muted
How to use the phone if you don't have a headset and microphone
You can participate by clicking the BLUE PHONE icon near the bottom of this screen and using your phone to dial the closest number (the 1300 ... number is a local call from anywhere in Australia). You need to enter your unique PIN (it will be different to the one shown on the right). If you can't see the Blue Phone you can phone the number given in the course home page and use the general room PIN.
How to turn off your speakers so everyone else does not hear an echo
Please check that your speakers are turned off by removing your headset and pressing the CTRL key several times. If you can hear a click you need to turn your speakers off and listen through your headset
  1. most speakers have a volume control or an on/of button
  2. you may need to plug your headset into the computer to turn off the speakers

If you don't have a headset please only hold down the control key if you are speaking or everyone will hear an echo!

How to adjust your volumes if you or others are too soft or too loud
  1. You can adjust your own microphone volume by clicking the audio meter and dragging the slider on the right up and down so the volume so it is generally in the orange region
  2. If your microphone is quiet you can also go to the OPTIONS popup menu > AUDIO FILTERS > and select MICROPHONE BOOST
  3. you can increase or decrease your headset volume by adjusting the slider on the left
  4. if someone else is too loud or too soft you can send them a text message by typing in the one line text field at the bottom of the screen

Solving setup, Java and connectivity issues (click the item to show suggested solutions)
How to rerun the Setup Wizard if you did not get ticks against all items (click to expand)
If you did not get ticks against all items in the Setup Wizard please rerun the wizard and follow the suggestions that are provided if you have any difficulties. If you still have difficulties at the end you can enter your email address and you will receive detailed follow-up assistance via email. You can rerun the Wizard by clicking the link in your course or by clicking this link.
How to check for multiple versions of Java or if Wimba is fully loaded if everything is working OK then a problem develops
Possible causes of Wimba not fully loading or it working then stopping are:
  1. Multiple versions of Java have been loaded on your computer. To see if multiple versions of Java are installed (more information is available from http://d2.parature.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=745)
    1. go to the Go to the Control Panel
    2. Open Add/Remove Programs
    3. Check the list for Java 2 Runtime or J2SE (short for Java 2 Standard Edition)
    4. If there is more than on listing, click on them and select remove
    5. Rerun the Wizard and this will reinstall one version of Java (may take a while) on your computer
  2. Sometimes some components of Wimba may have not been fully loaded and in this case it is easiest to delete all Wimba components by following the instructions at http://d2.parature.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=586 then rerun the wizard.
How to improve your connectivity if less than 1 or 2 bars are shown
Ideally the connectivity indicator will show 3 green bars but will sometimes drop to 2 or even 1. The lower the number the more likely you will experience distorted voice or slower video depending on what is being done in the session. Lower connectivity might be due to

You could:

  1. make sure your computer is not downloading files by closing all other applications (some applications download in the background and you may also need to close these)
  2. check that others in your network are not creating large amounts of network traffic
  3. click the Blue phone and dial the nearest number and enter your unique PIN so Wimba does not send audio to your computer
  4. close the video widow or select lower quality video using the OPTIONS menu > VIDEO BANDWIDTH > LOWEST

Solving video issues  (click the item to show suggested solutions)
How to preview your video
If you have a web cam installed you can:
  1. plug in your web cam
  2. click the video button (to the left of the phone) to open the video window
  3. use the OPTION menu > VIDEO INPUTS > tick the name of your camera
  4. click the middle button (picture in picture) to preview your video at the bottom right of the screen

If the preview shows an exclamation mark or "Video device not available" or the video button is greyed out you may need to:

  1. check that your camera is selected using OPTIONS > VIDEO INPUTS > tick the name of your camera
  2. check that your camera is plugged in (you may need to close the Wimba window for your camera to be recognised)
  3. you may need to quit out of Wimba and reinstall your camera software
How to show your video to others
Click the left most icon to open the eye and enable video transmission. Your video is only shown to everyone (in the larger window) if you are the active speaker and the delay is due to the time taken for the video to be sent from you to the server and back again.

If your preview is shown (in the bottom right) but your video is not shown in the larger window (what everyone else sees) when you talk you may need to:

  1. talk for longer (sometimes it takes 5 seconds to switch the video to the active speaker) or
  2. your may not have enough bandwidth to show video or
  3. the moderator may have disabled your video

The video is automatically switched to the active speaker so you can

While waiting for the session to start you could:

 

 

This Wimba Classroom start-up checklist is available from:

http://www.usq.edu.au/users/evansp/browse/Wimba/Checklist/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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