Have you heard of Otago Connect yet?
This is the University’s latest online tool for distance learning and meetings where participants are scattered around the country or even overseas. Otago Connect offers VOIP audioconferencing, videoconferencing, instant chat, the ability to share presentations (e.g. PowerPoints), run polls with meeting participants and many other interesting and useful features. For more in-depth explanations on what Otago Connect can offer, refer to our Blog HelpSite
Currently we have approximately fifty on-campus Administrators who are championing the use of Otago Connect on behalf of their various departments. They have the ability to create new meeting rooms for themselves and others and also give help/advice to new users. To see if there is an Administrator within your department, check the Otago Connect Meeting Administrator list.
On Friday last week, the inaugural Otago Connect Meeting Administrators Open Forum was held (via Otago Connect of course!). A dozen Administrators from around the Dunedin and Wellington campuses attended to share ideas and experiences with using the system. With this semester being the first opportunity for most to utilise Connect in live sessions, the forum allowed Administrators to provide direct feedback on how their sessions have been working and what challenges they have faced. It also allowed them to connect with their peers from other departments and begin forming a network of shared knowledge which will be beneficial to all users.
The consensus from the forum was that Otago Connect is certainly an impressive step forward in reaching out to those who cannot be physically present. The additional functionality over and above normal audio/videoconferencing provides far greater 
opportunities to interact in meaningful ways with distance students and/or participants. As always there are challenges, such as connections with people who encounter bandwidth or technology constraints, however the forum allows users to discuss these problems and their solutions, to help achieve the best results. This is all part of the learning process when new tools become available and in some ways, we are still at the beginning of the journey to really overcome the barrier of distance and by collaborating in this way, hopefully we can make the road smoother.
The forum will continue to be held on a monthly basis and is sure to evolve as time goes on.
To become an Administrator for Otago Connect, simply complete this application form and keep your eye out for the next ITS Training session on Otago Connect – Running Meetings.
