Communications

Conferencing

Web Conferencing is a way of bringing two or more people in different locations together at the same time. Web conferencing apps usually include a range of features useful for meetings and online seminars:

  • audio
  • video
  • whiteboard/drawing space
  • desktop/application sharing
  • polling
  • chat

Web conferencing is increasingly used in higher education, especially for postgraduate and distance learning courses.

Zoom

Over the past few years Zoom meetings have become very popular, with many seminars and lecture series now presented via zoom.  It's also free to use, with a simple download, and can be used for 1 to 1 discussions, or webinars allowing hundreds to watch and participate using typed chat options.  If a teaching session is held on Zoom it will be accessed through a link on Moodle, these are usually recorded and made available to watch, again through Moodle. Many of the seminars held at The School are also available via Zoom as well as in person in the building (termed Hybrid).  The larger lecture series such as the Global Health Lecture Series will also be recorded and made available to watch later.  

Discord

Many social groups, including Universities, have used discord servers for everything from online text chat to sharing media and video conferencing. You should have been invited to join the LSHTM discord server. 

Adobe Connect

Adobe Connect is yet another popular system, which, like Blackboard Collaborate, your institution might use for online seminars and collaboration.

Teams

Microsoft Teams is used by many institutions and work places, the added advantage is the facility to work collaboratively in the same space.

"Meeting online can be great for working on group projects" Viktor, 2nd-year student