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Procedure for Using HKU Web Conferencing Service (based on Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional)

1. Pre-requisites for using the Web Conferencing service
2. Creating a Meeting
3. Start a Meeting
4. Run a Meeting
5. End a Meeting
6. Managing Uploaded Files


1. Pre-requisities for using the Web Conferencing service

  1. A web browser
  2. Install Flash Player Plug-in.
    The software is available in http://www.adobe.com/
  3. Install Adobe Acrobat Connect Add-in
    The software is available in http://webconf.hku.hk/common/help/en/support/startmain.htm
  4. Install a webcam and a microphone on the PC. But this is not necessary.

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2. Procedure for Creating a Meeting

  1. Invoke a browser and type "webconf.hku.hk"
  2. Enter your departmental account name and password for the Web Conferencing System.
  3. The Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro homepage will be displayed. Figure 2
  4. Click the "Meetings" at the top menu.
  5. Click "New Meeting" and fill in the relevant information at the "Name", "Custom URL", "Summary", "Start Time" and "Duration" fields. You may accept default at the other fields. Figure 5
  6. Click "Next" in the "Select participants" page. Figure 6
  7. At the "Send invitations", copy the message body and paste into your email program, modify the message content and send the email to the participants that you plan to invite. Click "Finish" in the "Send Invitation" page. Figure 7
  8. Before entering the Meeting Room, it is suggested to fine-tune the Audio/Video Settings -- At "Meeting" -> "Manage My Setting" -> "Audio Setup Wizard". Figure 8 and Figure 9 .

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3. Start a Meeting

Meeting Host to start a meeting

  • Enter the meeting URL in your browser, type your account name & password, then click “Enter Room”.
  • The same URL (meeting room) can be re-used as a template, so that you need not modified the layout again.
  • Manage the access right to block access to a meeting, so that Host can allow or disallow guest to enter room.


Join a meeting as an attendee

Attendees join a meeting as a guest.

  1. Enter the meeting URL in your browser.
  2. Click "Enter as guest".
  3. Type in a guest name and click "Enter Room".
  4. Wait for the Meeting Host to accept your access.

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4. Run a meeting

Pods: panels that contain various types of media, likes:  list of attendees, notes, chat, files, and video.

Managing attendees by using the Attendee List pod

  • From the Attendee List pod, everyone can quickly see who is logged in to a meeting.
  • Hosts and presenters can monitor name, role, and status.

Using camera / microphone

  1. Meeting panel -> Manage My Settings -> Select Camera
  2. Select the right device
  3. Adjust the brightness & color to fit your environment
 

Communicate during training sessions and meetings

In Acrobat Connect Pro, attendees can communicate with others in the virtual room, get the attention of the instructor, and actively participate in training sessions and meetings using emoticons, small pictures that show an emotion or an action.
In a training session, click the raise hand toolbar and select an option.
Hosts and presenters (and participants who have been given rights) can use the Share pod to share windows, applications, or entire desktop with participants in a meeting.

For example, Share presentations in the Share pod
For hosts or presenters who share a presentation in the Share pod, special controls are available for navigating and displaying the presentation. A presentation layout has the following areas:

Sharing content during a meeting

Presentation

Here is a sample of presentation slides showing in a share pod.

(PS: To see all presentation toolbar options, the presentation file should be loaded to the content library from Adobe Presenter. If you load the PowerPoint PPT file directly into the Share pod from your computer, not all presentation toolbar options are visible. You may also need to click Sync.)

Ask a question using audio

Just like in a regular classroom or meeting room, you can ask a specific attendee in a training session or meeting a direct question. You can do this by asking the question, granting an attendee temporary microphone rights to answer the question, and then revoking the rights.

  1. During a training session, hover over a name in the Attendee List.
  2. Select Grant Microphone Rights .
  3. The attendee receives a notification message in the upper-right corner of their screen and clicks Speak Now to begin talking. When the attendee has finished speaking, hover over their name in the Attendee List and click Revoke Microphone Rights again to revoke their speaking rights.

Chat and Q&A in meetings

Chat pod: if you cannot speak in a meeting because sound is not enabled on your computer, you can communicate with other attendees by chat pod.

  • type in your message in the question:
  • messages appear as they are submitted, and are listed sequentially in the pod.
  • Presenters can allow participants to conduct private chats, to clear a chat, and to turn off chat notifications.
  • Chat pod content is persistent, and remains in a meeting room until deleted.
    If you want to preserve Chat pod content for future use, you can e-mail the content.

A host or presenter links the Q &A pod to the Chat pod.

A participant submits a question in the Chat (Q &A) pod.

Q & A pod: Presenter answers questions posed by attendees.

  1. The Q & A pod is linked to the Chat pod.
  2. When an attendee asks a question in the Chat pod, a presenter can answer in the linked Q & A pod.
  3. When a presenter answers a question, the question and answer appear as pairs in the Chat pod.

The presenter selects a question and answers from the linked Q &A pod.

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5. End a Meeting

End a Meeting

  1. In the menu bar, select "Meeting" -> "End Meeting".
  2. Revise the message if you want, and click "OK" to end the meeting and display the message to participants.


Compose an On Hold or End Meeting message

You can write an On Hold or End Meeting message without interrupting the meeting. This allows you to write the message during the meeting and then send it at the appropriate time.

  1. In the menu bar, select "Meeting" -> "Manage Access And Entry" -> "Place Participants On Hold".
  2. Revise the message in the message box.
  3. Click "Save Message" to save the message for future use and return to the meeting.


Restart a meeting that is on hold or has been ended

The Meeting Host can restart a meeting that is on hold or has previously has been ended.

  1. Retype the meeting URL in a browser.
  2. On the upper-right corner of the meeting room, hover over the hold meeting icon and in the notification window click "Start Meeting".

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6. Managing Uploaded Files

Files may be created on the system after each meeting. Departmental coordinators are supposed to do a clean up after a meeting is ended.

  1. Click "Content", "Training", "Meetings, Seminar Room", or "Event Management" at the top of the Acrobat Connect Pro Central window.
    Navigate to the folder or file.
  2. Select the check box to the left of the item that you want to delete. For a seminar, choose "Uploaded Content" or "Recordings" if you want to delete either of those types of items saved with the seminar.
  3. Click "Delete" on the menu bar above the content list.
  4. Click "Delete" again to permanently delete the selected items, or click "Cancel" to cancel the deletion.

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Copyright 2011 Computer Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Comments to ithelp@hku.hk