Working from home

Whether you are a student or member of University staff, many of our systems, software and services are available to access from offsite.

Useful links:

When working off-campus for the first time, here are some useful links to University systems: University Links

Support for using our systems off-campus

Staying Safe and Cyber Security

Please be aware that laptops, tablets and mobiles are targetted by thieves, consequently you should firstly stay safe - no device is worth risking a confrontation.

When working at home, it is important to ensure that the area you work in is secure, with suitable lighting and furniture, (please see the cyber security, and workstation guidelines).

Be aware of your surroundings, fully power off, and lock away devices when they are not in use.

Please note, it is important that you should not allow anyone else access to the device.

If anything goes wrong, or you have any doubts that your device or home WiFI etc has been compromised, please contact SIZ immediately for help in containing any risks.

Accessing University systems from a personal device

All of the below can be accessed on a personal device by using Microsoft's RemoteApp:

H Drive documents
S Drive documents
Open Access PC (virtual desktop)
University software (Such as SPSS, Microsoft Project, Visio, Maya 2019, Supportworks client, etc)

Please note that The University applies security controls to protect your, and other peoples information. Personal devices which do not meet the University's security standards will not be allowed to connect to University services and information.

Using a University device off-campus

Before you take a University laptop home, please make sure you have read this online guide: Using a University Windows Laptop off campus

It is essential that you protect the device, and work in such a way as that your access cannot be seen (over the shoulder), or otherwise compromised.

You should ensure that the environment that you are working in is physically safe and secure.

You should set a lock-on-leave function if possible. See Bluetooth and Camera based facilities that can enable this

Additional support

If you need to access any other University systems or software, please contact us via Supportme.

Learning and Teaching Online

Which Software do I use?

Here is a quick guide to the software you can use for different tasks if you are not using your usual university computer:

I want to use my email and Calendar

If you are not using your normal university computer then you can still use your email online, this can be accessed from the Staff Intranet, Moodle or by going to mail.chi.ac.uk

I want to access My S:Drive or H:Drive

This can be done through the RemoteApp, instructions on setting this up on a non university computer can be found here: https://help.chi.ac.uk/microsoft-remote-desktop

I want to use Microsoft Office (Word, excel PowerPoint etc) and it isn't installed on my personal machine

You can install Microsoft Office on 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets (Windows, iPad, and Android), and 5 phones. This is full Microsoft Office on the PC, Mac, iPhone / iPod Touch, and Android platform and all are available for offline use. You will be able to use this software on your personal devices as long as you are an employee or a student of the University.

Installation instructions can be found here: https://help.chi.ac.uk/microsoft-office-students-and-staff

I want to hold a Meeting

You can hold a meeting through MS Teams. To set up the meeting first create it through your calendar, this sends all attendees a link to access your meeting.

More information: Setting up a Teams Meeting

It is a good idea to send your participants instructions prior to the meeting, this page could be shared in the calendar invite: Joining a Teams Meeting

I want to deliver my planned session from home

There are a number of ways to deliver a lecture from home.

Moodle can be used as usual for module information, staff contact details, learning resources, activities, links to external resources/activities.

Additional activities could be added such as

Forums to promote additional discussion https://help.chi.ac.uk/forums-moodle
Schedulers to book online tutorials for individuals or groups https://help.chi.ac.uk/schedule-tutorials-moodle Once a student or group has booked into the scheduler, schedule a Teams meeting via your outlook calendar for that time. (see 'I want to hold a meeting' above for instructions).
Homework can be submitted through the assignment activity if Turnitin and Blind marking is turned off

Panopto can be used to capture your computer screen as well as webcam and audio. It is a useful tool for asynchronous learning

You can also:

record lectures,
record demonstrations,
record PowerPoint presentations with voice over
bite-sized learning materials.
students can create videos to show themselves completing a task
Give video feedback to students

*please note, to record using Stream, or through Microsoft Teams you will need a webcam or microphone.

MS Teams allows you to arrange online synchronous learning opportunities. It can be used to share your computer screen, audio, video, text chat and files. Learning sessions can be arranged with all students working remotely, or incorporated into a classroom session to support a student unable to make it onto campus.

Set up an online Teams Lecture

eStream is one of several excellent tools for encouraging engagement with visual media. It provides easy access to media and the option to customise content and gain feedback from student interactions.

The estream database allows staff to provide access to programmes shown on selected freeview channels. Programmes can be selected and recorded from the TV schedule or imported from the Connect archive store. The Connect store can find programmes broadcast on channels going back several years. Once imported on to our estream database that programme is then permanently accessible for students to view from any devise both on and off campus. All programmes available on estream are covered by our educational ERA viewing licence and can be legally shown in lectures on campus to large groups of students