Overview
Videochats on personal and office computers are usually high quality and sufficient for most purposes.
However, there are high-rask and/or high-value conversations (e.g. job interviews) for which a dedicated, dependable solution for Faculty and Staff is absolutely necessary. To satisfy this requirement, ITS created four ITS Videochat Carts, which are located in Spencer House, KJ, and the Taylor Science Center.
Each cart is equipped with:
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a large LCD screen;
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a high-fidelity videocamera and microphone;
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an ITS-managed computer on which Skype and Google Talk have been pre-installed;
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all of the necessary peripherals to operate the setup;
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and relevant documentation.
ITS has carefully configured each cart to ensure that all components interact properly and well.
Reserving and Using the Cart
Reserving the Cart
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Employees can reserve an ITS Videochat Cart by contacting Audiovisual services at 859-4120.
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You must reserve a space in Burke Library, the Taylor Science Center, Spencer House, or Kirner-Johnson--the home buildings of each cart--at least seven days prior to the videoconference. While completing your room reservation, be sure to indicate that you intend to videoconference. You will also need to submit your Skype or Google Chat handle.
Testing
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ITS strongly encourages you to visit the Information Commons desk on the first floor of the Burke Library or the AV office in Kirner-Johnson Room 222e at least two days in advance of the event to test the Videochat Cart and the service to be used for the call. If you perform this test call, ITS can also provide staff support for your actual call if problems arise. Please call the Help Desk at 859-4181 to schedule an appointment to perform a test call.
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Ideally, a test call will be performed with the other participant(s), but this may not be feasible.
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ITS also recommends you follow the our "Create a High-Quality Videoconference Guide" to make your call the highest-possible-quality.
If necessary, another, even higher-quality videoconferencing solution is available. Please navigate to this link to learn more: http://my.hamilton.edu/its/rc/professional-grade-videoconference
