-- Back to Services -- 

Educational Technology is pleased to announce that the Missouri S&T campus has a high-definition video conferencing unit available for use by faculty and staff for collaborating with the other University of Missouri campuses (Columbia, Kansas City, and St. Louis).

This equipment was made possible through a grant initiated by an intercampus bioinformatics consortium for research collaboration.

Use is prioritized for researchers engaged in intercampus collaborative research projects.  Others may use the equipment on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Where is it?

How does it work?

How can I get started?

Before the Video Conference

Want a Demo?

Additional Resources

Other Video Conferencing Solutions

Lifesize HD Video Conferencing Unit (click image for larger view)

Speakerphone (click image for larger view)

-- Top --   Where is it?

Our unit is located in Centennial Hall Room 101 (also known as the IT Collaboration Room).  Stop by Room 102B (the EdTech area) in Centennial Hall and anyone there can show you where the room is and what the unit looks like.

This service is available between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (excepting university holidays).

-- Top --  How does it work?

Our high-definition video conferencing unit uses a Lifesize® Express™ system for high-definition point-to-point video conferencing. It also supports multipoint video conferencing and is compatible with Polycom systems. You can use this system to set up a video conference with another organization that only has Polycom. However, the signal between a Lifesize HD unit and a Polycom unit will default to the lower resolution signal. Our system was obtained through Kaleidoscope Videoconferencing.

-- Top --  How can I get started?

Contact us () for assistance in getting started. We have already programmed in the IP addresses of the other campus units, so it only takes a minute or two to initiate a call to the other campus. You will need to coordinate a time with the other parties to ensure that everyone is in place at the proper time.

You can schedule the use of the room using Outlook.  

1. Open Outlook.
2. Go to your calendar and create a new event for the time/date that you want to hold the video conference session.
3. On the Scheduling tab of the event, add mstituccollab@mst.edu as an attendee of the meeting (in addition to any other attendees you might add, including the other parties who will be part of the video conference call).
4. Save and Close the event. It should now appear on your Outlook calendar.  More importantly, anyone else who needs to schedule the room can see when the room is available (or not).
5. Someone from EdTech will send you a confirmation notice indicating that the room has been reserved for your use.

Notes:  

• The other campuses have different procedures for scheduling the use of their high-definition video conference equipment. It is VERY important that you coordinate your video conference session with the other parties of the conference to ensure that everyone understands who will be responsible for initiating the call.
• "Hosting" a call: If you are "hosting" the event, you will need to notify the other parties that you will call them at the prearranged time. You will also need to reserve the room (CH 101) as described above.
• "Participating" in a call: If you are simply "participating" in a video conference call, it is the responsibility of the "host" party to notify you of the time the conference call will be made.  You will still need to reserve the room (CH 101) as described above.  When the "host" party calls the video conference unit, it will automatically answer the call.  You will need to turn on the television.

-- Top --  Before the Video Conference:

Coordinate with before the video conference session to make sure one of our technicians is available to provide some initial assistance. We will make sure the technology is working properly prior to your video conference. We can also show you how to use the remote control for the Lifesize unit (it works a little differently than other remote controls you may be familiar with).

-- Top --  Want a Demo?

If you simply want to see a demo of the technology, we can provide that too. Just contact the team and we can arrange a demonstration of how it works.

-- Top --  Additional Resources

• Lifesize Express User Guide (PDF) -- This is the official user guide from Lifesize.  It gives instructions on how to place a call, how to manipulate the camera, how to navigate the user interface and more. NOTE: Our system is already configured for maximum compatibility with our environment. Please do NOT change any configuration settings.
• University of Missouri - Columbia's Videoconferencing -- UM-Columbia's information on how to arrange a video conference using their facilities. If you will be conferencing with a party in Columbia, please make sure they are aware of UM-Columbia's videoconferencing procedures.

-- Top --  Other Video Conferencing Solutions

In addition to HD Lifesize, this campus has several Polycom units. Most of the Polycom units are under the direct control of the VCC to support distance education, but others are within IT's sphere of influence. IT and Computer Science support a Polycom video conferencing unit in CS 212, for instance.

• -- Essential information on how to get started using a Polycom system (the instructions specifically reference the Polycom in CS 212, but they can be easily extended to cover other Polycom units on campus).