Virtual Training - technical requirements‏

I received a query regarding the technical requirements needed to take an online training session, namely Refworks. The following information was provided by Refworks themselves. Some health boards have restrictions on what can be accessed and downloaded. Most of the online training we offer requires you download WebEx software and the message below is specific to this software.

This information can be passed on to IT departments if you feel this would help you get access to this resource.

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Here's what WebEx says about requirements to attend an "event" (which is what we run):

What do I need to attend events on Microsoft Windows?

Minimum requirements to host or attend fully interactive events using Event Manager for Windows: Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP
Intel x86 (Pentium 400MHZ +) or compatible processor
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5, 6, Mozilla 1.6 or later, or Netscape4.7,7.x JavaScript and cookies enabled in the browser
56K or faster Internet connection

Here are the Mac requirements:

Minimum requirements to host or attend fully interactive events for Mac OS:
Mac OS 10.2.x or later
Internet Explorer 5.2 or Safari 1.1 or later
JavaScript and cookies enabled for the browser
Java 1.3.1 or later

The small plug-in that downloads is minimal in size. I don't believe it can be networked -- it installs on each machine when you log in to the meeting (if you don't already have it installed). We don't use Flash. You can pre-download the event manager from our webex site. Just go to https://refworks.webex.com. Click on the Event Manager tab. When the screen changes, click on Set Up from the left-hand navigation. When it expands, click on Event Manager and you can install the plug-in. All WebEx does is display our computer on yours -- we don't have access to any files or anything on the computer, you are simply viewing(almost like watching a streaming video, but live).

Most of the sessions run between 75 and 90 minutes, depending on the amount of user questions at the end. We are going to start running some shorter, more single-topic sessions like we are currently doing for Write-N-Cite III.

Finally, please note that everything covered in our webinars is also covered in our online tutorials. If WebEx does not work out for your network, your users do have an alternative. We have had very few users who cannot install the plug-in -- even on restricted computers, so perhaps it's worth trying to download it and see how it works.

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