What remote learning tools are available to Penn Engineering students?

Multiple tools have been made available to Penn Engineering faculty to support remote teaching, most of which are online and do not require students to purchase licenses or install additional software on their devices. Many of them are already configured to support PennKey or Google@SEAS authentication, while a remaining few may require students to create accounts to access a service. Faculty and TAs will provide guidance for the tools being used for a class and will obtain additional support from CETS when needed.

The following is a list of remote teaching tools that may be employed by Penn Faculty and includes additional tools or resources that may be useful to students for remote learning, study and collaboration:

Canvas

Canvas is already widely used for Penn Engineering courses and students are automatically enrolled. Expect Canvas to be a primary source of communication and assignments for many courses. Where enabled, Panopto may be integrated to provide lecture recordings and Ed Discussion may be enabled for forum discussions.

Zoom

Zoom combines video conferencing, online meetings, chat, and mobile collaboration. Students do not need Zoom accounts to join meetings, but may be prompted to install a browser plugin or mobile app when connecting for the first time on a device. See these instructions for more details, including tips for preparing ahead of time:

OHQ

The OHQ queue management system allows students to wait in a virtual line rather than a physical line. Upon joining the queue, students will provide a link to a video conferencing tool, such as Zoom. Once they reach the front of the queue, the instructor will join the video conferencing link provided. OHQ has optional SMS text notifications that you may enable in your Account Settings in order to get text notifications about your position in line.

QLess

The QLess queue management system allows students to wait in a virtual line rather than a physical line and allows advisors to summon students via SMS text messages or the QLess mobile app. CETS has created the Course Office Hours @PennEngineering location with multiple queues. Your TA will provide instructions for joining a course's queue for virtual walk-in advising.

Class Mailing Lists

Penn maintains Class Mailing Lists for all courses. Expect faculty to make heavier use of these lists than they have in the past.

Google@SEAS

The Google@SEAS G Suite platform provides multiple tools for collaboration, including Google Docs and Google Drive. Google Hangouts Meet is also available for remote meetings and video conferencing:

Google@SEAS users can also use the Google Jamboard collaborative whiteboard:

Software for SEAS Students

Other useful software resources for students are listed in:

Virtual PC Lab

CETS has a number of licensed applications which can only be run from our Windows PC labs. The Virtual PC Lab also a great solution if you use a Mac or Linux machine and occasionally need to use a Windows machine.

Remote Learning Tips

Penn Engineering Online Learning has provided these Remote Learning Tip Sheets:

University Client VPN

The University Client VPN allows access to Penn services restricted to PennNet IP addresses and creates a trusted wireless connection from locations where the Internet service might be suspect.

Internet Connectivity

These links may be of interest to students experiencing issues with maintaining or getting Internet connectivity:

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