What Students Need to Know About Learning Remotely
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Preparing to Connect to Online Classes
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When preparing for online learning, you will want to make sure you have a working and stable internet connection. If you are still on campus, you can check out our information on checking and connecting to our wireless network (Eduroam). If you are not on campus, check to make sure there is a network you can use. If you have access to a personal home network, make sure you are familiar with the setup and know how to do simple troubleshooting with your modem and/or router. Check out our tips for better WiFi for more information. You may also have access to use wireless services as a guest or through free wifi hotspots. As is usually the case, a hard-wired ethernet connection is almost always faster and more stable than a shared WiFi connection to the network.
Security
If you are connecting to a network service you do not own or control, please make sure to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to keep your information secure. Swarthmore has a VPN available for you to download and use - please check out our VPN directions for more information. Some of Swarthmore's resources may require you to use our VPN to access them, so verify that you can connect to it properly. VPN may also be required to connect to some Swarthmore services and software.
Many of Swarthmore's services also require using Duo 2-Factor Authentication to access. It is important that you make sure you have a Duo method that you are able to access off-campus and that you have more than one device registered - just in case. We recommend that one of your devices be a smartphone or app-enabled device, if possible. Please visit our page on managing your Duo devices for more information.
Applications
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A key application to check is Moodle - make sure you are still able to access all of your Moodle courses. You will also want to download Zoom and verify that you can log in - through the web application and through any of the applications for mobile and desktop (as needed). Take a look at our Zoom participant's guide for information on what to expect when attending classes via Zoom. You may want to consider saving all of your important class-related files in your Google Drive. This will make sure they can be available to you on any device. Take a look at our tips for sharing files with Google Drive. You may also need to edit non-Google files that you have saved in your Drive.
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While you will most likely be using Zoom as a participant in a class or meeting, you can still check out our Zoom documentation to learn more. When logging into Zoom via a web browser, you can go to swarthmore.zoom.us and log in with your Swarthmore credentials. You can also host meetings and collaborate with other students using Zoom via video, audio, and screen share. Zoom meetings hosted by students are limited to 40 minutes. If you need to host longer meetings, please request a Zoom upgrade at support@swarthmore.edu. There is no time limit for being a participant in a meeting.
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Making sure you stick to a routine and minimizing any distractions around you can be incredibly important while learning remotely. We have provided a few links to some helpful videos from LinkedIn Learning below:
There are additional videos and courses to help you get into the groove of learning remotely saved on LinkedIn Learning as part of a Learning Remotely collection that you can find here (requires login): swarthmore.edu/LiLRemoteStudents
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There are many on-campus resources that you can access remotely. Below is a list of resources and offices you may need to access remotely:
Contacting the ITS Help Desk
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