Resources for online PBL sessions

Remote Problem Based Learning sessions at UNE will be conducted using Adobe Connect in 2013.

Downloading the Adobe Connect Add-in

If you can't install the Adobe Connect Add-in on your computer by installing it in session, it can be downloaded and installed separately from:

http://www.adobe.com/support/connect/downloads-updates.html

Accessing the PBL

The PBL sessions are accessible through UNE's Moodle site, and Newcastle University's Blackboard site

To access your online PBLs through UNE's Moodle, please log on to http://www.moodle.une.edu.au using your UNE username and password, and navigate to the 'Rural Medicine Meeting Place' site.

Within this site will be a link to the Connect sessions, which will become available shortly before they are scheduled to start.

To access your online PBLs through Blackboard please login to Blackboard using your Newcastle Uni username and password and navigate to the MEDI3107 Course area. Under PBL Groups you will find a section for your PBL group. Within this section is a discussion board with a forum set up for each module, of which will have an Online PBL thread containing the links to the Connect online sessions as well as the recordings of the sessions once they are completed.

All sessions are open at least one hour before and one hour after their scheduled times to allow you time to upload presentations before starting or if you need to go over time to finish the tutorial.

Testing your equipment prior to leaving

It is important to ensure that the equipment you are taking with you to do your online PBL sessions actually works with the Adobe Connect system

Internet access equipment hire

The School of Rural Medicine has a limited stock of pre-paid Telstra Broadband USB modems, USB headsets and laptop computers for student use.

To arrange for the loan of this equipment, please visit Adam, the SRM's E-Learning Support Officer, on the 3rd floor of the Pat O'Shane building.

A fully refundable deposit is required to loan the equipment. This is currently $50 for a modem, and $100 for a laptop computer.

It is highly recommended that students take advantage of the loan of headsets and modems whilst on prac, as it means students are not dependent on anyone else to provide Internet access while on prac- some hospitals actually restrict access to students.

Managing your Telstra recharge credit

Recharge rates can be found at http://www.telstra.com.au/bigpond-internet/mobile-broadband/prepaid/rates/

The Telstra Pre-paid Wireless Broadband Getting Started Guide (includes information on recharging credit) can be found at http://www.telstra.com.au/bigpond-internet/download/document/pre-paid-wbb-guide.pdf

You need to allow around 100MB per week for about 5 hours of PBL sessions – anything extra you want to do using the modem is up to you to manage and you should check your balance regularly.

Telstra Connection Software and OSX Lion

Some students have found that the software bundled with the Telstra Broadband USB modems supplied by the School of Rural Medicine has some issues working with OSX Lion. If you're having troubles, the first step is to download and install the latest version of the Telstra Connection software.

Instructions can be found at http://www.telstra.com.au/bigpond-internet/download/document/download-instructions-mac.pdf

If that doesn't work, try starting Lion in 32-bit mode.

To start into 32-bit mode, hold down the 3 and the 2 key together then power on the MAC, hold the 3 and 2 key down until your desktop apears.