Getting Connected

1. Set up your computer

Whatever computer you use, you need to be confident that it can meet the demands of your work and study for the duration of your course. We have outlined what we believe to be the general minimum requirements below (some institutes may have additional requirements for specific courses, so be sure to check with your personal tutor and in your handbook):

For Windows desktop or laptop computers, we recommend the following:

  • Windows 10 Home or above
  • i5 processor
  • 8Gb RAM
  • 512 GB SSD hard disk (256GB minimum)
  • Webcam
  • Microphone
  • Speakers/headphones
  • Dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz compatible) Wi-Fi dongle/inbuilt

For Mac desktop or laptop computer, we recommend:

  • OS X 10.13 or above
  • i5 processor
  • 8Gb RAM
  • 512 GB SSD hard disk
  • Webcam
  • Microphone
  • Speakers/headphones
  • Dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz compatible) Wi-Fi dongle/inbuilt

You can find useful information on setting up the accessibility features of your computer here: Help making your device easier to use

As a UWTSD student you are entitled to a number of IT exclusives, which include a free upgrade to Windows 10 Education for your personal device and access to Office 365 applications.

As a student you also have access to discounted hardware from the likes of Microsoft and Apple. Check out the IT Exclusives page linked above for more information.

For any students experiencing financial hardship the University are offering a Digital Connectivity bursary available to all full-time and part-time students enrolled at UWTSD. Support available includes providing a UWTSD Microsoft Surface Go 2 device, as well as up to £100 per year to support home/mobile broadband services.
Visit www.uwtsd.ac.uk/bursaries for more information.

2. Get connected

Your computer is your means of attending online lectures, collaborating and connecting with staff and students, browsing our libraries, and completing assessments. So, it is essential that you have adequate network access and the necessary equipment to participate fully in lessons.

Below we give our recommendations to help you get set up

We would recommend 3Mb/s internet speed or faster. You can test how fast your current connection is by visiting www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest. You can also check what speed you should be getting by inputting your post code here www.thinkbroadband.com/packages.

Be sure to check whether there are any data limits on your service - streaming services such as Netflix or Spotify can quickly eat up your data or slow down your service if used concurrently.

If you want to ensure a fast and unbroken connection, it is usually better to connect directly to your internet router using an ethernet cable rather than connecting via Wi-Fi. If connecting via Wi-Fi, you may find it helpful to work as close to the router as possible.

If you are looking to improve your home internet speeds, or think you have a problem, this thinkbroadband website link contains some useful information to follow.

For more information on home network connections, including more information about improving your home network speeds, see our helpful home internet page.

If you are working on campus, you can connect your devices to the eduroam wireless network.

You will need a webcam to work online. Most modern laptops usually have a built-in camera, but for desktop PCs you will likely have to purchase one separately.

The ideal position for your camera is at the same height as your eyes. If you have a laptop, you may need to use a laptop riser to raise the height of the built-in webcam (a couple of textbooks will do the job just fine). If you have an external webcam, this can normally be clipped to the top of your monitor.

It is important that people can see you when communicating online, so avoid having your back to a window or light source. This can cause your camera to self-adjust and reduce the brightness of the image, putting you in shadow.

As with cameras, most modern laptops will usually have a built-in microphone and speakers which will be sufficient for basic usage. However, if you are going to be participating within seminars and working online with others you may find a headset more effective.

We don't have specific headset recommendations, but you may like to consider the following:

  • Microsoft LifeChat LX 3000
  • Sennheiser PC 5
  • Mpow 071

As noted, any students experiencing financial hardship the University are offering a Digital Connectivity bursary available to all full-time and part-time students enrolled at UWTSD. Support available includes providing a UWTSD Microsoft Surface Go 2 device, as well as up to £100 per year to support the installation of home/mobile broadband. Visit www.uwtsd.ac.uk/bursaries for more information.

3. Download the software

Once you have your computer set up, you'll need to make sure it has the right software. First make sure you are using a modern web browser (such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari) and that it is up to date

We recommend you install at least two of these browsers as not all sites or apps work the same across every browser.

Next, you can install the following core applications:

As a UWTSD student, you can access online Office 365 applications (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Publisher, Access, and Outlook) through your Office 365 account in your browser.

You can also download and install the suite of applications on your desktop or mobile device. Just go to our Microsoft 365 page and follow the download instructions.

Details on setting up the accessibility features of Office 365 and working with assistive technologies can be found here: Accessible Office 365.

Teams is a communication and collaboration tool from Microsoft. It will be used in your virtual face-to-face teaching activities and collaborative classrooms while at UWTSD.

You can access Teams as an online app via https://teams.microsoft.com/, but it's a good idea to download the desktop app. Just go to Microsoft's Teams page and click on the download link.

We also have a dedicated Microsoft Teams website which contains further information on Teams including links to training and online guides.

Details on setting up the accessibility features of Teams can be found here: Accessibility support for Microsoft Teams.

You will need to ensure that your computer is protected against online viruses by using appropriate anti-virus software

You can also connect to a campus-based computer remotely, providing direct access to all the software and services available on that computer.

Find more information about accessing on-campus PCs remotely.

We will talk in more detail about how to use these applications and why they're important for learning in the section on Preparing to learn.

We will talk in more detail about how to use these applications and why they're important for learning in the section on Preparing to learn.

4. Install the mobile apps

Mobile phones and tablets should not be the main devices you use to study, but they are a great supplement to digital working. Here are the key apps you can install to get you started:

The UWTSD Student Hwb app gives you quick access to important information such as timetables, Finance info, Student Services, Chatbot and student news. For new students it also includes a new student’s checklist and induction information

The app can be downloaded via the links below and further information is available via our Student Hwb website.

Sign in using your UWTSD email address and password to get started.

You can also access the platform when you open the browser on any campus computer or by visiting hwb.uwtsd.ac.uk

You can download the Microsoft Authenticator App to use with the Universities Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

MFA provides an extra layer of protection when accessing University IT systems & ensures that your University account is more secure by protecting you and the University should your username and password be compromised.

For more information on MFA visit our dedicated University website.

5. Bookmark these pages

There are number of websites that you will be using regularly as a student at UWTSD, so it's a good idea to bookmark these Digital Learning ones so you're not searching for addresses:

Checklist

Keep track of your progress

There's a lot of information in this resource, so we've created a checklist you can print out to keep track of your progress as you work through each of the sections.

Just click the download button below to save a copy.

Download Checklist