New Web Meeting and Conference Calling Services announced

The Division of IT is pleased to offer some new services to make collaborating with others on- and off-campus easier: Web meetings through Adobe Connect and large-scale conference calling through Avaya. The new services may be used separately or together. Adobe Connect has been available to faculty since the launch of Canvas as the university's Enterprise Learning Management System in 2012. Now, any faculty or staff member may host Web meetings through Adobe Connect, which can allow users to share presentations and desktop views as well as to interact through text chat, audio, and desktop video conferencing. Wired Internet connections are recommended for all Adobe Connect participants, but especially for meeting hosts, to ensure optimum performance.

The new UMD Conference Call Service allows faculty and staff members to host conference calls with up to 40 participants. Hosting a call requires a one-time activation procedure. Once the service has been activated, you will be given a call-in number and separate codes for your use and for distribution to your invitees. Your conference can be accessed at any time and does not need to be scheduled in advance.

When you host a meeting using both new services, attendees can participate over the Internet from their computer or mobile device or over the telephone by calling in. You may also still make conference calls for up to six participants from UMD office phones (visit http://kb.umd.edu/131132 for instructions), but this method cannot be used for audio for Adobe Connect Web meetings. To learn more about Web meetings through Adobe Connect and the UMD Conference Call Service, please visit www.it.umd.edu/conferencing.

The Division of IT is pleased to offer these new services to the university community in the spirit of IT Abundance and as a step towards the fulfillment of action item 1.4 from "Promoting Innovation: The University of Maryland IT Strategic Plan". If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at 301.405.1500.