Instructions for online event participants

The instruction belongs to the following themes

By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.

When attending an event, meet all participants with an open mind, respect their diversity and let everyone define their own experiences.

Furthermore, please respect the time of the event organisers: If you have signed up for an event, do attend. This way the event organisers can plan their events based on the real turnout. If for some reason you cannot attend an event that has a limited amount of space, let the event organisers know.

By adhering to the following principles, you can help create a comfortable atmosphere and open interaction:

  • We hope that you will keep your video on in events that have interactive elements (e.g. workshops), if technical or other reasons will not prevent you from doing so. This way both the event organiser and the other participant will get a more realistic experience of being together. We especially encourage you to use your camera during small group assignments (in break-out-rooms). Ultimately, the choice to use or not to use a camera is always yours though!
  • The participants will usually get more out of the event if there is discussion between people. So please feel free to open up your mike or write your comments on the chat (or any other platform that is being used). However, you can usually participate in events also as a listener.
  • In some events and workshops, the organiser will use the break-out-room function to divide the participants into smaller groups. Often these small group sessions can be the most fruitful part of the event, as during these the threshold for sharing your ideas is lower. Please help create a safer space and a more participatory conversation in small groups: respect different kinds of opinions, express your ideas in a friendly manner and give and take space in the conversation equally with others.

You can also use the following settings, if you want to change your background or your name on Zoom:

  • You can blur your background so that your working environment cannot be seen on the video. This can be set up by pressing the arrow located next to the camera icon and by selecting "Choose a virtual background". From the menu that opens select "blur". You can also upload a background picture from the same place.
  • You can change your name by pressing the "Participant"-title. This will open the list of participants. After that take your cursor on top of your own name and select first "More" and then press "Rename".