Overview
This page provides an overview of learning technology access in China, with guidance on how to mitigate issues.
Students should be advised to use a wired, stable, high speed internet connection. However, it is important to recognise this is not available to all students in China.
Note – this guidance is applicable to all students irrespective of location, as a stable internet connection can be problematic in any part of the world.
What Learning Technology is available in China?
- Blackboard
- Blackboard Collaborate
- Turnitin
- Panopto
- Office 365
- Microsoft Teams
If a student or staff experiences issues in China with a University of Derby software or application, they should log a ticket with IT Services with full details of the error.
Web Browsers?
Please note Google Chrome is not available in China. However, Firefox is available.
Blocked Websites & Apps
A number of websites and applications are blocked in China including,
- Google Play store
- YouTube
- BBC
Please see this List of Websites and Apps Blocked in China for 2020 (external website)
Advice and tips for Remote Delivery
- Follow good practice relating to remote delivery
- Ensure content is clearly structured and labeled.
- Use Panopto to create video or audio recordings of your content.
- Use asynchronous technology like Discussion boards to give all students the ability to participate.
- Reduce file sizes
- Use Panopto to distribute video content.
- This includes images used in Office documents, as they can significantly increase the file size.
- Reduce the file size of a picture in Microsoft Office (covers Office generally, including MS Word)
- Compress your media files – PowerPoint
- Save or convert to an accessible PDF.
- Blackboard Collaborate
- Please refer to an article from Blackboard on Collaborate capabilities in China
- It is recommended that you run smaller sessions (less than 25 users)
- If students experience problems using University of Derby systems and applications, they should contact IT Services