We purchased 400 headsets centrally, which were distributed to student facing Academic and Professional Services staff so we could operate effectively as a virtual campus. A further 400 were ordered at the start of term so we can continue to provide quality online content and comply with digital accessibility regulations.
Your Faculty or Directorate may have some hardware available for you to use, please check with your teams before making additional purchases.
Headsets
Good sound quality is required for our recordings, so that listeners can clearly hear what you are saying and to enable accurate transcription of the recordings for accessibility purposes. Colleagues who work in open-plan offices will also benefit from noise cancelling technology to help you stay focused.
The centrally purchased headsets are from the Jabra Evolve 40 Series, we recommend purchasing either the Jabra Evolve 40 or Evolve 2 40 series.
Dual-Ear Headsets
Single Ear Headsets
Webcams
Webcams are not needed to create quality teaching materials or to attend online meetings. Some colleagues may choose to use one to enhance their teaching resources or facilitate engagement in meetings.
Most laptops come with webcams built in. Webcam quality on Apple devices is normally quite good, for Windows devices it is more variable. Before purchasing any additional hardware, check what you have available on your devices.
We cannot recommend a particular make or model as it will depend on the purpose, quality and performance you expect and the device you need to connect it to. Many of us are still working from home for at least part of the week, so our system setups vary considerably.
Some things to consider when purchasing a webcam:
Plug and play functionality, we recommend Logitech and Microsoft products because they are normally plug and play with Windows 10.
Video Quality, for quality videos you need good resolution. We suggest HD Video Resolution 1080P @ 30 or 60 FPS as a minimum.
Automatic exposure and contrast control will compensate for poor or changing room conditions, including glare and office backlighting.
Document Sharing functionality will help you share live documents, paperwork or demonstrations. The is a low cost option available from our supplier CDEC via Parabilis.
A from our approved supplier, Insight, is available here.
Other Hardware
If you are considering using other hardware and would like support please contact the IT Service Desk for further assistance.
