If you are working at home you might want to consider the following:
- Internet Service Provider: If you are living off campus, speak to your internet service provider for setup and installation prior to moving into your new residence. On the day of service installation, allow yourself plenty of time to enable the technician to install your networking equipment, configure your settings, and test your wireless speeds and stability. On campus students will connect to AirPennNet.
- Additional Equipment: If you will be using video conferencing services (e.g. Zoom) for classes you might want to consider noise cancelling headphones, whether or not your laptop has a built-in microphone, and whether or not you will need at-home printing. We recommend wired headphones to reduce the chance that you will lose your connection during class. Online courses are setup so that you don't need to print so it is a personal choice whether or not you like to print out course materials at home.
- Ergonomic Considerations: If you are spending a lot of time at home, you may want to invest in a desk, chair, and laptop stand that will support your body's own unique needs (e.g., back and neck support).
- Designated Workspace: To make the work/life balance easier, you might want to designate a specific workspace for school work that is separate from your home life.
- Consider Best Practices for Video Conferencing:
- Find a quiet area for video conferencing.
- Mute your microphone at the start of a meeting.
- Pay attention to lighting and background in your work area.
- Speak loud enough for your laptop mic or external mic to pick up sound.
- If you are using a mobile device instead of a laptop, mount it on something to keep the video steady.
Note: All students with concerns about affording technology for remote learning can approach the Emergency and Opportunity Fund or Penn First Plus.
For more information, check out Working and Learning Remotely - Students, and Remote Working Checklist