Program/Schedule
When can I see the program schedule?
The draft programme of the joint EASST+4S conference is now available on the All Academic website, the same site where you submitted your paper. https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/ssss/ssss20/.
You can browse the more than 400 sessions, and, if you log in, you can start designing your personal schedule. As the conference take place in “virPrague,” the system will adjust to display correct times for your time zone.
Will there be exhibits, coffee breaks, etc?
Yes! There will be an exhibit gallery. Publishers are preparing special online exhibits and special offers for attendees. Some will be hosting meetings with prospective authors during our “Socials”.
Socials are blocks of time during each day set aside for the kinds of informal discussions and networking that normally take place at coffee breaks. However, these only happen if someone hosts them. Consider volunteering to host a get-together around topical, regional, career, or other interest. See the Call for Submissions page for details.
Registration
Can I register now as presenter?
No, presenter registration is closed. However, there is still an option to register as a non-presenter. Registering as a non-presenter does not preclude co-authors from co-presenting.
Can I purchase a pass for my students or colleagues?
Yes! Find the “professional development” items in the 4S store to purchase as many passes (student and/or professional rate) as you need. Then contact Steve Coffee for further instructions (webmaster@4sonline.org).
Can I register at the last minute?
Yes, you can register as a non-presenter at any time at https://www.4smembers.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1379959. It may take up to an hour for your registration data to sync so that you have access.
Can I withdraw my paper and get a refund?
Please see the cancelation policy on the Registration page.
Meeting access
Do I have to log in to see the program?
The program itself, i.e. the schedule and descriptions, is viewable to the public.
How is access to the meeting managed?
Only people who are registered for the meeting and logged in at All Academic will be able to see the links to the virtual sessions. Any files or links you post will also be available only to logged-in, registered visitors.
What credentials will I use to log in?
You will use the same credentials you used to submit and register.
If I can’t catch a session live, will there be a recording?
All sessions will be recorded. Recordings of the plenary and subplenary sessions will be available immediately. Recordings of Zoom sessions will be edited and made available later, perhaps not until after the meeting.
How long will recordings be available
The entire recorded meeting will be online, accessible to registered users, for approximately 60 days.
Technology for virtual sessions
Who is managing the virtual meeting?
You may have already interacted with the Prague program team or with the 4S admin. They are still in charge of their respective posts. We have contracted a Prague-based company, SlidesLive to coordinate the virtual delivery of the conference. You may interact directly with them as well.
What technology are you using for the virtual meeting?
The meeting will use a mix of two platforms, Zoom and a proprietary system from SlidesLive.
What is the SlidesLive model?
SlidesLive is optimized for conference presentations, showing video and slides side-by-side. It supports both live and pre-recorded presentations. Here is an example: https://slideslive.com/czjug
How will the mix of live and pre-recorded sessions operate?
During the conference, there will be two types of sessions:
- SlidesLive format for plenaries, subplenaries, and all-pre-recorded sessions, plus Zoom discussion afterward.
- Standard Zoom meetings for all-live presentations
For presentations that have been recorded in advance, session chairs will point attendees to an external link with the expressed intent that people will watch it and then return to the session.
How will you assure Zoom security?
First of all, meeting access is controlled. No one should be able to find a Zoom session unless they are logged in. (It is critical that no one shares meeting urls.) There will be a simple password to add a layer of security.
Meetings will be set up with all microphones, video, and screen-sharing turned off, except for meeting hosts. Session chairs are designated Zoom meeting hosts, and they will assign presenters co-host roles. Meeting hosts can selectively turn on microphones and video feeds to facilitate discussion.
Will there be tech support?
Session chairs will be able to contact tech support via chat in Zoom, text messages and phone.
All about virtual sessions
Will there be discussion of recorded talks?
All sessions will include a Zoom meeting for discussion. For pre-recorded sessions, these will occur immediately afterward during the scheduled block.
Will plenaries and subplenaries be interactive?
Plenaries and subplenaries will be live and will have two opportunities for interaction. During the talks, a moderator will field and forward questions submitted via text app. After the presentations, we will have an informal Zoom discussion. These will be moderated according to the number of attendees.
What are you doing about time zones?
Given the virtual nature of the 2020 EASST+4S joint conference, we decided to implement longer conference days so that speakers and viewers in different time zones can be accommodated as smoothly as possible. Plenaries and subplenaries are scheduled late in the day for European time zones.
The online program adjusts to the user’s time zone. The template timetable (Prague time CEST) has been posted on the Virtual Meeting page.
Presenting
How long should my presentation be?
The standard formula allows 15 minutes. This might vary if there is a small number of presenters in your session. This is a question for your session organizer.
Can I pre-record my presentation?
All accepted presenters were invited to pre-record their talk via SlidesLive, but that opportunity has passed. It is feasible that you could record your presentation on your own and post a link to the video to your entry in the program. You will want to advise your session chair if you take this option.
Can I share files or video before or after the meeting?
Submitters of all accepted papers will have the opportunity to upload files or post links to videos. (All videos must be hosted on a third-party site such as YouTube or Vimeo.) You will post these to the program via All Academic: Log in, then select Main Menu from the left sidebar.
What if I want to show a video during my talk?
You cannot expect to stream a video through a Zoom meeting with good results. However, you can post a link to the video in your program entry and point people to it during your presentation.
What are best practices for presenting by Zoom?
There are many places to find recommendations for presenting online. You could start with Zoom technical guidance for presenters: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/201137166
Can I test my setup in advance?
Start with the Zoom knowledge base: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697
We plan to offer opportunities for training and testing.
Chairing and organizing
“Session chair” or “session organizer”?
Session organizers do the advance planning to assemble a session. The session chair runs the session as it happens. The session organizers and session chair may or may not be the same person. We encourage the chairs and/or organizers to communicate with session participants in advance.
What are the responsibilities of the session organizer(s)
Session organizers are in charge of communication in advance regarding length of presentations, sessions requirements, sequencing, etc. Please coordinate in advance with the chair, if the session is not chaired by one of the organizers.
What are the responsibilities of the session chair?
The session chair’s responsibilities are to keep everyone on schedule and to moderate any participation by non-presenters. If not confident in the virtual environment, consider appointing another person to manage comments, cue questions, etc.
What is the role of the session chair in a pre-recorded session?
We hope that most presenters who pre-record their talk will also be available for live post-session discussion via Zoom. As a chair, your duty would be to moderate.
Do I have any responsibilities in terms of setting up Zoom meetings?
You will find the meeting through the online program, all set up at the scheduled time. Upon arrival, you will need to assign co-host privileges to your presenters.
Since meetings are virtual, they can run long, right?
Wrong. We will re-use Zoom meeting rooms throughout the day. It is as important as always that you keep presenters on schedule. When your scheduled time is passed, your meeting may be shut down at any time.
Where can I find contact information for the people in my panel?
There should now be a “Participants” tab in your session admin panel.
Updated 3/8