Trainer Guide

Using DaDesktop Virtual Desktops for easy course training

DaDesktop Virtual Desktops provide an easy way to create online courses anywhere in the world.

Please note: DaDesktop (DD) now supports one or more trainers for its courses.

The trainers will each have their own login to DaDesktop, and can control the ‘Trainer Desktop’ as if it were their own. 

The idea is that both trainers will be on the audio conference, swapping over at intervals as needed, and can take control of the Trainer Desktop as required. This is especially useful for longer courses, or courses that simply work better with input from two experts in their field to the course participants.

Before creating a new course

• The Trainer(s) should contact the course organiser to provide the following information:

1. Course detail (Course title, Course schedule, Numbers of participants)
2. Location for Trainer(s) and Delegates (so the best data centre can be advised)
3. Trainer's email address(es)

• Recommended browsers for training

1. Chrome
2. Firefox
3. Microsoft Edge

• Network

1. DaDesktop users require a good internet connection
2. Using Wi-Fi in a coffee shop is not recommended, as it is often unstable
3. Before training, please note again that DaDesktop is a web-based training portal
4. Internet speed should be faster than: "10 Mbps download & 1 Mbps upload"
5. Having dual screens and a camera is preferred, if at all possible
    

First step: How to set up your course                                                                                

1. Course coordinators will assist you when creating a course
2. Add Trainer(s) to the course by sending the registration invitation link
3. The Trainer receives an email with course details and a login link
4. The Trainer(s) can log in with their account via https://dd4t.dadesktop.com 
5. Next, send course invitations to participants (the pink one)
6. Note: If there is more than one Trainer taking the course, there will always be only one Trainer machine used
    

Second step: Prepare your "DaDesktop" in the course                                                    

1. Click "Create from OS template" for the Fresh Start desktop. The Fresh Start is the machine on which the Trainer develops the course content. Once complete, they clone it to their Trainer Desktop and to the Participants desktops. If you already have a 'Standalone' machine with your course content, please click the dropdown arrow and select the Standalone from here.
2. Choose the OS template, select the nearest data centre and the configuration you need for your course training. Click 'Create Desktop'.
3. Connect to the desktop, and prepare your course inside the DaDesktop VM

• If you require multiple machines for your course, please install Virt Manager (if using Linux, this is preferred) or VirtualBox inside DaDesktop. You can then set up several desktops inside DaDesktop simultaneously.  These machines will be cloned to each participant and to your Trainer machine.
• We recommend converting documents to PDF if you plan to use Windows 10 Pro, as we don't include MS Office inside DaDesktop
• Download and make preparations as you would on your own desktop 
• Please only use automatically supplied DHCP IP addresses for Fresh-Start machines. DO NOT use static IP addresses or change MAC addresses or DNS settings for your FreshStart machines, as this will cause problems when cloned to Course Desktop VMs. Also, please do not change the computer name, as this can also cause issues within DaDesktop.
  
  Please contact Tech Support if you require any help with the above.
   

Third step: Clone the desktop to all participants

1. Finish preparing the "Fresh Start desktop", then exit and stop this desktop
2. Click "Create from Fresh Start desktop" in the Trainer section to clone a desktop identical to the fresh start machine
3. If delegates are in other regions, please click the dropdown on "Create from Fresh-Start Trainer desktop" to clone to the delegate's region
4. Other options are also available from the dropdown, including Clone from Standalone and Create from OS Template
    

Final step: Join the Training Room

1. The Trainer(s) and participants need to click on Training Room and join together
2. When joining the Training Room, the system will automatically clone the FreshStart desktop to all participants
3. Inside the Training Room, audio and video recordings can be made automatically.
4. Each delegate can see two desktops (the Trainer's desktop and their own desktop); there is no need for screen sharing
5. Using the Training Room, the Trainer has a view of all the participants' machines as well as their own, and can take control of each machine individually to help a participant if required. Each participant can see their own machine and only the Trainer's Desktop.