This guide will show you how to view the video lectures on the Online Campus as well as assist you in downloading and viewing them on your personal computer.
Please Note: In order to view the videos on the Online Campus you will need to have Adobe Flash player installed. If you will be downloading and viewing the videos on your PC or Macbook you will need a media player such as VideoLAN (VLC).|
How to view video lectures in your web browser
Step 1: Scroll down the page to the relevant video activity and click on the title of the video you would like to view.
Step 2: Once you have opened the video, press the play button (If you have any playback issues, please scroll down to the troubleshooting section at the bottom of this article).
Step 3: There are three options on the bottom right of the video.
Option 1 will adjust the volume of the video, click on the volume bars which are displayed by the lines in the image below.
Option 2 will toggle “HD” off or on.
If the letters "HD" are not highlighted it will be toggled off, which means lower video quality.
This is recommended for slower internet connections and those who would like to save data.
Option 3 will maximise the video so you can view it in full-screen.
Step 4: When you have finished watching the video, simply click on the cross at the top right of the video to close it.
A few tips when watching videos in your web browser
Unless you have a fast internet connection, watching streaming videos can sometimes be a slow, jerky and painful process. Here are a few tips that should make your viewing smoother.
1. Let your video buffer. On slower connections, streaming videos often play faster than they can download. This results in stop-start playback. You can stop this by letting the video “buffer”. Press play, and then pause the video for a minute or two before continuing playback. This gives the video a chance to download, resulting in a nice padding between what you are watching and what has been loaded.
2. One thing at a time. Unless you have a fast connection, it will be difficult to watch a video easily while you’re busy downloading a second video or downloading something in the background.
3. Download video lectures to your computer. For seamless offline viewing, you may want to download a video from the Online Campus to your computer.
Please Note: The download option is only available for videos provided by GetSmarter. Videos from Vimeo or other hosting sites such as YouTube will not have a download option.|
How to download videos from your Online Campus
Step 1: Please access the video you want to view.
Download the video lecture by right clicking on the link titled “Right click here”, located below the video lecture.
Step 2: Select the “Save target as” or “Save link as” option from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: In the following dialog box, you will be prompted to confirm the name of the video and your preferred save location.
Once you are satisfied with the details, select 'Save'.
Step 4: Wait for the download to complete before you attempt to view the video.
Step 5: Once the download is completed, you should be able to view the video using the media player application of your choice.
Frequently asked questions
Here are a few frequently asked questions, coupled with helpful tips to guide you through common issues that arise while downloading or viewing the course videos.
Why can't I view the videos?
- Your internet connection could be down. Firstly, ensure that you are connected to the internet. This is one of the simplest reasons for videos not working, but is not always immediately obvious. If you are offline, you will not be able to view videos. Try opening up a new tab and browsing to another web page to test if this is the case.
- Firewall or security setting could be blocking the videos. Are you connected from work or home?
a) If you are connecting from work, there could be a firewall or security setting on your company’s server that is blocking sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and others. If this is the case, you may not be able to view the videos. If you feel that this could be the reason, please speak to your work IT department about this.
b) If you are connecting from home, you should check your security settings on your computer. Again, you may want to seek IT assistance if you are not familiar with how to do this.
- You may have an outdated version of Adobe Flash Player. Especially in the case of interactive videos, please check that you have the most recent version of Adobe Flash Player installed and enabled on your internet browser.
- Your cache may need to be cleared. You may need to clear your cache (browsing history) as you could be viewing an expired link or page.
Why does the video take so long to download?
This could be due to a slow internet connection or high server load. The bigger the video, the longer it will take to download to your computer.
However, we advise you to:
- Try to do your downloads on the weekend or other times when the internet traffic is lighter.
- Make sure that you do not have any unnecessary tabs open in your browser.
- Not attempt to download more than one file at a time.
Why can’t I save the video onto my computer?
You will only be able to download and save selected videos provided by GetSmarter.
These videos are the Head Tutor’s lectures or videos by other GetSmarter staff.
Videos from YouTube and other hosting sites do not offer a download option. You will only be able to view these online.
Why is the sound quality on the video poor?
We would suggest trying following:
- Ensure that your speakers are not muted or set to a very low volume.
- Put the volume higher on your speakers and in the video player.
- Try listening to the video with a set of headphones to see if this will improve the quality.
- You may need to close your web browser and restart your computer
If you require further assistance please do not hesitate to email us on email@example.com or if you prefer speaking to us, please call us on:
UK: +44 20 3670 1791
US: +1 617 861 4750
Global: +27 21 830 9200