Facilitator's Guide

Streamlining Course Training with DaDesktop Virtual Desktops

DaDesktop Virtual Desktops let you create online courses effortlessly, no matter where you're located globally.

Please note : DaDesktop (DD) now lets you have one or more trainers for a course.

Each trainer gets their own DaDesktop login, allowing them to operate the ‘Trainer Desktop’ as though it were their personal computer. 

The concept is that both trainers join the audio conference, taking turns leading as needed while still able to take over the Trainer Desktop whenever necessary. This setup is particularly helpful for extended courses or sessions that benefit from having two subject-matter experts interact with participants.

Before creating a new course

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

1. Course details — title, schedule, and number of participants
2. Trainer and delegate locations (so we can suggest the best datacentre)
3. The trainer's email address(es)

• Recommended browsers for training

1. Chrome
2. Firefox
3. Microsoft Edge

• Network

1. DaDesktop users need a reliable internet connection
2. Avoid using WiFi at coffee shops, as it tends to be unreliable
3. Before training, keep in mind that DaDesktop is a web-based training portal
4. Make sure your internet speed is faster than: "10 Mbps download & 1 Mbps upload"
5. If possible, having two screens and a camera is ideal
    

First step: How to set up your course                                                                                

1. Course coordinators will assist you during course creation
2. Add trainers to the course by sending them the registration invitation link
3. The trainer will receive an email containing the course details and a login link
4. Trainers can log in with their account through https://dd4t.dadesktop.com 
5. Next, send course invites to participants (the pink one)
6. Note: If multiple trainers are involved, only one trainer machine will be used at any time
    

Second step: Prepare your "DaDesktop" in the course                                                    

1. Select the "Create from OS template" option to set up the Fresh Start desktop. This Fresh Start machine is where trainers build the course content; once ready, they clone it to their Trainer Desktop and to each Participants desktop. If you already have a 'Standalone' machine set up for your course, simply click the dropdown arrow and choose the Standalone option from there.
2. Pick the OS template that best fits your training needs, choose the nearest datacentre, and configure any options. Then click 'Create Desktop'.
3. Connect to that desktop and start preparing your course within the DaDesktop VM

• If your course calls for multiple machines, install Virt Manager (recommended for Linux) or VirtualBox inside DaDesktop, and you can set up several desktops simultaneously. These entire machines will then be cloned to each participant and to your trainer machine.
• For Windows 10 Pro, we suggest converting documents to PDF since MS Office isn't available inside DaDesktop
• Download files and set things up just as you would on your own desktop
• Make sure to use only the automatically supplied DHCP IP addresses for Fresh-Start machines. DO NOT use Static IP addresses or alter MAC addresses or DNS settings on your FreshStart machines, as doing so will cause issues when they are cloned to Course Desktop VMs. Also, avoid renaming the computer, as that can lead to problems within DaDesktop.
  
  Reach out to Tech Support if you need any assistance with the above.
   

Third step: Clone desktop to all participants

1. Complete your work on the Fresh Start desktop, then exit and click to stop that desktop
2. In the Trainer section, click "Create from Fresh Start desktop" to clone a desktop identical to the Fresh Start machine
3. If delegates are located in other regions, use the dropdown next to "Create from Fresh-Start Trainer desktop" to clone it to a delegate's region
4. The dropdown also offers options like Clone from Standalone and Create from OS Template
    

Final step: Join the Training Room

1. Both trainers and participants should click Training Room to join the session together
2. When everyone joins the Training Room, the system automatically clones the FreshStart desktop to all participants
3. Within the Training Room, audio and video can be recorded automatically
4. Every delegate sees two desktops—the trainer's and their own—so screen sharing is unnecessary
5. From the Training Room, the trainer can view all participants' machines along with their own, and can take control of any individual machine to assist a participant when needed. Participants can only see their own machine and the trainer's desktop.