The Union and UCL provide a lot of different ways to complete most tasks, and there are lots of other cloud services available online as well. Look below for quick links to the best solutions for Union staff to help point you in the right direction. Any queries on any of them, please contact [email protected].
Please note where we advise not to use certain tools - this could be because of lack of available support, overlap with existing better-supported services, or data protection and security risks.
So, if you want to...
- Talk to a colleague
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Slack for quick chats - read more
Teams chat for quick chats - https://liveuclac.sharepoint.com/sites/SharePointandMicrosoftTeams/SitePages/Chat-in-Teams.aspx
Teams calls (audio/video) for impromptu meetings - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/start-a-call-from-a-chat-in-teams-f5138c9d-df4c-43d8-9cf6-53400c1a7798?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us
E-mail via Outlook - as normal
For any of these, make sure to check their status as they may not be online - you may not get an immediate response.
Note different staff have different preferences or processes, so some staff may e.g. not use Slack but prefer Teams, or e.g. requires e-mail over any other method.
Do not use: social media messaging platforms like Whatsapp or Facebook
- Talk to a student
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It is preferred to use E-mail via Outlook to talk to students.
For meetings, use Teams calls (audio/video).
Do not use: social media messaging platforms like Whatsapp or Facebook
- Manage communication for a specific project or role
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Shared mailbox via Outlook - multiple users can access the same inbox; request via [email protected]
Teams team - (for internal projects) https://liveuclac.sharepoint.com/sites/SharePointandMicrosoftTeams/SitePages/Use-teams-for-group-working(1).aspx
Slack channel - (for internal projects) https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/resources/slack-101/create-new-channels
Do not use: personal accounts where the role could be shared across multiple people
- Run an online meeting
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Teams meetings - https://liveuclac.sharepoint.com/sites/SharePointandMicrosoftTeams/SitePages/Meetings-in-Teams.aspx
Zoom - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/services/communicate-collaborate/zoom
Zoom Webinar for larger meetings - https://liveuclac.sharepoint.com/sites/Zoom/SitePages/Webinars.aspx
If using other platforms, ensure they are data protection compliant, and don't store sensitive attendee information, chats or files.
- Run a survey
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Create a webform on our site - see Website guide - Webforms
Use our SurveyMonkey account - join #surveys on Slack, and log in via the password in the channel description
Don't use: Google forms; other survey tools
- Collect student data
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Create a webform on our site - see Website guide - Webforms
Other options:
- Office 365 forms - https://forms.office.com/
- Use our SurveyMonkey account - join #surveys on Slack, and log in via the password in the channel description
Don't use: Google forms; other survey tools
- Manage a submission process
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Create a webform on our site and enable 'Workflow' - see Website guide - Webforms, 'Webform workflows'
Don't use: Google forms; other survey tools
- Share a document with collaborators
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Microsoft Office 365 - from within a document in Microsoft Office on browser or in the desktop app, click 'Share' in the top right
Don't use: Google Drive, Dropbox
- Share a file
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UCL Drop Box for secure file transfer - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dropbox/
Upload the file into a Teams Team - internal to UCL/Union, upload into 'Files' tab or via SharePoint
Slack - share into a private channel e.g. for the project
If small enough, E-mail via Outlook
Do not use: Dropbox
- Share sensitive information
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UCL Drop Box for secure file transfer - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dropbox/
Do not use: Google Drive, Dropbox
- Store files for own work
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N:/ drive - where your files are stored by default on UCL devices - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/services/file-storage-sharing/home-n-drive
Do not use: Evernote, Google Drive, Dropbox
- Store files to be shared/collaborated on with other staff
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S:/ drive - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/services/file-storage-sharing/groupfolders-shared-s-drive
Microsoft Teams team - https://liveuclac.sharepoint.com/sites/SharePointandMicrosoftTeams/SitePages/Use-teams-for-group-working(1).aspx
Do not use: Google Drive, Dropbox
- Take notes
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OneNote - online at https://www.office.com/launch/onenote?auth=2 and on desktop
Do not use: Evernote, Google Drive, Dropbox
- Book appointments
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Microsoft Bookings - Free and integrated with Outlook, UCL directory, etc. https://outlook.office.com/bookings/homepage
Appointments functionality on our website - see Appointment booking guide and contact su.systems to get your appointment type set up
Calendly - Free version of https://calendly.com/ - sign in via Office 365 to integrate with your calendar
- Run a live stream
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StreamYard - https://streamyard.com/ - discuss with Student Activities and Marketing, then join the #streamyard channel on Slack