Open University Students' Association in Italy
Northern Italy Branch (OUSA NI) & Rome Branch

FIRSTCLASS�

EMAIL & CONFERENCING:

Did you know that you have an email address with the Open University?  As all higher education students, when you register with the Open University, you are entitled to an email address.  For OU students, this email address is [email protected].   Write it down!

The Open University, as a distance education establishment, has decided to use specialised software for running its email and course conferences, and this is called FirstClass�.  FC is the main platform for email and for communication between students and tutors.  In fact, all students must be ONLINE by 2007!

Firstclass is better than ordinary web or pop email because not only can you send and receive emails, but also you can take part in online chat groups, and participate in course specific conferences and it's virtually SPAM FREE!  It's one programme for email, chat and conferencing, instead of several!

You can connect with the FC community though the web by logging on to your student homepage or through FC's software, which is available through the OU's Firstclass Page or through FirstClass's company website http://www.firstclass.com.  The software is easy to use, really!

WHO USES FC?

FC users are OU students, OU tutors and staff, OUSA representatives and many other people who are involved with the OU and OUSA projects.  A good number of conferences which are relevant to OU courses are on Firstclass for the OU, and here you can meet your �classmates� or students with similar interests.  Using your FC account, you can talk to them, post your comments on the course conference(s) or ask for help.

You will also find OUSA conferences, which gather their representatives or host branches conferences (Click here for Branch conferences on Firstclass�) and also conferences which are dedicated to socialising.  OUSA also sets up course conferences where there aren't any for specific courses.  There are hundreds of conferences and there is probably at least one or two that you will find of interest.  Go to OUSA Signpost to find them and make sure to spend some time clicking on all the folders!

If you DON'T find a conference of interest and you have an idea for a conference, or if you'd like to open an informal conference for your course try posting an email  to  OUSA Conference Request which can also be found under OUSA Signpost. 

How to use First Class�:

You can use any of three methods:

1. Your usual Internet browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.)
   
   Enter your Student Home Page and choose Firstclass Conference link.  It's in the middle and also on the lefthand side of your screen.
   
   Go directly to the following URL: http://firstclass.open.ac.uk;
    

2. First Class� Client
      
   This freeware product is available for free download from the OU's website and is much quicker and user-friendly than the web; or
    

3. First Class� Personal
      
   This freeware product allows offline browsing. Before installing First Class Personal you need to install the FC Client. 

Remember:
Download/read the documentation from the Firstclass page which tells you how to use this great product

Getting Started:

The �OUSA Signpost� folder contains the majority of folders and conferences/forums which are on FC. It is a bit like an index, so it is worth giving it a glance. 

To get to OUSA signpost, the Path is:

FC Desktop > Open University > OUSA Students Association
> OUSA Signpost

Other interesting conferences:

The OUSA Italian folder:

OUSA Students Association > OUSA Signpost > OUSA Italian

The Southern Europe conference:

OUSA Students Association > OUSA Signpost > OUSA Southern Europe

Italian Branch Conferences:

The OUSA Br Northern Italy & OUSA Br Rome branch conferences can be found at:

OUSA Signpost > OUSA Southern Europe > OUSA Br Northern Italy
 

OUSA Signpost > OUSA Southern Europe > OUSA Br Rome

This conference, like most branch conferences, is �closed�. This means that you need permission to participate.  For permissions, you need to send an email to the OUSA Controller stating your name, Personal Identification Number, and the branch to which you belong.  In a few days, the icon of your branch conference will appear on your FC desktop and you will be free to post messages.

There is also a Southern Italy conference.  The Southern Italy forum is an open conference and can be found under the Euroscope Folder:

FC Desktop > Open University > Regions > Region 09
> Euroscope > Southern Italy

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