Webex: Faculty & Staff

Webex, a Colonial Connect service, is available to all GW students, faculty and staff. Webex is a collaborative meeting tool that allows for real-time video meetings and sharing computer content over the web. Sessions can be recorded and can accommodate up to 1,000 users in a simultaneous single session. Webex allows you the ability to make and receive calls, check voicemail and chat in one application. Users of GW-managed PCs should go to the software center to download the Webex application.

There is no charge for attending a Webex meeting when you use your computer to participate in the meeting. This is the preferred method of participation. If attendees opt to particpate via phone, there is no charge from GW to the individual department for Webex attendees to attend using the 202 area code number.

To begin using your Webex account, login to Webex with your UserID and corresponding password.

In May, Webex Meetings users will start receiving prompts to update to the latest version of the Webex Client. For more information, please "Switching from Webex Meetings Client to the new Webex Client".

As of May 15, 2022, Jabber will no longer be supported and the Webex client will be used for GW phone service. Please download the latest Webex client and follow these instructions to login to Webex calling.

E911

In an effort to support the safety of the GW community and to remain in compliance with local regulations, GW Information Technology is currently working to inventory the specific location of all university desk phones for enhanced 911 (e911) services. In the event of an emergency on campus, dialing 911 will provide first responders with information on the caller’s specific location, narrowed down to the room on campus. The MyE911 client is also now required as a part of any softphone client install (currently the Webex Client and Jabber) that is in use at the university.

The Mye911 Client may be obtained from the Software Center or Self Service for managed machines or from the GW IT Software Downloads page.

The MyE911 article provides how-to information for the MyE911 client. Resetting or Unlocking your MyE911 account provides information on resetting the password for your MyE911 account.

Webex Best Practices

Monitoring - Due to circumstances resulting from COVID-19 (coronavirus disease), a historic number of employees are rapidly transitioning to remote work. Webex meetings have never been more vital for staying connected. This is also putting a tremendous strain on regional internet service providers and telephony providers which may result in telephony incidents or service degradation at certain peak times.

Here are a few tips to get the best meeting experience in any situation:

Phone Services: You can signup for the calling feature set by going through the self-provisioning website, or by opening a work order with the ITSC if you are faculty or staff.
Webex Calling: Webex calling is included in the Webex Client. To log into phone services using the Webex Client, refer to the Webex Calling article for instructions.
Disconnect from your VPN: GW provides a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service that allows you to access the University network while working remotely. You can use Webex Meetings outside of VPN for the best experience.
Choose audio over video: Webex will suggest or automatically lower your resolution and may eventually turn off your video to adapt to your network quality. You can choose to do this yourself at any time. Learn more about improving your experience by eliminating video..
Build in breaks: You can get a faster join experience by joining 5 minutes early or, better yet, schedule meetings on the 15th or 45th minute of the hour.
Switch to call-in audio: If your internet audio and video experience or call me/call back does not work, you can keep collaborating. Call in using the dial-in numbers in your meeting invitation to join via your cell phone or landline. If the primary phone number that is provided is temporarily unavailable, the invitation includes a long list of other global call-in numbers you can try. Learn more about opting for call-in audio.
Hosting a meeting: Although Personal Meeting Rooms (PMR) are convenient, they do so at the expense of having a more secure access path to the room unless specifically addressed by the user. Learn more about scenarios and features that can be used by hosts to secure meeting rooms.

E911

Webex Best Practices

Other Helpful Links for Webex