FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Our most commonly asked questions and their answers.

Product & Program

 

  • An online short course is a package of 90-minute lectures/seminars, taught weekly. Short courses are typically four weeks long, but this may vary according to the topic. Short courses are either given by a single presenter or a small team. Major topics may be split into a series of short courses, allowing you to select the areas that most interest you or to follow an entire series. Short courses are generally limited to 15 screens, so that interaction can take place throughout the course. If a short course is popular, it may be offered at multiple time slots through the week.

    An online showcase lecture is a stand-alone talk, usually one hour long, presented by one of our academic experts. The topics are usually reasonably broad, and the lectures are intended as an overview for an interested, but non-expert, participant. Participants are not able to engage or interact with the lecturer.

  • Unlike most adult education courses, which more or less follow a traditional academic program, our online events are inspired by the experience of travelling. We select topics and destinations that are rich in cultural heritage and popular with cultural travellers, and investigate them in an intelligent way, which goes well beyond the level of a guidebook or commercial tour.

    Secondly, our presenters combine expert knowledge, gained through study and research-level university training, with significant personal experience of the places and topics covered in the lecture or course. This experience and knowledge come from many years of leading groups to the sites discussed and presenting to these groups in situ. Needless to say, our presenters have a passion for the topics they discuss, as well as excellent presentation skills.

  • Our online events are open to everyone – you don’t need any special qualifications to enrol. The presenter will pitch their teaching so that both beginners and well-read participants will find the sessions rewarding.

Enrolment & Attendance

 

  • All our online events are presented via the Zoom meeting platform. You will need a stable internet connection and a smartphone, tablet or PC to access an event. Zoom runs either via your internet browser or through the Zoom app. You can access the event anywhere – at home in front of the TV or when travelling.

    When you enrol in an event you will be sent an email containing the Zoom link for the event. We will also send you email reminders of when your event takes place.

  • Yes. If you miss the first session of a course and there are still places available, we are able to enrol you manually in the course for the remaining sessions. Please email us directly to arrange this info@academytravel.com.au

  • Almost all of our online events are now recorded and if you have enrolled in and paid for a course or lecture, an email with a link to the recording will be automatically sent out to you on the next business day following the event. If you do not receive this email, please check your spam folder or junk mail as the email may have been intercepted by your provider’s spam filter. If an online event will not be recorded, it will be clearly stated on the course description on our website.

  • All enrolments are non-refundable. Please choose carefully and ensure that you are free to attend the event or you are available to watch the recording within 21 days for Showcase Lectures and 14 days for each Short Course session. Under exceptional circumstances we will consider a transfer to a later event if you are unable to attend the original event and if the recording is unavailable.

Audio & Visual

 

  • The technical quality of Zoom meetings is perfectly sufficient to conduct an enjoyable, richly illustrated educational event. However, it is not designed to be at the same technical level as a television broadcast or film, and you should not expect this.

    You can enhance the sound and visual quality by connecting your PC or phone to your television or by using external speakers to your PC. You can find further information about this on the Zoom website (https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697)

  • If there is a problem with your internet connection or device and you miss an event, don’t worry. Contact us and we can either send you a link to a recording you missed (if available) or transfer you to a repeat session of the same event.

    If there is a technical problem at our end and a scheduled session cannot take place, we will either repeat the session at a later date, offer you a transfer to a similar event or give you a refund for the session you missed.

  • When we record online events, only the presenter’s sound and image and the PowerPoint slides will be recorded. For short courses, the recording function will generally be switched off during discussion.

    You can protect your privacy in the following ways:

    • Change your screen name after you join a session (Please either let us know your screen name or just use your first name so we can check your name against our enrolment records.)

    • Change your profile picture, if you are using one

    • Keep your microphone on mute unless you are asking questions

    • Stop your video, so that just your name or a selected profile picture shows