Trainer Guide

Harness DaDesktop Virtual Desktops to Simplify Your Course Training

DaDesktop’s virtual desktops offer a straightforward solution for delivering online courses to learners anywhere across the globe.

Take note: DaDesktop (DD) now supports having one or more trainers for each course.

Each trainer receives a personal login to DaDesktop and can operate the ‘Trainer Desktop’ just as they would their own machine.

The concept is that both trainers join the same audio conference, taking turns leading as needed, while still having the ability to take command of the Trainer Desktop whenever necessary. This setup proves especially valuable for longer sessions or courses that benefit from having two subject‑matter experts share their insights with participants.

Before creating a new course

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

1. Course details (title, schedule, number of participants)
2. Locations of the Trainer(s) and Delegates (to recommend the best datacentre)
3. 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. Using coffee‑shop WiFi is not recommended because it’s often unstable
3. Before training begins, remember: DaDesktop is a web‑based training portal
4. Internet speed should be faster than: "10 Mbps download & 1 Mbps upload"
5. A dual‑screen setup and a camera are preferred if possible
    

First step: How to set up your course                                                                                

1. Course coordinators assist you when creating a course
2. Add Trainer(s) to the course by sending the registration invitation link
3. The Trainer receives an email containing the course details and a login link
4. The Trainer(s) can log in with their account via https://dd4t.dadesktop.com 
5. Next, send out course invitations to participants (the pink invitation)
6. Note: Even if more than one Trainer is leading the course, only one Trainer machine is ever used
    

Second step: Prepare your "DaDesktop" in the course                                                    

1. Click "Create from OS template" for the Fresh Start desktop. The Fresh Start machine is where the Trainer builds the course contents; once ready, they clone it to their Trainer Desktop and to the Participants desktops. If you already have a ‘Standalone’ machine containing your course materials, use the dropdown arrow to select that Standalone instead.
2. Choose the OS template, pick the nearest datacentre, and select the configuration your course training requires. Click ‘Create Desktop’.
3. Connect to the desktop and prepare your course inside the DaDesktop VM.

• If your course needs several machines, install Virt Manager (preferred on Linux) or VirtualBox inside DaDesktop; you can then set up multiple desktops simultaneously. The entire set of machines will be cloned to every participant and to your Trainer machine.
• We recommend converting documents to PDF if you plan to use Windows 10 Pro, as MS Office is not included within DaDesktop.
• Download and get ready as you would on your own desktop.
• Only use the automatically supplied DHCP IP addresses for Fresh‑Start machines. DO NOT use Static IP addresses or modify MAC addresses or DNS settings on your Fresh‑Start machines, because that will cause trouble when they are cloned to Course Desktop VMs. Also avoid changing the Computer name, as this can also create issues inside DaDesktop.
  
  Please contact Tech Support if you need any assistance with these points.
   

Third step: Clone desktop to all participants

1. Once you’ve finished setting up the "Fresh Start desktop", exit and 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 on "Create from Fresh‑Start Trainer desktop" to clone to a delegate’s region.
4. Additional options are accessible from the dropdown, including Clone from Standalone and Create from OS Template.
    

Final step: Join the Training Room

1. The Trainer(s) and participants all need to click Training Room and join together.
2. When you enter the Training Room, the system automatically clones the FreshStart desktop to all participants.
3. Inside the Training Room, audio and video recordings can be captured automatically.
4. Each delegate can view two desktops (the Trainer’s desktop and their own); screen sharing isn’t necessary.
5. With the Training Room, the Trainer sees every participant’s machine alongside their own, and can take control of any machine individually to assist a participant. Meanwhile, participants see only their own machine and the Trainer’s Desktop.