// Access the conference platform
You can access our conference platform at gaps.uol.de. You will receive an e-mail with your account details by 10 May. This contains your username and a preliminary password to access the conference platform of GAPS 2021: Science, Culture and Postcolonial Narratives. If you have difficulty finding it, make sure it was not intercepted by your spam filter.
To be able to participate fully, you will need a webcam, a microphone, a stable internet connection and an up-to-date browser. We strongly recommend that you install the latest versions of either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. There are known issues when using Safari or legacy browsers like Internet Explorer.
We have opted to forego a commercial out-of-the-box solution for conducting the conference; instead, we are using open-source software hosted exclusively on the University of Oldenburg’s own servers –based on the free learning management system Stud.IP and the open-source software BigBlueButton. There may still be a few places where its provenance shows; but this should not detract from its functionality for our conference. Not all kinks may have been worked out, but by choosing this software, the conference organizers hope to contribute to a fairer and more sustainable internet for all.
The conference platform provides an overview of current presentations and the program, allows for the upload and download of material, facilitates the interaction between participants and provides access to the BBB presentations. Video conversations, lectures, and panels are facilitated through the videoconferencing tool BigBlueButton (BBB). For an introduction on how to use BigBlueButton you may check https://bigbluebutton.org/teachers/tutorials/
The platform is accessible as soon as you have received your account details. We recommend that you log on once before the conference starts – so that you can identify any technical issues and check the terms of use and visibility settings without hassle. You can find step-by-step instructions for getting started on the platform here.