User guide
Virtual Work Experience is a resource which provides a detailed insight into a number of working environments. Users can explore the ‘worlds’, learn more about the various job features and consequently make more informed choices about their future career path.
The resource allows users to explore 3D worlds and delivers high quality video clips throughout these worlds. These features have reasonably high bandwidth requirements and can cause problems for schools and local authorities whose internet connection cannot support those requirements.
The following downloadable documents list the technical requirements.
PDF file: Technical checklist for PC (15 KB)Technical requirements
Virtual Work Experience can be accessed using any web browser on any platform which supports Adobe's Shockwave and Flash technology. We would recommend you use the most recent version of each browser to ensure compatibility.
Shockwave and Flash
The website makes extensive use of Shockwave and Flash. These plug-ins/players must be installed on each computer that will be used to access the Virtual Work Experience website.
These can be downloaded and installed from the Adobe website.
We recommend you have the most up-to-date version of each installed and tested prior to the use of the Virtual Work Experience website. For Shockwave you should have version 10.3.0.24 or above installed. For Flash player you should have 9.0.115.0 or above.
We would also recommend accessing one of the Virtual Worlds within the Virtual Work Experience site as part of the installation process to ensure that any additional Shockwave 'Xtras' required by the Virtual Work Experience resources are also installed.
Shockwave and Flash issues
There are issues with Shockwave running on Intel Macs. Adobe has recommended that on this platform, users should run the browser under Rosetta emulation mode - find out more about using Shockwave player on an Intel based Macintosh.
In testing this can still prove problematic but has been successfully tested with the following configuration - Mac OS 10.5.4, Shockwave 11.0.0.r465, Safari 3.1.2 or FireFox 3.0.1.
For Intel Mac classroom scenarios, we would recommend this set-up is employed for successful use of the Virtual Work Experience website.
Computer specification requirements
Due to the graphical, processor and memory requirements of the 3D worlds, performance may be greatly reduced on older computers or computers with a limited hardware specification.
We recommend that the Virtual Work Experience website is accessed on as high a specification computer as possible.
Display resolution
Virtual Work Experience is optimised for 1024x768 resolution screens and the computer screens should ideally be set to this resolution or higher.
Audio and video
The resources have extensive audio tracks within the video material, so please ensure that audio is available on computers and is not muted. Headphones may also prove advantageous in a classroom etting.
Firewall and filter access
Some local authority or institution firewalls or web filters may block access to certain websites or types of web content. For access to Virtual Work Experience, you will need to ensure that any firewall does not prevent access to Shockwave or Flash content.
Adding http://www.ltscotland.org.uk or http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/virtualworkexperience/ to a firewall or filter’s whitelist (list of approved sites) can normally solve this problem.
Bandwidth requirements
Due to the high bandwidth requirements of the 3D worlds and video assets, institutions with a low bandwidth network connection can encounter problems accessing the Virtual Work Experience website. This can be particularly true in a classroom setting when many users are simultaneously accessing high bandwidth content over a low bandwidth connection.
If the network connection to an institution is above 2Mbps it will be possible to access and use the VWE website directly. However, it is recommended that the content is pre-positioned on the school Content Distribution Infrastructure (CDI) content engine or similar local caching solution. If the network connection delivered into school is 2Mbps or less it is essential that the CDI content engine or similar local caching solution is used to achieve effective use of the Virtual Work Experience website.
Content pre-positioning
A Content Distribution Network (CDN) is a system that is used for expediting the delivery of web applications and content from a central data centre to local branch offices. The Scottish Executive procured a CDN solution which is currently in place in a range of local authorities and schools throughout Scotland. This CDI solution can be utilised to pre-position the Virtual Work Experience website, thus removing the bandwidth bottlenecks that may be experienced when accessing through a low bandwidth network connection.
To find out if this solution is possible you should make contact with technical staff in your school or local authority. (Specific documentation on how to set up the CDI equipment to pre-position content has been distributed to each local authority.)
If further information on how to pre-position the Virtual Work Experience website is required, technical staff can contact Mark Hagart at Learning and Teaching Scotland.
Related information
Learning and teaching
More information for teachers about Virtual Work Experience and how it can complement and support pupils' real-life experiences.