FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Curiosity Con is NCSSM Connect's version of an online conference, where students enrolled in any of our Spring open enrollment courses (interactive videoconference courses) are invited to attend 5 synchronous zoom sessions that take place over 5 days. NCSSM faculty and staff will cover topics from leadership, self-care, and time-management; to visual note-taking, STEM research, and tips for success in the upcoming semester.

While there may be some activities during the sessions, there will be no homework. CuriosityCon sessions are meant to be enrichment opportunities, where you can learn about things that will help you be a better student, plan your future, and build leadership skills. We’ll cover topics that are not often covered in your other classes.

Sessions will be fun and engaging. You may be learning to write music, or you may learn how to develop leadership skills, or even how to focus on your own mental health and wellness. Sessions may contain some simple activities for you to complete, but there is no homework and nothing is graded.

NCSSM faculty, staff, and METLife employees will lead the sessions this year.

Each day's Zoom meetings are scheduled to last from 8 am - 3 pm, but you only need to join the meeting when you would regularly meet for your NCSSM open enrollment course. Meeting times are as follows:

• Block 1: 8:15 AM - 9:25 AM

• Block 2: 9:50 AM - 11:00 AM

• Block 3: 11:40 AM - 12:50 PM

• Block 4: 1:30 PM - 2:40 PM

Click on the registration link and fill out the form. We recommend using a personal email address that you check regularly, since many schools block email from outside sources, and you may not receive the link to your sessions.

You should have received an email from Zoom with the link to the sessions. This email should be sent you to right after registering. Just click the meeting link during each of your NCSSM Connect class times from January 10 till January 14. You can use the same link each time you join a session.

In the email you receive from Zoom after registering, there are links to add the meetings to your calendar. Each day's meeting is scheduled to last from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. in your calendar, but you only need to join the meeting when you would regularly meet for your NCSSM open enrollment course. Meeting times are as follows:

• Block 1: 8:15 AM - 9:25 AM

• Block 2: 9:50 AM - 11:00 AM

• Block 3: 11:40 AM - 12:50 PM

• Block 4: 1:30 PM - 2:40 PM

You should receive an email from Zoom right after registering. The email will be titled "Curiosity-Con 2022 Confirmation" and will come from no-reply@zoom.us. Be sure to check your spam folder. If you did not receive an email, we recommend registering again and using a different email address to register. (Many schools block email from Zoom, so we do not recommend using your school email address to register).

Here are some helpful guides you may want to refer to:

• How do I Join a Zoom Meeting

• Joining and Configuring Audio and Video

• Zoom Help Center

• How to improve the quality of Zoom

If you are still having trouble connecting, check with your facilitator at your school for help. If you are at home and cannot connect, feel free to contact us.

Please use the following guidelines to improve the quality of your Zoom connection if you have issues with your video or audio.

When you first click on the link to join a meeting, you should be prompted to install the Zoom software to your computer if this is the first time you have used Zoom. Alternatively you can install the software by going to the Zoom download center.

Some schools may not allow you to download software to your school-issued computer. You can still join the meetings using the “Join from Browser” option. This will load the Zoom web client. You are not required to install any software to use the web client, but you will have limited functionality during the meetings.

If you have access to a different computer, a tablet, or a smart phone, you may be able to join the meeting from that device instead. If you need to download the Zoom app on a different device from your school-issued computer, visit the Zoom Download Center.