STATS100A Course Reception Dates & Hours

white ceramic cup filled with brown coffee on white saucer beside gold scissor

Course Reception dates and hours have been scheduled to happen on June 3rd, 2023 at 9:30 AM EDT (this was the time of the USCOTS 2023 presentation of Juana Sanchez and Sirui Wang where this activity was introduced). Instructors may insert their own time.

After reading all the instructions on this page, access the Gather Town reception using the link and password. (Limit 25 persons at a time for the free version of Gather Town)

Link: https://app.gather.town/app/Bb4IiZV9tqBAnuZa/Stat100AReception

Password: USCOTS2023

Be ready to show your face and talk. All students participating must have the gather camera and microphone on. Please, read the information below for a more successful experience. The link and password to enter the reception can be found with the information below and is highlighted in the pink box found before this paragraph.

Where the Reception will happen?

The Reception hours will be in Gather app, which is a web-conferencing software like Zoom, but with the added component of seeing the virtual “room” you and others are occupying, and with the ability to move around and interact with other participants and objects in the room based on your locations in the room, just like real life.

When you enter the gather location, move around with the arrow keys.

You interact with objects in the room by typing x when you see a label saying press x to interact

You meet people by proximity in the room. When you enter a private space (the rooms with table and chairs around), everybody in the space can see each other. Having your camera on is required. When you are in the bigger space, in order to see someone you must get close, otherwise you do not see who is around.

System specification of Gather app

Gather can be used on any computer (laptop or desktop), on any OS (Windows, Mac OS, Linux), using one of our supported web browsers (Google Chrome, Firefox, and *Safari).

*Note that Safari experience is currently in Beta. You can also access Gather on your mobile device or tablet using one of those browsers, however, the mobile experience is also in Beta and has extremely limited functionality; please check the limitations of using Gather on a mobile device, which limits the avatar changing, movement, interact with item, etc.

The recommended system specifications for an ideal experience:

2.4 ghz dual core
8 gb RAM

For internet speeds, it recommends:

10 Mbps download speed
3 Mbps upload speed

For more information of specification requirement of Gather, please check Gather's tech help page.

Tutorials and Live Walkthrough of how to use Gather

Please use this Live Walkthrough to become familiar with Gather. In the live walkthrough it will guide you step-by-step on

how to build your character,
how to name your character,
how to move your character,
how to interact with another person in Gather town, and
how to interact with an item in Gather town.

After the live walkthrough, please let your instructor and TAs know if you have any question or concern of being in Gather for the course reception hours.

More tutorials of Gather are available at Gather Support.

What Reception hour is about?

Join your classmates if you can on June 3rd, 9:30 AM (this was the time of the USCOTS 2023 presentation of Juana Sanchez and Sirui Wang where this page was presented). Instructors may insert their own time.

The goal of this reception is to meet other classmates and to identify three or four students (according to the professor's instructions) to which you will ask 4 group questions found in the Gather Town space, and a fifth group question of your own, while interacting and learning from the gadgets in the space.

(i) When entering the room, you will need to find your instructor and introduce yourself briefly. That is part of your bonus grade.

If there is a TA, perhaps the TA will be near the instructor or somewhere else in the space. For example, in the next image, Dr. Sanchez's avatar is near the big fountain (the southeast corner). Notice that the space you will enter may look a little different from this one.

A screen capture of the location of Dr. Sanchez in Gather town. She is to the southeast corner of the big fountain.

(ii) You will have to interview three or four persons in the space (depending on your professor's instructions) and ask them four group questions found in the space plus a fifth question of your choice to turn in. Answers to all five questions will receive low stakes points. The questions to ask the students need to be found in the gather room, in different locations (you will find also a group question 5 reminding you to ask a question of your choice).

(iii) There are probability songs, games, apps, questions to answer on your own or with your group but not part of the assignment and other items during the reception. Bring your guitar or musical instrument if you want and tell us with music, words or images what you think probability is about. There are bonus points if you submit also the answer to at least one of the non group questions. Make sure to indicate which is the question you choose. Consult with your chosen group.

(iv) When you enter the gather location, move around with the arrow keys.

You interact with objects in the room by typing x when you see a label saying press x to interact

You meet people by proximity in the room. When you enter a private space, everybody in the space can see each other. Having your camera on is required. When you are in the bigger space, in order to see someone you must get close, otherwise you do not see who is around.

Link: https://app.gather.town/app/Bb4IiZV9tqBAnuZa/Stat100AReception

Password: USCOTS2023

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