PQA Virtual Academy

The Virtual Academy offers PQA students nationwide the opportunity to participate in virtual practical performing arts workshops, competitions and activities, with new classes and resources being made available every week.

SETTING UP AN ACCOUNT

You will receive an email notifying you that an account has been created that includes your username (the email address you used to register at your local PQA Academy) and a link to set your password. 

Upon clicking the link “Click here to set your password” you will be taken to the Virtual Academy website and will be prompted to enter a unique password that you determine (you can change this at any time once logged into the Virtual Academy by selecting “My Account” from the top right navigation options).

GETTING STARTED

Now that you’re logged in, let's talk about how to navigate the Virtual Academy! The first screen you’ll be greeted with is “OUR WORKSHOPS” page. Here you will find a comprehensive listing of all the workshops, competitions and challenges on offer. 

“ALL LATEST WORKSHOPS” shows you the most recent selection of workshops that have been uploaded in chronological order by date. You can switch between other subject areas by clicking on the submenu options that include “COMEDY & DRAMA”, “COMPETITIONS & CHALLENGES”, “FILM & TV”, “MUSICAL THEATRE”, “POPPETS” etc. You can also use a search function to find workshops by subject name.

The top navigation bar also has other menu options that are only available when logged in, this includes “MY DASHBOARD” and your account profile. 

“MY DASHBOARD” shows a list of workshops you’ve started and your status in completing them. This is handy as it lets you know your workshop progress so you can return to complete any outstanding workshops on a future date.

The profile link in the top right (indicated by your name), has a dropdown that appears when clicked. Here you can edit specific details on your account by clicking “My Account”. The “Support” link opens to an email should you need any additional help from the Virtual Academy Team and the “Sign Out” link logs you out of the system.

After clicking on “My Account” you will be taken to your “Student Profile” page. Here you can upload a picture to your account, update the email address used to login (remember this is your username as well) and edit your first name or last name. Click the “Save Changes” button to update your student details, if required.

Should you need to change your password, click on “Password” in the left-hand submenu and update your new password details.

THE WORKSHOPS

To start a workshop, navigate to “OUR WORKSHOPS” in the top navigation bar and click on a workshop card.

You will now be greeted by the workshop entry page which gives you a summary and a breakdown of the workshop. When you are ready to begin, click the link which says, “START WORKSHOP”.

Each workshop is unique, some have an introduction or warm-up session, others begin with a safety notice. Please ensure you watch all introduction or warm-up sessions especially all safety advice videos’ or ‘Please ensure you watch all safety advice videos.

The link - “STUDENT DASHBOARD” allows you to return to the main Virtual Academy.

Normally, a workshop begins with an introduction section, before moving onto the workshop activities and tasks. You can navigate back and forth between workshop activities in the left-hand menu.

When you complete a workshop activity, you will automatically be prompted to move onto the next activity. Alternatively, you can click the “COMPLETE & CONTINUE” button to skip.

Your viewing experience while watching a workshop video can be adjusted on the video player. You can adjust the volume, speed, screen size or hide the sidebar navigation. 

DOWNLOADING FILES

Some workshop activities may come in the form of a PDF or audio file that needs downloading. For audio files, select the relevant workshop activity file (normally indicated by an audio symbol) then click on the download symbol in the top right. 

A new window will open showing the audio player again, now click on the 3 circles button and select “download”.

To download a PDF, select the relevant workshop activity, then on the top right click the download symbol indicated by the arrow facing down. You can also print the PDF document using the print symbol found alongside.

For further support or queries in using the Virtual Academy, please don’t hesitate to contact support at [email protected]