Technology
Our tournaments use simple electronic ballots that judges can complete on laptops or tablets. We have limited loaner devices available for community judges at in-person tournaments. If you will be using a personal device, the guidelines and FAQs below will help you make sure you're ready to participate! Feel free to reach out for help.
Participating families should check the specific device requirements for parents and competitor events.
Technology Guidelines
Ensure a smooth technical experience with our comprehensive guidelines. From equipment recommendations to troubleshooting tips, find everything you need to stay connected and prepared for your NCFCA journey.
Device Requirements
For both in-person and online tournaments, those who will be judging must have an independent, supported device (see table above). For online tournaments, you must have a working camera, microphone, and speaker available throughout the entire tournament. Recommend minimum 1080P resolution and 8 GB RAM for all devices. For in-person tournaments, we have a limited number of devices for community judges available upon request.
Supported devices:
- Windows laptop or desktop computers
- Mac laptop or desktop computers
- Chromebooks
- Microsoft Surface Pros
Devices with limited capability (should not be used):
- Android phones
- iPhones
- Tablets
- iPods
- iPads (may be used for in-person tournament judging, but functionality will be limited. Can not be used for online tournaments.)
Browser Requirements
- Google Chrome (version 78 and later) for macOS, Windows, and Ubuntu LTS 16.04 and later
- Chromium-based Edge (version 79 and later) for Windows
- Mozilla Firefox (version 60 and later) for macOS and Windows Microsoft Surface Pros
These browsers are NOT supported (should not be used):
- Any version of Internet Explorer
- Any version of Safari
- Chrome for iOS
Google Chrome is highly recommended.
An unsupported browser may appear to be working upon entering the tournament; however, many of the platform’s features (including audio and video) may not work properly.
Clear the Cache
Clearing the browser’s cache before the tournament will help a device to interact more effectively with the platform. (Use an internet search to find instructions for how to clear the cache of each specific browser.)
Restart your Computer
It can also be helpful to restart your laptop or computer after clearing the cache.
Filters and Firewalls
Internet filtering software or other parental control applications could impact successful connection and performance. Because our system uses multiple sources to run the platform, participants might see some functions working, while others do not. For best results, allow or approve all of the following:
- azurewebsites.net
- googleapis.com
- app.chime.aws:443
- ncfca.org
Internet firewalls on networked computers may interfere with connecting to the tournament platform. Be sure to test your devices through the connection (WiFi, router, etc.) you will be using during the tournament.
Internet Connection and Routers
All online tournament participants must have a stable internet connection. Broadband connections with unlimited data work best for video-integrated platforms. The speed and quality of the connection are more important than the age, speed, or model of device used. We encourage all participants, but especially competitors, to review the best practices below and to implement any that are feasible to improve their connection to the tournament platform.
- Know how the router works and learn how to optimize its performance by reading any tips available in the user manual or online.
- Know how to assess the router’s status and reset it if necessary.
- Check the manufacturer’s website for any available firmware updates and install those.
- Prior to each tournament, restart the router after unplugging it for at least ten minutes. This will clear it of interference from any stale connections.
- If possible, connect directly to the router using an ethernet cable rather than connecting through Wi-Fi. Direct connections are far more stable than wireless connections.
- If connecting through an ethernet cable is not feasible, move as close as possible to the router. Avoid major obstacles such as thick walls, bookcases, or appliances between a device and the router.
- Test the internet connection speed in the area(s) where a device will be connected. Speed tests are available through browsers and online sites. If the speed test indicates that the connection speed is slow, take steps to improve the speed.
- Consider purchasing signal boosters to help strengthen weak Wi-Fi signals in areas of the home that must be used for competition. Most internet service providers offer these devices.
- Minimize the number of nonessential devices and apps using the same router during the tournament. Routers handle connections on a first-come-first-serve basis and maintaining a stable video connection will require plenty of room in the traffic lanes passing through your router. Consider disconnecting smart phones from Wi-Fi and make sure other users, not actively participating in the tournament, avoid high data usage activities such as streaming video.
Audio and Video Tips
- Locate and learn how to use any mute and volume buttons that might inadvertently be activated.
- Minimize potential background noises.
- Silence notifications on your computer and nearby cell phones.
- Set the camera resolution as low as possible for an acceptable image quality. Lower resolution helps reduce the bandwidth required for all participants in a competition room.
General Steps that Often Resolve Tech Glitches
- Be sure you are using a supported device and browser.
- Refresh the browser page
- Exit and re-enter the tournament platform
- Clear the browser’s cache. (An internet search will provide directions.)
- Restart or reset the device.
Contact Tech Support
Tech support is available for judges through the Contact Tournament Administration button or from the Judge Support Team at in-person tournaments.
Audio and Video Tips for Competitors
Audio
- Consider using an external microphone as these generally produce better sound quality than built-in computer microphones. Examples include lavalier microphones, wired headsets, Bluetooth headsets, and AirPods.
- Locate and learn how to use any mute and volume buttons that might inadvertently be activated.
- Determine where to position the microphone in relation to your mouth for the best sound quality.
- Give extra attention to pacing and enunciation.
- Minimize potential background noises. Areas with sound-absorbing materials like carpet, curtains, and upholstered furniture will help reduce noise distractions from the environment around you.
- Silence notifications on your computer and nearby cell phones.
Video
- Plan for a camera position to best frame the picture judges will see, leaving room around the edges for variations in judges’ display settings.
- If a built-in device camera is awkwardly positioned and/or prevents simulating natural eye contact, consider using an external camera that can be positioned more effectively.
- Set the camera resolution as low as possible for an acceptable image quality. Lower resolution helps reduce the bandwidth required for all participants in a competition room.
- Experiment with lighting options to best illuminate facial expressions. Position the strongest light source behind the camera.
- Plan for what will be visible in the background. Ideally the background should be neutral and fairly unobtrusive.
- Evaluate and adapt hand gestures and posture for effectiveness within the confines of the screen space.
Digital Presentation Screen Sharing
When screen sharing using “presenter mode” the entire screen on the device will be consumed by the presentation. The competitor will no longer be able to see the tournament room, including the judges. However, judges can see both the competitor and the shared screen.
Presenters using a MAC may experience difficulty screen sharing. Mac iOS requires that you enable Screen Recording on Google Chrome. To turn this on, go to your settings – Security and Privacy – Screen recording and put a checkmark beside Google Chrome.
Duo and Digital Presentation Screen Mirroring for Online Tournaments
Mirrored video is standard for most online platforms. On the NCFCA platform, all speakers will see themselves mirrored on their own primary device screen, meaning that they will see themselves the way they would in a mirror. Judges and other observers will see a non-mirrored, normal view of the presenter. For most events, mirroring is natural and will go unnoticed, but in Duo and Digital presentation competitors will need to factor this phenomenon into their presentation plans.
Duo
For Duo competitors who choose to use separate devices, mirrored video creates a unique challenge for blocking, especially in the case of “interactions” between the video boxes. Competitors will see themselves as if in a mirror but will see their partner non-mirrored. The judges will not see either partner mirrored. If blocking plans would be impacted by the mirroring issue, competitors will either need to plan to share a device or plan to work around the mirroring. The competitor whose name comes first (Last, First) alphabetically will appear in the video box on the left when facing the screen and the partner on the right.
Digital Presentation
For Digital Presentation, mirroring impacts the presentation itself.
- If competitors use a separate screen facing the camera, any words or images will appear reversed to the competitor on the competition screen. However, the words and images will NOT appear reversed for judges and other observers.
- If a speaker uses the in-room screen sharing feature, the words will appear non-mirrored to both the speaker and judges.
Tips for Online Debate Evidence Exchange
File uploads are strongly recommended as some formatting may not be retained if evidence is copied directly into the evidence-exchange chat.
Prior to the tournament, have evidence files named, saved as pdfs (recommended), and organized in order to upload promptly, if requested. Examples include:
- AC/1AC
- Every piece of evidence that may be presented in a debate round saved as individual files (recommended)
Ensure that each file includes a proper citation in accordance with the rules.
Lengthy pieces of evidence (more than 2,000 characters) cannot be copied and pasted into the evidence-exchange chat.
Brief pieces of evidence (less than 2,000 characters) may be shared via the evidence-exchange chat if created and formatted in Google docs or other web-based word processing platforms. Sharing direct links to evidence sources is not permitted.
Tips for device management during a tournament
- Keep devices plugged in whenever possible during the tournament. If this is not possible, be sure that the device is fully charged prior to each competition round.
- Download any outstanding operating system updates in the day or two prior to the tournament.
- Cancel or pause any automatic or scheduled updates and security scans that may try to run during the competition.
- Close email programs, browser tabs, background functions, and other applications not needed for the current round of competition.
Tech Issues FAQs
Have a tech question? Find answers to common issues and troubleshooting tips in our FAQ section. Get quick solutions and stay connected.
General Steps that Often Resolve Tech Glitches
- Be sure you are using a supported device and browser.
- Refresh the browser page
- Exit and re-enter the tournament platform
- Clear the browser’s cache. (An internet search will provide directions.)
- Restart or reset the device.
How can I resize with display settings?
Devices differ in how they scale display windows, and some devices default to settings that cut off necessary portions of the platform display space. If parts of the display window are cut off from the visible area, or if video panels appear with slider bars, resize the display.
- For Windows computers, press and hold the [CTRL] key while tapping the [-] key. (Pressing [CTRL] with [+] will reverse the change.)
- For Mac computers, press and hold the [COMMAND] key while tapping the [-] key. (Pressing [COMMAND] with [+] will reverse the change.)
Additionally, participants may need to resize components within the platform display window. The slider bar between segments can be dragged with a pointer to change the relative display size.
I don’t see ballot selection.
It may be too early. Ballots are released in groups.
If timing is not the issue
- Check that the clock on your device is set accurately.
- Verify that you are logged in with the email address you used to register for the tournament.
- Affiliate judges may not be registered for the particular tournament. Check that you are registered for this round from the Judge Schedule menu.
I am in a room alone.
Try exiting and re-entering the room.
I don’t see a join button for my room.
The join button will not appear until all ballots are selected and the round is ready to start.
I can’t see all of the other participants.
- Verify that you are using a supported browser. An unsupported browser may seem to be working, but parts of the competition room may be missing.
- Try exiting the room and re-entering.
My video is blurry or cutting in and out.
These problems are usually due to a participant’s connection speed or stability.
Try reducing the incoming audio and video quality for the other room participants using the options under their display windows.
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- Try proceeding with camera(s) turned off if that is a feasible option for the event.
- Run an internet speed test. If the connection is slow, move closer to the router, reset the connection, etc.
- Clear the browser cache.
- Try plugging the device directly into the router.
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I cannot hear the other participants.
- Check the volume and mute settings on your device.
- PC users will see a volume icon in the lower right corner of the device screen.
- Mac users should see a speaker icon at the top right corner of the browser window to change settings.
- On some devices, a function key may have accidentally been activated to mute the system.
- Check the volume and mute settings on your device.
My microphone is not working.
- Look for a lock symbol in the browser web-address bar. Click the symbol to find options to allow use of the microphone and/or camera.
- Check for mute buttons on the computer and/or headset.
- Try exiting the room and testing the microphone and camera as you reenter.
- If a judge’s video is working and the judge can hear and see the competitors, it is permissible for the judge to use thumbs up and thumbs down or nodding to communicate and continue to judge.
My camera is not working.
- Look for a lock symbol in the browser web-address bar. Click the symbol to find options to allow use of the microphone and/or camera.
- Try exiting the room and testing the microphone and camera as you reenter.
- Occasionally a judge is visible in the attendee list as a judge but does not have a video display window. If participants in the room can verify that the judge is able to speak, see, and hear, the round may proceed.
Parts of the display window are cut off.
For Windows computers, press and hold the [CTRL] key while tapping the [-] key. (Pressing [CTRL] with [+] will reverse the change.)
For Mac computers, press and hold the [COMMAND] key while tapping the [-] key. (Pressing [COMMAND] with [+] will reverse the change.)
Parts of my ballot are not visible in the room.
The parts of the ballot shift position depending on the size of the display window. You may need to keep scrolling down. You can also try resizing the display as described above.
I can’t submit my ballot.
- Check that you have entered stars for every competitor and category.
- Ensure that all debate competitors have a different speaker point totals.
I don’t see my ballots after exiting the room.
- Try refreshing your browser screen.
- Log completely out of the NCFCA platform and back in. When you re-enter the tournament, you should see an Incomplete Ballot button at the top of the dashboard.
Parts of the display window are too small.
Use your pointer to drag the bars between segments on the screen.
My screen is not sharing for Digital Presentation.
- Go to system preferences.
- Look for security settings.
- Scroll down to the “Screen Recording” option.
- Be sure that there is a checkmark next to the browser being used.
What if my limited prep topic is not releasing in an online competition room?
- Verify that the draw time has arrived. (Competitors can draw any time after the assigned time but not before. Check the time-zone of your computer.)
- If the draw time has just arrived, wait at least 60 seconds and try again.
- Check that the clock on the device is set to the correct time and aligns with the times shown on postings. (Posting times are based on the time-zone setting of the device, but it is possible for the clock to be manually set to a different time.)
- If draw time is not the issue, the problem is generally with the competitor’s connection speed. Keep trying and take steps to improve the connection speed.
None of the troubleshooting steps are working.
Try using the Contact Tournament Administration button from the dashboard.
Turn on your phone and monitor it for a call or text from Tournament Administration. (Others may have reported the issue and we may be trying to contact you.)