Get Ready for Echo360’s Active Learning Platform

As of the Fall semester, WPI will be using a new version of the Echo360 lecture capture system. This new version is called “ALP,” which is short for Active Learning Platform.

As it’s name implies, it’s a platform, so the system is capable of more than just recording and distributing those videos via your course site.

But before we delve into the new features of ALP, let’s talk about what remains the same. Recording your lectures, whether in the classroom or via PCAP, will be much the same. If you’re a PCAP user, you will have to download a new version of PCAP from the system. (Contact sburke@wpi.edu with any questions about that.) And distributing the lectures will be very similar, in that students can still access them from your course site.

One major difference is that students can interact with your lectures in real time by joining what is called a “classroom” in ALP while your lecture is happening. Classrooms gives students access to your slides as well as a camera image of your live lecture. Below, you’ll see an image of what a classroom looks like.

ALP1-real

Donna Jones, Senior Pedagogical Solutions Engineer at Echo360, recently explained the concept of the ALP classroom at Echo360’s Active Learning Conference. “The concept here would be that if I was teaching an actual class right now, you, my students, would come into the class, you’d take out your device and come into the classroom, and you’re going to have a personal copy of my materials that you’re going to be able to interact with.”

In the upper left of the classroom, there’s a ribbon of engagement tools. This is where students can take notes, make comments, bookmark key parts, or raise flags of confusion.

Students can toggle camera view and slide view. Here’s what the same classroom looks like when I click on the slide in the lower right.

ALP2-2

But whether you plan on using the “classroom” feature of ALP or are interested in capturing your lectures for asynchronous viewing, the process for requesting Echo360 services will remain the same as it has been at WPI. When you’re ready to request lecture capturing, please fill out the form at the link below.

http://www.wpi.edu/+echorequest

Once we receive your request, we will set up your course, section and account in ALP. We’ll also send you a confirmation email to let you know next steps.

As we roll out Echo’s Active Learning Platform (ALP) we will update you on new features, tips and processes. Stay tuned!

Feel free to email me at sburke@wpi.edu with any questions, or you can also check out the page below, from Echo360.

http://echo360.com/how-it-works