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Feature Story

Learning more about LearnLinc (iLinc)

In this article we will take a closer look at three of LearnLinc’s more popular and powerful features that have become favorites with trainers: Breakout Groups, Application Share, and Glimpse. We’ve also pulled together a number of best practices and helpful hints for teaching with LearnLinc that’ll improve your overall classroom experience.

Take a Break in Breakout Groups:

A Breakout Group allows a group of students to be sent into a separate virtual room to work collaboratively for a set period of time. In Breakout Groups, students have the same features and functionality as the main classroom, including audio conferencing, sharing content, etc. Use Breakout Groups for interactive labs, collaborative brainstorming sessions, or team activities.

When the Breakout Group time limit expires, students automatically return back to the main class where they can share the work they completed as a group with the rest of the class. Instructors and assistants can move in and out of each Breakout Group to give direction or check on progress. By default, the time limit for Breakout Groups is 15 minutes. This can be set higher or lower based on your needs.

Share and Share Alike With Application Share:

Application Share allows the instructor to share any application running on his PC or on the PC of a student. Share proprietary software applications and documents with the class and allow students to interact with them. You initiate Application Share by clicking on the App Share button in the Agenda Area. Allow students to interact with the application by passing the floor to a student (double-click on their name to pass the floor).

If you choose to share a specific application, students will see blue boxes if additional applications are open on your desktop. To ensure this doesn’t happen, close all applications that may pop-up on screen (i.e., Instant Messenger, e-mail, etc.), and make sure you exit Application Share when finished. If you close the application only, students will see a gray box. To close the Application Share, maximize the Application Share dialog box and select Exit.

To share an application from a student’s PC, click on the App Share button in the Agenda Area. Next to “Presenting User” select the student that will be sharing their application. You will get a listing of applications currently running on their system. Select the application. The student will then be prompted to “Allow” the presentation. You can also pass the floor and let other students interact with this application.

Take a Peek Without Being Nosy With Glimpse:

Instructors tell us that one of their favorite LearnLinc tools is called Glimpse. It allows Instructors to unobtrusively take a snapshot of a student’s desktop for a virtual “look over the shoulder.” Instructors use Glimpse to confirm that student exercises were completed correctly, or to see if a student has opened Outlook or another application outside of the LearnLinc session.

Glimpse aids in maximizing the time students dedicate to a class and helps instructors determine where to enhance the courseware by observing student reactions and behaviors during the class.

Best Practices for Teaching and Presenting

We’ve also compiled a series of best practices for using LearnLinc — drawn from the experiences of our in-house professionals or our clients — that are proven to enhance the success rate of your LearnLinc sessions. You can adopt any of these suggestions with the confidence that they will have a positive impact on your classes.

New Instructors:

• Upload Your Photo : Add you photograph to make the session more personal. Give students the opportunity to tie an identity to a voice.
• Do a Dress Rehearsal : Before your first LearnLinc class, do a dress rehearsal to run through your content. This will give you confidence and help you feel more comfortable with the pacing of your class.
• Be Familiar with Class Content : Be very familiar with the content of the class. This will allow you to focus on the delivery and to comfortable take questions on-the-fly.
• Focus on the Most Important Tools : Do not attempt to use all of LearnLinc’s content tools in your first classes. Focus on the one or two that are most important to you and once you’ve developed a comfort level with LearnLinc, add others to your toolkit.
• Prepare Content Ahead of Time : Prepare and upload all content items beforehand and launch them from the Agenda area. This will make the flow of the class easier.
• Have an Assistant : Have a teaching assistant available to deal with any issues your students might have and to help facilitate the session. This lets you focus on your delivery.
• Think Out Loud : Remember that the students cannot see you unless you are in a video class. Don’t let awkward pauses develop. Maintain a constant patter (think about how a sports commentator sounds on the radio) -- think aloud.
• Learn from Experience : Have an experienced instructor sit in on your class or view a recording of your class and critique you afterwards. Also, ask for feedback from your students. Remember, this is a new delivery method, and all of you are learning this together!

At the Beginning of the Class:

• Set the Stage : Use the AutoStart feature to explain the most important student interaction features such as Handraising, Feedback and Text Chat. This Whiteboard or slide should also contain a phone number for technical support.
• Log in Early : Log in 15 minutes early. As students join, greet them, pass them the floor and do a communications check.
• Have a Plan : Have a plan for dealing with problems and stick to it. Give students a phone number to call if they are having technical difficulties.
• Record It : Record your class, so people who were unable to participate can view it later.
• Audio Help : If you are using Voice Over IP, make sure your students know how to find the Audio troubleshooting page on the Help Menu or put this content into the AutoStart Whiteboard.

 During Class:

• Customize your Feedback : Edit your Feedback.QNA file and change either the True/False or ABCD answer set to a troubleshooting answer set - (Everything OK, audio breakup, Content not synched).
• Engage your Students : Make sure some type of student feedback is required every couple of minutes (Feedback, Text Chat, Handraising and Q&A). The best time for feedback is at the beginning or end of a new topic or chapter.
• Pass the floor : Nothing is more tedious than having to listen to the same speaker for an hour. Passing the floor around encourages student participation and keeps everybody sharp.
• Schedule Breaks : If the class is longer than an hour, schedule a 5-minute break mid-way through.
• Keep your Content Area Clean : Close content items when you are done with them.
   

If you’ve created a way of working with iLinc that you’d like to share with your peers as a best practice, drop us a note at support@parsecinfo.nl and describe your method and how it’s helped you improve your LearnLinc experience. We’ll publish your ideas in a future newsletter.

©2009 Parsec Infotech - The Netherlands