iLinc Features

iLinc Product Features

Classroom Tools | Instructor Tools | Flexible Content Options
User & Content Management | Event Management

Classroom Tools

• Hand Raising - Allows students to request floor control or respond to instructor questions. Students who raise their hand immediately move to the top of the list to alert the instructor.
• Feedback - Instructors can poll learners about the class or content. Instructors choose between six default options including yes/no, pace, agreement, status, true/false and multiple choice, or create custom response sets to match their teaching style.
• Public and Private Text Chat - Allows instructors and students to compose and exchange ideas with everyone in the class. Students can also send private messages to the instructor that they may not want to ask in a public forum.
• Class Agenda - Allows instructors to automatically launch the class materials to all student computers.
• Class List - Displays the names of everyone in the class. Instructors can also see hand raises, feedback responses and status indicators for each student.
• Picture ID - If videoconferencing is not being used, student and instructor pictures can be added to display in the conferencing window. Displaying pictures personalizes the class interaction by "putting a face with a voice," while saving valuable bandwidth.
• Q&A - Instructors can create customized true/false or multiple-choice questions during a class for testing or polling. The results can be shared with other participants or reviewed privately.

Instructor Tools

• Floor Control - Provides instructor control and classroom coordination. In the LearnLinc classroom, the instructor maintains floor control but can give students access to control content and use the audio/videoconferencing by highlighting their name on the class. That student will then be seen or heard by the entire class.

• Shared Pointer - The Shared Pointer is a synchronized pointer tool that instructors can use to draw attention to an area of the screen while they are teaching. The Shared Pointer can be used with PowerBoard, Synchronized Web Browser and the LearnLinc palette to indicate areas of interest to the participants.

• Student Participation Meter - An activity-tracking tool allows instructors to assess the activity level of the classroom at a glance. Icons representing the overall class as well as individual students change as activity levels change. Instructors instantly know who is engaged, and who is distracted so they can react accordingly.

• Glimpse - Instructors can use LearnLinc Glimpse to "look over the shoulder" of a selected participant and grab a screen capture of their desktop. The facilitator can then see the status of the participant's work to correct a problem or view an assignment.

• Breakout Groups - To facilitate team discussions, role-playing, and brainstorming, instructors can set up breakout groups with specific students or by random configuration. Breakout groups can be set up "on-the-fly" to last for a specified time before the students return automatically to class.

• Instructor-Assisted Scoring - Instructors can assign scores to each student from inside the class. LearnLinc will also display the date and time that each student joined the class and how long he or she stayed. This information will then be available for review by the instructor in an easy to read report.

• Assistant Control - LearnLinc provides the ability to have an assistant instructor login to a class to help the instructor with class interaction. While the instructor is launching and leading the class content, one or more assistant instructors can be monitoring text chats, hand raises, and feedback. The assistant instructor may alert the instructor to student responses or reply using private text chat to individual students while the main class is continuing. This feature results in more interaction with students and increased effectiveness of instruction by eliminating distractions.

Flexible Content Options

• Synchronized Multimedia Courseware - LearnLinc allows instructors to use Multimedia Courseware created by most third-party authoring tools. These multimedia-authoring tools can be used to create highly interactive courseware containing audio and video clips, animations, simulations, learning exercises and tests. LearnLinc supports courses created by Macromedia AuthorwareTM, Macromedia DirectorTM, i-Canvas, ToolBook, Quest, PowerPoint, and HTML.
• Synchronized Web Browsing - Instructors can use the Synchronized Web Browser to lead students to websites. From within the sites each student can explore any links, bookmark areas of interest, or move on to other sites. Everyone may use the forward and backward navigation tools and favorites button found on standard web browsers. As the instructor navigates to new pages, all students are "resynchronized" to the new location.
• PowerBoard - The PowerBoard is a presentation viewer for uploaded PowerPoint content. PowerBoard contains navigation controls for moving through presentations, as well as a full set of markup tools for highlighting items while presenting. Using LearnLinc, PowerPoint files are uploaded and can be viewed by the entire class, regardless of browser types or connection speeds. The instructor is able to mark-up the PowerPoint in real time to interact with the students and emphasize points to the class. Markup is synchronized so that everyone in the class can see the items that are highlighted in the presentation.
• Application Sharing - LearnLinc Application Sharing allows instructors and students to share live images of software applications (or the entire desktop) with everyone in the class. Once an application is displayed the instructor can give keyboard and cursor control to a student. Applications are automatically synchronized to ensure every student is on track. The LearnLinc content area may be split into upper and lower sections allowing students to run their own version of the shared application to mimic the instructor lessons.
• Shared Whiteboard - The Whiteboard is a shared workspace in which information can be presented to students for collaboration. The whiteboard can be used to make notes, draw simple graphics, import images, and grab screen captures of other applications. With the LearnLinc Shared Whiteboard, instructors and students can easily add content to a class, brainstorm ideas and participate in group activities. Whiteboard contents can be saved or printed by everyone in the class at any time.
• Record and Playback - Live LearnLinc classes may be recorded for playback and reviewed at a later date. All activity, including audio, text chat, and actions on the classroom workspace are recorded. Recorded sessions can be edited, providing "post production" options. A missed session is no longer a problem for students who need to travel, meet with clients, or have other issues keeping them from a session. The instructor can record and edit a class to create a streamlined asynchronous session that can be accessed by students who are unable to attend the live class. The audio track can also be separately edited, allowing multi-language localization for classes.
• Self-Paced Learning - Students may access asynchronous learning material via a web browser. Facilitators can make homework and research assignments available to students and previously recorded classes can be accessed as self-paced courses.
• Videoconferencing - Two-way videoconferencing is a great way to simulate a real classroom experience. Instructors utilize video to expand performance, skill, and scenario based training. Teaching and learning are enhanced with nonverbal communication, and both instructors and students can perform actions or demonstrations in front of the video camera for the rest of the class to see. Video bandwidth is automatically configured when running the class to allow videoconferencing over LANs or the Internet at the same time. Students with higher bandwidth connections will be able to receive video and audio, while students with low bandwidth connections receive audio only - in the same class.
• Streaming Video - Streaming Video offers one-way video and audio (live or pre-recorded) from instructor to students over the Internet/intranet. Streaming video is useful for classes in which students have low bandwidth connections but video is important to the success of the class.

User and Content Management

LearnLinc administration is easily conducted through a web-based instruction management system that allows users to gain access to course and user information through any Internet connection. Login security prevents anyone from logging in to the LearnLinc administration area without an assigned user name, and password. Eight levels of authority are available to determine permissions in the LearnLinc environment. The most common are the Administrators, Students, and Instructors.

• Administrators - can perform all LearnLinc tasks including creating accounts, creating LearnLinc classes, adding class materials and registering students to classes. The administrator also sets authority levels for all other users.

• Students - can access and update their personal profile information, upload user pictures and view other instructor/student profiles. They can also register for and join courses, download class materials, access self-paced course content, and participate in the threaded discussions that accompany each course.

• Instructors - can perform all student tasks as well as edit or add course materials and agenda items, add or remove class assistants, register users for courses and post recorded sessions for download.

The LearnLinc administration site is fully customizable and offers course registration, online help, tutorials, and instant access to join LearnLinc classes.

Event Management

LearnLinc offers a comprehensive and flexible set of tools for event management. Class scheduling is done through an easy-to-use interface in the administration area. Classes can be scheduled as recurring events, whether they happen every week at the same time or every week at several different times. Once a class has been schedule, LearnLinc can automatically send an email invitation to all of the registered students. A reminder can also be sent the day before a class is scheduled. Students can access the course through their content management site or through a link in the email invitation. An extra level of security can be added by requiring students to use a password to join a LearnLinc class.

To save valuable bandwidth during class, event managers can also enable SmartPush, which automatically copies content to each student's PC before class starts.