Advanced

L E A R N L I N C ADVANCED GUIDE v e r s i o n 4 . 5

LearnLinc Corporation 385 Jordan Road, Troy, NY 12180-7601 USA phone: +1 (518) 286-7000 fax: +1 (518) 286-2439 email: [email protected] web address: www.learnlinc.com

Copyright © 1994-2000 LearnLinc Corporation. LearnLinc is a trademark of LearnLinc Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

Notice Disclaimer of Warranty LearnLinc Corporation makes no representations or warranties, either express or implied, by or with respect to anything in this manual, and shall not be liable for any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or for any indirect, special, or consequential damages. Copyright Notice While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, LearnLinc Corporation assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. This publication and features described herein are subject to change without notice. Copyright © 2000 LearnLinc Corporation. All rights reserved. The program and information contained herein are licensed only pursuant to a license agreement that contains use, reverse engineering, disclosure and other restrictions. Permission to print Customer is hereby authorized to print and copy the documentation contained on the enclosed media for use solely within its enterprise, provided it reproduces the preceding copyright notice on the front of each copy or partial copy. Customer is not authorized to print and copy and disseminate the documentation outside its enterprise. Customer's failure to comply with these terms terminates this authorization and, in such case, customer shall promptly destroy the machine-readable documentation, any copies thereof, and any media containing such documentation. Trademarks LearnLinc and the LearnLinc logos are registered trademarks of LearnLinc Corporation. All other products are trademarks of their respective companies. LearnLinc Corporation LearnLinc has recently become part of a new total-solution e-learning company 385 Jordan Road called Mentergy, Inc. LearnLinc joins Allen Communication and Gilat Troy, NY 12180 Communications, Ltd. in this new organization, which remains committed to phone: +1 518.286.7000 customer-focused, e-learning success. Mentergy will continue to offer LearnLinc virtual classroom software, in addition to a full range of e-learning fax: +1 518.286.2439 products and services for courseware development, consulting, self-paced and [email protected] live delivery systems, and hosted e-learning services. http://www.learnlinc.com

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LearnLinc Advanced Guide

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Contents 1.

About this Guide Who Should Read this Guide ................................................................................................................................................. 1 How this Guide is Organized................................................................................................................................................. 1 How the Chapters Are Organized ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Additional Materials ................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Conventions in this Guide ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 How to Get Help and Submit Suggestions............................................................................................................................ 4 Registration and Update Information..................................................................................................................................... 4

2.

Getting Started What is LearnLinc?................................................................................................................................................................... 7 About the Software ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Client/Server Architecture .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Server Components ............................................................................................................................................................ 8 Interface Components ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 System Requirements ............................................................................................................................................................ 16 LearnLinc Server ............................................................................................................................................................... 16 Bandwidth......................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Client–LearnLinc Classroom Software ............................................................................................................................. 19 Third Party Software......................................................................................................................................................... 25 Overview: Creating a LearnLinc Environment..................................................................................................................... 26 Assemble your Team........................................................................................................................................................ 26 Plan your Environment .................................................................................................................................................... 28 • • • • • v

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Install the Server Software and your License Keys......................................................................................................... 29 Install the Classroom Software ........................................................................................................................................ 30 Test the Environment ....................................................................................................................................................... 30 Add Users.......................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Create Content .................................................................................................................................................................. 30 Schedule Courses and Classes ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Add Content to your Courses and Classes...................................................................................................................... 30 Rehearse the Class............................................................................................................................................................ 31 Make the LearnLinc Virtual Campus Available to Students............................................................................................ 31 Overview: Using LearnLinc .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Log-in to the Virtual Campus........................................................................................................................................... 32 Access Online Help for the Virtual Campus ................................................................................................................... 32 Register for a Course ........................................................................................................................................................ 32 Join a Class ....................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Access Online Help for the Classroom ........................................................................................................................... 33 Communicate with others in the Classroom................................................................................................................... 33 Leave the Class ................................................................................................................................................................. 33 Log-out of the Virtual Campus ........................................................................................................................................ 33

Administrative Tasks 3.

Getting Ready for LearnLinc What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................... 38 Key Concepts ........................................................................................................................................................................ 38

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A Checklist for Deploying LearnLinc............................................................................................................................... 38 Concurrent User License Model....................................................................................................................................... 39 Client/Server Architecture ................................................................................................................................................ 40 LearnLinc Bandwidth Use ................................................................................................................................................ 40 Firewall Considerations .................................................................................................................................................... 41 Ensure That all Necessary Hardware and Software Is in Place for LearnLinc .............................................................. 42 Next Steps.............................................................................................................................................................................. 42

4.

Installing LearnLinc What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................... 43 Key Concepts ........................................................................................................................................................................ 44 LearnLinc Installation Checklist ....................................................................................................................................... 44 Other Software that Must Be Installed on the LearnLinc Server Computer .................................................................. 45 Components That Make Up the LearnLinc Server.......................................................................................................... 45 Utilities for Administering the LearnLinc Server ............................................................................................................. 45 Importing and Exporting Name Service Information ..................................................................................................... 47 Server Activity Logs .......................................................................................................................................................... 47 Multiple Servers ................................................................................................................................................................ 49 Components Installed With the LearnLinc Classroom Software .................................................................................... 49 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................... 50 Getting the Server Computer Ready for the LearnLinc Server Software ....................................................................... 50 Installing the Server Software .......................................................................................................................................... 51 Enabling Your Server Licenses ........................................................................................................................................ 52 Password Protecting the Server Information Page ......................................................................................................... 54 Logging Server Activity .................................................................................................................................................... 56 Changing the Location of Your Virtual Campus............................................................................................................. 57 • • • • • vii

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Updating the Domain Name of Your LearnLinc Server ................................................................................................. 60 Installing the Administration Tool ................................................................................................................................... 62 Exporting Information from the LearnLinc Name Service Database ............................................................................. 63 Importing Information from a LearnLinc Name Service Capsule File ........................................................................... 66 Installing the Classroom Software on a User’s Computer .............................................................................................. 68 Allowing Your Users Download and Install the Classroom Software ........................................................................... 69 Configuring the Classroom Software to Work with Web Proxies and Firewalls .......................................................... 70 Next Steps.............................................................................................................................................................................. 71

5.

Testing the LearnLinc Environment What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................... 73 Key Concepts ........................................................................................................................................................................ 74 Required Elements for Testing......................................................................................................................................... 74 Multiple Sites .................................................................................................................................................................... 74 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................... 74 Check Your Licences........................................................................................................................................................ 75 Log-in as an Administrator............................................................................................................................................... 76 Change the System Administrator Account Password.................................................................................................... 78 Log-in Again as Sample Instructor................................................................................................................................... 83 Instructor: Join a Class in the Sample Course................................................................................................................. 84 Student: Join the Same Class on Another LearnLinc Computer..................................................................................... 86 Instructor: Talk to the Class ............................................................................................................................................. 88 Student: Raise Hand ......................................................................................................................................................... 89 Instructor: Pass the Floor ................................................................................................................................................. 89 Student: Talk to the Class ................................................................................................................................................ 90

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Instructor: Take the Floor ................................................................................................................................................ 91 Instructor: Launch the Synchronized Web Browser and Navigate to a URL ................................................................ 91 Instructor: Use AppShare ................................................................................................................................................. 93 Multiple Site Testing......................................................................................................................................................... 95 Next Steps.............................................................................................................................................................................. 96

6.

Customizing LearnLinc What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................... 98 Key Concepts ........................................................................................................................................................................ 98 Why Customize? ............................................................................................................................................................... 98 Streaming Video ............................................................................................................................................................... 98 Areas of LearnLinc That Can Be Localized ..................................................................................................................... 99 Features That Can Be Customized in the Virtual Campus ............................................................................................. 99 A Suggested Process for Developing and Implementing Virtual Campus Customizations ........................................ 100 Features That Can Be Customized in the Virtual Classroom ....................................................................................... 100 Distributing Customizations to the Virtual Classroom.................................................................................................. 100 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 101 Adding Streaming Video to Your LearnLinc Server...................................................................................................... 101 Removing Access to Virtual Campus Functions ........................................................................................................... 102 Modifying the Virtual Campus Download Page ........................................................................................................... 104 Localizing the Virtual Campus ....................................................................................................................................... 109 Making Changes to the Text in the Virtual Campus .................................................................................................... 110 Changing Virtual Campus Graphics .............................................................................................................................. 112 Enabling Instructors and Students to Show their Pictures in the LearnLinc Palette ................................................... 118 Changing the Default Instructor and Student Pictures in the LearnLinc Palette ......................................................... 119

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Changing the Virtual Classroom Desktop Background Bitmap................................................................................... 120 Changing the Default Page that Displays when the Synchronized Web Browser Launches..................................... 120 Changing the Default Feedback Answers for all Your LearnLinc Users ..................................................................... 121 Creating a Custom Installation for the LearnLinc Classroom Software........................................................................ 123 To Learn More..................................................................................................................................................................... 124 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 124

7.

Managing Users What You Need to Know Before Reading this Chapter ................................................................................................... 125 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 126 What Is a LearnLinc User? .............................................................................................................................................. 126 What Is an Authority Level? ........................................................................................................................................... 126 What Is a Log-in Group? ................................................................................................................................................ 127 Administration Options .................................................................................................................................................. 128 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 129 Creating a Log-in Group ................................................................................................................................................ 129 Creating a User ............................................................................................................................................................... 133 Deleting a Log-in Group or User................................................................................................................................... 136 Adding, Editing, and Deleting Authority Levels ........................................................................................................... 138 Adding a Large Number of Users .................................................................................................................................. 144 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 147

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Creating LearnLinc Courses, Classes, and Content 8.

Converting your Content for LearnLinc What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 151 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 152 How is LearnLinc Content Different from other Types of Instructional Content? ...................................................... 152 Your Content Conversion Options ................................................................................................................................ 152 Which Conversion Option is Right for You?................................................................................................................. 154 Where to Store your Content?........................................................................................................................................ 157 Making Content Available to Students .......................................................................................................................... 157 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 158 Uploading a PowerPoint File......................................................................................................................................... 159 Deleting a PowerPoint Presentation That has Been Uploaded to the Server ............................................................. 165 Modifying the PowerPoint Upload Default Settings..................................................................................................... 169 Uploading Web Files to the LearnLinc Server .............................................................................................................. 171 Converting a PowerPoint file to a ToolBook Book...................................................................................................... 172 Adding a LearnLinc Navigator to your ToolBook Book .............................................................................................. 175 Distributing Toolbook/Authorware Books or Director Movies ................................................................................... 177 To Learn More..................................................................................................................................................................... 183 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 183

9.

Creating Courses What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 185 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 186 What Is the Virtual Campus?.......................................................................................................................................... 186

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Where Is the Virtual Campus?........................................................................................................................................ 189 What Is a Course? ........................................................................................................................................................... 189 What Happens When a Student Registers for a Course?.............................................................................................. 190 Folders ............................................................................................................................................................................ 191 Course Contents ............................................................................................................................................................. 191 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 192 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 193 Creating a Folder in the Course Catalog ....................................................................................................................... 193 Adding a Course to the Course Catalog........................................................................................................................ 196 Registering Instructors for a Course .............................................................................................................................. 199 Registering Students for a Course.................................................................................................................................. 204 Adding Resources to a Course....................................................................................................................................... 209 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 212

10. Scheduling Classes What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 213 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 214 What Is the Virtual Classroom? ...................................................................................................................................... 214 Floor Control .................................................................................................................................................................. 215 Audio and Video Conferencing ..................................................................................................................................... 215 Bandwidth....................................................................................................................................................................... 217 Streaming Video ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 Assistant Instructors........................................................................................................................................................ 220 Classroom Security ......................................................................................................................................................... 220 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 220 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 221 xii • • • • •

Adding a Class to a Course Contents List ..................................................................................................................... 221 Selecting Assistant Instructors for the Class .................................................................................................................. 227 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 231

11. Working with Resources What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 233 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 234 What Is a Resource? ....................................................................................................................................................... 234 Can I Hide Selected Resources from Students?............................................................................................................. 236 Who Can Add a Resource to a Course or Class? .......................................................................................................... 237 What if the Same Resource Is Used in Multiple Courses or Classes? .......................................................................... 237 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 237 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 238 Adding a Resource to a Course Contents List............................................................................................................... 238 Adding a Resource to a Class Agenda or Autostart List ............................................................................................... 243 Making a Resource Private............................................................................................................................................. 254 Editing a Resource.......................................................................................................................................................... 256 Sorting Items in a Course Contents or Class Agenda List ............................................................................................ 260 Removing a Resource from a Course Contents, Class Agenda, or Autostart List........................................................ 262 Adding an Application to the Application Selection List ............................................................................................. 264 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 267

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Teaching LearnLinc Classes 12. Visiting the Virtual Campus What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 272 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 272 Authority Levels and the Virtual Campus ..................................................................................................................... 272 The student view............................................................................................................................................................ 273 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 274 Finding Your Virtual Campus ........................................................................................................................................ 274 Logging-in to Your Virtual Campus............................................................................................................................... 275 Locating Information About Another User.................................................................................................................... 278 Editing Your User Profile and Password....................................................................................................................... 281 Registering for and Dropping Courses.......................................................................................................................... 285 To Learn More..................................................................................................................................................................... 287 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 287

13. Working With Courses What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 289 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 290 Who Can Manage Courses?............................................................................................................................................ 290 Classes............................................................................................................................................................................. 290 People ............................................................................................................................................................................. 291 Threaded Discussion ...................................................................................................................................................... 292 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 293 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 294

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Accessing Course Information ....................................................................................................................................... 294 Opening Course Resources............................................................................................................................................ 297 Finding Out Who Is Taking a Course ........................................................................................................................... 299 Communicating with the Class ...................................................................................................................................... 301 To Learn More..................................................................................................................................................................... 304 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 304

14. Preparing Your Computer for Your First Class What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 305 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 306 About the Classroom Software ...................................................................................................................................... 306 Choosing Between the “Typical”, “Advanced”, and “Custom” Installations ............................................................... 306 The Downloading Process ............................................................................................................................................. 307 Displaying your Information in the LearnLinc Palette.................................................................................................. 307 Web Proxies.................................................................................................................................................................... 308 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 309 Downloading and Installing the Classroom Software .................................................................................................. 309 Reconfiguring your Classroom Software after Installation ........................................................................................... 314 Making your Picture Display in the LearnLinc Palette ................................................................................................. 315 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 315

15. Teaching a Class What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter ............................................................................................. 318 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 318 LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet................................................................................... 318 The LearnLinc Palette ..................................................................................................................................................... 321 • • • • • xv

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The Difference Between Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex Audio ................................................................................... 324 Hand Raising................................................................................................................................................................... 325 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 325 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 328 Joining a Class ................................................................................................................................................................ 329 Making Sure the Class Can Hear You ........................................................................................................................... 333 Talking to the Class ........................................................................................................................................................ 334 Seeing Who Is in Your Class ......................................................................................................................................... 335 Responding to Hand Raises ........................................................................................................................................... 336 Passing the Floor to a Student ....................................................................................................................................... 337 Working Privately While You Have the Floor .............................................................................................................. 337 Dismissing a Student from Class.................................................................................................................................... 338 Leaving a Class ............................................................................................................................................................... 338 To Learn More..................................................................................................................................................................... 339 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 339

16. Recording Classes Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 342 How Do I Get the Classroom Recorder and Player? .................................................................................................... 342 What Is the Classroom Recorder? .................................................................................................................................. 342 What is a Dedicated Recording Computer? .................................................................................................................. 343 Who Can Record Classes? .............................................................................................................................................. 343 What Is the Difference Between Saving and Uploading a Recorded Class? ............................................................... 343 What Is the Classroom Player?....................................................................................................................................... 344 How Big Are the Recorded Classroom Files?................................................................................................................ 344 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 345 xvi • • • • •

Recording a Class ........................................................................................................................................................... 345 Pausing or Stopping the Recorder................................................................................................................................. 347 Uploading a Recorded Class.......................................................................................................................................... 348 Saving a Recorded Class to Upload Later ..................................................................................................................... 351 Uploading a Saved File .................................................................................................................................................. 353 Playing a Recorded Class ............................................................................................................................................... 354 Downloading a Recorded File ....................................................................................................................................... 356 Playing a Downloaded File............................................................................................................................................ 361 Setting the Recorder Options......................................................................................................................................... 363

17. Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 365 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 366 What Is Text Chat?.......................................................................................................................................................... 366 Private Messages............................................................................................................................................................. 367 Restricted Text Chat ....................................................................................................................................................... 367 Network Status Monitor Messages................................................................................................................................. 367 Assistant Instructors and Text Chat ............................................................................................................................... 368 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 368 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 369 Sending a Message to the Class..................................................................................................................................... 369 Changing the Font Size in the Text Chat Window ....................................................................................................... 370 Undocking the Text Chat Window................................................................................................................................ 370 Sending Private Messages .............................................................................................................................................. 371 Restricting Text Chat to yourself, your Assistants and the Current Floor Holder ....................................................... 371

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Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 372

18. Using Multimedia Content During Class What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 373 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 374 What Is Multimedia Content? ......................................................................................................................................... 374 Types of Multimedia Content that Can Be Synchronized ............................................................................................ 374 Synchronization .............................................................................................................................................................. 374 ToolBook, Authorware, and Director............................................................................................................................ 375 Audio and Video Clips ................................................................................................................................................... 375 What if My Multimedia Content Contains Audio or Video Clips and My Class Uses Conferencing? ........................ 376 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 376 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 377 Suspending Conferencing to Run an Audio or Video Clip .......................................................................................... 377 Launching a Synchronized Multimedia Book, Director Movie, Audio Clip, or Video Clip for the Class .................. 378 Working With ToolBook Synchronized Multimedia Books ......................................................................................... 380 Closing Synchronized Multimedia Books for the Class................................................................................................ 381 Closing Audio and Video Clips ..................................................................................................................................... 381 To Learn More..................................................................................................................................................................... 382 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 382

19. Synchronizing Web Content What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter ............................................................................................. 383 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 384 What Is the Synchronized Web Browser? ..................................................................................................................... 384 When Should I Use the Synchronized Web Browser? ................................................................................................. 385 xviii • • • • •

What Does it Synchronize? ............................................................................................................................................ 385 The Difference between HTML and Other Web Presentation Technologies.............................................................. 385 The Difference Between the Internet and an Intranet ................................................................................................. 386 Differing Connection Speeds Among Students Affects Synchronization..................................................................... 387 Supported Browsers ....................................................................................................................................................... 388 Synchronizing Navigation in Frames............................................................................................................................. 388 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 388 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 389 Launching the Synchronized Web Browser.................................................................................................................. 389 Closing the Synchronized Web Browser for Yourself or the Class ............................................................................. 390 To Learn More..................................................................................................................................................................... 391 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 391

20. Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 393 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 394 What Is the Whiteboard?................................................................................................................................................ 394 Who Can Use the Whiteboard?...................................................................................................................................... 395 Storing Files on your Computer for Use in a LearnLinc Class ..................................................................................... 395 Whiteboard Synchronization.......................................................................................................................................... 396 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 396 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 397 Using the Whiteboard on your Own............................................................................................................................. 398 Saving Whiteboard Files................................................................................................................................................. 399 Printing Whiteboard Files .............................................................................................................................................. 400 Launching the Whiteboard for the Class....................................................................................................................... 401 • • • • • xix

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Launching a Whiteboard File from the Agenda............................................................................................................ 401 Launching a Whiteboard File from the Library............................................................................................................. 402 Opening your Whiteboard Files for the Class .............................................................................................................. 403 Updating the Whiteboard for Others ............................................................................................................................ 404 Using the Shared Pointer ............................................................................................................................................... 404 Adding Text .................................................................................................................................................................... 404 Drawing Lines, Ellipses, Rectangles, and Freehand Shapes......................................................................................... 406 Changing the Line Weight, Line Color, and Fill Color ................................................................................................. 407 Importing a Picture......................................................................................................................................................... 407 Grabbing a Screen Shot and Placing it on the Whiteboard ......................................................................................... 409 Closing the Whiteboard for the Class............................................................................................................................ 409 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 411

21. Sharing Applications With the Class What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 414 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 414 What Is Application Sharing? ......................................................................................................................................... 414 What Applications Can I Share?..................................................................................................................................... 415 AppShare......................................................................................................................................................................... 415 AppView ......................................................................................................................................................................... 415 Deciding Between AppShare and AppView................................................................................................................. 416 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 416 Detailed Directions for AppShare.................................................................................................................................. 417 Sharing Your Applications With the Class .................................................................................................................... 417 Selecting Other Applications to Share With the Class.................................................................................................. 420

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Allowing a Student to Share his or her Applications ................................................................................................... 422 Updating Student’s AppShare Windows ....................................................................................................................... 424 Closing AppShare ........................................................................................................................................................... 425 Using AppShare in an Open Discussion Class ............................................................................................................. 425 Taking Control of AppShare in an Open Discussion Class ......................................................................................... 428 Detailed Directions for AppView ....................................................................................................................................... 430 Launching AppView ....................................................................................................................................................... 430 Showing a Different Application to the Class ............................................................................................................... 432 Closing AppView............................................................................................................................................................ 433 Setting AppView to Split-Screen View .......................................................................................................................... 434 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 438

22. Getting Instant Feedback from the Class What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter ............................................................................................. 439 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 440 What Is Feedback?.......................................................................................................................................................... 440 What Are My Answer Options?...................................................................................................................................... 441 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 441 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 442 Asking Your Students to Use Feedback to Respond to a Question ............................................................................ 442 Changing the Answer Set............................................................................................................................................... 442 Sharing the Feedback Summary Results with the Class ............................................................................................... 443 Clearing Feedback Answers........................................................................................................................................... 443 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 444

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23. Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 446 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 446 What Is Q&A? ................................................................................................................................................................. 446 When Should I Use Q&A?.............................................................................................................................................. 448 Who Can Ask Questions With Q&A? ............................................................................................................................ 448 Storing Files on your Local Computer to Use in a LearnLinc Class............................................................................. 448 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 449 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 450 Making a Question List Before Class............................................................................................................................. 450 Removing a Question from the List............................................................................................................................... 452 Saving Question Sets ...................................................................................................................................................... 452 Merging Question Sets ................................................................................................................................................... 453 Launching Q&A for the Class ........................................................................................................................................ 455 Adding Questions on-the-fly During Class ................................................................................................................... 456 Asking a Question .......................................................................................................................................................... 457 Viewing the Answers ..................................................................................................................................................... 458 Viewing the Answer Statistics in Summary Form ......................................................................................................... 458 Viewing the Answer Details........................................................................................................................................... 458 Sharing the Answer Statistics with the Class................................................................................................................. 459 Closing Q&A for the Class ............................................................................................................................................. 459 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 460

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24. Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 461 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 462 What Is Glimpse?............................................................................................................................................................ 462 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 463 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 464 Launching Glimpse......................................................................................................................................................... 464 Viewing a Student’s Desktop ......................................................................................................................................... 465 Refreshing the student list.............................................................................................................................................. 465 Closing Glimpse ............................................................................................................................................................. 465 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 466

25. Creating Breakout Groups What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 467 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 468 What Is a Breakout Group?............................................................................................................................................ 468 How Does Open Discussion Work? .............................................................................................................................. 468 What Do Students See in a Breakout Group?............................................................................................................... 468 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 470 Creating Breakout Groups ............................................................................................................................................. 470 Sending Latecomers to Groups...................................................................................................................................... 474 Joining Breakout Groups ............................................................................................................................................... 475 Helping your Students Work Effectively in Breakout Groups ..................................................................................... 476

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Assisting the Instructor During Class 26. Assisting the Instructor During Class What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter ............................................................................................. 481 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 482 The Role of Assistant Instructor..................................................................................................................................... 482 The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 482 Detailed Directions ............................................................................................................................................................. 483 Responding to Private Text Chat Messages .................................................................................................................. 483 Monitoring Hand Raises and Feedback Responses ...................................................................................................... 484 Launching Applications and Resources for the Class ................................................................................................... 485 Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 485

Glossary, Appendices, and Index Glossary .............................................................................................................................................................................. 489 Appendix A: Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................................... 509 Appendix B: Name Service Capsule Definitions .............................................................................................................. 551 Appendix C: Configuring LearnLinc to Work With SQL Server ...................................................................................... 571 Index................................................................................................................................................................................... 575

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1 About this Guide This guide provides advanced information about the LearnLinc environment and tools. Specifically, it addresses concepts and tasks associated with the setup, installation, use, and maintenance of the LearnLinc environment.

Who Should Read this Guide The LearnLinc Advanced Guide is intended for LearnLinc administrators, authors, and instructors. The LearnLinc documentation set assumes you have a working knowledge of the Microsoft Windows operating system and it’s conventions, and basic web browsing skills. For administrators, the documentation assumes a basic understanding of networking and related issues. Wherever possible, the documentation refers you to additional resources on topics outside the scope of this guide. Please refer students to the LearnLinc Student Guide, which contains student information about using the Virtual Campus and participating in LearnLinc classes.

How this Guide is Organized The LearnLinc Advanced Guide is organized into several sections. This chapter, and the following chapter, Getting Started, provide important information regarding this guide and the LearnLinc environment. Please review both chapters before reading the remaining sections and using LearnLinc. Chapters 3-7, Administrative Tasks, provide information regarding LearnLinc setup and installation, testing, customization, and managing user accounts.

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1 LearnLinc Advanced User’s Guide

Chapters 8-11, Creating LearnLinc Curses, Classes, and Content, provide information about creating and distributing synchronized multimedia content, creating courses and resources, making them available to users, and scheduling LearnLinc classes. For a complete guide to creating synchronized content, please see the LearnLinc Authoring Guide, which is included on the LearnLinc Authoring Kit CD. Chapters 12-25, Teaching LearnLinc Classes, provide information about visiting the Virtual Campus, working with courses, preparing to join your first class, teaching a class, and using the LearnLinc classroom tools. Chapter 26, Assisting the Instructor During Class, provides information about taking on the role of assistant instructor in a LearnLinc class. The remainder of the guide provides a glossary, appendices covering troubleshooting information, name service capsule definitions, and a complete index.

How the Chapters Are Organized The chapters in the main body of this guide are organized to provide information in a consistent and logical order. • The chapter introduction includes a one to two sentence statement of the chapter’s subject, a list of tasks to be learned in the chapter, a series of questions that will be answered by the content of the chapter, and a “pre-requisite” list of information you should know before reading the chapter. • “Key Concepts” includes a series of related concepts that are necessary to your understanding of the chapter topic. Notes and definitions are in the margins next to the concept to which they relate. • “Detailed Directions” includes step-by-step instructions, with screen shots, of each task that is related to the chapter’s topic. In addition, most tasks have a “Quick Steps” section in the margin of the page for experienced users who need a quick overview of the procedure. • Finally, “Next Steps” provides guidance for where to go next in the manual, and with LearnLinc by referring you to other useful chapters in the guide.

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Additional Materials In • • • • • • •

addition to the LearnLinc Advanced Guide, your LearnLinc package contains the: LearnLinc Student Guide Installation Guide Quick Start Guides Upgrade document License Agreement License Key Fax-Back Form LearnLinc Authoring Guide (included on the LearnLinc Authoring Kit CD)

Conventions in this Guide The following textual and graphic conventions are used throughout this guide.

Textual Conventions • Web page titles, web link text, window titles, error messages, and dialog names appear in “quotes”. • Button names appear in plain text with an Initial capital letter. • Keyboard keys appear in . • Book, section, and chapter titles appear in italics. • Variable input, text that you will replace with your own information, appear in italics. • Actual input, text that you should enter exactly as shown, appears in Courier New. Graphic Conventions • All chapters use a two column layout. The outside column, the column closest to the page edge, contains notes, definitions, and Quick Steps. The inside column, the column closer to the binding, contains body text, warnings, and screen shots.

• Notes are indicated by a check mark þ and appear in the outside margin of the page, next to the topic to which they relate. An example appears next to this text. • Definitions are indicated by an arrow Ä and appear in the outside margin of the page, next to the topic to which they relate. An example appears next to this text.

þ This is a note. Notes contain

useful, but non-essential information about the topic next to which they appear.

Ä This is a definition. Definitions describe LearnLinc or LearnLinc related terms that are used in the topic next which they appear.

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1 LearnLinc Advanced User’s Guide • Warnings are indicated by a circled arrow Ü and rules above and below the warning text. Warnings appear directly below the text to which they relate. An example follows. This is a warning. Warnings contain essential information that you should consider before completing the tasks with which they are associated. • Unless otherwise noted, information in the following screen shots is for example only. In some cases, partial screen shots may be used, which represent part of a larger interface element, rather than the entire interface. Partial screen shots are represented by jagged, “tear off” edges.

How to Get Help and Submit Suggestions In addition to the Advanced and Student guides, you can find concept and task information online in the Virtual Campus online help system, Virtual Campus Quick Tutorial, LearnLinc palette online help system, and help systems for the classroom tools. If this guide and the other resources provided in your LearnLinc package do not provide the information you need please contact your LearnLinc administrator for further assistance. He or she may be able to resolve your issue. If you are the LearnLinc administrator and you cannot resolve the issue, you can consult the LearnLinc support web site or contact LearnLinc Customer Service. Access to the support web site and to Customer Service are provided on a contract basis–your organization must have a current support agreement and an assigned contact who is authorized to access the support web site and work with LearnLinc Customer Service. If you would like to submit a suggestion for future releases of LearnLinc or report a bug in the software, please complete the “Wish List” or “Bug Report” forms on the Customer Service Support Site at http://support.learnlinc.com.

Registration and Update Information Your LearnLinc package has a unique serial number that can be found on the LearnLinc Server CD jewel case, and on the inside cover of this guide. You will need this serial number to obtain your LearnLinc server licenses–please record the number in a secure location.

4 • • • • •

1

The LearnLinc documentation set and help systems are updated with each release of the LearnLinc product. If you have a current support agreement, you will receive the updated product documentation with your upgrade package. For most upgrades, new hard cover manuals are distributed, however LearnLinc Corporation reserves the right to distribute online documentation update packages as well.

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6 • • • • •

Getting Started 2

2 Getting Started This chapter explains the LearnLinc environment and provides an overview of the LearnLinc system requirements, software architecture, and the tasks for creating and using the LearnLinc environment.

What is LearnLinc? LearnLinc is an online learning environment that your organization can use to train students who are in your offices and at a distance, including those at other offices or locations, those who telecommute from home or while traveling, and those who contract with your organization to receive training. LearnLinc is a complete learning environment that supports both self-paced and live, interactive learning. In addition, the LearnLinc environment supports content creation or conversion, and system management. LearnLinc has several components, including the Virtual Campus web site, the Virtual Classroom software, and several administrative tools. Detailed descriptions of all these components, and the tasks associated with them, follow.

About the Software The LearnLinc software can be divided into two main pieces: the server and the client, each of which is made up of several individual elements.

Ä A client/server architecture is

Client/Server Architecture LearnLinc relies on a client/server architecture to enable students and an instructor to meet and collaborate in the Virtual Classroom. When users join a class, they are connecting to the LearnLinc server. Based on information from the Virtual Campus, the server determines which

one in which computers connect to each other through a central server computer, rather than connecting directly to one another.

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2 LearnLinc Advanced User’s Guide

class the user wants to join and connects the user’s client software to a communication channel for that class. All the class information is sent to the students and instructor on that channel. You can think of a communication channel in terms of a TV channel. Just as everyone who tunes their TV to a certain channel sees the same TV program at the same time, everyone who joins the same class receives the same data at the same time. In the same way that your TV has multiple channels LearnLinc has multiple channels, so that multiple classes can take place at one time without interfering with one another. To join a LearnLinc class, each user must have the LearnLinc classroom software (the client) installed on his or her computer, and must be able to connect to the LearnLinc server. The components of both the server and the client are described in detail in the following sections.

Server Components The LearnLinc server provides several functions for LearnLinc users, including storing LearnLinc information, making LearnLinc information available to users, and connecting LearnLinc users in virtual classrooms. To accomplish these functions, the LearnLinc server relies on the: • Name Service • Classroom Service • File Service Name Service The Name Service is a database that stores all LearnLinc information, including LearnLinc user, course, class, and resource information. In addition, the Name Service also stores system information that is not visible to most LearnLinc users. The Name Service is a Microsoft Access database. If your organization uses SQL Server, contact LearnLinc Customer Service to learn about your options for using LearnLinc with SQL Server instead. • LearnLinc students and instructors access Name Service information when they view information in the LearnLinc Virtual Campus web site, and in the LearnLinc Virtual Classroom. • LearnLinc authors manage the Name Service by adding, editing, and deleting resources and courses in the Virtual Campus. • LearnLinc administrators manage the Name Service by performing editing tasks in the Virtual Campus, and by using the LearnLinc Administration tool. 8 • • • • •

Getting Started 2

Classroom Service The Classroom Service connects two or more LearnLinc users in a Virtual Classroom by sharing and synchronizing information among them in real time. This information includes hand raising, application and content use, and audio or video conferencing information. The Virtual Classroom is displayed to users in the form of the LearnLinc palette, which displays all classroom information, and provides users with access to interactive classroom tools. File Service The File Service enables LearnLinc users to display their pictures in the LearnLinc palette. If the user’s picture has been uploaded to the LearnLinc server, it will be displayed when he or she takes the floor during a LearnLinc class. Interface Components LearnLinc has several interface components that users work with to view or edit information, participate in LearnLinc classes, and manage the LearnLinc environment. These interfaces are: • Virtual Campus Web Site • LearnLinc Palette • Whiteboard • Q&A • AppShare and AppView • Glimpse • Classroom Recorder and Player • Administration Tool • Server Information Page • Troubleshooting Page • Server Configuration Control Panel

Ä

When a user takes the floor in a LearnLinc class, he or she is the floor holder. The floor holder is the student, instructor, or assistant who is currently “on air” during a LearnLinc class. The floor holder can be heard and/or seen if conferencing is in use, and can launch and synchronize applications for

Virtual Campus Web Site The LearnLinc Virtual Campus is a web site that your organization hosts on its own server. The Virtual Campus provides students and instructors with easy access to LearnLinc courses, classes, resources, and contact information for other users. In addition, the Virtual Campus provides users with links to their classes, so that they can enter a virtual classroom. In addition,

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LearnLinc instructors, authors, and administrators can use the Virtual Campus to manage LearnLinc information by editing courses, classes, resources, and users.

LearnLinc Palette The LearnLinc palette is the main interface element in a LearnLinc class. The palette displays the most commonly used tools, including conferencing (audio or video), the class list, the agenda, feedback, and text chat. These tools enable students and instructors to interact with one another in real time. For example, when a student raises his or her hand, the instructor sees a hand raise notification immediately. Similarly, when anyone in the class sends out a text chat message, the rest of the

10 • • • • •

Getting Started 2

class sees the message right away, and can respond to it. The instructor’s palette is slightly different from the student palette. Diagrams of each palette follow.

Instructor’s Palette

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Student’s Palette

Generally, the differences between the student and instructor palettes concern the amount of information displayed to the user. Instructors see some additional information that students either cannot see, or can only see if the instructor chooses to show it to them.

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Getting Started 2

Whiteboard Whiteboard is a collaboration tool that students and the instructor can use to share simple drawings, text, imported pictures, and screen captures. For more information about whiteboard, please see “Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard” on page 393. Q&A Q&A is a multiple choice question and answer tool. The instructor, or the current floor holder, can use Q&A to ask a series of multiple choice questions and see the class’ response instantly. For more information about Q&A, please see “Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions” on page 445. AppShare and AppView AppShare and Appview enable the instructor to show an application on his or her computer to the rest of the class. For both tools, the students in the class do not have to have the shared application installed on their computers. AppShare enables instructors to share their actions on one or several applications with the class, allow a selected student to use the shared applications, and allow students to share their applications with the class. AppView enables instructors to use an application on his or her computer, and show his or her actions to the class. Students do not have to have the application installed on their computers. Students cannot use the instructor’s application, nor can they share their own applications with AppView. For more information on either AppShare or AppView, please see “Sharing Applications With the Class” on page 413. Glimpse Instructors can use Glimpse to take a screen capture of any student’s desktop during class. Glimpse is only available to instructors, and students are not aware that their desktops have been glimpsed. For more information on Glimpse, please see “Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse” on page 461. Classroom Recorder and Player The LearnLinc Classroom Recorder is an application that records a class on a student computer. The Classroom Recorder captures all classroom activity, including audio, video, text chat, and any actions on the classroom workspace. The recorder also uploads the recorded file and adds

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it to your course resource list. Students who miss class can play the recorded class from the contents list or you can run the recording during class to recap a lesson. The LearnLinc Classroom Player is an application you or your students launch to play the recorded class files. The player lets you choose whether you want to stream the recorded file from the server to your computer, or download the file so that you can play it later. Streaming is useful when you want to play the recorded class during an active class. Downloading is useful when students want to play a file on their own at a later time. For more information on the Classroom Recorder and the Classroom Player, please see “Recording Classes” on page 341.

Administration Tool In addition to the Virtual Campus, administrators have several other tools to manage and troubleshoot LearnLinc. The Administration tool can be used to manage all LearnLinc system information, and can only be used by administrators. The Administration tool displays information about all LearnLinc courses, classes, resources, users, and authority levels, and enables an administrator to add, edit, or delete any of these items. Note that most administrative tasks can also be performed in the Virtual Campus. The Administration tool is installed with the LearnLinc server. It can be installed on other computers from either the LearnLinc Server CD, or the Virtual Campus download page. You must be logged-in as an administrator to download the Administration tool from the Virtual Campus. For more information on using the Administration tool, please see “Installing LearnLinc” on page 43 and “Managing Users” on page 125. Server Information Page The Server Information page provides you with information about the status of the LearnLinc server, any active classrooms, and your installed LearnLinc licences. The Server Information page can be accessed from your web browser at http://servername/ll/ ll.dll/ServerInfo, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server. Do not enter “.htm” at the end of the URL for the ServerInfo page.

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Getting Started 2

Troubleshooting Page The troubleshooting page provides you with configuration information for the server, and tests your connection to the LearnLinc server. You can use the troubleshooting page to gather information about any client computer’s connection to the LearnLinc server by asking the user at the computer to go the troubleshooting page and send you the information it displays. The URL for the troubleshooting page is tap//ServerInfo/virtualdirectory/troubleshooting.asp, where ServerInfo is the name of your LearnLinc server and virtualdirectory is the name of the folder in which the Virtual Campus is stored. For example, tap//www.xyzlearning.com/learnlinc/ troubleshooting.asp. Server Configuration Control Panel The server configuration control panel enables you to configure server information, including: • setting a UDP audio port for audio conferences (optional) • specifying a server log file and viewing the current log • changing the LearnLinc server address • changing the Virtual Campus location. For more information on the Server configuration control panel, please see “Installing LearnLinc” on page 43.

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System Requirements The following requirements are divided into several categories. For the LearnLinc server, system requirements are based on the number of concurrent users who will be using the server. For bandwidth, system requirements are based on the conferencing option in use, multiplied by the number of users in the class. For the LearnLinc client (the LearnLinc classroom software), system requirements are based on the conferencing option in use.

LearnLinc Server Windows NT (for up to 25 concurrent users) Intel Pentium 200 or faster CPU 64 MB RAM Windows NT Server 4.0 with Service Pack 3 150 MB hard disk space Network interface card (supporting TCP/IP) MS IIS version 4.0 MS PowerPoint 97 or higher * Windows NT (for 25-150 concurrent users) Intel Pentium II 300 MHz or faster 128 MB RAM Windows NT Server 4.0 with Service Pack 3 150 MB hard disk space MS IIS version 4.0 MS PowerPoint 97 or higher * High performance network interface card such as a PCI Fast Ethernet card * Required to enable uploading of PowerPoint files to the LearnLinc Server. PowerPoint 2000 is recommended.

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Getting Started 2

Windows 2000 (for up to 25 concurrent users) Pentium II 300 processor or faster 128 MB RAM Windows 2000 Server 150 MB hard disk space Network interface card (supporting TCP/IP) MS IIS version 5.0 MS PowerPoint 97 or higher * Windows 2000 (for 25 - 150 concurrent users) Pentium II 400 256 MB RAM Windows 2000 Server 150 MB hard disk space Network interface card (supporting TCP/IP) MS IIS version 5.0 MS PowerPoint 97 or higher * * Required to enable uploading of PowerPoint files to the LearnLinc Server. PowerPoint 2000 is recommended.

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Bandwidth The following table illustrates the average amount of bandwidth required on a network per concurrent client for each LearnLinc conferencing option. Your network should be designed to accommodate peak bandwith conditions. Conferencing Options

Average network bandwidth

Data only

20 Kbps per student

Unicast audio conferencing and data

28 Kbps per student (16 data + 12 audio)

Multicast audio conferencing and data

12 Kbps per class for audio plus 16 Kbps per student for data

Indeo Multicast video conferencing and data

340 Kbps per class for video plus 16 Kbps per student for data

H.323 Multicast Video

172 Kbps per class for Video plus 16 Kbps per student for data

Unicast streaming video and data

37 kbps per student (22 data + 15 streaming video)

Multicast streaming video and data

15 per class for streaming video and 22 Kbps per student for data

Note that the numbers in the previous table are averages only. At times LearnLinc uses much less bandwidth, and at other times it will attempt to use more.

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Getting Started 2

Client–LearnLinc Classroom Software Locate the requirements for the conferencing option your organization is using. Note that the requirements listed on the following pages are minimum requirements. Computers with faster CPUs and more RAM will provide better performance in LearnLinc classes. If you may be using more than one conferencing option, make sure your system meets the higher requirements Data Only Windows 95 or 98 • Intel Pentium 75 • 24 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with 20 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows 2000 • Intel Pentium 200 • 64 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with 20 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows NT 4.0 workstation with sp 3 • Intel Pentium 133 • 32 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with 20 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

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Unicast Audio Conferencing

Windows 95 or 98 • Intel Pentium 133 * • 32 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with at least 28.8 kbps • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • 16 bit Sound Blastercompatible sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Microphone and headphones • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows 2000 • Intel Pentium II 300 • 96 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with at least 28.8 kbps • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Microphone and headphones • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows NT 4.0 workstation with sp 3 • Intel Pentium 166* • 32 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with at least 28.8kbps • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Microphone and headphones • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

* In unicast audio conferencing classes that use the “Low” bandwidth setting, users must have Intel Pentium II 233 processors or higher to achieve lower bandwidths while retaining audio quality.

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Getting Started 2

Multicast Audio Conferencing (for intranet or LAN only) Windows 95 or 98 • Intel Pentium 133 • 32 MB RAM • TCP/IP multicast connection with 30 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Microphone and headphones • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows 2000 • Intel Pentium 300 • 96 MB RAM • TCP/IP multicast connection with 30 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Microphone and headphones • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows NT 4.0 workstation with sp 3 • Intel Pentium 166 • 32 MB RAM • TCP/IP multicast connection with 30 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Microphone and headphones • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

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Multicast Video Conferencing (Using ProShare 150 or ProShare 200)

Windows 95 or 98 • Intel Pentium 90 • 32 MB RAM • TCP/IP multicast connection with 512 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Intel Proshare 150 or 200 • Microphone and headphones • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

22 • • • • •

Windows 2000

Windows NT 4.0 workstation with sp 3

Not Available

Not Available

Getting Started 2

Multicast Video Conferencing (Using Intel ProShare Video 500*)

Windows 95 or 98 • Intel Pentium II 266 with MMX • 32 MB RAM • TCP/ IP multicast connection with 240 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Intel ProShare 500 • Microphone and headphones • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows 2000

Windows NT 4.0 workstation with sp 3

Not Available

Not Available

* Note that all participants in the class must have ProShare 500 to achieve lower bandwith.

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Streaming Video (multicast or unicast)*

Windows 95 or 98 • Intel Pentium 166 • 32 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with 35 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows 2000 • Intel Pentium II 300 • 96 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with 35 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

Windows NT 4.0 workstation with sp 3 • Intel Pentium 166 • 32 MB RAM • TCP/IP connection with 35 kbps or more • Supported browser (see Third-Party Software on page 25) • Sound card with support for DirectX6; full duplex recommended • Monitor supporting 800x600, 16 bit color or higher

* Can be used with data only, unicast, or multicast audio conferencing, or multicast video conferencing Instructor must have second computer to capture video and run streaming video encoder. Consult your streaming video server documentation for specific requirements.

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Third Party Software The LearnLinc classroom software also uses several third-party software programs to enable synchronized multimedia content in the Virtual Classroom. The table below outlines the software programs, their uses, and whether they are included in the LearnLinc installation. LearnLinc includes all the software necessary to begin classes right away. This list includes additional software you may want to use.

Third-party software

For use with

Installed?

Microsoft NetShow Server 3.0

Streaming Video capture

No

Real Video Server 4.0

Streaming Video capture

No

Windows Media Player 6.0 and 6.4

Streaming Video capture

No

Asymetrix ToolBook 7.1 run-time

Synchronized ToolBook content playback

Yes, in “Advanced” installation option

Asymetrix ToolBook 6.0, 6.1, 6.5, 7.0 (full version or run-time)

Synchronized ToolBook content playback

No

Asymetrix ToolBook 6.0, 6.1, 6.5, 7.0 (full version)

Synchronized ToolBook content development

No

Macromedia Authorware 3.5, 4.0, 5.0

Synchronized Authorware content development

No

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.01

Synchronized web browser

No. Included on CDs for separate installation

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01w/sp1 Synchronized web browser or sp2

No

Netscape Navigator 4.05, 4.08

Synchronized web browser

No

Netscape Communicator 4.7x

Synchronized web browser

No

Macromedia Director 7.0

Synchronized Director content development

No

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Overview: Creating a LearnLinc Environment This overview provides a brief look at the process for creating your own LearnLinc environment. It is not a comprehensive guide–that can be found later in this manual. Use the overview to get a general idea of what is involved in planning and implementing a LearnLinc environment.

Assemble your Team Before you begin, decide who you will need help from to make your LearnLinc installation successful. Smaller organizations can use LearnLinc right out of the box. For larger organizations, we recommend that you assemble a team that fills all the following roles. In some cases, one person may play more than one role, or one role may be divided among several team members. • Project Manager • IS Support Person • LearnLinc administrator • Content author • Instructor Project Manager The project manager is the coordinator for your LearnLinc rollout. He or she will not only coordinate with the people on your LearnLinc team, but with others in the company as necessary. The Project Manger is responsible for acquiring all necessary hardware and software, ensuring that proper support is available from your organization’s network manager and IS staff, and reporting to others in management who are concerned with the LearnLinc rollout. In addition, the Project Manager may be responsible for managing the budget and schedule of the LearnLinc rollout and pilot program. Many organizations choose to begin using LearnLinc as a pilot–to introduce the system to others in the organization, to provide a staged, more comfortable, transition for the training department, and to ensure that they are ready to roll out LearnLinc to the entire organization. IS Support Person If you are rolling out LearnLinc on an existing corporate network, which almost all LearnLinc teams are, you will need support from your IS department. An IS support person can help you to assess your hardware needs and procure the necessary equipment, install and maintain that 26 • • • • •

Getting Started 2

equipment, determine your network bandwidth needs and ensure that your network can support them, and troubleshoot installations. While you may not need full time support from your IS department throughout the roll out, we recommend that you have one individual assigned to the project, who can be available as needed.

LearnLinc Administrator The LearnLinc administrator is responsible for creating and maintaining all LearnLinc information, including users, test courses and classes, and resources. Your LearnLinc administrator should be adept at learning new software and capable of managing a large amount of information, but he or she does not have to be a training specialist. If, however, the LearnLinc administrator will be responsible for teaching others how to manage LearnLinc information, make sure that he or she is able and willing to transfer his or her knowledge to others later. Content Author The content author is responsible not only for developing content to use in your LearnLinc classes, but for determining which types of content best suit your organization’s training needs as well. The content author should be familiar with one or more of the following authoring tools: • PowerPoint • HTML • Macromedia Authorware • Macromedia Director • Asymetrix ToolBook In addition, the content author should be very familiar with the type of training you are planning to do with LearnLinc. Once you have installed LearnLinc, the content author should spend time evaluating each of the LearnLinc classroom tools, determining which are best suited to your training needs, and developing content for your pilot classes. The content author will likely work closely with the instructor in determining which tools and content types will work best in class. Instructor The LearnLinc instructor should be someone who is currently a trainer at your organization. If you choose to use a course that is currently being taught in traditional classes, the instructor for • • • • • 27

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that course might be an ideal candidate for your team. The instructor should be comfortable using a computer and learning new software–though he or she does not have to be an advanced computer user. Once you have installed LearnLinc, the instructor should spend time in a LearnLinc class, evaluating the tools, determining which he or she would be comfortable using in class, and working with the content author to convert any existing content to an online format that the instructor is comfortable using.

Plan your Environment Before you install LearnLinc, make sure that your environment is ready. The following list covers the main areas of concern: Network Using the bandwidth guidelines in the System Requirements (outlined earlier in this chapter), work with your IS support person to ensure that your network can support LearnLinc. Specifically, you need to make sure that your student and instructor computers can connect to the LearnLinc server, and that there will be enough bandwidth available for them to send and receive data from the LearnLinc server. In addition, determine if your organization uses a farewell, and decide if you want to use HTTP tunneling, or open a port on your farewell. For more information about farewell ports and HTTP tunneling, please see takes the floor, Getting Ready for LearnLinc. Hardware and Software Using the server and client guidelines in the System Requirements (outlined earlier in this chapter), work with your IS support person to ensure that you have all the necessary hardware and software in place for LearnLinc. Schedule Develop a schedule for your roll out. Include time to order and install any necessary hardware or software, and time for testing and experimenting with the system. Share your schedule with other departments who will be impacted by it (for example IS) so that you can count on them for resources when you need them. Of course, share the schedule with your LearnLinc team as well. Include time and tasks for internal marketing on the schedule as well–to ensure that others are aware of your program and will be available to participate in your pilot classes.

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Choose a Pilot Class Work with your content author and instructor to evaluate your current courses even before you install LearnLinc, to determine which ones are good candidates for conversion to online courses. Some criteria to consider include: length and format of class, ease of conversion for hard copy materials, and the amount of hands-on activities in class. Online classes differ from traditional classes in several ways, one of which is the amount of time you can expect to hold students’ attention during class. Generally speaking, online classes should be shorter than traditional classes, and have more breaks to allow students to stretch, rest their eyes, and then refocus on the content. In addition, classes that require frequent interaction from students are more likely to hold students’ attention. As a very general guideline, look for a class that can be taught in sessions that are about 45 to 60 minutes long, with student interactions every 10 minutes. Adjust these times to suit your training needs. Consider the ease with which existing content can be converted as well. If your content author has significant experience with a CBT tool such as Authoring, or HTML tagging, you may be able to convert very complex content for your class. If, however, your content author will be learning to use new content tools as well as LearnLinc, look for content that can be easily converted. For example, Proponent presentations can be converted to HTML or Talbot using one of the LearnLinc content conversion tools. Consider the amount of hands-on activity in a class as well. Classes that require students to build or take apart machinery, for example, might require you to develop complex simulations or shoot video footage of those actions. While effective, these types of content may be time consuming or expensive to develop. Consider your schedule and resources before choosing a hands-on class for your pilot. Install the Server Software and your License Keys Follow the instructions outlined in the LearnLinc Installation Guide to install the server. Be sure to fill out the LearnLinc Server Key tax back form to receive your license keys. Once your LearnLinc server software is installed and your keys are enabled, you should be able to log-in to the LearnLinc Virtual Campus from any computer, using the default LearnLinc administrator account. See the LearnLinc Installation Guide or takes the floor, “Installing LearnLinc#, for the default administrator account information and password. The Virtual Campus contains several sample users, a sample course, and several sample classes. You can use these samples to explore the Virtual Campus interface, and to test the Virtual Campus and the Virtual Classroom. • • • • • 29

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Install the Classroom Software Install the classroom, or client, software on two computers. Use these computers to connect two of your team members in a LearnLinc classroom so that they can test your LearnLinc environment. Install LearnLinc on additional computers to enable your content author and instructor to explore the Virtual Classroom tools. Test the Environment Follow the test plan described in takes the floor of this guide to test your limited installation. Test your LearnLinc server-client connection on a small number of computers to work out any hardware or software issues before you attempt a pilot or roulette. Add Users Once you have tested your limited installation successfully, create instructor, author, and administrator accounts as needed for your team. If you are creating accounts for your pilot students, create those as well and record the account information so that you can distribute it to your pilot students later. Create Content Even as you are testing your limited installation, your content author can evaluate and start developing the content for your pilot class. Refer to Chapter 8 in this guide, and the LearnLinc Authoring Kit for more information concerning authoring content for LearnLinc classes. Schedule Courses and Classes Once your testing is complete, your LearnLinc administrator can create your pilot course and classes in the LearnLinc Virtual Campus. By logging-in as an administrator, he or she can add a new course to the course catalog, and create classes in that course. Be sure to schedule your LearnLinc team instructor to teach the pilot classes, and assign another member of the team to act as an assistant instructor for the class. The assistant instructor can help students who are having problems, and help the instructor to manage the class. Add Content to your Courses and Classes Once the content author has completed the content conversion, or created new content, he or she can add the content as resources to the course contents list and class agenda as necessary. To do so, he or she can log-in to the Virtual Campus using an account that has author permissions. 30 • • • • •

Getting Started 2

Rehearse the Class Once all the elements are in place, ask your instructor to rehearse the class several times, until he or she is comfortable teaching in the LearnLinc environment. Make sure that other members of the LearnLinc team practice as well–as assistants and as instructor, in case your instructor is unavailable. Make the LearnLinc Virtual Campus Available to Students Once the course, classes, and content are available in the Virtual Classroom, and your team believes that they are ready to teach the class, make the Virtual Campus available to your students. To do so, publicize the address of the Virtual Campus, and provide instructions to your pilot students for accessing the Virtual Campus, downloading and installing the classroom software, and joining the class. Be sure to clearly state the date and time of the class. Set time aside to test with your students once they have installed the classroom software. A quick test with each student to ensure that they can join a class, and that their audio or video conferences is working properly will ensure that your first class is successful. We have included two documents on both the LearnLinc Server and Client Cads in the “docs” folder, to assist you in publicizing your class. “Installing the LearnLinc client from the web” (install.doc) provides instructions for downloading and installing the classroom software. “Your first LearnLinc class” (memo.doc) provides students with instructions for joining their first class. You can modify these documents for your organization and distribute them to your students to ensure that they are ready for class.

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Overview: Using LearnLinc This overview provides a brief look at the process for taking a LearnLinc class. Use this overview to get a general idea of what is involved in using LearnLinc as a student.

Log-in to the Virtual Campus Your LearnLinc experience always begins by logging-in to the LearnLinc Virtual Campus web site. When you go to the site, you can log-in, create a new account, or just browse the course catalog. Once you log-in, you can access courses, classes, resources, and the user information. Access Online Help for the Virtual Campus Before you begin using the Virtual Campus, take the Quick Tutorial by clicking the “Quick Tutorial” link on the left side of the site. While you are in the Virtual Campus, you can access online help at any time. To launch a comprehensive set of help pages that describe concepts and tasks related to the Virtual Campus, click “Help” on the top menu bar. When you are on your home page, the course catalog page, or the directory page, you’ll also see links to related help topics. Register for a Course To use a course’s resources or join its classes, you must register for it. You can register for any course in the course catalog by clicking “Register” next to its name. You can drop a course from your course list by clicking “Unregister” next to its name. Your LearnLinc administrator or instructor may register you for additional courses. When you log-in, you see a list of all the courses for which you are registered on your home page. Join a Class When you are ready to join a LearnLinc class, locate it in the Virtual Campus by finding its course, and clicking the course name. The course’s contents list displays, including any classes that are part of that course. To join a class, click “join” next to it’s name. Your web browser minimizes, and the LearnLinc palette displays, with tools that you can use to communicate with the rest of the class.

32 • • • • •

Getting Started 2

Access Online Help for the Classroom You can access online help for the classroom at any time by selecting Help > Help Topics, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. The online help contains concept and task information for participating in LearnLinc classes. Communicate with others in the Classroom While you are in class, you can see the actions of the current floor holder and hear or see them if conferences is in use. If the floor holder launches an application, or a multimedia book, it opens on your computer as well. As the floor holder uses the application or book, you see his or her actions on your copy as well. If the floor is passed to you, your “On Air” indicator displays, and your actions are visible to the class. If you use a LearnLinc application or content, your actions are shared with others. For example, if you navigate to a web site in the synchronized web browser, the class follows you there. In addition, if your class uses conferences, everyone can hear or see you. When you are done, you can pass the floor back to your instructor so that he or she can continue with class. Leave the Class When class is over, you can leave by selecting File > Exit, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. Once you have exited the class, the LearnLinc palette and most of the applications and content that were opened during class will close. However, some applications, such as the whiteboard, will remain open so that you can save your work, or continue working on the current document. Log-out of the Virtual Campus When you have finished working in the Virtual Campus, you can log-out by selecting “Logout” from the top menu bar in the Virtual Campus. If you have been inactive in the Virtual Campus for more than 15 minutes, your account will be logged-out automatically to prevent others from using your account.

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34 • • • • •

Administrative Tasks The “Administrative tasks” section of this guide contains concepts and tasks that are important to LearnLinc administrators. If you are a LearnLinc administrator, or you perform any of the following administrative tasks for LearnLinc, please read this section. Chapter 3

Getting Ready for LearnLinc

page 37

Chapter 4

Installing LearnLinc

page 43

Chapter 5

Testing the LearnLinc Environment

page 73

Chapter 6

Customizing LearnLinc

page 97

Chapter 7

Managing Users

page 125

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36 • • • • •

Getting Ready for LearnLinc 3

3 Getting Ready for LearnLinc This chapter describes the information and equipment you need and the tasks you should perform to prepare for LearnLinc. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Determine how many licences your organization has purchased for the LearnLinc classroom • Determine which conferencing options your organization has purchased • Advise others about bandwidth availability for LearnLinc • Determine which, if any, firewall ports you should open for LearnLinc • Ensure that all necessary server hardware and software is in place for LearnLinc • Ensure that all necessary client hardware and software is in place for LearnLinc In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is the procedure for deploying LearnLinc? 2. How are LearnLinc licenses used? 3. How do LearnLinc users connect to one another? 4. What conferencing options does LearnLinc have? 5. How much traffic does LearnLinc create on your organization’s network? 6. How does LearnLinc work if I have more than one site? 7. Does learnlinc work through firewalls?

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What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following: • computer networking • bandwidth • firewalls and proxy servers • basic computer hardware and software • LearnLinc system requirements. For a complete listing of the LearnLinc system requirements, please see “System Requirements” on page 16 of this guide. For more information on the other topics in the previous list, consult current networking literature and your product documentation.

Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are prepared to implement LearnLinc in your organization. Specifically, you need to know about: • Concurrent User License Model • Client/Server Architecture • LearnLinc Bandwidth Use • Firewall Considerations In addition, review the following checklist to ensure your deployment efforts are complete.

A Checklist for Deploying LearnLinc Use the following list as a general guide to your LearnLinc implementation. • Assemble a team to implement LearnLinc. We suggest a Project Manager, IS Support Person, LearnLinc administrator, Content author, and Instructor.(Chapter 2, page 26) • Ensure that your server and client computers meet the LearnLinc system requirements. (Chapter 2, page 16) • Choose a pilot class to convert from your existing training curriculum.(Chapter 2, page 30) • Complete and return your LearnLinc License Key fax-back form at least one business day before you plan to install your LearnLinc server. The License Key fax back form can be found in your LearnLinc product package. • Install the LearnLinc server and supporting software. (Chapter 4, page 43) 38 • • • • •

Getting Ready for LearnLinc 3

• Enable your LearnLinc license keys. (Chapter 4, page 52) • Install the LearnLinc classroom software on at least two client computers. (Chapter 4, page 68). • Test the LearnLinc Virtual Campus and LearnLinc Virtual Classroom. (Chapter 5, page 73) • Convert the content from that class to an online format. (Chapter 8, page 151) • Create a course, class, and resources in the Virtual Campus for your pilot course. (Courses see Chapter 9, page 185) (Classes see Chapter 10, page 213) (Resources see Chapter 11, page 37) • Make the Virtual Campus available to your pilot students and instructor by giving them the its web address. (Chapter 2, page 31) • Distribute the documents “Your first LearnLinc class” (memo.doc) and “Installing the LearnLinc classroom software” (install.doc) to your pilot students. (Both documents can be found on the LearnLinc Server and Client CDs) (Chapter 2, page 31) • Test with each pilot student to ensure their classroom software has been installed successfully, and they can connect to the LearnLinc server. • Rehearse the pilot class with your team. Ensure that at least two members of the team can conduct the class. • Conduct your first online class. (Chapter 15, page 37)

Concurrent User License Model When your organization purchased LearnLinc, they purchased a certain number of concurrent licences. The number of concurrent licenses is the total number of users who can be in LearnLinc classes at one time. There are several different types of LearnLinc licences. “Data Only” licences cover the basic virtual classroom. These licences allow you to join a class, use the whiteboard and all other classroom tools except conferencing. Internet Audio, Multicast Audio, Indeo Multicast Video, H.323 Multicast Video, and Streaming Video licences control how you communicate with the class–by enabling you to use either audio or video conferencing during class. Your organization may have purchased licences for one or more types of conferencing. Conferencing licences are also concurrent, but are independent of data only licences. For example, if you have 100 data only licences, and 50 Internet audio conferencing licences, you can have 100 users attending classes at the same time, but only 50 of them can use Internet audio conferencing. Generally, all the users in one class will use the same conferencing type. In this example, you might have one class of 50 users that uses Internet audio conferencing. • • • • • 39

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The remaining 50 might use another LearnLinc conferencing option, or a third party solution such as phone bridging. The person in your organization who purchases LearnLinc determines how many data and conferencing licenses you have. • If you have not installed the LearnLinc server, check with that person, or find the invoice that was shipped with your LearnLinc package. • If you have installed the LearnLinc server and license keys, you can check the number of licences purchased, the number in use, and the number of classrooms in use by pointing your web browser to “http://servername/ll/ll.dll/ServerInfo” (no quotes), where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server.

Ä Bandwidth is a measure of the amount of data transmitted or received per unit of time, usually measured in seconds. Bandwidth is proportional to the complexity of the data that is being transmitted. For example, it takes more bandwidth to download a photograph in one second than it takes to download a page of text in one second. Large sound or video files require even more bandwidth to download.

40 • • • • •

Client/Server Architecture LearnLinc uses a client/server architecture to connect users in virtual classrooms. In a client/ server architecture, many computers in different locations (clients) can share information through a central computer (the server). The clients never send data directly to one another, they always send it to the server, which then forwards it to its intended recipients. For your LearnLinc environment to work, all of your client computers must be able to reach your server computer. You can achieve this by connecting both the LearnLinc server and LearnLinc client computers to your LAN or intranet. Alternately, you can connect the server and clients to the Internet. LearnLinc Bandwidth Use When two or more users are in a LearnLinc class, they use a certain amount of bandwidth to connect to the server, and send data back and forth across it. If they are on your intranet, they are using some of the available bandwidth on your network. If they are on the Internet, they are using some of the bandwidth on your organization’s Internet connection, or the available bandwidth through a modem connection. You must ensure that however your users connect to your LearnLinc server, they have enough bandwidth to participate in class. You can do so by working with your IS department to determine how much bandwidth is available on your network for LearnLinc traffic, or if your organization’s Internet connection is large enough to accommodate an average number of LearnLinc users in class, along with other Internet traffic. If your users are connecting to the

Getting Ready for LearnLinc 3

Internet via modem, you can ensure that they connect at an average speed as outlined in the LearnLinc system requirements. If you have a set amount of bandwidth available on your network for LearnLinc classes, let everyone who will have the ability to schedule classes know about that limit. Determine how many users you can have in classes in a given time period, based on available bandwidth and licences, and make everyone aware of the maximum number of users to avoid scheduling classes when there will not be enough bandwidth, or enough licences, available to ensure reliable class participation for everyone. For detailed information on bandwidth use during class, please see “Bandwidth” on page 217.

Firewall Considerations LearnLinc 4.5 does not require any changes to your firewall settings. However, if you are using Internet audio, you may wish to open one UDP port on your firewall to improve LearnLinc’s bandwidth usage, depending on the type of proxy server than you are using. • If you are not using a proxy server, or you have a winsock proxy you do not need to open any firewall ports to achieve optimal bandwidth usage. You can expect to use approximately 8.5 kbps per client for audio data. • If you are using a proxy server that supports “keep alive”, you do not need to open any firewall ports to achieve acceptable bandwidth usage. You can expect to use approximately 11.8 kbps per client for audio data. To determine whether or not your proxy server supports keep alive visit your LearnLinc Server troubleshooting page at http://servername/ virtualdirectory/troubleshooting.asp, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server and virtualdirectory is the name of the virtual directory in which your Virtual Campus is stored. • If you are using a proxy server that does not have a winsock proxy or keep alive, you will use bandwidth much more efficiently if you open one outbound UDP port on your firewall. If you do not open the port, you can expect to use approximately 19 kbps per client for audio data. If you open the UDP port, you can expect to use 12 kbps per client for audio data. If you decide to open a UDP port on your firewall for audio data, we recommend opening port 11730. This is the default port that all clients are configured to use for UDP traffic. If you choose to use another port, you must instruct all your users to configure their classroom software to use that port. For detailed directions on configuring the classroom software, please see “Configuring the Classroom Software to Work with Web Proxies and Firewalls” on page 70.

Ä Keep alive enables a client computer to maintain a TCP connection to the server computer for an entire class, rather than having to re-establish a TCP connection every time it sends data. Using keep alive is more bandwidth efficient, but is not available on all proxy servers. Consult your proxy server documentation for more information.

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Ensure That all Necessary Hardware and Software Is in Place for LearnLinc In some organizations, hardware and software purchase requisitions and orders may take several weeks. Review the LearnLinc system requirements as soon as possible to ensure that you have, or can acquire, all the necessary hardware and software for the LearnLinc server and all the client computers on schedule.

Next Steps Once you’ve gathered all the necessary people, equipment, and information you are ready to proceed with a test installation. To install the LearnLinc server and client software, and test your installation, please see: • Chapter 4, Installing LearnLinc • Chapter 5, Testing the LearnLinc Environment

42 • • • • •

Installing LearnLinc 4

4 Installing LearnLinc This chapter explains the issues, decisions, and tasks involved in installing LearnLinc in your organization. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Install the LearnLinc server software • Configure the LearnLinc server • Enable your server licenses • Install the administration tool on a remote computer • Export and import LearnLinc Name Service information • Install the classroom software on a user’s computer In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What components are installed with the LearnLinc server? 2. What tools are available for administering the LearnLinc server? 3. What components are installed with the LearnLinc client? 4. What are the benefits of doing a small test installation? 5. How can I support students who install the client themselves?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the LearnLinc software. For more information, please see “About the Software” on page 7 of this guide.

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Key Concepts Review these concepts to ensure that you are installing the LearnLinc environment properly. Specifically, you need to know: • Other Software that Must Be Installed on the LearnLinc Server Computer • Components That Make Up the LearnLinc Server • Utilities for Administering the LearnLinc Server • Importing and Exporting Name Service Information • Multiple Servers • Components Installed With the LearnLinc Classroom Software In addition, review the following checklist to ensure that your installation is successful.

LearnLinc Installation Checklist To install LearnLinc successfully, complete the following tasks, in order: • Determine which conferencing option or options your organization has purchased. The person who purchased LearnLinc for your organization should have this information, or access to the purchase order or invoice for your LearnLinc purchase. • Ensure that your system meets all the LearnLinc hardware, software, and bandwidth requirements for that conferencing option. See “System Requirements” on page 16, for more information. • Fax the License Key Fax-Back Form to LearnLinc Corporation to receive your LearnLinc licenses. It is very important that you fax back the License Key Fax-Back Form. If you do not, you will not be able to install the software. The form is included in your LearnLinc package. • • • • • •

44 • • • • •

Install any necessary third party software on the LearnLinc server computer. Install the LearnLinc server software. Configure the LearnLinc server. Enable your LearnLinc server license keys. Install the Administration tool on the administrator’s computer, if desired. Determine which version of the LearnLinc classroom software to distribute to your users, and modify the Virtual Campus download page accordingly.

Installing LearnLinc 4

• Provide your users with instructions for entering the Virtual Campus, downloading the client software, and joining a class.

Other Software that Must Be Installed on the LearnLinc Server Computer Before you install the LearnLinc server, you must make sure the server computer has the following software installed on it: • Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 and Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack (includes Internet Information Server 4.0) Or Microsoft 2000 Server • Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 (or PowerPoint 97-version 8.0.0.5507 or higher). Important! Be sure to enable web page authoring at the server level. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for more information. If you plan to use the PowerPoint upload feature, we recommend that you install PowerPoint 2000. PowerPoint 2000 produces higher quality graphics during the upload process then previous versions of PowerPoint. Components That Make Up the LearnLinc Server The LearnLinc server consists of several components, including the Name Service, Classroom Service, File Service, and the Virtual Campus web site. The Name Service database stores all LearnLinc information. The Classroom Service connects users in the Virtual Classroom. The File Service stores user pictures, and displays them during LearnLinc classes. The Virtual Campus web site provides users with access to LearnLinc information and LearnLinc classes. Utilities for Administering the LearnLinc Server In addition to the server components outlined in the previous section, there are several LearnLinc administration utilities that are installed with the LearnLinc server. Administration Tool The Administration tool can be used to manage the LearnLinc Name Service database. While almost all administration tasks can be performed in the Virtual Campus, the Administration tool is available for your use as well. Use the Administration tool to create large numbers of new • • • • • 45

4 LearnLinc Advanced User’s Guide

users, and edit the advanced properties for LearnLinc courses, resources, users, and system information. You must be an administrator to use the Administration tool.

Server Configuration Control Panel The Server configuration control panel enables you to manage general server information, as well as configuration information for the Virtual Campus. During the LearnLinc server installation, you set most of the server configuration options. You can change those options or set additional options at any time using the control panel. Server Information Page The Server information page provides you with information about the status of the LearnLinc server, the active classrooms, and the installed LearnLinc licences. The Server Information page can be accessed from any web browser at http://servername/ll/ll.dll/ServerInfo, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server. If your Virtual Campus is stored in a virtual directory, such as “LearnLinc”, do not include the name of the directory in the ServerInfo URL. By default, the Server information page is not password protected. If you choose to password protect this page, only users who have valid Windows NT accounts on the server’s domain can access the Server information page. When they navigate to the page, they will be prompted to enter their NT user name and passwords. All other users will receive an error when they attempt to navigate to the page. Troubleshooting Page The troubleshooting page provides you with configuration information for the server, and tests both the server and client connections to the server. The troubleshooting page can be accessed from any web browser at http://servername/virtualdirectory/troubleshooting.asp, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server and virtualdirectory is the name of the virtual directory in which your Virtual Campus is stored. Specifically, the troubleshooting page lists information about the LearnLinc Server, the Virtual Campus’ web server, ODBC info, and links to server classroom and licensing information. In addition, by navigating to the troubleshooting page, you can see test information for the LearnLinc database, the PowerPoint upload utility, and the client connection to the server. Finally, you can view the results of the client test for audio connectivity, proxy settings, and client install path and version information.

46 • • • • •

Installing LearnLinc 4

Importing and Exporting Name Service Information If you wish to back up your Name Service database, or transfer data between two or more LearnLinc Name Services, you can use the Administration tool’s import and export functions to do so. The import and export functions enable to you to export a single capsule of information, all the capsules within a selected folder, or an entire Name Service. When you export Name Service information it is stored in a LearnLinc Capsule File (.lcp). This file stores information only – it does not store associated resource files such as ToolBook books or video clip files. In addition to the LearnLinc capsule file, a packing list file (packing.lst) is generated each time you export capsules from a name service. This file lists all the associated resource files that you must gather if you wish to import the capsule file on another LearnLinc server. When you send exported information to another LearnLinc administrator be sure to include: • the LearnLinc capsule file • the packing list file • any associated resource files In addition, note that some user information is not exported when you choose to export persona capsules. Users’ registration information is not exported, to ensure that errors are not created when a user’s persona capsule is imported to another Name Service that does not have the same classes stored on it. You must re-create user registrations on the server once you import the users. Server Activity Logs By logging your server activity, you can: • track the server activity to aid in troubleshooting • track class duration and student attendance Use the Server Configuration control panel to specify the location and file name of the server log file. If you check “Classroom log”, additional log files will be created in the same folder as the general log file to track the class duration and student attendance. The following sections outline the information contained in each log file.

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Server Log File The server log file tracks events on the LearnLinc server, and classroom start and end events. The following diagrams outline the information provided in two common events, server start up and class start up. Server start up

Class start up

Classroom Log File The classroom log file tracks server activity, classroom activity, and student activity. For the server and classroom activities it logs the beginning time, end time, and duration. For student activities, it logs the server on which each student joins and leaves a class, and the duration of their time in class. The following diagram outlines the join class event. User joins class

48 • • • • •

Installing LearnLinc 4

Multiple Servers It is possible to maintain LearnLinc Name Service data on more than one server by exporting and importing the data between servers on a regular basis. Alternately, you may choose to store your Name Service data on a SQL Server, which supports database replications across multiple servers. Refer to Appendix C for information on how to configure SQL Server version 7.0 to work with LearnLinc. Components Installed With the LearnLinc Classroom Software There are three different download options for the LearnLinc classroom software. • The Typical option installs the LearnLinc core components, audio and video conferencing, the Classroom Player, Microsoft Streaming Media Player, and OpSession for AppShare. • The Advanced–Multimedia Options Pack option installs all the typical options, plus support for synchronized multimedia content and the Classroom Recorder. • The Custom option enables you to choose the components you wish to install. If you install the software from the LearnLinc Client CD, you can still choose any of the options described in the previous list. You may choose to standardize on one installation option, and remove the other options from the download page in the Virtual Campus. Alternately, you may choose to create a custom installation that you distribute to your students on CD or via a network drive.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for installing the LearnLinc environment, specifically: • Getting the Server Computer Ready for the LearnLinc Server Software • Installing the Server Software • Enabling Your Server Licenses • Password Protecting the Server Information Page • Logging Server Activity • Changing the Location of Your Virtual Campus • Updating the Domain Name of Your LearnLinc Server • Installing the Administration Tool • Exporting Information from the LearnLinc Name Service Database • Importing Information from a LearnLinc Name Service Capsule File • Installing the Classroom Software on a User’s Computer • Allowing Your Users Download and Install the Classroom Software • Configuring the Classroom Software to Work with Web Proxies and Firewalls

Getting the Server Computer Ready for the LearnLinc Server Software • Install the Windows NT Server and Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack, or Windows 2000 Server, on the server computer. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for complete installation directions. • Install PowerPoint 97 or Powerpoint 2000 from the Microsoft Office software suite on the server computer. Important! Be sure to enable web page authoring at the server level. Refer to the Microsoft Office documentation for complete installation directions. If you will be using QuickLinc to upload PowerPoint files to the server, we recommend installing PowerPoint 2000.

50 • • • • •

Installing LearnLinc 4

Installing the Server Software 1. Log-in to the Windows NT or Windows 2000 Server as an administrator. 2. Insert the LearnLinc Server CD in your server’s CD drive. The “Server Installation Options” screen displays. 3. Click Install LearnLinc Server. A warning dialog displays, informing you that the your web server must be stopped to continue with the installation. 4. Click Yes to stop the web server. The “Welcome” screen displays. 5. Click Next. The “Software License Agreement” screen displays. 6. Click Yes to accept the license agreement. The “User information” screen displays. 7. Enter your name, company, and LearnLinc serial number. You can find your LearnLinc serial number on the back of the LearnLinc Server jewel case, and on the inside front cover of the LearnLinc Advanced Guide. The “Choose Destination Location” screen displays. 8. Click Browse to select a different location, or click Next to continue. The “Enter Server Information” screen displays. 9. Enter the address and port for the server you are working on. The address is the sever name, for example, “www.xyzlearning.com”, or the IP Address of the server. The port is the firewall port through which the server components will send and receive LearnLinc data. By default the port is 80, which is the HTTP port (the web port).

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Windows NT or 2000 Server as an administrator. 2. Insert the LearnLinc Server CD in the server’s CD drive. 3. Click “Install LearnLinc Server.” 4. Follow the on-screen instructions

Most organizations have port 80 open already, to enable Internet or intranet traffic. If you change the port to a different number, you will have to open that port number on your firewall for LearnLinc to work properly. The “Enter Virtual Directory” screen displays. 10. If desired, enter a virtual directory name for the LearnLinc Virtual Campus and click Next. The virtual directory is the directory in which all HTML and other related files for the Virtual Campus are stored. Your users will enter this directory name after the address of the

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LearnLinc server to access the Virtual Campus. For example, if your server is “www.xyzlearning.com” and the Virtual Campus virtual directory is “learnlinc”, your users would enter “http://www.xyzlearning.com/learnlinc” in their web browsers to access the Virtual Campus. Do not leave the virtual directory field blank unless you wish to install the Virtual Campus to the root directory. Doing so redirects users who navigate to the server to the LearnLinc Virtual Campus. The “Administrative Account” screen displays. By default, a local administrative account is displayed on screen. 11. Use the displayed account, or enter information for a different administrator account for this server, and click Next. You must enter the information for a local administrator account for the server. The LearnLinc installer must have administrator permissions to add information to the server’s registry and add files to your server. 12. Review the information in the “Start Copying Files” screen, and click Next to begin the installation. 13. When the “Setup Complete” screen displays, select “Yes, I want to restart my computer now.” and click Finish to restart. Quick Steps 1. Return the LearnLinc Server Key Fax-Back Form. 2. Copy each Registry file (.reg) to the server hard drive. 3. Double-click on each file to update the registry. 4. Reboot the server.

52 • • • • •

Enabling Your Server Licenses You may have one or several license keys to enable, depending on the conferencing options you have purchased. 1. Return the LearnLinc Server Key Fax-Back Form to LearnLinc Customer Service to get your license keys. You can expect a response within one business day. • If you opt to receive your license keys via e-mail, copy each Registry file (.reg) to a temporary directory on the server hard drive. Double-click each file to update the registry automatically. • If you opt to receive your license keys on diskette via postal mail, insert the diskette in the server’s floppy drive. Double-click each Registry file on the disk to automatically update the registry. 2. Reboot the server to enable all licenses.

Installing LearnLinc 4

Checking Your Server Licenses 1. Launch a web browser on the server, or another computer. 2. Navigate to “http://servername/ll/ll.dll/ServerInfo”, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server. If you are using a virtual directory for the Virtual Campus, do not include it in the “servername” portion of the URL. Also, do not append “.htm” after “ServerInfo”. The “LearnLinc Server Information” page displays.

3.

Quick Steps 1. Launch your web browser. 2. Navigate to “http:// servername/ll/ll.dll/ ServerInfo”. 3. Scroll down to the entry “Classroom Service Licences” to see how many of your licences are enabled, and in use.

Scroll down to the entry “Classroom Service Licences”. Your licences are listed by conferencing type. You can see the total for each type, the number currently in use, and the expiration date for each license type.

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Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Run..., from the Windows taskbar. 2. Type regedit and click OK. 3. Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > LearnLinc > LearnLincServer > 4.0 > Main. 4. Double-click on the entry “ProtectedServerInfo”. 5. Change the “0” to “1” and click OK. 6. Select File > Exit, to close the registry.

54 • • • • •

Password Protecting the Server Information Page 1. Select Start > Run..., from the Windows taskbar. The “Run” dialog displays.

2.

Type regedit in the “Open” field and click OK. Double-click on the entry “ProtectedServerInfo”. The Registry Editor displays.

3.

Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > LearnLinc > LearnLincServer > 4.0 > Main, in the left pane of the window. The keys and strings stored in the “Main” folder display in the right pane.

Installing LearnLinc 4

4.

Double-click on the entry “ProtectedServerInfo”. The “Edit DWORD Value” dialog displays.

5. 6.

Change the “0” in the “Value Data” field to “1” and click OK. Select Registry > Exit, from the menu bar to close the Registry Editor. Only users who have valid Windows NT accounts on the server’s domain can access the Server information page. When they navigate to the page, they will be prompted to enter their NT user name and passwords. All other users will receive an error when they attempt to navigate to the page.

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Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Server > Server Configuration. 2. Enter the path and file name for the log file. 3. Click OK to save your changes.

Logging Server Activity 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Server> Server Configuration, from the Windows taskbar. The Server configuration control panel displays, with the “General” tab selected. By default, the log file is enabled.

2.

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• Click Browse to select a different log file, or enter a new path and file name in the “Logging file name” field. If you enter a new file name, the file will be created the next time the server is active. • Leave the “Logging filename” filed blank to turn off logging. • Check “Enable ICS-compatible log” to log classroom start and end times and students’ time in class as well. Click OK to save your changes.

Installing LearnLinc 4

Changing the Location of Your Virtual Campus To change the location of your Virtual Campus, you must create a new virtual directory, and then update the server configuration control panel. Create a New Virtual Directory 1. Log-in to your LearnLinc server as an administrator. 2. Create a new folder on the server and copy the entire contents of the LLWEB folder (and all sub folders) to the new folder. 3. Select Start > Programs > Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack > Microsoft Internet Information Server > Internet Service Manager. The Microsoft Management Console displays. 4. Double-click the “Internet Information Server” folder to display its contents. 5. Double-click your LearnLinc server name to display a list of the services it is running. 6. Double-click the “Default Web Site” item to display all the virtual directories located on that server. The current virtual directory for the LearnLinc Virtual Campus displays, as well as some other directories. 7. Right click on the “Default Web Site” folder, and select New > Virtual Directory, from the shortcut menu. The “New Virtual Directory” wizard displays. Follow the on screen directions. 8. When prompted, fill in an Alias for the virtual directory and click Next. An alias is a name, such as “learnlinc” (no quotes) for the virtual directory. 9. Click Browse and browse to the new folder you created in step 2. 10. Click Next. 11. Select “Allow Read Access”, “Allow Script Access” and “Allow Execute Access”. Do not select the other items. 12. Click Finish to complete the creation of the virtual directory.

Quick Steps 1. Create a new virtual directory. 2. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Server > Server Configuration. 3. Click the “Virtual Campus” tab. 4. Enter the name of the new virtual directory. 5. Click OK.

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Update the Virtual Campus Configuration 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Server > Server Configuration. The Server configuration control panel displays, with the “General” tab selected.

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2.

Click the “Virtual Campus” tab. The Virtual Campus configuration options display.

3.

In the “Virtual Campus Location” section, enter the name of the new virtual directory you created earlier. Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog.

4.

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Quick Steps 1. Follow your server’s documentation for directions on changing the server domain name. 2. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Server > Server Configuration. 3. Click the “Virtual Campus” tab. 4. Enter the new server addresses in the “LearnLinc Server Addresses” section. 5. Click OK.

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Updating the Domain Name of Your LearnLinc Server 1. Consult your Microsoft Server documentation for directions on changing a server’s name and domain. 2. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Server > Server Configuration. The Server configuration control panel displays, with the “General” tab selected.

Installing LearnLinc 4

3.

Click the “Virtual Campus” tab. The Virtual Campus configuration options display.

4.

Enter the new server address in the “LearnLinc Server Address” field. • If your server components and Virtual Campus are installed on the same server, check “Use same address for both servers”. Otherwise, • Enter the Virtual Campus’ server address in the “Virtual Campus Address” field. Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog.

5.

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Quick Steps 1. Insert the LearnLinc Server CD in the computer’s CD drive. 2. Click “Install Administration Tool.” 3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

62 • • • • •

Installing the Administration Tool The Administration tool is automatically installed on the server during the LearnLinc server installation. To reinstall it on the server, run the LearnLinc server installation, not the Administration tool installation. If you attempt to run the Administration tool installation on your server you will be prompted to use the LearnLinc Server installation instead. To install the Administration tool on another computer, follow the directions in this section. 1. Insert the LearnLinc Server CD in your computer’s CD drive. The Server installation option screen displays. 2. Click Install Administration Tool. The “Welcome” screen displays. 3. Click Next. The “Software License Agreement” screen displays. 4. Click Yes to accept the agreement. The “Choose Destination Location” screen displays. 5. Click Browse to select a different location, or Next to continue. The default installation location for the Administration tool is C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincAdmin. 6. Review the information in the “Start Copying Files” dialog, and click Next to begin the installation. 7. When the “Setup Complete” dialog displays, click Finish.

Installing LearnLinc 4

Exporting Information from the LearnLinc Name Service Database 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool, from the Windows taskbar.

The Administration tool launches on your computer.

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2.

3.

4. 5.

Enter your account information. You must have administrator authority to use the Administration tool. The default administrator account information is: Log-in ID: Administrator Group: System Password: Administrator Enter your server name. Your server name is the domain name or IP address for your LearnLinc server computer. For example, training.xyzlearning.com. Do not include the virtual directory for your LearnLinc Virtual Campus. If you are using a web proxy server to connect to the Internet, check “Use Proxy” and enter the server name and port of your web proxy server. Click Log-in. The Administration tool displays.

• To export the entire Name Service, continue with the next section, “Exporting an entire Name Service”. • To export selected information from the Name Service, continue with “Exporting Selected Information from a Name Service” on page 65.

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Exporting an Entire Name Service 1. Select File > Export, from the menu bar. The “Exporting” dialog displays. 2. Click the folder icon to enter a new path and file name in the “Filename’ field. The capsule file must have the extension “.lcp”. If you wish to replace or add to an existing capsule file, enter its path and file name. 3. Select “Entire database” and click OK. 4. Click OK again to export the Name Service. If you selected an existing capsule file in step 2, choose either: • Overwrite, to replace the information in the export file, or • Append, to add the current Name Service information to the capsule file. The capsule file and a packing list file are created in the location you selected in step 2. 5. Open the packing list file (packing.lst) to see a list of all the related resource files that you must distribute with the export file. 6. Provide the capsule file (.lcp), packing list file (packing.lst), and all related resource files to the administrator that needs to import your Name Service. Exporting Selected Information from a Name Service 1. Highlight the folder or the individual capsule you want to export. 2. Select File > Export from the menu bar. The exporting dialog displays. 3. Click the folder icon to enter a path and file name in the “Filename’ field. The capsule file must have the extension “.lcp”. 4. Select “Selected capsules” to copy folder or capsule you highlighted in step 1. The dotted name of the folder or capsule displays in the “Selected capsules” text field”. 5. Click OK to export the capsule or capsules. If you selected an existing capsule file in step 4, choose either: • Overwrite, to replace the information in the export file, or • Append, to add the current Name Service information to the export file. The capsule file and a packing list file are created in the location you selected in step 3. 6. Open the packing list file (packing.lst) to see a list of any related resource files that you must distribute with the export file. 7. Provide the capsule file (.lcp), packing list file (packing.lst), and any related resource files to the administrator that needs to import your Name Service information.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Administration tool. 2. Select File > Export. 3. Click the folder icon to enter a path and file name. 4. Select “Entire database” and click OK. 5. Click OK again. 6. Distribute the capsule file, packing list file, and related resource files.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Administration tool. 2. Highlight a folder or a capsule. 3. Select File > Export. 4. Click the folder icon to enter a path and file name. 5. Select “Selected capsules” and click OK. 6. Select “Overwrite” or “Append” if prompted. 7. Distribute the capsule file, the packing list file, and any related resource files.

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Quick Steps

Importing Information from a LearnLinc Name Service Capsule File 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool, from the Windows taskbar.

1. Log-in to the LearnLinc Administration tool. 2. Select File > Import. 3. Click the folder icon to select a capsule file (.lcp). 4. Select either “Keep the originals in the Name Service” or “Replace the originals”. 5. Click OK. The Administration tool launches on your computer.

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2.

3.

4. 5.

6. 7.

Enter your account information. You must have administrator authority to use the Administration tool. The default administrator account information is: Log-in ID: Administrator Group: System Password: Administrator Enter your server name. Your server name is the domain name or IP address for your LearnLinc server computer. For example, training.xyzlearning.com. Do not include the virtual directory for your LearnLinc Virtual Campus. If you are using a web proxy server to connect to the Internet, check “Use Proxy” and enter the server name and port of your web proxy server. Click Log-in. The Administration tool displays.

Select File > Import from the menu bar. The “Importing” dialog displays. Click the folder icon to select a LearnLinc capsule file (.lcp).

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8.

9.

Quick Steps 1. Insert the LearnLinc Client CD in the computer’s CD drive. 2. Click “Install LearnLinc Client”. 3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Installing the Classroom Software on a User’s Computer If you choose to perform the classroom software installation on each user’s computer yourself, follow the directions in this section. If you choose to allow your users to download and install the classroom software from the Virtual Campus, please see “Allowing Your Users Download and Install the Classroom Software” on page 69. The directions in this section assume that you are using the LearnLinc client CD to perform the installation. If you are installing the classroom software from the web, please see ““Downloading and Installing the Classroom Software” on page 309. 1. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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Select one of the following options: • “Keep the originals in the Name Service” to ignore newer information in the capsule file. • “Replace the originals” to overwrite any duplicate capsules in the current Name Service. Click OK. The capsules are added to the current Name Service in the same location in which they were stored in the original Name Service. Be sure to review the packing list and install any resource files that were included with the capsule file.

Insert the LearnLinc Client CD in your computer’s CD drive. The Client installation option screen displays. Click Install LearnLinc Client. The “Welcome” screen displays. Click Next. The “Software License Agreement” screen displays. Click Yes to accept the agreement. The “Choose Destination Location” screen displays. Click Browse to select another location, or Next to continue. The “Setup type” screen displays. Select one of the following options: • “Advanced–Multimedia Content” to install all LearnLinc classroom tools, audio and video conferencing, Microsoft Streaming Media Player, and OpSession for AppShare, and multimedia content synchronization.

Installing LearnLinc 4

9. 10. 11.

12.

13. 14.

• “Typical” to install all LearnLinc classroom tools, audio and video conferencing, Microsoft Streaming Media Player, and OpSession for AppShare, but not multimedia content synchronization. • “Custom” to choose the components you wish to install. Click Next. The “Edit your location” screen displays. Enter a descriptive name for your location and click Next. The description displays on the LearnLinc palette in classes that are data only, or that use audio conferencing. You can change the description later, in the LearnLinc client control panel. The “Verify Proxy Server” screen displays. If you are on a network that uses a web proxy server, enter the server address and port number for the web proxy server and click Next. If you do not use a proxy server, leave the fields empty and click Next. The “Start Copying Files” screen displays. Review the information and click Next to begin the installation. When the “Setup complete” screen displays, select “Yes, I want to restart my computer now.” and click Finish.

þ You can find the web proxy

server address and port information by selecting “Internet Options” or “Preferences” from one of your web browser’s menus, and finding the proxy or LAN settings.

Allowing Your Users Download and Install the Classroom Software Make sure that each user installs and configures the classroom software before his or her first class. We have included two documents in the “docs” folder on both the LearnLinc Client and Server CDs that you can customize and distribute to your users to aid in this process. • “Your first LearnLinc class” (memo.doc) is a memo that describes the process of creating an account, logging-in to the Virtual Campus, getting the LearnLinc client, and joining a class. • “Installing the LearnLinc classroom software” (install.doc) provides detailed instructions for downloading, installing, and configuring the LearnLinc classroom software. Both of these documents can be found in the “docs” folder on the LearnLinc Client and Server CDs.

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Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Client Configuration. 2. If you change the web proxy, enter the web proxy server name and port number in the “HTTP proxy” and “Port” text boxes, respectively. 3. If you choose to open a UDP port in your firewall to transmit audio data, make sure “Attempt to use UDP data” is checked. Otherwise, clear the checkbox. 4. Click OK.

Configuring the Classroom Software to Work with Web Proxies and Firewalls Generally, the LearnLinc classroom software is ready to use when you install it. However, if your organization changes its web proxy or firewall configuration, you must configure each LearnLinc client with the new settings. 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Client Configuration, from the Windows taskbar. The LearnLinc client control panel displays.

2.

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If your organization uses a web proxy, set the web proxy information. • Select “Specify a HTTP proxy server to use:” and then enter the proxy server name and port number in the “HTTP” and “Port” text boxes, respectively. • If you are only connecting to LearnLinc servers outside your company’s firewall, check “Force all requests to use the proxy server”. • If your web proxy does not support “keep alive”, select “Force HTTP polling”. This will prevent a delay from occurring when students enter a class.

Installing LearnLinc 4

3.

4.

Set the Internet audio information. • If your organization uses Internet audio conferencing in LearnLinc classes, and chooses to open a port in its firewall to transmit audio data, check “Attempt to use UDP data”. • Otherwise, clear the checkbox. Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog.

Next Steps

þ If you check “Attempt to use

UDP data”, the LearnLinc client will attempt to make a UDP connection to the server for audio data. If it cannot, it will make an HTTP connection instead.

Once you have successfully installed the LearnLinc server software, and installed the LearnLinc classroom software on at least two computers, you can test your LearnLinc installations by following the test plan in Chapter 5, Chapter Testing the LearnLinc Environment.

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Testing the LearnLinc Environment 5

5 Testing the LearnLinc Environment This chapter explains the process for testing the LearnLinc environment. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Test the LearnLinc Virtual Campus • Test the LearnLinc Virtual Classroom • Test additional components In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What do I need to complete the tests? 2. What do I need to test the connection between multiple sites?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: Virtual Classroom

“Overview: Using LearnLinc” on page 32.

Installing the LearnLinc server and classroom software

“Installing LearnLinc” on page 43.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you understand the importance of testing the LearnLinc environment, and the elements necessary to do so. Specifically, you need to know: • Required Elements for Testing • Multiple Sites

Required Elements for Testing To test the LearnLinc environment, you must have installed the proper software and have at least two people from your LearnLinc team available to conduct the tests. These requirements are described in detail in the remainder of this topic. Software You must install the LearnLinc server, enable all your licences, and install the classroom software on two computers before conducting your LearnLinc tests. LearnLinc Information The LearnLinc Virtual Campus has sample users, and a sample course with resources and classes that you can use to complete the tests outlined in this chapter. Multiple Sites To test the connection between multiple sites, you must install the LearnLinc classroom software on at least one computer at each site. Each computer must be connected to an intranet or the Internet so that it can connect to your LearnLinc server.

Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for testing the LearnLinc environment.

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Check Your Licences 1. Launch a web browser on the server, or on another computer. 2. Navigate to “http://servername/ll/ll.dll/ServerInfo”, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server. If you have chosen to password protect your Server information page, you will be prompted to enter your Windows user name and password. See “Server Information Page” on page 46 for more information. The “LearnLinc Server Information” page displays.

3.

Scroll down to the entry “Classroom Service Licences”. Your licences are listed by conferencing type. You can see the total for each type, the number currently in use, and the expiration date for each license type.

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• If your LearnLinc licences are not enabled, refer to “Enabling Your Server Licenses” on page 52. Once your licences are enabled, return to this chapter. • If your LearnLinc licences are enabled, proceed to the next task. Quick Steps 1. Launch a web browser and navigate to your Virtual Campus. 2. Click “I’m a LearnLinc user and I’d like to log-in”. 3. Enter the default administrator account information. Log-in ID: Administrator Group: System Password: Administrator 4. Click Login. 5. Change the password for the default account immediately.

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Log-in as an Administrator Logging-in to the Virtual Campus tests your LearnLinc server installation. If you can log-in, the web server and LearnLinc Name Service database are functioning properly. 1. Launch a web browser and navigate to your Virtual Campus. The address of the Virtual Campus is the server’s domain name and the virtual directory you chose during installation, for example, in “http://www.xyzlearning.com/ learnlinc”,”xyzlearning” the server name, and “learnlinc” is the virtual directory name. The welcome page displays.

Testing the LearnLinc Environment 5

2. 3.

4.

Click “I’m a LearnLinc user and I’d like to log-in”. The log-in page displays. Log-in using the default administrator account. The account information is: Log-in ID: Administrator Group: System Password: Administrator Click Login. The home page for the default administrator displays.

You are now logged-in as the default LearnLinc administrator. Change the password for this account immediately. Refer to the next section, “Change the System Administrator Account Password” for detailed directions.

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Quick Steps 1. Click “User Directory” in the left navigation pane of the Virtual Campus 2. Click “System”. 3. Click “System Administrator”. 4. Click the “Edit” tab. 5. Enter a new password and verify it. 6. Click Save to update the account. 7. Click “Logout” on the top menu bar. 8. Click Logout to return to the welcome page.

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Change the System Administrator Account Password Changing the system administrator password not only ensures the security of your LearnLinc environment, it tests the LearnLinc Name Service as well. During this task you will retrieve data from the LearnLinc Name Service as well as add new data to it. 1. Click “User directory” in the left navigation pane of the Virtual Campus. The User Directory displays.

Testing the LearnLinc Environment 5

2.

Click “System” to see a list of all the users in that group.

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3.

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Click “System Administrator” to see your account information. The details for your user profile display

Testing the LearnLinc Environment 5

4.

Click the “Edit” tab. The edit page for your user profile displays.

5.

Enter a new password in the “New password” and “Verify new password” fields. Passwords are case sensitive. Click Save to update your account. Your new password is now in effect. Be sure to record your password in a secure location.

6.

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7.

Click “Logout” on the top menu bar. The logout page displays.

8. Click Logout to return to the Virtual Campus welcome page. 9. Log-in again using the default administrator account to verify the new password. 10. Log-out and proceed to the next section. Do not close your browser. The remainder of the tasks in this chapter are divided between instructor actions and student actions. Make sure that all members of the LearnLinc team who are involved in the test have a copy of this guide, or at least the following pages, to ensure that all tasks are completed in sequence.

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Log-in Again as Sample Instructor Perform this task so that you can enter the Virtual Classroom as an instructor. 1. Click “I’m a LearnLinc user and I’d like to log-in” on the Virtual Campus welcome page. The log-in page displays. 2. Log-in using the sample instructor account. The account information is: Log-in ID: instructor Group: Sample Password: there is no password for this account 3. Click Login to go to the Sample instructor’s home page. The sample instructor’s home page displays.

Quick Steps 1. Click “I’m a LearnLinc user and I’d like to Log-in.” 2. Enter the sample instructor account information. Log-in ID: Instructor Group: Sample Password: leave blank 3. Click Login.

You are now logged-in as Sample instructor. To ensure the security of your LearnLinc environment, you may wish to change the password for this account before proceeding.

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Quick Steps 1. Click “Sample Course” under “You are teaching the following courses” on your home page. 2. Click “Join” next to the class for your conferencing type. 3. Wait for the LearnLinc palette to display.

Instructor: Join a Class in the Sample Course 1. Click “Sample Course” under the heading “You are teaching the following courses” on your home page. The contents tab for Sample Course displays.

2. 3.

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Click “Join” next to a class. Join the type of class for which you have enabled conferencing licences. If you have not done so already, you will be prompted to configure your computer’s audio settings. Complete all the steps in the LearnLinc Audio Wizard to configure your audio settings and join the class.

Testing the LearnLinc Environment 5

Your web browser minimizes automatically as you begin to join the class. The LearnLinc splash screen displays, followed by the LearnLinc palette. When your name displays in the class list, you are logged-in to the class. The following diagram highlights the features of the instructor’s palette. .

Instructor’s palette

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Quick Steps 1. Click “I’m a LearnLinc user and I’d like to Log-in.” 2. Enter the sample student account information. Log-in ID: Student Group: Sample Password: leave blank 3. Click Login.

Student: Join the Same Class on Another LearnLinc Computer A second LearnLinc team member should join the same class, using the sample student account. You must have at least two users logged-in to complete the remainder of the tasks in this test. The information for the sample student account is: Log-in ID: Student Group: Sample Password: there is no password for this account To ensure the security of your LearnLinc environment, you may wish to change the password for this account before proceeding. For complete directions for logging-in and changing your password, refer to the instructions in the previous sections, “Log-in as an Administrator”, and “Change the System Administrator Account Password” but use the student account information.

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As you join the class, your web browser minimizes, and the student LearnLinc palette displays. The following diagram highlights the features of the student’s palette. Student’s Palette

þ If the instructor and student are not in the same room, be sure to have a phone available for their use until you are sure they can communicate via LearnLinc.

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Quick Steps 1. If you have a Talk button, click it, or press . 2. Ask the student to click the hand raise button if he or she can hear you.

Instructor: Talk to the Class This task tests audio and video conferencing, and is not necessary for users who are in the class “Data only”. If you are in the class “Data only”, move to the task, “Instructor: Launch the Synchronized Web Browser and Navigate to a URL” on page 91. If you are in any other class, proceed with this task. 1. If you have a Talk button click it, or press before you begin speaking. Otherwise, begin speaking to the class immediately.

• If the student cannot hear you, select Tools > Local > Audio wizard, to adjust your audio settings. Repeat the test. • If the student can hear you, continue to the next step.

2.

Talk to the class by speaking into your microphone. As you speak, the volume indicator displays volume level bars. Green bars indicate an acceptable volume level. Yellow or red bars indicate that the volume is too loud. 3. Ask the student to raise his or her hand if he or she can hear you and see you. • If the student cannot hear you, check your microphone and speaker cable connections, and run your audio wizard by selecting Tools > Local > Audio Wizard, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. Ask the student to do the same via text chat. Try talking again. If the student still cannot hear you, refer to “Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting” on page 537. • If you are using video but the student cannot see you, check your video camera cable connections, and make sure the lens is uncovered. • If you see the student’s hand raise, the student can hear you. When your audio or video conferencing is working properly, continue with the next task.

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Student: Raise Hand If you hear the instructor speaking to you, and/or see his or her image in the LearnLinc palette conferencing window, click Hand raise.

If you do not hear or see the instructor, wait for the instructor to contact you by another means, such as text chat or a phone call. He or she may ask you to run your audio wizard. You can do so by selecting Tools > Local > Audio wizard, from the LearnLinc menu bar.

Instructor: Pass the Floor This task tests floor control, and gives the student the floor, so that you can test two-way conferencing between the instructor and the floor holder. 1. Double-click the student’s name in the class list to pass the floor.

2.

Quick Steps If you hear the instructor, click Hand raise. Otherwise, wait for the instructor to contact you by another means.

Quick Steps 1. Double-click the student’s name to pass the floor. 2. Ask the student to speak into his or her microphone.

Ask the student to speak into his or her microphone. • If you cannot hear the student, contact him or her through text chat, and instruct him or her to run the audio wizard by selecting Tools > Local > Audio Wizard, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. If you still cannot hear the student, refer to “Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting” on page 537. • If you hear the student, take the floor back. Everyone’s conferencing is working properly. Continue with the next task.

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Quick Steps 1. Wait for the instructor to pass the floor to you. 2. If you have a Talk button click it, or press , before speaking. 3. When you are done, ask the instructor to take the floor back.

Student: Talk to the Class This task continues the conferencing test. 1. Wait for the instructor to pass the floor to you. Students must have the floor to speak to the class. 2. If you have a Talk button click it, or press , before you begin speaking. Otherwise, begin speaking to the class immediately.

Some users may have a “Talk” button, while others have a “Mute” checkbox. Your computer’s audio hardware determines which of the two you use. 3. When you are done speaking, ask the instructor to take back the floor and click “Talk” or press if necessary. • If the instructor did not hear and/or see you, run your audio wizard by selecting Tools > Local > Audio Wizard, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. Ask the student to do the same. Try talking again. If the student still cannot hear you, refer to “Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting” on page 537. • If the instructor heard and/or saw you, two-way audio is working properly. When your audio or video conferencing is working properly, continue with the next task.

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Instructor: Take the Floor This task completes the floor control test. Click Take floor to take the floor back from the student.

Instructor: Launch the Synchronized Web Browser and Navigate to a URL This task tests the synchronized web browser. The synchronized web browser uses your Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator browser–the screen shots in this section may look somewhat different from your web browser. 1. Select the agenda tab on the LearnLinc palette to display the agenda.

2.

Quick Steps Click Take floor.

Quick Steps 1. Select the Agenda tab on the LearnLinc palette. 2. Click the synchronized web browser shortcut. 3. Navigate to a web site on the Internet or your intranet. 4. Ask the student to raise his or her hand when the web site displays in his or her browser.

Click the synchronized web browser shortcut.

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The synchronized web browser launches in the content area of your screen.

3.

Navigate to a web site on the Internet or your intranet. If you navigate to an Internet site, both you and the student must be connected to the Internet. If you navigate to an intranet site, both you and the student must have access to your organization’s intranet.

4.

Ask the student to raise his or her hand when the new web site displays in the synchronized web browser. • If the student doesn’t raise his or her hand, refer to the synchronized web browser troubleshooting information in “Classroom Tools Issues” on page 522. • If the student raises his or her hand, the synchronized web browser is working properly. When your synchronized web browser is working properly, close it and continue with the next task.

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Instructor: Use AppShare This task tests AppShare, LearnLinc’s application sharing tool. 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Select Start > Programs > Accessories > Calculator, from the Windows taskbar.

3.

Select the agenda tab on the LearnLinc palette to display the agenda.

4.

Click the AppShare shortcut.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Select Start > Programs > Accessories > Calculator. 3. Select the Agenda tab on the LearnLinc palette. 4. Click the AppShare shortcut. 5. Check “Calculator” in the Applications list. 6. Click Start.

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The “Select Application” dialog displays.

5. 6. 7.

8.

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Check “Calculator” in the Applications list. If “Calculator does not display in the list, click Refresh List. Click “Start”. Ask the student to raise his or her hand when the display window and calculator display on his or her screen. • If the student doesn’t raise his or her hand, refer to the AppShare troubleshooting information in Appendix A, on page 509. • If the student raises his or her hand, AppShare is working properly. When AppShare is working properly, your LearnLinc Virtual Campus and Virtual Classroom tests are complete. If you are using LearnLinc at multiple sites, continue to the next section, “Multiple site testing”. Click Quit to close AppShare.

Testing the LearnLinc Environment 5

Multiple Site Testing By testing locally before conducting a multiple site test, you are ensuring that most of the LearnLinc features and tools will work properly regardless of where your students are located. Perform the following test to ensure that students at distant sites can connect to your LearnLinc server, and that audio conferencing is configured properly. 1. Make sure the LearnLinc classroom software is installed on a computer at your site, and on a computer at each site with which you wish to test. 2. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as the Sample instructor. 3. Ask the users at each site to go to the Virtual Campus and create new accounts for themselves. 4. Click “Sample Course” on your home page course list, and then click the “Join” link for the class that matches your conferencing type. 5. Instruct the users at the other sites to join that class as well. 6. Wait for everyone to join the class before proceeding. 7. If you have a Talk button, click it before you begin speaking. Otherwise, begin speaking to the class immediately.

8.

Talk to the class by speaking into your microphone. As you speak, the microphone volume indicator, displays green bars to show your volume level.

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Ask the students to raise their hands if they can hear and/or see you. • If you see all students’ hands raise, everyone’s conferencing is working properly. • If none of the students can hear and/or see you, run your audio wizard by selecting Tools > Local > Audio Wizard, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. Try talking again. If the student still cannot hear you, refer to “Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting” on page 537. • If some students can hear you, and others cannot, use text chat to ask the students who cannot hear you to run their audio wizards. Try talking again. If the student still cannot hear you, refer to “Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting” on page 537.

Next Steps Once you have tested your LearnLinc environment, you are ready to roll out a larger pilot installation. Install the LearnLinc classroom software for each person you expect to join your pilot class, or instruct them to download and install the software from the Virtual Campus. Be sure to test with each person to ensure that their audio and/or video conferencing is working properly. To prepare for your pilot class, please see: • Chapter 7, Managing Users • Chapter 8, Converting your Content for LearnLinc • Chapter 9, Creating Courses • Chapter 10, Scheduling Classes • Chapter 11, Working with Resources

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6 Customizing LearnLinc This chapter explains the types of customizations that can be made to the LearnLinc server, the Virtual Campus, and the Virtual Classroom. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Add streaming video to your server • Translate the Virtual Campus • Change the Virtual Campus graphics • Remove access to certain Virtual Campus functions • Make changes to Virtual Campus text • Change the Virtual Campus desktop bitmap • Enable instructors and students to show their pictures in the LearnLinc palette • Upload instructor and student pictures to the LearnLinc server • Create a custom client installation for Virtual Classroom customizations In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. Why customize? 2. What additional components can I install on the LearnLinc server? 3. What areas of LearnLinc can I translate? 4. What features can I customize? 5. What is the process for developing and implementing changes to the Virtual Campus? 6. How do I distribute changes to the Virtual Classroom? 7. Where are the student and instructor pictures that display in the palette stored?

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What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: Creating a LearnLinc environment

“Overview: Creating a LearnLinc Environment” on page 26.

Using LearnLinc

“Overview: Using LearnLinc” on page 32.

Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you understand the types of customizations that can be made to the LearnLinc environment. Specifically, you need to know: • Why Customize? • Streaming Video • Areas of LearnLinc That Can Be Localized • Features That Can Be Customized in the Virtual Campus • A Suggested Process for Developing and Implementing Virtual Campus Customizations • Features That Can Be Customized in the Virtual Classroom • Distributing Customizations to the Virtual Classroom

Why Customize? While LearnLinc is a full featured environment that can be installed and used “as is”, your organization may have specific training needs or goals that require some customization of the LearnLinc server, Virtual Campus web site, or Virtual Classroom environment. Wherever possible, we have provided you with easy access to customization information and tools. Streaming Video One of the most popular additions to the LearnLinc environment is Streaming Video. Streaming video is prerecorded or live video that users view as it is downloading to their computers. Prerecorded streamed video clips are stored on a web server or other accessible location. When you access a streamed video file it begins to play almost immediately, and continues to download and store the remainder of the file as you are playing it. Using prerecorded streamed video files helps you to avoid long waits while you download media files.

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Live streamed video is captured by encoder software on your computer, sent to a server, and then sent to individuals who have requested to see the streamed video. Streaming live video is bandwidth efficient, but only provides a one-way video solution. In LearnLinc classes, the instructor can use streamed video to send his or her live image to the class in real time– however, the students in the class cannot send their video images. To add live streaming video to your LearnLinc environment you must add a streaming video server to your LearnLinc server, or another server that all LearnLinc users will be able to access, and purchase streaming video licenses for your LearnLinc server. LearnLinc 4.5 supports the use of Microsoft Netshow Server 3.0 or Real Video Server 4.0. Additionally, you must provide a second computer for your instructor to capture his or her video image and run the encoder software. The encoder computer connects to the streaming video server to distribute the instructor’s live video image to the class. Streaming video is highly compressed. The compression process can take up to 30 seconds, which will result in a 30 second delay between when an instructor speaks and when the students hear him or her.

Areas of LearnLinc That Can Be Localized LearnLinc 4.5 supports full localization of the LearnLinc Client software. Localized versions of LearnLinc allow you to use up to two languages in class at one time. Please contact LearnLinc for more information on localized LearnLinc software. You can also localize the text of the LearnLinc Virtual Campus. Refer to Localizing the Virtual Campus on page 109 for instructions. Features That Can Be Customized in the Virtual Campus You can make any or all of the following changes to the Virtual Campus: • replace border graphics with your organization’s logo or artwork • remove access to certain functionality, such as the user directory • add custom functionality

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A Suggested Process for Developing and Implementing Virtual Campus Customizations Once your Virtual Campus is in use, we suggest that you do not modify it directly. If you modify the Virtual Campus directly, you may accidentally “break” parts of the campus, causing your users to miss classes or be denied access to course resources or other information. We recommend that you create a duplicate of your Virtual Campus, and store it on a separate LearnLinc server for further development and testing. You can use the Administration tool export and import features to put a copy of your LearnLinc Name Service database on the duplicate server, so that you can make and test changes in a simulation of your actual LearnLinc environment, without compromising your live LearnLinc server. Features That Can Be Customized in the Virtual Classroom You can make any or all of the following changes to the Virtual Classroom: • display users’ pictures in the LearnLinc palette • change the LearnLinc Virtual Classroom desktop background bitmap • change the default instructor and student bitmaps (for users who do not have their own pictures uploaded to the server) • change the default page that displays when the synchronized web browser launches • change the default feedback answers Distributing Customizations to the Virtual Classroom While displaying users’ pictures in the LearnLinc palette does not require any changes to the LearnLinc classroom software, all other customizations to the Virtual Classroom do. Because these customizations require that you add to or update files in the LearnLinc classroom software installation, you must create a customized installation and distribute to your users

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for customizing your LearnLinc environment, specifically: • Adding Streaming Video to Your LearnLinc Server • Removing Access to Virtual Campus Functions • Modifying the Virtual Campus Download Page • Localizing the Virtual Campus • Making Changes to the Text in the Virtual Campus • Removing Access to Virtual Campus Functions • Enabling Instructors and Students to Show their Pictures in the LearnLinc Palette • Changing the Default Instructor and Student Pictures in the LearnLinc Palette • Changing the Virtual Classroom Desktop Background Bitmap • Changing the Default Page that Displays when the Synchronized Web Browser Launches • Changing the Default Feedback Answers for all Your LearnLinc Users • Creating a Custom Installation for the LearnLinc Classroom Software

Adding Streaming Video to Your LearnLinc Server The following is a overview of the process of adding live streaming video to LearnLinc. For specific directions, please refer to your NetShow 3.0 or Real Video 4.0 documentation. 1. Purchase and install LearnLinc streaming video licences on your LearnLinc server. 2. Install the Netshow or Real Video server software on a LearnLinc server or another server. 3. Set up a second computer next to the instructor who wishes to use live streaming video. The second computer must be next to the instructor to capture his or her video and have video capture hardware and software installed on it. 4. Install the encoder software on the second computer. 5. Test to make sure that streaming video is working outside of the LearnLinc environment. 6. Schedule a data only class that has the application “Streaming Video” in its autostart list. 7. Tell the class instructor to: a. Join the class. b. Select Tools > Class > Suspend Audio/Video to stop any other conferencing in use. c. Enter the URL for the NetShow or Real Video server in the Streaming Video text box d. Click Go!. The students can hear and see the instructor in their video windows.

Quick Steps 1. Install streaming video licences on your LearnLinc server. 1. Install Netshow or Real Video server. 2. Set up a second computer next to the instructor with the encoder software. 3. Schedule a data only class with the application “Streaming Video” in its autostart list. 4. Tell the instructor to enter the URL for the Netshow or Real Video server in the streaming video text box and click Go!.

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Removing Access to Virtual Campus Functions You can prevent your users from accessing features in the Virtual Campus by removing links to those features. The following sections describe the processes for removing access to the user account creation, guest course catalog, and user directory features. Quick Steps 1. Locate and open the file “default.asp” on your LearnLinc server. 2. Comment out the lines that create the link to the user account creation page.

User account creation 1. Locate the file “default.asp” on your LearnLinc server. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb”. 2. Open the file in Windows® NotePad, Microsoft Visual InterDev™ or another editor. 3. Comment out the following lines by placing HTML comment markers at the beginning and end of the following lines. The beginning “” comment lines have already been added to the following example, in bold text. 4. Save and close the page. Do not delete the page account.asp from the server.

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Guest Course Catalog 1. Locate the file default.asp on your LearnLinc server. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb”. 2. Open the file in Windows® NotePad, Microsoft Visual InterDev™ or another editor. 3. Comment out the following lines by placing HTML comment markers at the beginning and end of the following lines. The beginning “” comment lines have already been added to the following example, in bold text. 4. Save and close the page.

Quick Steps 1. Locate and open the file “default.asp” on your LearnLinc server. 2. Comment out the lines that create the link to the guest course catalog page.

Do not delete the page GuestCatalog.asp from the server.

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Quick Steps 1. Locate and open the file “default.asp” on your LearnLinc server. 2. Comment out the lines that create the link to the user directory page.

User Directory 1. Locate the file navigate.asp on your LearnLinc server. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb”. 2. Open the file in Windows® NotePad, Microsoft Visual InterDev™ or another editor. 3. Comment out the following lines by placing HTML comment markers at the beginning and end of the following lines. The beginning “” comment lines have already been added to the following example, in bold text. 4. Save and close the page. Note that users can still see profile pages for students and instructors with whom they are taking courses. Do not delete the page directory.asp from the server.

Quick Steps 1. Determine which installation option you wish to keep. 2. Locate and open the file “download.asp” on the LearnLinc server. 3. Comment out the lines for the options you do not wish to display.

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Modifying the Virtual Campus Download Page 1. Determine which installation option you wish to keep on the page. 2. Locate the file “download.asp” on the LearnLinc server. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb. 3. Open the file in Windows® NotePad, Microsoft Visual InterDev™ or another editor. 4. Comment out the following lines by placing HTML comment markers at the beginning and end of the following lines. The beginning “” comment lines have already been added to the following example, in bold text. (Note that the code already contains other lines that have comment tags as well.)

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Advanced–Multimedia content

Typical

Custom

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Localizing the Virtual Campus 1. Create a new folder on your LearnLinc server, under the “language” folder. Name the folder so that it indicates the language your are adding, for example “Español” or “Deutsche”. By default, the “language” folder is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb\”. 2. Copy the contents of the folder “English” and paste them into your new folder. 3. Locate the file “words.inc” in the “language” folder. The information in this file enables a language selection drop down box and button on the welcome page of the Virtual Campus. 4. Open the file using Windows NotePad or another text editor. 5. After languagename English

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• To translate the text for your localized version of the Virtual Campus, follow the directions in the section “Making Changes to the Text in the Virtual Campus” on page 110. • To replace the tabs and buttons in the Virtual Campus with translated versions, follow the directions in the section “Changing the Button Graphics in the Virtual Campus” on page 113. • To translate the Virtual Campus help pages and Quick Tutorial pages, locate the folders “help” and “tutorial” under the folder for your language translation. Translate the text in each HTML file directly. A working knowledge of HTML is necessary to translate the HTML files. Quick Steps 1. Locate and open the file “words.txt” on your LearnLinc server. 2. Edit the text you wish to change by finding its string and editing the text after the equal sign (=),

Making Changes to the Text in the Virtual Campus 1. Locate the file “words.txt” on your LearnLinc server. By default, the English version of this file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb\language\English”. If you are localizing your Virtual Campus, and you have created a folder for another language, locate the copy of the file “words.txt” under the that folder. 2. Open the file in a text editor, such as Microsoft® Write. (Note that the file may be too large to open in Windows® Notepad.) 3. Locate the text you wish to change. The text entries are organized by the name of the web page on which they display. If you are upgrading your Virtual Campus from a version that has already been translated, locate the file “error.inc” in the previous version and copy and paste its contents at the top of the file words.txt. Delete the lines 'ErrorMsg001' to 'String307' that were included in words.txt, and translate all the lines after the comment 'Words Added For LearnLinc 4.0'.

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4.

Edit the text after the equal sign (=). • Be sure to enclose the text with double quotes. • To display a space between sentences in the Virtual Campus, enter two spaces in the text file. If you want the text you are entering to display in quotes in the Virtual Campus, be sure to use single quotes ( ‘ ) around that text.

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Changing Virtual Campus Graphics You can change the image on the Virtual Campus welcome page, the border graphics, and the button graphics in the Virtual Campus. We recommend testing all changes on a duplicate LearnLinc server before implementing them on your live LearnLinc server.

Quick Steps 1. Create a graphic to replace the default, welcome.jpg. 2. Replace the original on the LearnLinc server. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincSer ver\LLWeb\language”.

Changing the Welcome Page Graphic 1. Create a graphic to replace the default graphic and name it “welcome.jpg”. The graphic must be: • 300 x 285 pixels (height x width) • saved in jpeg (.jpg) format. 2. Locate the original file “welcome.jpg” on your LearnLinc server. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb\language”. 3. Copy your graphic to the “language” folder. The “Confirm file replace” dialog displays.

4. 5.

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Click Yes to replace the file. Launch a web browser to view your change. You may need to reload or refresh your browser window to see the change.

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Changing the Virtual Campus Border Graphics 1. Create a graphic to replace the top border graphic and name it “banner.jpg”. The graphic must be: • 1280 x 62 pixels (height x width) • saved in jpeg (.jpg) format. 2. Create a graphic to replace the left border graphic and name it “navigate.jpg”. The graphic must be: • 100 x 968 pixels (height x width) • saved in jpeg (.jpg) format. 3. Locate the original files “banner.jpg” and “navigate.jpg” on your LearnLinc server. By default, the files are located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb\language”. 4. Copy your graphics to the “language” folder. The “Confirm file replace” dialog displays. 5. Click Yes to replace the file. 6. Launch a web browser to view your changes. You may need to reload or refresh your browser window to see the change. Changing the Button Graphics in the Virtual Campus In most cases, changing the button graphics is not necessary. If you choose to change the graphic style, or to translate the text on the buttons, follow the directions outlined below. Create the new graphic and save it with the same name as the existing button. A complete list of the buttons in the Virtual Campus folder “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb\language\English” follows. • If you are simply changing the style of the graphic, copy your graphic to the “English” folder. • If you are translating the text on the graphic, copy the graphic file to the folder for the translation. See “Localizing the Virtual Campus” on page 109 for complete instructions on translating buttons and text in the Virtual Campus.

Quick Steps 1. Create graphics to replace the top and border graphics. Name them “banner.jpg” and “navigate.jpg”, respectively. 2. Replace the originals on the LearnLinc server. By default, the files are located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincSer ver\LLWeb\language”.

Quick Steps 1. Create graphics to replace the desired tabs and buttons. Give your graphics the same names as the originals. 2. Replace the originals on the LearnLinc server. By default, the files are located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincSer ver\LLWeb\language\English.

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Tab and Button Graphics in the Virtual Campus Note that tabs and some buttons have two graphics, one displays normally, the other when the mouse is positioned over the button. You must edit both graphics. The second graphic has the same name, with “_b” at the end. • about_a.gif (about button) Displays on help.asp Links to about.asp • add_a.gif (add button) add_b.gif Displays on courseinfo.asp, classinfo.asp Links to classinfo.asp (edit tab), applicationnew.asp, materialinfo.asp (edit tab), noteinfo.asp (edit tab), choosefile.asp • add_course.gif (add course button) Displays on catalog.asp Links to courseinfo.asp (edit tab) • add_folder.gif (add folder button) Displays on catalog.asp Links to foldernew.asp • add_remove_a.gif (add/remove button) Displays on courseinfo.asp (people tab) Links to selectcourseinstructor.asp, selectcoursestudent.asp • add_user_a.gif (add user button) Displays on directory.asp Links to usernew.asp • agenda_a.gif (agenda tab, not selected) agenda_b.gif (agenda tab, selected) Displays on classinfo.asp Links to agenda tab display • assistants_a.gif (assistants tab, not selected) assistants_b.gif (assistants tab, selected)

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Displays on classinfo.asp Links to assistants tab display auto_register_a.gif (auto register button) Displays on courseinfo.asp (people tab) Does not link to another page cancel_a.gif (cancel button) Displays on foldernew.asp, applicationnew.asp, usernew.asp Links to catalog.asp, courseinfo.asp, directory.asp contents_a.gif (contents tab, not selected) contents_b.gif (contents tab, selected) Displays on courseinfo.asp Links to contents tab display continue_a.gif Displays on accountnew.asp Links to frameset.asp course_i.gif (course catalog button, not selected) course_ib.gif (course catalog button, selected) Displays on navigate.asp Links to catalog.asp details_a.gif (details tab, not selected) details_b.gif (details tab, selected) Displays on materialinfo.asp, noteinfo.asp, classinfo.asp Links to details tab display directory_i.gif (user directory button, not selected) directory_ib.gif (user directory button, selected) Displays on page navigate.asp Links to directory.asp discussion_a.gif (discussion tab, not selected) discussion_b.gif (discussion tab, selected) Displays on courseinfo.asp Links to discussion tab display download.gif (download button) Displays on exeinst.asp Links to LearnLinc install file LL40full.exe

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• edit_a.gif (edit tab, not selected) edit_b.gif (edit tab, selected) Displays on courseinfo.asp, classinfo.asp, materialinfo.asp, noteinfo.asp Links to edit tab display • help_a.gif (help button) Displays on pages FolderNew.asp, FolderNew.htm, GroupNew.htm, Help.asp, SelectClassAssistants.htm, SelectCourseInstructor.htm, SelectCourseStudent.htm Links to Help.asp • home_i.gif (home button, not selected) home_ib.gif (home button, selected) Displays on page navigate.asp Links to home.asp • join_a.gif (join button) Displays on classinfo.asp (details tab) Link launches LearnLinc classroom software • logout_a.gif (logout button) Displays on logout.asp Links to default.asp • make_changes_a.gif (small make changes button) Displays on AccountNewConfirm.htm, AccountNewFail.htm Links to AccountNew.asp • menu_div.gif (divider between links on top navigation bar) This graphic does not require modification or translation • menu1a.gif (download button, not selected) menu1b.gif (download button, selected) Displays on menu.htm Links to page download.asp • menu2a.gif (logout button, not selected) menu2b.gif (logout button, selected) Displays on menu.htm Links to page logout.asp • menu3a.gif (help button, not selected) menu3b.gif (help button, selected)

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Displays on menu.htm Links to page help.asp menu5a.gif (language button, not selected) menu5a.gif (language button, selected) Displays on menu.htm Links to language.asp ok_a.gif (OK button, not selected) ok_b.gif (OK button, selected) Displays on upload.asp, applicationnew.asp Links to materialinfo.asp (edit tab) people_a.gif (people tab, not selected) people_b.gif (people tab, selected) Displays on courseinfo.asp Links to people tab display quicktutorial_i.gif (quick tutorial button, not selected) quicktutorial_ib.gif (quick tutorial button, selected) Displays on navigate.asp Links to qtwelcome.htm return_a.gif (return button) Displays on classinfo.asp (all tabs), noteinfo.asp (all tabs), materialinfo.asp (all tabs) Links to courseinfo.asp (contents tab), classinfo.asp (details tab) save_a.gif (save button) Displays on courseinfo.asp (edit tab), classinfo.asp (edit tab), materialinfo.asp (edit tab), usernew.asp Links to courseinfo.asp (contents tab), classinfo.asp (details tab), materialinfo.asp (details tab), noteinfo.asp (details tab), directory.asp tab_a.gif (tab edges) tab_b.gif tab_c.gif (these graphics do not require modification or translation)

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Quick Steps 1. Collect image files from your LearnLinc users that are 180 x 125 pixels, in bitmap, jpeg, or ping format. 2. Copy the files to the “pictures” folder on the LearnLinc server.

Enabling Instructors and Students to Show their Pictures in the LearnLinc Palette 1. Collect image files from your LearnLinc users. Each image must be: • in bitmap (.bmp), jpeg (.jpg), or ping (.png) file format • 180 x 125 pixels (width x height) • stored in the following format: “pictures\persona\group\loginid.fileformat”, where group is the user’s log-in group, loginid is the user’s log-in ID, and fileformat is either .bmp, .jpg, or .png. For example, Jane Doe’s picture might be: “pictures\persona\self registered\JaneD.bmp. If the image format is .jpg, the user’s picture will also appear automatically on the User’s Personal Profile page in the User Directory. Make sure to use log-in names, not full names when you name the image file. In the previous example, “JaneD” is the log-in name, and “Jane Doe” is the full name.

þ The quality of the image as the

user sees is it based upon the color depth of the user’s video display and the color depth of the image itself. For best results, capture images at 24 bits and ask users to configure their displays to 16-bit or higher.

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2.

3.

Create a folder for each group under the “pictures\persona” folder on the LearnLinc server. By default, the “pictures\persona” folders are located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\pictures\persona”. Copy the image files to the appropriate “group” folders on the LearnLinc Server. Each user’s picture displays in the LearnLinc palette when he or she has the floor during a LearnLinc class.

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Changing the Default Instructor and Student Pictures in the LearnLinc Palette 1. Create new images for the instructor and student. Each image must be: • in bitmap (.bmp), jpeg (.jpg), or ping (.png) file format • 180 x 125 pixels (height x width) 2. Name the instructor picture “instructor.bmp” (or .jpg, or .png) and the student picture “student.bmp” (or .jpg, or .png). 3. Copy the image files to the “default” folder on the LearnLinc Server. By default, the “default” folder is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\pictures\default”. 4. If the “Confirm file replace” dialog displays, click Yes to replace the files.

5.

Quick Steps 1. Create new images for the default instructor and student pictures that are 180 x 125 pixels, and bitmap, jpeg, or ping format. 2. Name the instructor’s picture “instructor.bmp” (or .jpg, or .png) and student’s “student.bmp” (or .jpg, or .png). 3. Copy the files to the “\pictures\default” on the LearnLinc server.

The new default pictures display for users who do not have their own pictures on the LearnLinc server.

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Quick Steps 1. Create a new image called “desktop.bmp” that is 1024 x 768 pixels and 256 colors. 2. Distribute the new image to your users individually, or create a custom installation that includes the new file.

Quick Steps 1. Create a new HTML page and name it “sync.htm”. 2. Distribute the new page to your users individually, or create a custom installation that includes the new file and any image files.

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Changing the Virtual Classroom Desktop Background Bitmap 1. Create a new image for the desktop bitmap. The image must be: • 1024 x 768 pixels (height x width) • 256 colors. The image can be high color, if all your users computers are set to high color. • saved as “desktop.bmp” (no quotes) 2. Distribute the new image to your users. • To make the change manually, locate the file “desktop.bmp” on each user’s computer and replace it with your image. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincClient\Samples”. • To make the change part of the LearnLinc classroom software installation, please see “Creating a Custom Installation for the LearnLinc Classroom Software” on page 123. Changing the Default Page that Displays when the Synchronized Web Browser Launches 1. Create a new HTML page and name it “sync.htm”. To redirect your users to a web page on the Internet or your intranet, you could include a redirect meta tag in your new HTML page. Include the line: in your page, where # is the number of seconds to wait before redirecting the user, and webaddress is the URL to which you want to redirect your users. 2. Distribute the new HTML page and any image files that are used on the page to your users. • To make the change manually, locate the file “sync.htm” on each user’s computer and replace it with your file. Add any image files to this folder as well. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincClient\Docs”. • To make the change part of the LearnLinc classroom software installation, please see “Creating a Custom Installation for the LearnLinc Classroom Software” on page 123.

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Changing the Default Feedback Answers for all Your LearnLinc Users 1. Locate the file “feedback.qna” on a computer that has the LearnLinc classroom software installed on it. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincClient\Bin”. 2. Open the file in NotePad or another text editor. • To change one of the existing answer sets, continue to the next section, “Editing an existing answer set”. • To add a new default answer set, see “Creating a New Default Answer Set” on page 122. Editing an existing answer set 1. Locate the answer set you wish to edit. The answer sets are numbered sequentially, from [Q1] to [Q6]. 2. Edit the text after the equal sign (=) for each answer. The answers are numbered sequentially, from A1 to A4. 3. Select File > Save, to save your changes.

Quick Steps 1. Open the file “feedback.qna”. 2. Locate the answer set you wish to edit. 3. Edit the text after each =. 4. Save the file and distribute it to your users.

You can change the answers, but you cannot change the name of the answer set, which appears in the text chat right mouse menu, and under the Tools menu on the LearnLinc Palette. Clicking on the “old” name will display the “new” answer set. 4.

Distribute the new Feedback.qna file to your users. • To update the file manually on each user’s computer, locate the file “feedback.qna” on each computer and replace it with your file. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincClient\Bin”. • To update the LearnLinc classroom software installation to use your new file please see “Creating a Custom Installation for the LearnLinc Classroom Software” on page 123.

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Quick Steps 1. Open the file “feedback.qna”. 2. Copy the [Q6] answer set and paste it at the end of the file. 3. Change the line [Q6] to [Q7]. 4. Edit the text after each =. 5. Under [Settings] Change “total questions” to 7, and “default questions” to 7. 6. Save the file and distribute it to your users.

Creating a New Default Answer Set 1. Copy the following lines from the end of the file. [Q6] Question=A,B,C,D TotalAnswers=4 A1=A A2=B A3=C A4=D 2. Place the cursor at the end of the file, and paste the text. 3. Change the line [Q6] to [Q7]. 4. Change the text after the equal sign (=) for each answer. The answers are numbered sequentially, from A1 to A4. 5. Under [Settings] at the top of the file, change the following: • “TotalQuestions=6” to “TotalQuestions=7” • “DefaultQuestion=1” to “DefaultQuestion=7”. 6. Save the file. The new default answer set displays on each user’s palette when they join any class. If you change the feedback answer set during class, you cannot return to the default. 7.

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Distribute the new Feedback.qna file to your users. • To make the change manually, locate the file “feedback.qna” on each user’s computer and replace it with your file. Add any image files to this folder as well. By default, the file is located in “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincClient\Bin”. • To make the change part of the LearnLinc classroom software installation, please see the following section “Creating a Custom Installation for the LearnLinc Classroom Software”.

Customizing LearnLinc 6

Creating a Custom Installation for the LearnLinc Classroom Software If you chose to add customized files to the LearnLinc client software, you can create and distribute a custom installation to your users on CD ROM or via a network drive. The following instructions do not apply to the downloads on the Virtual Campus download page. Those files cannot be customized without purchasing third party installation software. 1.

2.

Copy the client installation disk folders from either the server or client CDs onto a local or network drive. The disk folder is labeled “disk1”, and is located on the CDs under the “Client” folder. Copy the customized files to the “disk1” folder. You can add the files listed in the following table to “disk1”.

File name

Purpose

Copied to

feedback.qna

stores feedback answer sets

/bin

sync.htm

displays when synchronized web browser launches

/docs

*.gif and/or *.jpg

optional graphics to display on customized sync.htm

/docs

samples.qna

sample question set for use with Q&A

/samples

quikstrt.htm

directions for using the Virtual Campus and joining a class

/samples

desktop.bmp

displays in the content area during a LearnLinc class to hide the desktop

/samples

*.gif and/or .jpg

optional graphics to display on customized quikstrt.htm

/samples

3. 4.

Quick Steps 1. Copy the client installation disk folder, “disk1” from a LearnLinc CD, onto a local or network drive. 2. Copy your customized files to the “disk1” folder. 3. Distribute the “disk” folder to your users. 4. Instruct your users to double-click on “setup.exe” in the folder “disk1”.

Distribute the “disk1” folder on CD-ROM or via a network drive. Instruct your users to double-click on “setup.exe” in the folder “disk1” to begin the custom installation.

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To Learn More To learn more about:

Please see:

NetShow

http://www.microsoft.com

Real Video

http://www.real.com

Next Steps Once you have made and distributed your customizations, review the following chapters to finish setting up your LearnLinc environment. • Chapter 7, Managing Users • Chapter 8, Converting your Content for LearnLinc • Chapter 9, Creating Courses • Chapter 10, Scheduling Classes • Chapter 11, Working with Resources

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Managing Users 7

7 Managing Users This chapter explains the concepts and tasks for managing LearnLinc users. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Add, edit, and delete authority levels • Add, edit, and delete log-in groups • Add, edit and delete, users • Add a large number of users In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What are authority levels, log-in groups, and users? 2. What is the LearnLinc Name Service? 3. How do authority levels affect users in the Virtual Campus? 4. How do authority levels affect users in the Virtual Classroom? 5. What happens when users create their own accounts? 6. What tools can I use to manage LearnLinc users?

What You Need to Know Before Reading this Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concept. the Virtual Campus

“Overview: Using LearnLinc” on page 32

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are creating users correctly and efficiently. Specifically, you need to know: • What Is a LearnLinc User? • What Is an Authority Level? • What Is a Log-in Group? • Administration Options

What Is a LearnLinc User? Each LearnLinc user has: • a full name • a log-in ID • a log-in group • a password • user profile information (email address, home page, contact information, comments) • an authority level • registration information All of this information is stored in their user account. Each user must have an account to log-in to the LearnLinc Virtual Campus. Users can create their own accounts in the Virtual Campus, or you may choose to create accounts for all student users. You must create all accounts for users who need authority levels greater than “selfregister”. Each user can modify his or her user profile information in the Virtual Campus user directory, with the exception the authority level. Only LearnLinc administrators can change the authority level for a user. What Is an Authority Level? An authority level is a user account setting that determines what a user can and cannot do in the LearnLinc environment. LearnLinc has five default authority levels: self register, student, instructor, author, and administrator. The following table describes the default permissions for each authority level. LearnLinc administrators, may choose to modify these authority levels, or create new ones. 126 • • • • •

Managing Users 7

SelfStudent Instructor Author Administrator register Edit own user profile Register for courses and join classes Create classes in own course Register/unregister users for own course Create resources in own course Create classes in any course Create resource in any course Register/unregister users for any course Edit groups and users Edit advanced properties

X X

X X

X X X X

X X X X

X X X X

X

X X

X X

X

X X X X

When an administrator creates a new user, he or she assigns an authority level to that account. When a user creates his or her own account in the Virtual Campus, the account is automatically assigned the “self-register” authority level.

þ You can remove the “create my own account” option from your Virtual Campus. For detailed directions, please see “Removing Access to Virtual Campus Functions” on

What Is a Log-in Group? Use log-in groups to create logical groupings of users. For example, in a corporate setting, you might group your users by department: training, human resources, IT, and so forth. In an academic setting, you might group users by department: biology, senior nursing, accounting, and so forth. Users must know their log-in groups to log-in to the Virtual Campus.

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Administration Options As a LearnLinc administrator, you have two options for managing LearnLinc users and other LearnLinc information: the Virtual Campus or the Administration tool. In general, you can perform the same administrative tasks in both tools. • The Virtual Campus provides administrative access for common tasks to instructors, authors, and administrators through any browser. • The Administration tool provides the ability to perform all the same tasks as the Virtual Campus, plus additional advanced capabilities. The Administration tool can only be accessed by administrators. For most activities, such as adding, editing, or deleting an account, course, class, or resource, we recommend using the Virtual Campus. If you have a large amount of information to enter, such as numerous users, we recommend using the Administration tool. The Administration tool is installed with the LearnLinc server. You can install the Administration tool on other computers by downloading it from the LearnLinc Virtual Campus download page (if you are logged-in as an administrator), or by installing it from the LearnLinc Server CD. See “Installing the Administration Tool” on page 62 for detailed directions. The information in the “Detailed directions” section of this chapter indicates when you should use the Virtual Campus or the Administration tool to mange your LearnLinc users.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for managing users, log-in groups, and authority levels, specifically: • Creating a Log-in Group • Creating a User • Deleting a Log-in Group or User • Adding, Editing, and Deleting Authority Levels • Adding a Large Number of Users

Creating a Log-in Group 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus using the default Administrator’s account, or another administrator account.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator. 2. Go to the User Directory. 3. Click Add Log-in Group. 4. Enter a name for the group and click OK.

The default administrator account information is: Log-in ID: Administrator Group: System Password: Administrator

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2.

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Click “User Directory” in the left navigation pane. The user directory displays, with a list of all log-in groups.

Managing Users 7

3.

Click Add Log-in Group. The “New group” page displays.

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4.

Enter a name for the group and click OK. The new group displays, with the message “There are no groups or users available”.

To add a user to your new group, skip to step 4 of “Creating a User” on page 133.

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Creating a User 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus using the default Administrator’s account, or another administrator account. 2. Click “User Directory” in the left navigation pane. The user directory displays, with a list of all log-in groups.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator. 2. Go to the User Directory. 3. Click a group name. 4. Click Add User. 5. Enter the user’s information and click OK.

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3.

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Click a group name. A list of all the users in that group displays.

Managing Users 7

4.

Click Add User. The new user page displays.

5.

Enter the user information and click OK. The user must have a unique log-in ID. For example, you may have two users named John Smith. While you can enter “John Smith” in the “Name” field for both users you must assign different log-in IDs, such as “jsmith1” and “jsmith2” to the accounts. The list of users in the group, including the new user, displays. • You can edit the user’s information at a later time by selecting the user’s name in the user directory and clicking the “Edit” tab. Make any desired changes and click Save to save your changes. • Be sure to notify the new user of his or her account information.

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Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator. 2. Go to the User Directory. • to delete a group, click “delete” next to its name. • to delete a user, click the user’s log-in group name and then click “delete” next to the user’s name.

Deleting a Log-in Group or User 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus using the default Administrator’s account, or another administrator account. 2. Click “User Directory” in the left navigation pane. The user directory displays, with a list of all log-in groups.

3.

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• To delete a log-in group, click “delete” next to its name. Note that you cannot delete a log-in group that has users in it. • To delete a user, proceed to step 3. Click the name of user’s group. A list of users in that group displays.

Managing Users 7

4. 5.

Click “delete” next to the user you wish to delete. A warning displays, asking if you are sure you wish to delete the user. Click OK to delete the user. The list of users in the group displays, without the user you deleted.

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Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool. 2. Log-in to the Administration tool. 3. Select System > Authority Levels, from the left pane. 4. Select New > Authority Level, from the menu bar. 5. Type a name and press . 6. Select the desired options and click OK.

Adding, Editing, and Deleting Authority Levels We do not recommend that you edit or delete the default authority levels. 1.

Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool, from the Windows taskbar.

The Administration tool launches on your computer.

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2.

3.

4. 5.

Enter your account information. You must have administrator authority to use the Administration tool. The default administrator account information is: Log-in ID: Administrator Group: System Password: Administrator Enter your server name. Your server name is the domain name or IP address for your LearnLinc server computer. For example, training.xyzlearning.com. Do not include the virtual directory for your LearnLinc Virtual Campus. If you are using a web proxy server to connect to the Internet, check “Use Proxy” and enter the server name and port of your web proxy server. Click Log-in. The Administration tool displays.

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6.

In the left pane, click the plus box (+) next to the “System” folder to expand it. The “Authority Levels” and “System Resources” folders display in the right pane.

7.

Click the “Authority Levels” folder to display its contents.

Managing Users 7

8.

Select New > Authority Level, from the Administration tool menu bar.

A new authority level icon displays in the right pane of the Administration tool.

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9.

Enter a name for the authority level by replacing the highlighted text and press . The property sheet for the new authority level displays.

10. Check the desired options. A description of each option follows. • Check “Change own password and preferences” to enable users of this type to manage their own user profile information. • Check “Register for courses” to enable users of this level to register for courses in the Virtual Campus. • Check “Enter classes” to enable users of this level to join classes. • Check “Create courses and classes” to enable users of this level to create, edit, and delete courses in the Virtual Campus. • Check “Content authoring and resource management” to enable users of this type to add resources to courses and classes in the Virtual Campus. • Check “System administration” to enable users of this type to manage all LearnLinc information, and to use the Administration tool.

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11. Click OK to save the new authority level. • To edit the authority level at a later time, double click its icon to display its property sheet. Make the desired changes and click OK. • To delete the authority level at a later time, click its icon once and select Edit > Delete from the Administration tool menu bar. Do not delete an authority level unless you are sure that no users have that authority assigned to them.

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Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool. 2. Log-in to the Administration tool. 3. Expand the Persona folder and click once on the desired log-in group. 4. Select New > User, from the menu bar. 5. Enter a user name and full name and click Insert. 6. Enter the user information and click OK.

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Adding a Large Number of Users 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool, from the Windows taskbar. The Administration tool launches on your computer. 2. Enter your account information. You must have administrator authority to use the Administration tool. 3. Enter your server name. Your server name is the domain name or IP address for your LearnLinc server computer. For example, training.xyzlearning.com. Do not include the virtual directory for your LearnLinc Virtual Campus. 4. If you are using a web proxy server to connect to the Internet, check “Use Proxy” and enter the server name and port of your web proxy server. 5. Click Log-in. The Administration tool displays.

Managing Users 7

6.

In the left pane, click the plus box (+) next to the “Persona” folder to expand it.

7. 8.

Select a group by highlighting it in the left pane of the Administration tool. Select New > User, from the Administration tool menu bar.

The “Insert new user” dialog displays.

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146 • • • • •

9.

Enter a user name and full name, and click Insert. • “User name” is the user’s log-in ID when they log-in to the Virtual Campus. • “Full name” is displayed on the user’s home page, and in class lists in the Virtual Campus and Virtual Classroom. The property sheet for the new user displays.

10. 11. 12. 13.

Enter a password for the user, and re-enter it in the following field to confirm it. Enter the user profile information. Click OK to save the new account and return to the “Insert new user” dialog. Click Cancel when you are done adding new users.

Managing Users 7

Next Steps In this chapter, you learned how to manage users, log-in groups, and authority levels. Once you have created some users, you’ll need to provide other information, such as courses, classes, and resources, for those users to work with. For more information, please see: • Chapter 9, Creating Courses • Chapter 10, Scheduling Classes • Chapter 11, Working with Resources

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148 • • • • •

Creating LearnLinc Courses, Classes, and Content The “Creating LearnLinc Courses, Classes and Content” section of this guide contains concepts and tasks that are important to LearnLinc content developers and instructional designers. If you are a LearnLinc content developer or instructional designer, or you perform any of the following tasks for LearnLinc, please read this section. Chapter 8

Converting your Content for LearnLinc

page 151

Chapter 9

Creating Courses

page 185

Chapter 10

Scheduling Classes

page 213

Chapter 11

Working with Resources

page 233

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Converting your Content for LearnLinc 8

8 Converting your Content for LearnLinc This chapter explains your options for creating and converting content for use in the LearnLinc environment. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Convert PowerPoint presentations to various types of multimedia content • Upload web files to a LearnLinc server • Distribute your converted content to instructors and students In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. How is LearnLinc content different from other instructional content? 2. What types of content can I use with LearnLinc? 3. What are my content distribution options? 4. How do I determine which conversion option is right for my content? 5. Where do I store my converted content? 6. How do instructors and students access content?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: Virtual Campus

“Overview: Using LearnLinc” on page 32.

Virtual Classroom

“Overview: Using LearnLinc” on page 32.

LearnLinc authoring

LearnLinc Authoring Guide on the LearnLinc Authoring Kit CD.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using content in LearnLinc to your best advantage. Specifically, you need to understand: • How is LearnLinc Content Different from other Types of Instructional Content? • Your Content Conversion Options • Which Conversion Option is Right for You? • Where to Store your Content? • Making Content Available to Students

How is LearnLinc Content Different from other Types of Instructional Content? LearnLinc content differs from other instructional content because it is meant to be used in a synchronous environment. Most computer-based training (CBT) and web-based training (WBT) content is designed to be used by students as they work on their own. By converting your content for use in LearnLinc, you can add synchronization to these types of content, so that they can be used in both ways–synchronized to the floor holder’s actions during class, and able to be used by students on their own before and after class.

Ä LearnLinc aware content has been designed or converted for synchronized use in the LearnLinc Virtual Classroom. Content created in ToolBook, Authorware, PowerPoint, and HTML can be converted to be LearnLinc aware.

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Your Content Conversion Options Typically, instructors and authors use a number of different tools to develop training materials for their courses. Some common tools are: • Microsoft® PowerPoint® (or other presentation slide software) • Microsoft Office, or other office productivity software (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.) • HTML editors (FrontPage®, DreamWeaver®) • Graphics editors (Paint Shop Pro®, Corel-Draw®, etc.) • CBT and WBT development tools (ToolBook, Authorware, Director, etc.) While you can use any of these tools (or others not listed here) to develop LearnLinc content, the conversion requirements are different for each. Some tools are supported directly and materials developed with those tools require no conversion. Other tools require the use of a conversion utility to make them “LearnLinc aware”, and still others require custom development to work in the LearnLinc environment.

Converting your Content for LearnLinc 8

The following table lists common content types and your conversion options:

Current Content type

Conversion Needed?

PowerPoint presentations

yes

• convert to HTML by uploading in Virtual Campus • PowerPoint to ToolBook converter

Word, Excel, or other Office documents

no

• Use AppShare or AppView to share the document with the class, or • “Save as” HTML in the original application and post on web site or intranet • Take screen captures and display in Whiteboard

HTML pages

no

Screen shots, bitmaps, jpegs, or ping image files

no

• You can import image files (bitmap, jpeg, or ping files) using the “Import Picture” function in Whiteboard. • Alternately, you can create images by using Whiteboard to grab screen shots.

ToolBook books*

yes

Your existing ToolBook content must be modified to use LearnLinc’s ToolBook synchronization agent. You must add a small amount of script to your ToolBook to enable synchronization in LearnLinc classes.

Authorware content*

yes

Your existing Authorware content must be modified to use LearnLinc’s Authorware model file. The model file contains icons, variables, and functions that will enable synchronization in LearnLinc classes.

Director content*

yes

Your existing Director content must be modified to use LearnLinc’s Director synchronization agent cast.

Conversion Option(s)

Use Synchronized web browser to lead your class through the HTML content.

* ToolBook, Authorware, and Director content can only be synchronized during class if everyone has installed the LearnLinc client using the “Advanced” installation option.

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Which Conversion Option is Right for You? Deciding which conversion option to choose depends on the original format of the content, your intended method of delivery, and your familiarity with the tool used to develop the content. The following table notes some advantages and disadvantages for various conversion options, and the LearnLinc tool that you would use to deliver each type of content. Conversion Option

154 • • • • •

Advantages

Disadvantages

Delivered Using...

Upload PowerPoint presentation in Virtual Campus

• Easy to upload • If slides have simple backgrounds, they will display quickly

• Each slide is Synchronized web converted to its own browser HTML page, which must be downloaded individually during class.

Convert PowerPoint presentation using PowerPoint to ToolBook converter

• Easy conversion to a single file • Can be enhanced with additional ToolBook functionality • Slides can be annotated

• Large files may ToolBook sync agent display slowly • Copies of the file must be distributed to students before class and stored in the same location on all computers.

Share office documents in AppShare

• Interactive experience for students

• Bandwidth intensive AppShare

Show office documents in AppView

• Students can see instructor’s actions

• only available in AppView classes on multicast networks • students cannot use document

Converting your Content for LearnLinc 8

Conversion Option

Advantages

Save office documents as Easy conversion HTML

Disadvantages

Delivered Using...

Must get the converted files onto a web server

Synchronized web browser

Screen capture office documents to show in Whiteboard

• Easy Cannot change • Can be captured on- document once it has they-fly been captured • Students can save individual copies

Whiteboard

Use screen shots, bitmaps, jpegs, or ping image files in whiteboard

• Can be imported or Usually combined with created on-the-fly other types of content. • Students can save individual copies

Whiteboard

Modify existing ToolBook books for use in LearnLinc

• Highly interactive • Great for teaching complex content

• Requires knowledge ToolBook sync agent of ToolBook • Large files may display slowly • Copies of the file must be distributed to students before class and must be stored in the same location on all computers.

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Conversion Option

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Advantages

Disadvantages

Delivered Using...

Authorware content

• Highly interactive • Great for teaching complex content

• Requires knowledge Authorware sync agent of Authorware • Large files may display slowly • Copies of the file must be distributed to students before class and stored in same location on all computers.

Director content

• Highly interactive • Great for developing complex, multimedia content. • Great for developing and employing animated content.

• Requires knowledge Director sync agent of Director • Large files may display slowly • Copies of the file must be distributed to students before class and stored in same location on all computers.

Converting your Content for LearnLinc 8

Where to Store your Content? Determining where your content must be stored depends on the size of the file or files, and whether or not they must be downloaded. The following table outlines the best content storage locations for the basic LearnLinc content types. Content Type

Relative File Size

Downloaded During Class?

ToolBook, Authorware, or Director

very large

Best Location

Typical Address

no

local drives for all students

C:\foldername\ filename (location must be the same on all students’ computers)

HTML small to (converted medium PowerPoint files, office documents, or HTML pages)

Yes–from a web server

web server

http://servername/ foldername/default.htm (you cannot use drive letters from your network to address HTML content if you are teaching students who are outside your corporate network.

Whiteboard files

medium

Yes

instructor’s computer

C:\foldername\ filename.wbd

Document files for use with AppShare or AppView

medium

Yes–continuous screen shots of the document

instructor’s computer

C:\foldername\ filename

Making Content Available to Students Once you have converted and stored your content, you can make it available to students in the Virtual Campus by adding it to a course contents list or a class agenda if you are an instructor, author, or administrator. Once a student has registered for a course, he or she can access any items that have been added to its course contents list and class agenda.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for converting and distributing content, specifically: • Uploading a PowerPoint File • Deleting a PowerPoint Presentation That has Been Uploaded to the Server • Modifying the PowerPoint Upload Default Settings • Uploading Web Files to the LearnLinc Server • Converting a PowerPoint file to a ToolBook Book • Adding a LearnLinc Navigator to your ToolBook Book • Distributing Toolbook/Authorware Books or Director Movies For a complete guide to creating LearnLinc aware content, including ToolBook and Authorware books and Director movies, please see the LearnLinc Authoring Guide included on your LearnLinc Authoring Kit CD. The directions and screen shots in this guide are based on Microsoft Internet Explorer. If you are using Netscape Navigator, the directions remain the same, but some screen shots, menu names, and dialog names may differ slightly.

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Converting your Content for LearnLinc 8

Uploading a PowerPoint File 1. Create a PowerPoint file in Microsoft PowerPoint (PowerPoint 2000 is recommended). The final download size for each HTML page of the presentation depends on the complexity of the original PowerPoint slides. Wherever possible, use simple backgrounds when creating your presentation so that the slides will load quickly when viewed in a web browser.

2. 3.

Note that any movies, animations, audio, actions, transitions, or hyperlinks that you add to the presentation will not be converted to HTML. Save the PowerPoint file in an accessible location, such as a local drive on your computer. Log-in to the Virtual Campus using an account with instructor, author, or administrator privileges.

Quick Steps 1. Create a PowerPoint file (version 97 or or higher). 2. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 3. Select a course. 4. Select “PowerPoint” at the bottom of the course contents or class agenda list” and click Add. 5. Follow the on screen directions.

þ By default, your PowerPoint file cannot be more than 2MB in size. To change this default, please see “Increasing the upload file size setting” on page 169.

4.

Click “Course Catalog” to locate the course to which you want to add the presentation. • If you are an instructor, you must be registered as an instructor for the course to add your presentation. • If you are an author or administrator, you can add your presentation to any course in the course catalog.

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5.

Click the course name to display its contents list.

• If you want to add the presentation to the class agenda, click the class name, and select the “Agenda” tab. • Otherwise, remain on the contents list tab.

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6.

At the bottom of the list, select “PowerPoint” from the drop down list and click Add.

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The “Add a PowerPoint presentation to your course” page displays.

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7.

Click Browse to locate your presentation. The “Choose file” dialog displays.

8.

Locate and select your file, and click “Open”. The path and file name display in the “File” text box.

Converting your Content for LearnLinc 8

9.

Click Upload. The “Processing uploaded file” page displays.

A copy of the PowerPoint file is uploaded to the server and converted. Each slide is converted to a GIF image and placed on its own HTML page. The pages are saved on the server, and a link is created in the course’s contents list to access the first page of the presentation. Only one person at a time can add PowerPoint slides to the LearnLinc server. If you attempt to add your PowerPoint slides and someone else has already begun adding theirs, you will see an error message informing you that you must wait until the server is free. In the rare case where you and another person attempt to add your PowerPoint slides at the exact same time, your browser may freeze temporarily. It will return to a working state as soon as the other person finishes adding his or her slides.

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10. Wait for all three steps to be completed, and click OK.

The edit page for the presentation’s URL displays. You can edit the name and description of the presentation if desired. To update the presentation at a later time, repeat the previous steps. Note that the PowerPoint file must have the same name to overwrite the existing presentation.

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Deleting a PowerPoint Presentation That has Been Uploaded to the Server To delete an uploaded PowerPoint presentation, you must delete the PowerPoint file and the HTML and GIF files on the server, and delete the item from any courses or classes in which it was stored. 1. On the LearnLinc server, use Windows Explorer® to locate the folder that contains your content. The folder is located in the LearnLinc server installation directory, by default, “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\llweb\Content\course_name\ powerpoint_file_name”. Where “Course_name” is the name of your course, and “powerpoint_file_name” is the name of your original PowerPoint file.

Quick Steps 1. Locate the presentation’s folder under the “Content” folder on the LearnLinc server. 2. Delete the presentation’s folder. 3. Delete the presentation from any course contents lists or class agendas in the Virtual Campus.

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2.

Right-click on the folder “powerpoint_file_name” and select “Delete” from the shortcut menu.

3.

Close Windows Explorer.

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4.

Navigate to your Virtual Campus web site and log-in as an instructor, author, or administrator.

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Locate the course that contains the presentation by clicking “Course Catalog” and then clicking on the course’s name. The course contents list displays.

• To delete a presentation from the course’s contents list, click “Delete” next to the presentation’s name. • To delete a presentation from a class agenda, click the class’ name, and then click the Agenda tab for the class. Click “delete” next to the presentation’s name in the agenda list.

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Modifying the PowerPoint Upload Default Settings The PowerPoint upload default settings ensure that content can be viewed quickly and easily, even at slow connection speeds such as 28.8 kbps. You can adjust these settings to suit your organization's standards. Modifying the powerpoint upload settings involves editing an Active Server Page (ASP) on the LearnLinc Server. Making modifications to this page can create errors in the Virtual Campus, and should only be done by the system administrator or other qualified individual.

Increasing the upload file size setting By default, the Virtual Campus does not accept PowerPoint presentations that are larger than 2MB. This limit ensures that the resulting content is a practical size for viewing over a 28.8 kbps Internet connection. If your LearnLinc users have faster Internet connections, you may wish to change this setting. To do so, edit the following line in the page “upload.asp” on the LearnLinc server: 1. Open the page “upload.asp” in an HTML editor or Windows® NotePad®. The default location of the file is: “C:\Program Files\ILINC\LearnLincServer\LLWeb\upload.asp”. 2. Locate the following line, and change the file size limit as desired: maxFileSize = 2100000 2100000 indicates the maximum file size in bytes, and is approximately 2.1MB. When modifying the maximum file size, be sure to use bytes, not megabytes. 3. Save the file and reboot the server.

Quick Steps 1. Open the page “upload.asp” on the LearnLinc server. 2. locate the line “maxFileSize=2100000”. 3. Change the number of bytes as desired and save the file. 4. Reboot the server.

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Quick Steps 1. Open the page “upload.asp” on the LearnLinc server. 2. Locate the lines “‘ppObjfImageWidth=736” and “‘ppObjFImageHeight=522”. 3. Remove the apostrophe from the beginning of each line. 4. Save the file and reboot the server.

Changing the Image Scaling for Higher Resolution Monitors By default, each slide image is scaled to 512x384 pixels. This size fits well in the LearnLinc content area for students who have a monitor resolution of 800x600. If all of your LearnLinc users have their monitors set to 1024x768 or higher, you may choose to scale the slide images to a larger size. If you wish to change the image scaling default, edit the following lines in the page “upload.asp” on the LearnLinc server: 1. Open the page “upload.asp” in an HTML editor or Windows® NotePad®. The default location of the file is: “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLincServer\LLWeb\upload.asp”. 2. Locate the following lines, and remove the apostrophe at the beginning of each line to scale the images to a larger size: 'ppObj.fImageWidth=736 'ppObj.fImageHeight=522 3. Save the file. 4. Close your browser and log-in to the Virtual Campus again. If you have already uploaded a presentation and you wish to change its display size you must upload it again. .

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Uploading Web Files to the LearnLinc Server 1. Copy your HTML (.htm) files to a floppy disk or other portable media. 2. On the LearnLinc server, locate the “Content” folder under the LearnLinc installation folder. • The default location for this folder is “C:\Program Files\LearnLinc\LearnLinc Server\LLWeb\Content. • If desired, create a new folder under “Content”. 3. Place a copy of each file in the “Content” folder, or a folder under “Content”. Alternately, you can use FTP to create any necessary folders and upload the files to the LearnLinc server.

Quick Steps 1. Locate the “Content” folder under the LearnLinc installation folder on your LearnLinc server. 2. Create a new folder under “Content” if desired. 3. Copy your .htm files to that folder.

þ The URL for each HTML file is

based on its location on the server. For example, if the files “test.htm” and “test.css” are stored in the folder “content” on the LearnLinc server “http:/ /training.xyzlearning.com/learnlinc”, the URL to view the presentation would be “http:// training.xyzlearning.com/learnlinc/content/test.htm”.

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Quick Steps 1. Create a PowerPoint 95 (or higher) file. 2. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Utilities and select a template. 3. Click OK when the log-in warning displays. 4. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Utilities > PowerPoint to ToolBook Converter. 5. Follow the on screen instructions. 6. Save the book with an 8 character (or less) name and the .ili extension.

Converting a PowerPoint file to a ToolBook Book 1. Create a PowerPoint file in MS PowerPoint 95 or higher. 2. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Utilities, and select the desired template for the resolution of your students’ computers..

3.

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When you installed the PowerPoint to ToolBook converter, several templates were installed on your computer as well. These templates are sized for different screen resolutions including 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, and 1280 x 1024. Click OK when the log-in warning message displays.

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4.

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Utilities > PowerPoint to ToolBook converter.

The conversion wizard displays. Click Select to select your PowerPoint file. The “Select PowerPoint Presentation” dialog displays. Select your presentation and click Open. Click Next to display the next step of the wizard. Select the “LearnLinc Content” item from the list of open ToolBook books and click Next. Select an image format and click Finish. A higher image format (24 bit) will result in a better quality image and a larger file size. A lower quality image format (16 bit or 8 bit) will lower the image quality but lower the file size as well. A warning dialog displays, instructing you not to use your computer while the conversion is in progress. Do not touch the keyboard or mouse until the “Conversion Wizard” dialog displays.

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10. When the conversion process is complete, the “Save As” dialog displays. Name your book in eight characters or less and save it with the “. ili” extension. Do not save your book in the “LearnLinc Utilities” directory with the original template name. Doing so will overwrite the template. Make sure that all ToolBook book and navigator file names are eight characters or less, and that any folders in which they are stored are eight characters or less. • If you want to add a LearnLinc Navigator to your book, continue to the following section, “Adding a LearnLinc Navigator to your ToolBook Book”. • Otherwise, select File > Exit, to close the book.

þ The run-time version of ToolBook is installed with LearnLinc. To author ToolBook content, you must purchase a full version from Asymetrix.

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Tips for converting your PowerPoint presentations to ToolBook books • When selecting the image format for your book (24 bit, 16 bit, or 8 bit color) keep in mind that higher bit depths produce better quality images, but with a larger file size. We recommend 16 bit for most presentations. • The converter preserves the aspect ratio of your presentation by scaling it to fit the ToolBook book by height. This means that the book may be wider than the PowerPoint images. If you have the full version of ToolBook, you can correct the book size by selecting Objects > Background Properties, in ToolBook and adjusting the page size.

Converting your Content for LearnLinc 8

Adding a LearnLinc Navigator to your ToolBook Book 1. Open the ToolBook book by double-clicking on it from Windows Explorer. Note that all synchronized ToolBook books have the .ili extension. Launch the file by double- clicking it. If you open the book from the ToolBook File menu, the LearnLinc menu will not display. You must have a full version of ToolBook on your computer to complete this task. 2. 3.

Click OK when the log-in warning message displays. Press to enable the authoring menus for the book. The ToolBook procedures described in this guide are based on the ToolBook 6. 5 interface. If you are using an older or newer version of ToolBook, your interface may look somewhat different. Please complete the tasks in this section using the corresponding features on your version of ToolBook.

4.

Select LearnLinc > Set Navigator.

Quick Steps 1. Double-click on a ToolBook book with the .ili extension in Windows Explorer. 2. Click OK when the log-in warning message displays. 3. Press . 4. Select LearnLinc > Set Navigator. 5. Enter the dotted name of a navigator and check “Enable navigator”. 6. Click OK and save the book.

Ä A navigator is a standard toolbar that you can add to any LearnLinc ToolBook book.

The “Select a navigator for this book” dialog displays.

5. 6.

Enter the dotted name of the navigator in the “Navigator” field. The default navigator is Resource.Navigator.Default. Make sure “Enable Navigator” is checked and click OK. The navigator will display at the top of the book when it is opened in a LearnLinc class.

þ To find the dotted name of a navigator, launch the Administration tool, select Resource > Navigator, and double- click the desired navigator. The dotted name displays in a grayedout box on the property sheet. (You must be an administrator to use the Administration tool.)

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7.

Select File > Save from the ToolBook menu bar.

8.

Make the book available to students by adding it to a course contents list or class agenda. See the following task, “Distributing multimedia content” for detailed directions. Instruct your users to download the book before class, to a location that you specify. All users must store the book in the same location for synchronization to work properly during a class.

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Distributing Toolbook/Authorware Books or Director Movies 1. Make sure that the ToolBook, Authorware, or Director file you wish to distribute is stored in a location that all students can access, such as a file server, ftp server, or network drive. Do not store the file on a network drive if you are teaching students who are outside your organization’s network. 2. 3.

Log-in to the Virtual Campus. Locate the course to which you want to add the content. • If you are an instructor, you must be registered as an instructor for the course to add your multimedia content. • If you are an author or administrator, you can add your multimedia content to any course in the course catalog.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Locate the course to which you want to add the content. 3. Select “Book” or “Director Movie” at the bottom of the course contents or class agenda list and click Add. 4. Enter a name, description, and download address for the book. 5. Click Save.

þ Consider using a compression utility to store one or more files in a smaller, compressed, file that will be easier to download. Some compression utilities, such as WinZip® have additional features that enable you to create compressed files that automatically extract the content to a location you specify, and to password the files, if desired.

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4.

Click the course name to display its contents list.

• To add the content to the class agenda, click the class name, and select the “Agenda” tab. • Otherwise, remain on the contents list tab.

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5.

At the bottom of the list, select “Book” (for Toolbook or Authorware content) or “Director Movie” (for Director content) from the drop down list and click Add.

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The “Edit” tab for a new book or movie displays.

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6. 7.

8.

9.

Enter a name and description for the content. Enter the download location of the file, for example the URL for an FTP site on which your content is stored, or the path on a network drive that everyone can access. This is the location from which each student will get the file. Enter the local location of the content. Students can use this link once they have installed the file on their local computers. Enter the location in which the file will be stored on the student’s local computers. For Authorware/Toolbook books, leave the “Run with” selection box set to “none”. For Director movies, leave the “Run with” selection box set to “Director”.

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10. Click Save. The “Details” tab for the book or movie displays, with the information you entered. The download location is displayed as a clickable link.

11. Click Return to return to the contents list for that course.

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To Learn More To learn more about:

Please see:

Developing PowerPoint Presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint documentation

Developing HTML content

• World Wide Web Consortium’s HTML home page at http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/ • John December’s HTML station at

http://www.december.com/html/ • Web Monkey’s HTML teaching tool at http://

www.hotwired.com/webmonkey/teachingtool/ html.html • Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML 4 in a week by Laura Lemay Developing ToolBook, Authorware, or Director content for LearnLinc

• LearnLinc Authoring Guide (included on the LearnLinc Authoring Kit CD) • Asymetrix ToolBook, Macromedia Authorware, or Macromedia Director documentation, respectively.

Next Steps In this chapter, you have learned some basics for converting and distributing content to LearnLinc students. To learn more about the courses and classes in which you will use your content, please see: • Chapter 9, Creating Courses • Chapter 10, Scheduling Classes To learn more about other types of resources, please see Chapter 11, Working with Resources. To learn more about using content in the Whiteboard, please see Chapter 20, Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard.

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Creating Courses 9

9 Creating Courses This chapter explains how to create courses in the Virtual Campus. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Group related courses in the course catalog • Add a course to the course catalog • Make a private course • Register instructors and students for a course • Add resources to a course contents list • Add resources to a class agenda or autostart list In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is a course? 2. What do courses contain? 3. What does registering for a course mean? 4. How do authority levels affect access to courses? 5. How do students view courses?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concept: Virtual Campus

“Overview: Using LearnLinc” on page 32.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using courses effectively. Specifically, you need to know: • What Is the Virtual Campus? • Where Is the Virtual Campus? • What Is a Course? • What Happens When a Student Registers for a Course? • Folders • Course Contents • The Student View

What Is the Virtual Campus? The Virtual Campus is a web site that displays LearnLinc information and provides students with a way to access courses and resources, and join classes. Administrators, authors, and instructors can add, edit, and delete LearnLinc information in the Virtual Campus as well. The Virtual Campus contains the: • start page • home page • course catalog • user directory • quick tour • download page • log-out page • Help

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The Start Page When you navigate to the Virtual Campus, the start page displays.

By default, the start page has three options: • If you have an account, click “I’m a LearnLinc user and I’d like to log-in” to begin working in to the Virtual Campus. • If you don’t have an account, you can create your own account by clicking “I’d like to create my own account” and then begin working in the Virtual Campus. • If you want to view the course catalog without logging-in, click “I’d like to browse the course catalog as a guest.” You can see course information, but you cannot use course resources or join classes. Your LearnLinc administrator may choose to change the options on this page.

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Your Home Page Your home page is personalized for you when you log-in. You always see the list: “You are taking the following courses:”. In addition, if you are an instructor, author, or an administrator you see the list: “You are teaching the following courses:” if you are registered to teach one or more courses. Each course name is a link to more information. The Course Catalog The course catalog lists all available LearnLinc courses. Students and instructors can see more information about, or register for, any course in the list. Authors and administrators can add new courses to the course catalog as well. User Directory The user directory lists all the LearnLinc users in your organization. Students, instructors, and authors can see information for anyone in the directory, and edit their own information and password. Administrators can add, edit, and delete users and log-in groups as well. Quick Tutorial All users can take the quick tutorial to learn more about using the Virtual Campus and joining classes. Download Page The download page provides links for downloading and installing the LearnLinc classroom software. All users must download and install the classroom software before attempting to join a LearnLinc class. By default the download page lists options for typical, advanced, and custom installations. In addition, administrators can download the LearnLinc administration tool from the download page. Your LearnLinc administrator may choose to change the options on this page. Log-out Page The log-out page enables each user to exit the Virtual Campus and ensure that his or her account cannot be used by others. As an added security measure, any account that is inactive for approximately 15 minutes is automatically logged-out. This includes the time spent in the virtual classroom–if a user is in class for more than 15 minutes, he or she is automatically logged-out of the Virtual Campus.

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Help Online help is available to all users. Online help contains key concepts and detailed directions for using the LearnLinc Virtual Campus, and for participating in a LearnLinc class. Where Is the Virtual Campus? The address, or URL, for your organization’s Virtual Campus is decided by your LearnLinc administrator, system administrator, or webmaster. The URL is the name of the computer on which the LearnLinc server software is installed followed by the location of the Virtual Campus files on that computer For example, if the URL of the Virtual Campus is: http://training.xyzlearning.com/learnlinc, then the Virtual Campus is stored on the computer “training.xyzlearning.com” in a virtual directory named “learnlinc”. What Is a Course? A course is a container for classes and resources. Instructors, authors, and administrators can use courses to group related classes and resources in one location that is accessible to LearnLinc students. Students must register for a course to be able to attend its classes and access it resources. Courses are stored in the Virtual Campus course catalog. Students can register for any course in the course catalog. Instructors can add, edit, and delete classes and resources for any course for which they are registered as an instructor, however they cannot create or delete courses. Administrators and authors can create, edit, and delete courses, as well as add resources and classes to them. Courses may be either public or private. Public courses are available to all LearnLinc users in the Course Catalog. Everyone can register for public courses. Private courses are not listed in the course catalog. A LearnLinc administrator, author, or the course instructor must register students for a private course. Once a student has been registered for a private course, it displays on his or her home page.

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A course has the following elements: a description, a course contents list, a people list, and a threaded discussion. Students can access these elements by selecting a course from the course catalog and clicking the “Contents”, “People”, and “Discussion” tabs. Administrators, authors, and the course instructors have an “Edit” tab, and additional options on each tab, that they can use to modify the course.

What Happens When a Student Registers for a Course? When a student logs-in to the Virtual Campus, he or she can browse the Course Catalog and register for any course in the catalog. Once the student registers for the course, he or she can access all the resources and classes in the course, and the course is added to the course list on his or her home page. 190 • • • • •

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The student can use the resources in the course contents list, and resources in any class agendas in that course. In addition, the student can see a list of all the instructors for the course, and all the students who are registered for the course. He or she can e-mail anyone who is registered for the course, including the instructors, as long as that person has specified an e-mail address in his or her user profile. Finally, the student can participate in group discussions by e-mailing the entire class, or by joining in a threaded discussion.

Folders Authors and administrators can group related courses by creating a folder in the course catalog, and creating all the related courses in that folder. It is important to note that you must create the folder first and then add the new course to it–you cannot move an existing course into a folder.

þ If the course has auto register turned on, so that all LearnLinc users are automatically registered for the course, the student list does not list each user. Rather, the message “Everyone is automatically registered for this course” is displayed.

Course Contents Instructors, authors, and administrators can add classes and several types of course resources to a course contents list. LearnLinc resources can be applications, audio clips, books, notes, PowerPoint presentations, Q&A files, URLs, video clips, and whiteboard files. For a complete description of each resource type, please see “What Is a Resource?” on page 234. In addition, instructors and students can access course resources while in class, by displaying the course resources list in the Agenda list.

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The Student View Students see all the same course information that instructors, authors, and administrators see– with the exception of the edit functions. Students do not see the edit tab, nor do they see the sort, add, or delete links and buttons on any tabs.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for creating and editing courses, specifically: • Creating a Folder in the Course Catalog • Adding a Course to the Course Catalog • Registering Instructors for a Course • Registering Students for a Course • Adding Resources to a Course Unless otherwise noted, information in the following screen shots is for example only. In some cases, partial screen shots may be used, which represent part of a larger interface element, rather than the entire interface. Partial screen shots are represented by jagged, “tear off” edges.

Creating a Folder in the Course Catalog 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator or author.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Go to the Course Catalog. 3. Click “Add Folder”. 4. Enter a name and click OK.

You must be a LearnLinc administrator or author to create a new folder in the course catalog.

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2.

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Click “Course Catalog” on the left menu bar. The course catalog displays.

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3.

Scroll to the bottom of the list and click “Add Folder”. The “New Folder” page displays.

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4.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Go to the Course Catalog. 3. Click “Add Course”. 4. Enter the course information and click Save.

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Enter a name for the folder and click OK. The information page for the folder displays with the message “There are no courses available”. • To add a course to the folder, skip to step 4 of the following task “Adding a course to the course catalog”. • To return to the course catalog, click “Go up a level”.

Adding a Course to the Course Catalog 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator or author. You must be a LearnLinc administrator or author to create a course. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

Creating Courses 9

3.

Scroll to the bottom of the list and click Add Course”. The “Edit” tab for the new course displays.

4.

Enter a name, description, and home page for the course. • If you have created a web site for the course, or would like to direct students to a particular site, enter its URL in the “Home Page” text box. The URL should take the form of “http://servername/foldername/filename”, for example, http://www.xyzlearning.com/hr/orientation.htm. • If you have an ftp site on which you store content for students to download, enter its URL in the “Download” text box. The URL should take the form of “ftp://servername/ foldername”, for example, ftp://ftp.xyzlearning.comw/hr.

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5.

6.

Clear the checkmark next to “Show in the course catalog” if you want to make the course private. Private courses do not display in the course catalog. An administrator, author, or an instructor for the course must register each student individually. Once a student is registered, the course displays in the course list on his or her home page. Click Save. The “Contents” tab for the new course displays with the information you entered.

• To register instructors and students for the course, skip to step 4 of the following task “Registering instructors and students for a course”. • To add resources to the course contents list, skip to step 4 of the task “Adding Resources to a Course” on page 209.

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Registering Instructors for a Course 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor. You must be a LearnLinc administrator or author to register instructors for a course. Once an instructor has been registered, he or she can register additional instructors and students. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Go to the Course Catalog. 3. Click the name for your course. 4. Click “People”. 5. Click Add/Remove under “Instructors”. 6. Click a group name. 7. Check each user you wish to make an instructor. 8. Click Save. 9. Click “Go up a level” to register instructors in other groups, or Return to finish.

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3.

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Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

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4.

Click the “People” tab. The instructor and student lists display.

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5.

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Click Add/Remove, under “Instructors”. A list of all log-in groups displays.

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6.

Click a group to display a list of all its users.

7.

Select an instructor or instructors by checking the box next to each name and click Save. • To choose more instructors from another group, click “Go up a level”. • To go back to the “People” tab, click Return. Skip to step 5 of the following section “Registering students for a course” to continue.

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Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Go to the Course Catalog. 3. Click the name of your course. 4. Click “People”. 5. Click Add/Remove under “Students”. 6. Click a group name. 7. Check each user you wish to register as a student. 8. Click Save. 9. Click “Go up a level” to register students in other groups, or Return to finish.

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Registering Students for a Course 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor. You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or a registered instructor to register students for a course. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

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3.

Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

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4.

Click the “People” tab. The instructor and student lists display.

• To register every user in the LearnLinc system for your course, Click Auto Register. Click OK when the warning dialog displays to complete the auto registration. Skip to step 4 of “Adding resources to a course or class” to continue. If you choose to Auto Register all users for the course, any individual student registrations will be lost. Student email links, and the group student email link are not available in Auto Register courses. • To select individual students to register for the course, Click Add/Remove under “Students”. Continue with the rest of the steps in this section.

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A list of all log-in groups displays.

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5.

Click a log-in group to display a list of all its users.

6.

Select students by checking the box next to each name and click Save. • To choose more students from another group, click “Go up a level”. • To go back to the “People” tab, click Return. Click the “Contents” tab and skip to step 4 of the following section “Adding resources to a course or class” to continue.

Creating Courses 9

Adding Resources to a Course 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor. You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or registered instructor to add resources to a course or its classes. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Go to the Course Catalog. 3. Click the name of your course. 4. Select a resource from the drop down list and click Add. 5. Enter the information for the resource and click Save.

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3.

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Click the name of the course you wish to work on. The contents list for that course displays.

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4.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, select an item from the drop down list and click Add. The edit page for the new resource displays.

5.

Enter the resource information and click Save to add it to the contents list. • If you selected “Class”, please see “Adding a Class to a Course Contents List” on page 221. • If you selected “PowerPoint”, please see ““Uploading a PowerPoint File” on page 159. • If you selected another resource, please see “Adding a Resource to a Class Agenda or Autostart List” on page 243.

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Next Steps To learn more about classes and resources, please see: • Chapter 10, Scheduling Classes • Chapter 11, Working with Resources

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Scheduling Classes 10

10 Scheduling Classes This chapter explains the process of scheduling classes in the Virtual Campus. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Schedule a class by adding it to a course contents list • Select assistant instructors for the class In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is a class? 2. What is floor control? 3. What are the audio and video conferencing options? 4. What is an assistant instructor? 5. What are the classroom security options? 6. How do students access classes?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: Virtual Campus

“What Is the Virtual Campus?” on page 186.

Creating Courses

“Creating Courses” on page 185.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are completing all the necessary tasks for scheduling a class. Specifically, you need to know: • What Is the Virtual Classroom? • Floor Control • Audio and Video Conferencing • Bandwidth • Streaming Video • Assistant Instructors • Classroom Security • The Student View

What Is the Virtual Classroom? The Virtual Classroom is an online meeting space in which students, an instructor, and assistant instructors can communicate, interact, and collaborate using a variety of classroom tools. You enter the Virtual Classroom by registering for a course in the Virtual Campus and joining one of its classes. If that course contains any classes, you can join its classes. To join a class, you must have the LearnLinc classroom software installed on your computer. When you join a class your classroom software makes a connection to the LearnLinc server and remains connected throughout the class, so that you can communicate with the other students and your instructor. Your connection to the server is a “channel” through which you can send information, such as text chat messages or audio conferencing, to the class and receive their information back. Once you join a class, you receive information about it in real time–just as if you were in a traditional classroom. If another student sends a text chat message, you see it immediately. If the instructor or floor holder speaks to the class, you hear him or her as if you were sitting in the same room with them. To participate in a class, you use the tools in the LearnLinc palette. The LearnLinc palette displays on the left side of each user’s computer screen as he or she joins a class. The LearnLinc palette displays class information such as the class and agenda lists. In addition, you can access all of the class tools from the LearnLinc palette or its menus. For more information about the LearnLinc palette, please see “The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321.

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Floor Control Floor control is a format, or style of presentation, that is assigned to a class when it is scheduled. LearnLinc classes can be in one of two floor control formats: instructor led or open discussion. For both of these formats only one person can be the floor holder at a time. The floor holder, the person who “has the floor”, controls audio or video conferencing and any applications and content that are in use. The floor holder can launch and close applications and content for everyone in the class. In instructor led floor control classes, the instructor takes the floor automatically when he or she joins the class. The instructor can pass the floor to any student and take the floor back at any time. Instructor led floor control works well for large and/or lecture based classes, or classes that are a combination of lecture and interaction. In open discussion classes, the instructor has no more control of the floor than any other student in the class. Anyone can take the floor at any time, although using the hand raise function helps to ensure order for the class. Open discussion floor control works well for small, highly interactive classes or meetings. Audio and Video Conferencing Your organization may choose to add audio or video conferencing to your Virtual Classroom. The audio and video conferencing options are: • Data only • Internet audio • Multicast audio • Indeo Multicast video • H.323 Multicast video If you use any of the LearnLinc audio or video conferencing options in your class they will be seamlessly incorporated into the LearnLinc palette. However, your organization must have purchased licences for that conferencing option for it to be used in your class. You can check the ServerInfo page to see which types of conferencing licences, if any, your organization has purchased and installed. To learn more about the ServerInfo page, please see “Checking Your Server Licenses” on page 53. Brief descriptions of each of the conferencing options follow. Data Only Classes that do not use LearnLinc audio or video conferencing are “data only”. Some organizations choose the “data only” option and supplement it with phone conferencing, satellite video, or other third party conferencing options. • • • • • 215

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Internet Audio If your classes connect over the Internet or an intranet you can use Internet audio in your class. Internet audio enables two-way audio conferencing in classes in which students have low bandwidth connections to the LearnLinc server. Note that if you schedule an Internet Audio class with the “Low” bandwidth setting, everyone in the class must have a minimum of a Pentium II 233 processor to achieve lower bandwidths while retaining audio quality. If you choose “Low” and your users do not meet these requirements, their audio conferencing will sound garbled and may be unusable. If you are unsure if your users meet the higher system requirements, choose “Medium” bandwidth which works with lower processor speeds (as outlined in the System Requirements for “Unicast Audio Conferencing” on page 20).

Multicast Audio If your classes connect over an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or wide area network (WAN) you can use Multicast audio to add two-way audio conferencing to your classes. Multicast audio requires a dedicated amount of bandwidth, but that amount does not change, regardless of the number of students in your class. Indeo Multicast Video If your classes are connected by an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or wide area network (WAN) you can use Indeo Multicast video to add two-way video conferencing to your classes. Multicast video requires a dedicated amount of bandwidth, but that amount does not change, regardless of the number of students in your class. Indeo Multicast video requires that your users have Intel® ProShare 150, 200, or 400 hardware and software installed on their computers. H.323 Multicast Video If your classes connect over an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or wide area network (WAN) you can use H.323 Multicast video to add two-way video conferencing to your classes. Multicast video requires a dedicated amount of bandwidth, but that amount does not change, regardless of the number of students in your class. H.323 Multicast video requires that your users have Intel® ProShare 500 hardware and software installed on their computers.

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Bandwidth Each user must have a certain amount of bandwidth available in their connection to the LearnLinc server to participate in a LearnLinc class. The amount of bandwidth required depends on the type of activities taking place in class, and the type of conferencing that is in use. The figures listed in the following table represent average bandwidth usage based on the class bandwidth setting that you choose when you schedule the class. The averages listed assume that you are using the conferencing type selected and AppShare. If you are not using AppShare, your bandwidth requirements drop significantly. Note that the basic LearnLinc connection uses very little bandwidth but that some LearnLinc activities, such as launching the synchronized web browser, displaying a large image in the Whiteboard, or a lot of AppShare activity may cause your bandwidth usage to peak temporarily.

Ä kbps is an acronym for “kilobits per second”. Your modem has a certain speed associated with it, for example, 28.8 kbps or 56 kbps, however that number indicates the fastest connection that your modem is capable of–you may actually connect at a slower rate. Refer to your modem documentation to determine your connection speed during a LearnLinc class.

This table shows average bandwidths for normal use. Bandwidth will fluctuate dramatically depending on your actions. For best performance, networks should be designed to handle bandwidth peaks. Bandwidth Conferencing setting type

You need an average bandwidth of:

Low

Data only

Medium

Data only

High

Data only

Low

Internet Audio

14 Kbps per student You will have grayscale AppShare with acceptable performance. 20 Kbps per student You will have grayscale AppShare with good performance. 32 Kbps per student You will have color AppShare with good performance. 28 Kbps per student (6 Kbps audio + 22 Kbps Data) You will have acceptable audio conferencing and grayscale AppShare with good performance. Note that Internet audio users must have Intel Pentium II 233 processors or higher to achieve lower bandwidths while retaining audio quality.

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Bandwidth Conferencing setting type

You need an average bandwidth of:

Medium

Internet Audio

High

Internet Audio

Low

Multicast Audio

Medium

Multicast Audio

High

Multicast Audio

Low

Indeo Multicast Video1

28 Kbps per student (12 Kbps audio + 16 Kbps Data) You will have good audio conferencing and grayscale AppShare with acceptable performance. 44 Kbps per student (12 Kbps audio + 32 Kbps Data) You will have good audio conferencing and color AppShare with good performance. 6 Kbps per class for Audio and 22 Kbps per student for Data (ex. A 20 person class would need 446 Kbps: 22 Kbps (20) + 6 Kbps = 446 Kbps) You will have good audio conferencing and grayscale AppShare with acceptable performance. Note that multicast audio users must have Intel Pentium II 233 processors or higher to achieve lower bandwidths while retaining audio quality. 12 Kbps per class for Audio and 16 Kbps per student for Data (ex. A 20 person class would need 332 Kbps: 16 Kbps (20) + 12 Kbps = 332 Kbps) You will have good audio conferencing and grayscale AppShare with good performance. 36 Kbps per class for Audio and 32 Kbps per student for Data (ex. A 20 person class would need 676 Kbps: 32 Kbps (20) + 36 Kbps = 676 Kbps) You will have very good audio conferencing and color AppShare with good performance. 282 Kbps per class for Audio and 22 Kbps per student for Data (ex. A 20 person class would need 722 Kbps: 22 Kbps (20) + 282 Kbps = 722 Kbps) You will have good video conferencing at 6 frames per second and grayscale AppShare with acceptable performance.

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Bandwidth Conferencing setting type

You need an average bandwidth of:

Medium

Indeo Multicast Video1

High

Indeo Multicast Video1

Low

H.323 Multicast Video2

Medium

H.323 Multicast Video2

High

H.323 Multicast Video2

340 Kbps per class for Audio and 16 Kbps per student for Data (ex. A 20 person class would need 660Kbps: 16 Kbps (20) + 339.6 Kbps = 660 Kbps) You will have good video conferencing at 6 frames per second and grayscale AppShare with good performance. 607 Kbps per class for Audio and 32 Kbps per student for Data (ex. A 20 person class would need 1247 Kbps: 32 Kbps (20) + 607 Kbps = 1247Kbps) You will have good video conferencing at 12 frames per second and color AppShare with good performance. 50 Kbps per class for Video and 22 Kbps per student for Data (ex. A 20 person class would need 490 Kbps: 22 kbps (20) + 50 Kbps = 490 Kbps) You will have acceptable video conferencing at 6 frames per second and grayscale AppShare with acceptable performance. 172 Kbps per class for Video and 16 Kbps per student for Data (ex. A 20 person class would need 492 Kbps: 16 Kbps (20) + 172 Kbps = 492 Kbps) You will have good video conferencing at 6 frames per second and grayscale AppShare with good performance. 463 Kbps per class and 32 Kbps per student for AppShare (ex. A 20 person class would need 1103 Kbps: 32 Kbps (20) + 463 Kbps = 1103 Kbps) You will have very good video conferencing at 12 frames per second and color AppShare with good performance.

1. For Indeo video, note that only the audio quality is affected by the low and medium

bandwidth settings—video quality remains the same. 2. For H.323 video, the bandwidth setting affects both the audio and video quality.

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Streaming Video You can use streaming video over the Internet or on an intranet with limited bandwidth as an alternative to multicast video. Streaming video is useful in classes in which students have low bandwidth connections to the LearnLinc server, but live, one way video from the instructor is important to the success of the class. Streaming live, one-way video to the class requires a Microsoft NetShow or RealVideo server and an additional computer for the instructor to run the streaming video encoder. Please see “Adding Streaming Video to Your LearnLinc Server” on page 101 for detailed directions. Assistant Instructors Assistant instructors are students who have some extra privileges during class. These privileges enable an assistant to manage the background activities of the classroom, such as monitoring text chat, feedback responses, and hand raises so that the instructor is free to concentrate on presenting new content to the class. A class can have one or several assistant instructors, or none at all. Assistant instructors are assigned to a class when it is scheduled. The assistant instructor’s palette is identical to the instructor’s, with the exception of the following, which are only available to instructors: • “Glimpse” and “Privacy” shortcuts on the Agenda tab • Floor control buttons (pass floor, take floor, dismiss attendee, all hands down) Classroom Security To prevent unauthorized students from entering your class, you can set an entering password when you schedule the class. When students attempt to join the class, they are prompted with a password dialog, and cannot join the class unless they supply the correct password. If you password protect a class, you must supply the password to students via email or other means. Additionally, you may choose to display an entering message for your class. Students do not see the message until after they have entered the password, if one has been set. Your message might contain the number for a phone conference if your class is data only, support contact information, or a simple welcome message. The Student View Once a student has registered for a course, he or she can see information about the classes in that course. For each class, students can see a description, start and end times, instructor and student lists, and the agenda list. Students can join any class within 30 minutes of its start time.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the tasks for scheduling a class, specifically: • Adding a Class to a Course Contents List • Selecting Assistant Instructors for the Class

Adding a Class to a Course Contents List 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Select a course from the course catalog. 3. On the “Contents” tab, select “Class” from the drop-down box and click Add. 4. Enter the class information and click Save.

You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or registered instructor for a course to add classes to it.

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2.

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Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

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3.

Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

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4.

Scroll to the bottom of the list, select “Class” from the drop down list and click Add. The “Edit” page for the new class displays.

5.

Enter the following class information: • Enter a name and description for the class. Students see this information in the Course Catalog. • Select an instructor from the “Instructor” drop down box. You can choose one person from the registered instructors for the course. • Select either “instructor led” or “open discussion” floor control policy from the “Floor policy” drop down box.

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• Select an Audio/Video conferencing option for the class. Reminder! Your organization must have purchased licences for a conferencing option to use it in class. If you select an option for which you do not have licences, everyone will see an error stating that there are not enough licences to participate in conferencing for the class. • Select a bandwidth option. The bandwidth setting does not affect Data Only classes. For Internet Audio classes choose “Low” or “Medium”. “Medium” and “High” produce the same results for Internet Audio classes. For Multicast Audio or Video classes choose from “Low”, “Medium” and “High”. “High” is the best quality, but uses the most bandwidth as well. Please note that if you schedule an Internet Audio class with the “Low” bandwidth setting, everyone in the class must have a minimum of a Pentium II 233 processor to achieve lower bandwidths while retaining audio quality. If you choose “Low” and your users do not meet these requirements, their audio conferencing will sound garbled and may be unusable. If you are unsure if your users meet the higher system requirements, choose “Medium” bandwidth which works with lower processor speeds (as outlined in the System Requirements for “Unicast Audio Conferencing” on page 20).

þ If you set starting and ending times for the class, users cannot join it until 30 minutes prior to its scheduled start time.

• Set the class starting and ending times, or choose “Class is always open”. Classes with starting and ending times “expire” after the ending time–people in the class can continue working, but no one else can join. Classes that are always open never expire. The times displayed on this page reflect the time zone of the LearnLinc server. If your time zone is different than the server time zone, adjust your time to match that of the server time zone, and then enter the adjusted values in the time fields. • If desired, check “Display message when joining class” and enter a message. • If desired, check “Password protect class” and enter a password.

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6.

Click Save. The “Details” tab for the class displays, with the information you entered.

• To add an assistant instructor to the class, skip to step 5 in the following topic “Selecting Assistant Instructors for the Class”. • To add resources to the class agenda or autostart list, please see “Adding a Resource to a Class Agenda or Autostart List” on page 243.

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Selecting Assistant Instructors for the Class 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor. You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or registered instructor for a course to add assistants to one of its classes 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Select a course from the course catalog. 3. On the “Contents” tab, select a class by clicking on its name. 4. Click the “Assistants” tab. 5. Click Add/Remove. 6. Click a log-in group name to see its users. 7. Check each user that you wish to make an assistant and click Save.

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3.

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Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

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4.

Click a class name to see the details for that class. The class details page displays.

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5.

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Click the “Assistants” tab. The assistants list displays, with the message “There are no assistants for this class”.

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6.

Click Add/Remove. A list of all the instructors and students who are registered for the course display.

7.

Select assistants by checking the box next to the name of each assistant and click Save. • To go back to the “Assistants” tab, click Return. • To add resources to the class agenda or autostart list, please see “Working with Resources” on page 233.

Next Steps In this chapter, you learned how to schedule a class. To learn more about resources please see Chapter 11, Working with Resources.

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Working with Resources 11

11 Working with Resources This chapter explains the process for adding training resources to the Virtual Campus and Virtual Classroom. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Add a resource to a course contents list • Add a resource to a class agenda or autostart list • Sort items in a course contents or class agenda list • Remove a resource from a course contents or class agenda list In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is a resource? 2. What are the resource types? 3. Who can add a resource to a course or class?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: the Virtual Campus

“What Is the Virtual Campus?” on page 186.

the Virtual Classroom

“LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet” on page 318.

Courses

“What Is a Course?” on page 189.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are adding the resources to courses and classes correctly. Specifically, you need to know: • What Is a Resource? • Who Can Add a Resource to a Course or Class? • What if the Same Resource Is Used in Multiple Courses or Classes? • The Student View

What Is a Resource? A resource is a training material that has been added to a LearnLinc course or class. The LearnLinc resource types are: applications, audio clips, video clips, multimedia books, Director movies, URLs, Whiteboard files, and recorded classroom files. Any of these resources can be added to a LearnLinc course contents list, class agenda, or autostart list. A description of each resource type follows. Applications LearnLinc has several classroom tools, or applications, including: AppShare, AppView, Glimpse, Q&A, Streaming Video, Synchronized Web Browser, and Whiteboard. While you can add any LearnLinc application to a course contents list, most LearnLinc applications are meant for classroom use only. The exceptions are Q&A, Whiteboard and Streaming Video, which can be used outside of the virtual classroom to create or view files before class, and are more likely to be included in a course contents list. Audio Clips An audio clip is a digital audio file. When a user clicks on an audio clip link in the Virtual Campus, the clip plays in Windows Media Player. Books A book is a multimedia file that contains a combination of text, sound, still and motion pictures, animations, and/or other media formats. For LearnLinc, these books should be created in either Asymetrix ToolBook or Macromedia Authorware so that they can be synchronized in LearnLinc classes. You can add these books to a course contents or agenda list so that students can download them before class for stand alone use, or so that they can use them in synchronization with their instructor during class. Books are used primarily in class. 234 • • • • •

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Director Movies A Director movie is a multimedia file that contains a combination of text, sound, still and motion pictures, animations, and/or other media formats. These movies are created in Macromedia Director and can be synchronized in LearnLinc classes. You can add these movies to a course contents or agenda list so that students can download them before class for stand alone use, or so that they can use them in synchronization with their instructor during class. Director movies are used primarily in class. Notes A note is a text item that displays in the Virtual Campus. You can add notes that contain important information about a course and its contents, or you can create an HTML link to a web page as the contents of your note. Notes are limited to 129 characters. Notes are almost always used outside of class. PowerPoint Presentations When you add a PowerPoint presentation to a course or class it is converted to a set of web pages and it displays in the list as a URL. When you click on a PowerPoint link in the Virtual Campus, a new web browser opens and displays the presentation. PowerPoint presentations work equally well inside and outside of class. Q&A Files You can add a Q&A question file to the list for your students to use as preview or review for your classes. Students can use the Q&A question editor, which is installed with the LearnLinc classroom software, to view the questions and their answers. It is more likely, however, that you would add the question list to a class agenda, and use it during class. Recorded Classroom Files A recorded classroom file is a recording that you make of one of your classes using the LearnLinc Classroom Recorder. The Classroom Recorder captures all classroom activity, including audio, video, text chat, and any actions on the classroom workspace. When you click the class recording in your course contents list, the file plays in the LearnLinc Classroom Player.

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URLs You can use URLs to add links to web pages to your course contents list, class agenda, or autostart list. When you click on a URL link, a new web browser window opens and displays the web page. Note that users who are outside your organization’s network cannot access content on your intranet. URLs work equally well inside and outside of class. Video Clips A video clip is a digital video file. When you click on a video clip link in the Virtual Campus, the clip plays in Windows Media Player. Video clips work equally well inside and outside of class. Whiteboard Files A whiteboard file may contain text, simple graphics, and pictures. When you click on a whiteboard link, the whiteboard file opens in the LearnLinc whiteboard. You can view and edit the file on your own and during class. If you edit the file, you must save it on your local computer. Whiteboard files are usually used in class. Can I Hide Selected Resources from Students? LearnLinc 4.5 enables you to make resources that are listed in a course contents list, class agenda, or the library private by adding the characters @> before the resource’s name. Doing so hides the resource from students, and indicates to those who can see it that the resource is private. To make a resource private, you must be registered as an instructor for the course that contains the resource, or be an author or administrator. The following list outlines which users can see private resources and under what circumstances they can see them. • Students can never see private resources. • An instructor for a course can see any private resources in that course’s contents list or any of its classes’ agendas in both the Virtual Campus and the Virtual Classroom. • An assistant instructor can see any private resources for classes in which he or she is registered as an assistant. The assistant can only see private resources for those classes in the Virtual Campus. However, once the assistant joins a class, he or she can see private resources in both that class agenda and the course contents list.

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• Authors and administrators can see private resources in all courses and classes in the Virtual Campus. They can only see private resources in the Virtual Classroom if they are registered as the instructor or an assistant for that class.

Who Can Add a Resource to a Course or Class? LearnLinc authors and administrators can add, edit, or delete resources in any course or class in the Virtual Campus. LearnLinc instructors can add, edit, or delete resources in any courses for which they are registered instructors. What if the Same Resource Is Used in Multiple Courses or Classes? When you are adding resources to a course or a class in the Virtual Campus, you must always create the resource in the contents list or agenda in which you wish to store it. For example, if you have a book that will be used in multiple classes, you must create a book in each class’ agenda for that book. In most cases it is much more efficient to add the book to the course contents list, and switch the agenda’s drop down box to “Course resources” to access the resource during class. The exception to this rule is applications. Using the Administration tool, your administrator can add an application to selection list that displays when you choose to add an application to a course or class. Directions for adding an application to the list follow in the “Detailed Directions” section of this chapter. The Student View Students can use resources in the Virtual Campus before and after classes, and use them during class. They can launch a resource from the class agenda for their own use, or the instructor can launch a resource for them, and synchronize his or her use of the resource with the class. Students cannot create, edit, or delete resources.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the tasks for adding a resource to a course or class, specifically: • Adding a Resource to a Course Contents List • Adding a Resource to a Class Agenda or Autostart List • Making a Resource Private • Editing a Resource • Sorting Items in a Course Contents or Class Agenda List • Removing a Resource from a Course Contents, Class Agenda, or Autostart List • Adding an Application to the Application Selection List Quick Steps

Adding a Resource to a Course Contents List 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor.

1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Select a course from the course catalog. 3. Select a resource from the drop down box and click Add. 4. Enter the resource’s information and click Save.

You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or registered instructor for a course to add resources to it or one of its classes.

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2.

Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

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Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

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4.

Scroll down, select a resource type from the drop down box and click Add.

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5.

The edit page for the new resource displays.

Enter the resource information and click Save. Please see the detailed directions for creating each resource type in the following sections: • “Audio Clips, Books, Director Movies, Q&A Files, Video Clips, and Whiteboard Files” on page 248 • “URLs” on page 250 • “Applications” on page 251 • “Notes” on page 253

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Adding a Resource to a Class Agenda or Autostart List 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor. You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or registered instructor for a course to add resources to one of its classes. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

3.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Select a course from the course catalog. 3. Click on a class name and select it’s Agenda tab. 4. Select a resource from the drop down box and click Add. 5. Enter the resource’s information and click Save. 6. Click Return.

Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

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4.

Click the name of the class on which you wish to work. The details for that class display.

5.

Click the “Agenda” tab. The agenda and autostart lists display, with the messages “There is nothing in the agenda for this class.”, and “There is nothing in the autostart list for this class.”.

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Select an item from either the agenda drop down box or the autostart drop down box and click Add.

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The edit page for the new resource displays.

7.

Enter the information for the resource and click Save. Detailed directions for creating each resource type follow in the sections: • “Audio Clips, Books, Director Movies, Q&A Files, Video Clips, and Whiteboard Files” on page 248 • “URLs” on page 250 • “Applications” on page 251 • “Notes” on page 253 • “Recorded Classroom Files” in Chapter 16, Recording Classes

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Audio Clips, Books, Director Movies, Q&A Files, Video Clips, and Whiteboard Files 1. Enter a descriptive name for the resource. 2. Enter a short description of the resource. If the resource is a downloadable file, you may wish to enter download instructions in the description field. 3. Enter a location and/or download location for the resource. • If the file is (or will be) installed on a local or shared drive, enter the path in the “Location” field. For example, “m:\training\lit\shkspr.ili”. Doing so creates a link that students can use to launch the file from that location. • If the file must be downloaded and installed prior to use, enter the information in the “Download” field. For example, “ftp://ftp.xyzlearning.com/pub/shkspr.zip”. Doing so creates a link that students can use to download and install the file before class.

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4.

5.

If desired, select an application to run the resource. • For audio or video clips the default application is “Streaming Video”. Leave the default unless you have another application with which you wish to run the clip. • For books the default is “None”. Do not change the default. • For Director movies the default is “Director”. Do not change the default. • For Q&A files the default application is “Q&A”. Do not change the default. • For whiteboard files, the default application is “Whiteboard”. Do not change the default. Click Save to save the resource, and click Return to return to the agenda list.

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URLs 1. Enter a descriptive name and a short description for the URL. 2. Enter the web address in the “Location” field. The location can be an address on the Internet, for example “http://www.xyzlearning.com”, or a location on your intranet, for example “http://training.xyzlearning.com/lit/default.htm”.

3.

4.

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If desired, select an application with which to view the URL. The default is “Synchronized Web Browser”. If you have added another browser application to the course, you may choose to launch the URL in that browser instead. Click Save to save the resource, and then click Return to return to the agenda list.

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Applications • If you select an application from the drop down box, click Continue to add it and return to the Agenda list. • If you select “Other” from the list, the “Edit” tab for the new application displays.

1.

2.

þ When you add a LearnLinc application to a list the details page has no information in it because the application is installed locally on each user’s computer. You cannot launch the application in the Virtual Campus, but you can click on the application in the Agenda list during class, and the application will launch. To enable students to use Q&A or Whiteboard outside of class, add a Q&A or whiteboard file to the list instead of the application.

Enter a descriptive name and a short description of the application. If the application is a downloadable file, you may wish to enter download instructions in the description field. Enter a location and/or download address for the resource. • If the file is (or will be) installed on a local or shared drive, enter the path in the “Location” field. For example, “m:\training\lit\shkspr.ili”. Doing so creates a link that students can use to launch the file from that location. • If the file must be downloaded and installed prior to use, enter the information in the “Download” field. For example, “ftp://ftp.xyzlearning.com/pub/shkspr.zip”. Doing so creates a link that students can use to download and install the file before class.

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.

3.

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Click Save to save the application, and then click Return to return to the agenda list.

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Notes 1. Enter a descriptive name for the note. 2. Enter the text of the note in the “Contents” field. Notes can have a maximum of 129 characters.

þ To put an HTML link to another web page in the note, use the following format: Text for link

When you add a note to a class agenda, students can read it in the Virtual Campus, however only the tile of the note can be seen in the agenda list during class. Notes do not work in the autostart list. 3.

Click Save to save the resource, and then click Return to return to the agenda list.

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Quick Steps 1. Locate the resource in your course contents list or class agenda. 2. Click on the resource’s name. 3. Click the Edit tab. 4. Type @> before the first letter of the resource name. 5. Click Save.

Making a Resource Private 1. Locate the resource in your courses contents list or class agenda. If you are an instructor, you must be registered to teach the course to make its resources private. 2. Click on the resource’s name. The resource’s details page displays.

3.

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Click the “Edit” tab. The edit fields for the resource information display.

Working with Resources 11

4.

5.

In the “Name” field, type the characters @> before the resource name. For example, if the resource name is “Welcome Book”, change it to “@>Welcome Book” making sure not to type a space between “>” and “W”. Click Save to save your changes. Students cannot see the private resource in the course contents list, class agenda list, or the library, however it will still be visible to registered instructors and assistants, and authors and administrators. Note that assistant instructors cannot see private resources in the course contents list when they are in the Virtual Campus.

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Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Select a course from the course catalog. 3. Locate the resource. 4. Click the resource name, then click the “Edit” tab. 5. Edit the resource’s information as desired and click Save. 6. Click Return.

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Editing a Resource 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor. You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or registered instructor for a course to edit its resources, or its class’ resources. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

Working with Resources 11

3.

Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

4.

If the resource is in a class agenda or autostart list, click the class name in the course contents list, and then click the class’ “Agenda” tab.

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5.

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Click the resource name to display its details tab.

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6.

Click the “Edit” tab to display the edit fields for the resource.

7. 8.

Make the desired changes and click Save. Click Return to return to the list.

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Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Select a course from the course catalog. 3. Locate the resource. 4. Click its up or down arrows to sort it in the list.

Sorting Items in a Course Contents or Class Agenda List 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor. You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or registered instructor for a course to edit it, or its classes. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

3.

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Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays, with up and down sort arrows next to each item.

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4.

Click the up or down arrows for the item you wish to move. The item moves one position for each click. Wait for the item to move after each click.

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Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Select a course from the course catalog. 3. Locate the resource. 4. Click “delete” next to its name. 5. Click OK.

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Removing a Resource from a Course Contents, Class Agenda, or Autostart List 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus as an administrator, author, or instructor. You must be a LearnLinc administrator, author, or registered instructor for a course to delete its resources, or its class’ resources. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. The course catalog displays.

Working with Resources 11

3.

Click the name of the course on which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

4.

Click “delete” next to the item you wish to remove. A warning dialog displays with the message “Are you sure you want to delete this item?”

5.

Click OK to delete the item.

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Quick Steps

Adding an Application to the Application Selection List 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool, from the Windows taskbar.

1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool, from the windows taskbar. 2. Log-in to the Administration tool. 3. Select the Resource > Application folders. 4. Select New > Resource > Application from the menu bar. 5. Type a name for the authority level and press . 6. Enter the application’s properties and click OK.

The Administration tool launches on your computer.

2.

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Enter your account information. You must have administrator authority to use the Administration tool.

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3.

4. 5.

6. 7.

Enter your server name. Your server name is the domain name or IP address for your LearnLinc server computer. For example, training.xyzlearning.com. Do not include the virtual directory for your LearnLinc Virtual Campus. If you are using a web proxy server to connect to the Internet, check “Use Proxy” and enter the server name and port of your web proxy server. Click Log-in. The Administration tool displays.

In the left pane, click the plus box (+) next to the “Resource” folder to expand it. Click the “Application” folder to view its contents in the right pane.

You must create the new application in the “Application” folder to make it display in the application selection list in the Virtual Campus. Do not create the application in a folder under the “Application” folder or another folder in the Name Service.

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8.

Select New > Resource > Application.

9. A new application icon displays in the right pane of the Administration tool. 10. Enter a name for the new authority level by replacing the highlighted text and press . 11. The property sheet for the new application displays. • Enter a descriptive name for the application in the “Name” field. This is the name users will see in the application list in the Virtual Campus. • Enter a path to the application’s executable file or click the folder icon to locate it. Note that the application must be installed in that location on every user’s computer for the application to launch in LearnLinc. • If desired, enter prefix or suffix information to affect how the application launches. • If desired, check “base path” to use the LearnLinc base path or a base path that you have created. • If desired, enter additional attributes such as copyright information. 12. Click OK to save the new application. The application will appear in the application selection list the next time you log-in to the Virtual Campus and attempt to add an application to a course or class.

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Next Steps In this chapter, you learned how to add, edit, sort, and delete resources in the Virtual Campus. To learn more about using resources in a LearnLinc class, please see: • Chapter 15, Teaching a Class • Chapter 18, Using Multimedia Content During Class • Chapter 19, Synchronizing Web Content • Chapter 20, Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard • Chapter 21, Sharing Applications With the Class • Chapter 23, Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions

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Teaching LearnLinc Classes The “Teaching LearnLinc Classes” section of this guide contains concepts and tasks that are important to LearnLinc instructors. If you are a LearnLinc instructor, or you perform any of the following tasks for LearnLinc, please read this section. Chapter 12

Visiting the Virtual Campus

page 271

Chapter 13

Working With Courses

page 289

Chapter 14

Preparing Your Computer for Your First Class

page 305

Chapter 15

Teaching a Class

page 317

Chapter 16

Recording Classes

page 341

Chapter 17

Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students

page 365

Chapter 18

Using Multimedia Content During Class

page 271

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 20

Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard

page 393

Chapter 21

Sharing Applications With the Class

page 413

Chapter 22

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class

page 439

Chapter 23

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions

page 445

Chapter 24

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse

page 271

Chapter 25

Creating Breakout Groups

page 467

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Visiting the Virtual Campus 12

12 Visiting the Virtual Campus This chapter explains the benefits and use of the LearnLinc Virtual Campus web site. Your organization can use the Virtual Campus web site to make LearnLinc courses, classes, resources, and information accessible to all users. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Find your Virtual Campus • Find courses you are teaching • Log-in to the Virtual Campus • Locate information about a user • Edit your user profile and password • Register for a course • Drop a course In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is the Virtual Campus? 2. Where is the Virtual Campus? 3. Who can use the Virtual Campus, and what can they do? 4. What do students see in the Virtual Campus?

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What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: The Virtual Campus

“What Is the Virtual Campus?” on page 186.

The difference between the Internet and an intranet

“The Difference Between the Internet and an Intranet” on page 386.

web browsing

Your Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator documentation.

URL

Definition on page 384.

Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using the Virtual Campus to its full potential. Specifically, you need to know: • Authority Levels and the Virtual Campus • The student view

Ä An authority level is a LearnLinc setting that determines what information users can access and edit. Each LearnLinc user is assigned an authority level when his or her account is created. The default authority levels are self register, participant, instructor, author, and administrator.

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Authority Levels and the Virtual Campus The following table illustrates the tasks that LearnLinc users can perform, based on the default LearnLinc authority levels. Authority level

Activities in the Virtual Campus

Self register

By default, users who self register (create their own accounts) can perform the same tasks as participants.

Participant (Student)

• Browse course catalog and user directory • Change personal profile information and password • Register for courses • Use course and class materials • Email course instructors and students • Participate in the course discussion list • Join classes

Visiting the Virtual Campus 12

Authority level

Activities in the Virtual Campus

Instructor

In addition to the participant tasks, instructors can perform the following tasks in courses for which they are registered instructors: • Add resources and classes to the course contents list • Register users for their courses • Edit the course information and display properties • Edit classes, agendas, and autostart lists • Delete items from the course contents list and class agenda • Record classes

Author

In addition to the participant and instructor tasks, authors can: • Add, edit, and delete courses in the course catalog • Add, edit, and delete items in any course contents list, class agenda, or autostart list • Record classes

Administrator

Administrators can perform all participant, instructor, and author tasks. In addition, administrators can: • add, edit, or delete log-in groups, users, and authority levels • use the Administration tool • Record classes

The student view Generally, students have either “self register” or “participant” authority levels. The previous table outlines the tasks that users with either of these authority levels can perform. While students see all the same information as those with higher authority levels, they do not have access to the edit functions for any items other than their own user accounts.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for using the Virtual Campus, specifically: • Finding Your Virtual Campus • Logging-in to Your Virtual Campus • Locating Information About Another User • Editing Your User Profile and Password • Registering for and Dropping Courses Quick Steps 1. Ask your LearnLinc administrator for the Virtual Campus URL. 2. Use your web browser to go to that URL.

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Finding Your Virtual Campus 1. Contact your LearnLinc administrator to get the URL of your organization’s Virtual Campus. The URL of your Virtual Campus is specific to your organization. 2. Launch your web browser. You can use either Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 w/sp 1 or higher, or Netscape Navigator 4.05 or higher to visit the Virtual Campus. 3. Type the URL and press to navigate to your Virtual Campus. For Internet Explorer, type the URL in the “Address” field. For Navigator, type the URL in the “Location” field.

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Logging-in to Your Virtual Campus 1. Launch your web browser and navigate to your Virtual Campus. The Virtual Campus welcome page displays.

Quick Steps 1. Go to your Virtual Campus. 2. Click “I’m a LearnLinc user and I’d like to log-in.” 3. Enter your account information and click Login.

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2.

Click “I'm a LearnLinc user and I'd like to log-in.” The log-in page displays.

If you do not have an account, do not click “I'd like to create my own LearnLinc account.”. If you do, the account you create will have selfregister permissions only. You will not be able to instruct, author, or administer in LearnLinc. Your LearnLinc administrator must create an account for you. If you are the LearnLinc administrator, you can use the default administrator account to log-in and create new accounts for yourself and others. Please see “Log-in as an Administrator” on page 76 for information regarding the default administrator account.

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3.

Enter your log-in name, group, and password in the appropriate fields and click Login. • If your entered your account information incorrectly, the log-in page displays again, prompting you to re-enter your information. • If you entered your account information correctly, your personalized home page displays.

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Quick Steps 1. Log-in to your Virtual Campus. 2. Click “User Directory” in the side navigation bar. 3. Click the name of the desired log-in group. 4. Click the name of the desired user.

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Locating Information About Another User 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. When your home page displays, note the side navigation frame, which displays links to common areas, including the user directory. 2. Click “User Directory” to see a list of all LearnLinc log-in groups.

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3.

Click a log-in group to view the users in that group.

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4.

Click a user name to view the available information about that user.

• If the user has provided email and home page information, you can click the links to send email or visit the home page, respectively. • To return to the log-in group list, click the “User Directory” link at the top of the page.

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Editing Your User Profile and Password 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. When your home page displays, note the side navigation frame, which displays links to common areas, including the user directory. 2. Click “User Directory” to see a list of all LearnLinc log-in groups. The User Directory displays.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to your Virtual Campus. 2. Click Directory in the side navigation bar. 3. Click the “personal profile” link near the top of the page. 4. Click the “Edit” tab to edit your information. 5. Click Save when you have made your changes.

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3.

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Click your log-in group name. A list of all the users in your group displays.

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4.

Click your name. Your user information displays.

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5.

6.

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Click the Edit tab. The edit page for your account displays.

• You can change your personal information as desired. • You can change your password by entering a new password in the “New password” and “Verify new password” fields. Click Save.

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Registering for and Dropping Courses 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. When your home page displays, note the side navigation frame, which displays links to common areas, including the course catalog. 2. Click Course Catalog. A list of all courses in the catalog displays.

3. 4.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to your Virtual Campus. 2. Click Course Catalog. 3. Click Register next to the desired course name. 4. Click OK when the “Success” page displays. 5. Click Unregister at any time to drop the course.

Locate the desired course in the list and click Register next to it’s name. The “Success” page displays. Click OK to return to the course catalog.

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Dropping a Course Once you are registered for a course, you see an “Unregister” link to next to its name in the course catalog. You can click “Unregister” at any time to drop the course.

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To Learn More To learn more about:

Please see:

The Internet and the World Wide Web

“Learn the Net” at http://www.learnthenet.com “NetLearn” at http://www.rgu.ac.uk/~sim/research/

netlearn/callist.htm “The Internet Information Center at http://

www.austria.eu.net/iic/

Next Steps In this chapter, you have learned about the Virtual Campus, how to get basic LearnLinc information, and how to perform basic tasks such as changing your password or registering for and dropping courses. To learn about some of the more advanced Virtual Campus tasks, please see: • Chapter 9, Creating Courses • Chapter 10, Scheduling Classes • Chapter 11, Working with Resources • Chapter 13, Working With Courses To learn more about joining a class from the Virtual Campus, please see: • Chapter 14, Preparing Your Computer for Your First Class • Chapter 15, Teaching a Class

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Working With Courses 13

13 Working With Courses This chapter explains the benefits and use of courses in the LearnLinc environment. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Access course information • Use a course resource • Participate in a threaded discussion • Email individuals or groups who are registered for a course In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is a course? 2. Who can manage courses? 3. Where are classes and resources stored? 4. What is a threaded discussion? 5. How do students use courses?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: Virtual Campus

“What Is the Virtual Campus?” on page 186.

Courses

“What Is a Course?” on page 189.

Course contents

“Course Contents” on page 191.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using courses correctly. Specifically, you need to know: • Who Can Manage Courses? • Classes • People • Threaded Discussion

Who Can Manage Courses? LearnLinc Administrators, authors, and instructors can all manage courses. Administrators and authors can create, edit, and delete courses, and classes and resources within those courses. Instructors can add, edit, or delete classes and resources in any course for which they are registered as an instructor. Classes A class can only be created within a course. Once a class is added to a course, registered students can join the class from the Virtual Campus. A course may have one class that is always open, or multiple classes–each of which is scheduled for a particular date and time. You can view class information and join classes from the course’s contents list. If you choose to view the class information, you can see the instructor, any assistant instructors, the date and time of the class, and the class agenda. You can launch resources from the agenda for your own use as well.

290 • • • • •

Working With Courses 13

People Everyone who is registered for a course is listed on its “People” tab. You can email anyone who has an email link next to his or her name, or click on anyone’s name to see his or her contact information.

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Threaded Discussion Every course has its own threaded discussion group. Anyone who is registered for the course can enter new messages or respond to existing message threads in the discussion.

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The Student View Students see a description, contents list, people list, and threaded discussion for each course. They can access all the resources in the contents list, including any class information, and join classes. Students do not see the edit functions for courses or classes under any circumstances.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for using a course, specifically: • Accessing Course Information • Opening Course Resources • Finding Out Who Is Taking a Course • Communicating with the Class

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Click “Course Catalog”. 3. Click a course name.

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Accessing Course Information 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. Your home page displays.

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2.

Click “Course Catalog”. A list of all the available courses displays.

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3.

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Click a course name to see its description, home page, and contents.

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Opening Course Resources 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. Your home page displays. 2. Click the name of the course with which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Click the name of a course. 3. Click an item in the contents list, 4. Click its location or download link to open it.

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3.

Click an item in the list to view its details.

4.

Click the download link to install the resource. • If there is a download link, you must download and install the resource before you can use it. • If there is a location link, you can click it to open the resource once you have installed it.

Working With Courses 13

Finding Out Who Is Taking a Course 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. Your home page displays. 2. Click the name of the course with which you wish to work. The contents list for that course displays.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Click a course name. 3. Click “People”.

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3.

Quick Steps 1. Click “email” next to a student or instructor’s name. 2. Enter your message and send the email.

Sending email to an individual in the course 1. Click “email” next to the person to whom you wish to send email. Your email program launches, and a new email message, with the recipient’s address, displays. Note that you must have email software installed and configured on your computer to send email from the Virtual Campus. 2.

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Click “People”. Lists of the instructors, and students who are registered for the course display.

Enter your message and send the email.

Working With Courses 13

Communicating with the Class 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. Your home page displays. 2. Click the name of the course with which you wish to work. The course contents list displays.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Click a course name. 3. Click “Discussion”. • Click a link to send email to a group within the course. • Click “Enter the course discussion” to join the threaded discussion.

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3.

Click the “Discussion” tab. The discussion tab displays.

• To send an email to the whole class, or a group within the class, see the following section “Sending E-mail to the Class”. Note that this option is not available for auto-register courses.

• To join the course’s threaded discussion, see “Participating in a Threaded Discussion” on page 303.

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Sending E-mail to the Class Under “Email” click the group to whom you wish to send email. • To send an email to all the instructors for the course, click “Send email to instructors”. • To send an email to all the students in the course, click “Send email to students”. • To send an email to all the instructors and students in the course, click “Send email to everyone”. Only users who have an email address listed in their user profiles will receive your email.

Participating in a Threaded Discussion Click “Enter the course discussion list”. The threaded discussion list for the course displays.

• • • •

To To To To

begin a new thread in the discussion, click “Create a new topic”. view a message, click its title in the list. view the responses to a topic, click the (+) plus box next to its title. add to the current thread, click “Reply to this message”.

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To Learn More To learn more about:

Please see:

Creating and editing courses

“Creating Courses” on page 185

Scheduling classes

“Scheduling Classes” on page 213

Next Steps In most cases, working with courses and course resources is a first step to joining classes. For more information on preparing for and teaching classes, please see: • Chapter 14, Preparing Your Computer for Your First Class • Chapter 15, Teaching a Class

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14 Preparing Your Computer for Your First Class This chapter explains the tasks for preparing for an online LearnLinc class. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Download and install the classroom software • Configure the classroom software • Make your picture display in the LearnLinc palette In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is the classroom software used for? 2. How do I select the right installation option? 3. How do I get my picture to display in the LearnLinc palette during class? 4. How is LearnLinc affected by my company’s web proxy server and firewall?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concept: the Virtual Campus

“What Is the Virtual Campus?” on page 186.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are ready to join a LearnLinc class. Specifically, you need to know: • About the Classroom Software • Choosing Between the “Typical”, “Advanced”, and “Custom” Installations • The Downloading Process • Displaying your Information in the LearnLinc Palette • Web Proxies

þ Your LearnLinc administrator may choose to provide the LearnLinc software to you on a CD, rather than through the Virtual Campus.

306 • • • • •

About the Classroom Software The LearnLinc classroom software is a set of tools that instructors and students use to connect, communicate, and collaborate in a virtual classroom. Each LearnLinc user must have the classroom software installed on his or her computer before joining a LearnLinc class. LearnLinc users join classes by clicking “join” links in the Virtual Campus. When you click a join link, your computer downloads a file from the Virtual Campus that supplies information about the class to the LearnLinc classroom software. The classroom software launches automatically and reads all the necessary information about the class from that file. Without the LearnLinc classroom software your computer cannot read the information in the file. Once the classroom software has launched, it connects to the LearnLinc server, which allows you to enter the class, and connect to all the other users in that class. The classroom software remains connected to the LearnLinc server throughout the class, so that everyone in that class can continue to pass data, such as conferencing and synchronization data, to each other. The classroom software is available to everyone in via the Virtual Campus download page. There are three download and install options on the download page. Choosing Between the “Typical”, “Advanced”, and “Custom” Installations The LearnLinc classroom software installation option that you choose depends on the types of content and conferencing you will use in your classes. Check with your LearnLinc administrator before choosing an option. In some cases, your administrator may have removed all but one option from the download page. In this case, simply click the remaining link to begin your installation. A brief description of each of the installation options follows.

Preparing Your Computer for Your First Class 14

Typical The typical installation is sufficient for most users. It includes the following components: • LearnLinc classroom tools • sample files • audio and video conferencing components • Microsoft Streaming Media Player • LearnLinc Classroom Player Advanced–Multimedia Content The advanced installation contains all the components of the typical install, with the addition of content synchronization for ToolBook, Authorware, and Director, and the LearnLinc Classroom Recorder. If you are using synchronized multimedia books in your classes, or want to record classes, choose this download option. Custom In most cases, either the typical or advanced installation options are appropriate. However, if your organization chooses not to install certain LearnLinc components, you can use the custom installation to select just the specific components you need to install. Be sure to ask your LearnLinc administrator for detailed instructions concerning which components to select during the installation. The Downloading Process LearnLinc uses an Internet technology called “install from the web” to provide you with the most efficient software installation. “Install from the web” enables you to begin installing the LearnLinc classroom software without downloading the entire software package first. As you begin the installation, the installer checks your current computer configuration, and downloads only the necessary components during the installation. In this way, your download and install time may be reduced significantly. Displaying your Information in the LearnLinc Palette Once you have installed the LearnLinc classroom software, you can begin joining and participating in classes immediately. However, if you are participating in data only or audio conferencing classes, you can enhance your class participation by adding your picture to the

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LearnLinc palette–so that it displays when you have the floor. Displaying your picture in the palette can personalize your interaction with the class by “putting a face with the voice”. Your picture can be in bitmap (.bmp), jpeg (.jpg), or ping (.png) format, and your administrator must uploaded it to the LearnLinc server. Once you add your picture to the server, it will display in the palette any time you have the floor. Do not add your picture to the palette if you are using video conferencing. Your live video image will display in the palette, rather than a still picture and location description.

Ä A web proxy server is a computer that acts as a gate between users on a network and the Internet. Using a web proxy enables an organization to ensure security, administrative control of their network, and cache Internet information. Using a web proxy reduces network traffic and speeds web browser response time by caching, or storing, local copies of each page that its users visit.

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Web Proxies When you connect to a LearnLinc class, you are sending and receiving information through the same connection that your web browser uses. If your organization filters its web browser information through a web proxy server, then your LearnLinc information will go through that web proxy as well. You can check to see if your web browser is configured to use a web proxy by opening the “Preference” dialog for Netscape browsers, or the “Internet Options” dialog for Internet Explorer browsers. Different versions of these browsers store proxy information in different locations–generally you can look for “Advanced”, “Security”, or “Connections” to find the “Proxy” or “LAN” settings. If your web browser is using a web proxy, you can configure LearnLinc to use the same proxy settings during installation, or in the LearnLinc Client Configuration control panel.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for downloading and installing the LearnLinc classroom software, specifically: • Downloading and Installing the Classroom Software • Reconfiguring your Classroom Software after Installation • Changing LearnLinc’s Web Proxy Settings • Making your Picture Display in the LearnLinc Palette

Downloading and Installing the Classroom Software 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. Your home page displays.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Click “Download” on the top navigation bar. 3. Click an installation option to begin.

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2.

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Click “Download” on the top navigation bar. The download page displays.

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3.

Click “Begin install from the web” for the option you wish to install. Your LearnLinc administrator may have removed some options from this page, or made other modifications. The “Loading Installation” page for the option you chose displays.

4.

If you are using Netscape Navigator, you may see the “Java Security” dialog, and page that prompts you to download the latest version of Install From The Web before you can install LearnLinc. • If you want to update your version of Install From The Web, click Accept in the “Java Security” dialog. When the update is complete, you can continue with the LearnLinc installation. Move to step 5. • If you do not want to update your version of Install From The Web, click “Deny” in the “Java Security” dialog, and then click the bottom link on the accompanying web page. The link takes to you a page from which you can download a small file to your computer. Keep your internet connection open and double-click on the file to start the Install From The Web. Move to step 6.

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5.

Click the “Install from the web” button. The “LearnLinc Client” dialog displays, and the setup files are downloaded to your computer.

When the setup files have been downloaded, the “Setup” dialog and the LearnLinc splash screen display. 6. When the “Welcome” screen displays, click Next. The “Software License Agreement” screen displays. 7. Review the license agreement • To exit the installer without accepting the terms and installing the software, click No. You are prompted to “Exit Setup” or “Resume”. If you choose to resume, you must accept the terms of the agreement. If you choose Exit Setup, the installer closes. • To accept the terms of the agreement, click Yes. The “Choose destination location” screen displays. 8. Click Browse if you wish to change the location to which LearnLinc will be installed. 9. Click Next. The “Edit your location” screen displays. 10. Enter a short description of your location and click Next. The description will display on the “Live from:” line on the LearnLinc palette. The “Internet connection type” screen displays. 11. Select your Internet connection type. • If you use a modem to connect to the Internet, you connect directly to the Internet. Select “I connect directly to the Internet” and click Next. Skip to step 12. • If you are on a network, you may connect via a web proxy server. If you are unsure, check your web browser’s proxy settings or contact your system administrator. If you use a web proxy server, select “I use a web proxy server to connect to the Internet and click Next. Proceed to step 11.

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12. Enter your web proxy server information. • If the fields are blank when the screen first displays, contact your IS department for the correct web proxy server information. • If the fields are filled when the screen first displays, accept the information in the fields unless you know you will be using a different web proxy server to connect join LearnLinc classes. Click Next. The “Start copying files” screen displays. 13. Review the information in the “Current settings” list. • To change the information, click Back. • To start the installation, click Next. 14. When the installation is complete, select “Yes, I want to restart my computer now.” and click Finish. When your computer restarts, the LearnLinc Audio Wizard will display. Be sure to complete all the steps in the audio wizard to ensure your audio will work properly in class.

þ You can change your web proxy server settings for LearnLinc after installation by selecting Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Client Configuration, and updating the information in the LearnLinc control panel.

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Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Client Configuration, from the Windows taskbar. • Enter a new description in the “Location” section. • Enter the web proxy information in the “Web proxy” section. 2. Click OK.

Reconfiguring your Classroom Software after Installation 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Client Configuration, from the Windows taskbar. The LearnLinc Client Configuration control panel displays.

Changing the “Location” Description in the LearnLinc Palette 1. In the “Location” section of the panel, enter a new description. 2. Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog. The new description displays in the “Live from” field on the LearnLinc palette during class.

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Changing LearnLinc’s Web Proxy Settings 1. If your organization uses a web proxy, set the web proxy information. You can find this information in your web browser’s “Preferences” (Netscape) or “Internet Options” (Internet Explorer) dialog. • Select “Specify a HTTP proxy server to use:” and then enter the proxy server name and port number in the “HTTP” and “Port” text boxes, respectively. • If you are only connecting to LearnLinc servers outside your company’s firewall, check “Force all requests to use the proxy server”. • If your web proxy does not support “keep alive”, select “Force HTTP polling”. This will prevent a delay from occurring when students enter a class. 2. Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog. The new settings will take effect the next time you join a LearnLinc class. Making your Picture Display in the LearnLinc Palette 1. Create an image file using a digital camera, photo scanner, or illustration software. The image must be: • in bitmap (.bmp), jpeg (.jpg), or ping (.png) file format • 180 x 125 pixels (width x height) • named in the following format: “loginid.fileformat”, where loginid is your log-in name, and fileformat is either .bmp, .jpg, or .png. For example, Jane Doe would name her picture: persona.marketing.JaneD.bmp.

þ Follow the same procedure

to add your student’s pictures to the LearnLinc server. Devise a standard procedure for creating the image files and uploading them to the server.

Make sure to use your log-in name, not your full name, when you create the image file. In the previous example, “JaneD” is the log-in name, and “Jane Doe” is the full name. 2.

Ask your LearnLinc Administrator to add the picture to the LearnLinc server. Your picture will display in the LearnLinc palette when you have the floor in class.

Next Steps Now that you have installed the LearnLinc classroom software, and copied your picture to the LearnLinc server, you are ready to teach your first LearnLinc class. For more information on teaching classes, please see Chapter 15, Teaching a Class.

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Teaching a Class 15

15 Teaching a Class This chapter explains the basics of teaching a live, online, LearnLinc class. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Join a class • Make sure the class can hear you • Talk to the class • See who is in your class • Pass the floor to a student • Work privately while you have the floor • Dismiss a student • Leave class In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is the Virtual Classroom? 2. How are classes on an intranet different from classes on the Internet? 3. What is the LearnLinc palette? 4. What is floor control? 5. What is an assistant instructor? 6. What are the different audio and video conferencing options? 7. What is the difference between full-duplex and half-duplex audio? 8. How does hand raising work in the Virtual Classroom? 9. What do students see when they are in class?

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What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: The Virtual Campus

“Visiting the Virtual Campus” on page 271.

Downloading and installing the LearnLinc classroom software

“Preparing Your Computer for Your First Class” on page 305.

The Virtual Classroom

“What Is the Virtual Classroom?” on page 214.

Floor control

“Floor Control” on page 215.

Assistant instructors

“Assistant Instructors” on page 220.

Audio and video conferencing

“Audio and Video Conferencing” on page 215.

Streaming Video

“Streaming Video” on page 220.

Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using the Virtual Campus to its full potential. Specifically, you need to know: • LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet • The LearnLinc Palette • The Difference Between Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex Audio • Hand Raising • The Student View

LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet A LearnLinc virtual classroom is created when two or more LearnLinc users connect to the LearnLinc server to join the same class. In addition to knowing that the LearnLinc server plays an important part in your ability to join a LearnLinc class, it is also important to realize that the location of that server, and how your computer connects to it, affect your participation in the class. The following diagrams illustrate two common configurations for the LearnLinc server and LearnLinc client computers on an intranet and on the Internet.

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LearnLinc on an Intranet If your LearnLinc server is connected to your organization’s intranet, and everyone in the class is connected to the same intranet, then your class is being held on that intranet. Everyone in the class can access web pages, networked drives, or shared folders on that intranet, (unless they are restricted by the organization’s IS department). Depending on the intranet configuration, your class may or may not be able to access the public Internet. The following diagram represents a LearnLinc server, and student and instructor computers on the same intranet.

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LearnLinc on the Internet If your LearnLinc server is connected to the public Internet, and everyone in the class is connected to the public Internet, then your class is being held on the public Internet. People who are on a private intranet cannot join your class, unless their organization gives them access to the public Internet. Everyone in the class can access web sites on the Internet. The following diagram represents a LearnLinc server where some clients are on an intranet with Internet access, and some students are on the Internet.

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The LearnLinc Palette The LearnLinc palette is a tool palette that LearnLinc instructors, assistant instructors, and students use to interact with one another during a LearnLinc class. The following diagram highlights the main areas of the palette. A brief description of each callout follows the diagram. Instructor’s Palette

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On Air/Current Speaker Indicator You are the floor holder when you see the red “On Air” indicator at the top of the palette. You can be seen and/or heard by the class, and you control any applications or content that is in use. If you launch an application or piece of content while you have the floor it launches for everyone in the class as well. When someone else has the floor, you see his or her name in place of the “On Air” indicator. Hand Raise Indicator When someone raises his or her hand during class you see a green flashing light behind the hand raise indicator. You can see which person raised his or her hand in the class list. Take Floor from Student If you give the floor to a student during class, you can take control of the floor back by clicking Take floor. You regain control of synchronized content, applications, and conferencing. Conferencing Window and Location If video conferencing is in use, you see and hear the current floor holder in real time in the conferencing window. If your class uses audio conferencing or is data only, you see a picture of the floor holder in the conferencing window. If that person does not have their own picture on the LearnLinc server, you see the default student picture. If you do not have your picture on the server, everyone sees the default instructor picture when you have the floor. The location of the current floor holder is listed below the conferencing window, as well. Mute Conferencing Checkbox, or Talk Button You may see either a Mute checkbox or a Talk button below the conferencing window. Both Mute and Talk work when you have the floor. • If you see a Mute checkbox, check the box to silence your audio and/or video conferencing while you have the floor. • If you see a Talk button below the conferencing window, click the “Talk” button once, or hold down the key, to talk to the class. Once you click the Talk button, you will not be able to hear the instructor. To hear the instructor, click the button again, or release the key, so that the Talk button is in a “raised” position.

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Even if the “Talk” button is pushed out, you may still have the floor. Your actions on shared content and applications are still visible to the class until you pass the floor to someone else.

Volume Indicators The volume indicators show the volume level for both your speakers (or headset) and microphone. Watch the volume indicators to see whether or not you are speaking loud enough while you have the floor. If the bars are green, your volume is acceptable. If the bars are yellow or red, your volume is too high. Network Bandwidth Monitor The network bandwidth monitor flashes green, yellow, and red. Green indicates sufficient bandwidth to participate in class. Yellow indicates that there is not enough bandwidth for all the LearnLinc information, resulting in poor quality audio or slow text chat, for example. Red indicates that there is not enough bandwidth to participate in the LearnLinc class at all. Class List The class list displays the names of everyone in the class, including your name. Hand raise icons display next to each student who has his or her hand raised, as do feedback response indicators for each student who has selected a response. The class list has: • buttons that enable you to select a student and give him or her the floor, put all hands down, and dismiss the selected attendee • buttons at the top of the class list that enable you to sort the list in hand raise order, by feedback response, or alphabetically by first name. • counters for the total number of attendees and the total number of hand raises Agenda The agenda contains a list of all the resources for the current class. You can click on any item in the list to launch it, with the exception of notes (which cannot be opened in the Virtual Classroom). You can also use resources from the course contents list by selecting it from the agenda drop-down list, and launch applications from the shortcuts at the bottom of the agenda tab.

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Feedback Feedback is a polling application that you can use to quickly poll the class using one of several predetermined answer sets. Feedback displays a set of answers, and a pie chart that shows the percentage of the class that selected each answer. You can right-click on the feedback area to select a different set of answers, to reset feedback, or to share the pie chart with the class. You can see individual feedback responses in the class list next to each student’s name. Text Chat Use text chat to send messages to the whole class or to just one student. When others in the class send messages, you see them in your text chat transcript window. You can right-click on the text chat area to undock the text chat window, change the font size, or clear the transcript. If you are the instructor, you can restrict text chat to yourself and the current floor holder. Private messages from your students or assistants appear in red text.

Ä A sound card is a piece of hardware that you can add to your computer to play and record audio. For example, you use your sound card when you listen to music CDs on your computer. You can use your sound card to send and receive live audio as well as prerecorded audio. LearnLinc requires a sound card to enable live audio or video conferencing during a LearnLinc class.

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The Difference Between Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex Audio Your sound card hardware and software may produce either full-duplex or half-duplex audio. The difference between full and half-duplex is whether or not you can hear someone else while you are speaking. Full-duplex cards can send and receive data at once, whereas halfduplex sound cards can only send or receive data at any time. Your sound card type, and your settings in the LearnLinc Audio Wizard, determine whether you see a Mute checkbox or a Talk button displayed on the LearnLinc palette under the conferencing window. If you see the Mute checkbox, you are in full-duplex mode and you can send your audio and receive someone else’s audio at the same time–as if you were on the telephone. In a LearnLinc class, this happens when the instructor passes the floor to a student, and both continue to talk. Everyone in the class can hear both the instructor and the floor holder at all times. If you have the floor and you check the Mute check box, the class cannot hear you. If you see the Talk button, you are in half-duplex mode and you can either send audio or receive it, but not both at the same time–as if you were using a CB-radio. In a LearnLinc class, you must have the floor, and click the Talk button in to speak to the class. If you click the Talk button again to push it out, the class cannot hear you, even though you have the floor.

Teaching a Class 15

Hand Raising During class, one of the primary means for students to communicate with their instructor is hand raising. In LearnLinc, students can raise their hands electronically by clicking the hand raise icon on their LearnLinc palettes. When a student raises his or her hand, the instructor’s hand raise indicator flashes, the hand raise counter on the palette is increased by one, and a hand raise icon displays next to the student’s name in the class list. In instructor led classes, instructors can use the hand raise function to poll students for agreement or disagreement, solicit questions, and to check students’ status. In open discussion classes, students and the instructor can use the hand raise function make floor passing more orderly. The Student View When a student joins a class, he or she sees a palette that is quite similar to that of the instructor. The following diagram highlights the main areas of the student palette. A brief description of the differences between the instructor and student palettes follows the diagram.

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Student Palette

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Hand Raise Button Instead of a hand raise indicator, students have a hand raise button that they can push to raise their hands electronically. The button remains pushed in as long as the hand is raised. Students do not see hand raise icons in the class list. Return Floor to Instructor In an instructor led class, the button at the top right of the student palette is the “Return floor to instructor” button. A student who has the floor can pass it back to the instructor, but not to another student. In an open discussion class, the floor button at the top right of the student palette is the “Take floor” button. Any one can take the floor from any floor holder at any time. Class List Students see the class list in all their classes, regardless of floor control format. However, in instructor led classes, students do not see hand raise icons or individual feedback responses in the class list. In open discussion classes, students see both indicators. Feedback Students see the feedback answer set, with radio buttons next to each answer. If you choose to share it with them, students see the summary pie chart as well. In open discussion classes, everyone sees the summary pie chart at all times. In addition, the ability to control feedback is based on floor control–so that the current floor holder can change the answer set and reset feedback. Text Chat Students see the text chat transcript at all times and can send messages at all times, unless you restricted text chat. In instructor led classes, students can undock text chat, and they can send private messages to you and any assistants in the class. Private messages always go to you and all the assistants– students cannot select you alone, or an assistant or student for a private message. In open discussion classes, students can send private messages to any individual at any time. As with instructor led classes, only you can restrict text chat.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for teaching a LearnLinc class, specifically: • Joining a Class • Making Sure the Class Can Hear You • Talking to the Class • Seeing Who Is in Your Class • Responding to Hand Raises • Passing the Floor to a Student • Working Privately While You Have the Floor • Dismissing a Student from Class • Leaving a Class The following directions are for teaching instructor led classes. When directions for teaching open discussion classes differ, they appear in italics at the end of each topic. The following directions assume that you have joined a class as its instructor. If you have not joined the class as its instructor, and you are scheduled to teach it, exit the class and the Virtual Campus, log-in using your instructor account information, and join the class again.

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Joining a Class 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. Your home page displays a list of all the courses for which you are currently registered.

Quick Steps 1. Log-in to the Virtual Campus. 2. Click the course that contains your class. 3. Click “join” next to your class.

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2.

Click the course name that contains the class you wish to join. All the courses that you are registered to teach are listed under the heading “You are teaching the following courses”. The course’s contents list displays.

3.

Click “join” next to the class you are teaching. Your browser minimizes and the LearnLinc palette displays. Reminder: you must download and install the LearnLinc classroom software before you join your first class. If you join the class and do not have the most recent version of LearnLinc, you will be asked if you want to automatically update to the latest version.

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Configuring your LearnLinc Palette 1. Select Tools > Local > Preferences from the LearnLinc palette menu bar.

Quick Steps 1. Select Tools > Local > Preferences from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. 2. Check or clear each item by selecting it.

2.

• By default “Hide Desktop Window” is selected, which is indicated by the check mark next to this menu item. When checked, your desktop and any icons or images on it are covered by the LearnLinc background image. • By default, “Always On Top” is not selected, and does not have a check mark next to it. When checked, the LearnLinc palette cannot be hidden by other windows. Check or clear these preferences as desired by selecting them from the Preferences menu list.

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Monitoring the Network Status The networks status monitor displays your connection status throughout class. The network status indicator has three states, which are described in the following table: Green indicates that there is sufficient bandwidth for you to participate in class. Yellow indicates that some of the bandwidth-intensive LearnLinc tools, such as conferencing or application sharing, may not function properly. However, you can still participate in the class. When a student’s network status monitor is yellow for one minute, a warning message appears in the student’s text chat. Red indicates that there is not enough bandwidth available for LearnLinc to function

properly. • If this indicator flashes, you may be experiencing a temporary fluctuation in bandwidth that will resolve itself. • If this indicator flashes continuously, attempt to participate in the class. If you cannot participate in class, there is not enough bandwidth available. Contact your LearnLinc administrator to resolve this issue. When a student’s network status monitor is red for one minute, a warning message appears in the student’s, instructor’s, and assistant instructor’s text chat.

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Making Sure the Class Can Hear You 1. If the class is unable to hear you while you have the floor, run the LearnLinc Audio Wizard by selecting Tools > Local > Audio Wizard, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar.

The LearnLinc Audio Wizard displays. Click Next to begin. The “Select Headset or Speakers” screen displays. 3. Select either “Headset” or “Speakers”. • If you are using a headset select that option. When you have the floor, you can hear the instructor while you are speaking, as long as you have a full duplex sound card. • If you are using speakers, select that option. When you have the floor and you click the Talk button you cannot hear the instructor. Even if you have a full duplex sound card you will not hear the instructor while you are speaking. Using this setting prevents feedback and echoes from your speakers while you are speaking. 4. Click Next. The “Adjust playback volume” screen displays. 5. Click Play and adjust the slider until the volume is at a comfortable level. 6. Click Next. The “Adjust Recording Volume” screen displays. 7. Speak into your microphone for several seconds. Speaking into your microphone sets your sound card’s recording volume. 8. Click Next. The “Test Audio Quality” screen displays. 9. Click Record and speak into your microphone for several seconds. 10. Click Playback to hear your recording. If the volume is not acceptable, click Back twice to return to the “Adjust Playback Volume” screen. Adjust the slider until the volume is acceptable and then return to the “Test audio quality” screen. 11. Click Finish. 2.

Quick Steps 1. Select Tools > Local > Audio Wizard, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. 2. Click Next. 3. Select “Headset” or “Speakers” and click Next. 4. Click Play and adjust the volume, then click Next. 5. Speak into your microphone and then click Next. 6. Click record and speak into your microphone. 7. Click Playback. 8. Click Finish.

þ You can run the audio wizard when you are not in class by selecting Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Audio Wizard, from the Windows task bar.

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Quick Steps 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. If you see the Talk button click it or press . 3. Begin speaking to the class. 4. Click the Talk button again, or release the key when you are done speaking.

Talking to the Class 1. Make sure you have the floor. You have the floor when you see the red “On Air” indicator at the top of the LearnLinc palette.

If you do not have the floor, take it by clicking Take Floor.

2.

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Determine if you have full- or half-duplex audio. • If you see a Mute checkbox below the conferencing window, you have full-duplex audio. You can talk to the class when you have the floor, and when you pass it to a student. Mute your microphone (and video) by checking Mute. • If you see a Talk button below the conferencing window, you have half-duplex audio. Click Talk, or hold down the key, and begin speaking to the class.

Teaching a Class 15

If you are using video conferencing, the class can both hear and see you while you have the floor. Muting audio and video while you have the floor does not affect synchronization. If you wish to use synchronized content or applications privately while you have the floor, click “Privacy” on the LearnLinc palette Agenda tab. Please see “Working Privately While You Have the Floor” on page 337 for more information.

Seeing Who Is in Your Class Scroll through the class list to see the name of each person in your class. The class list is located in the middle of the LearnLinc palette and is updated continuously as students join and leave the class. Note that when a student joins or leaves the class, it may take a minute or longer for the list to update.

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Responding to Hand Raises When a student raises his or her hand, you see three indicators on the palette to notify you of the hand raise: • A green light flashes behind the hand raise indicator at the top left of the palette. • A hand raise icon displays next to the student’s name in your class list. • The hand raise counter, which is below the class list, is incremented by one. If you have assistant instructors in your class, they see these indicators as well. You can respond to a hand raise by: • passing the floor to the student, or • clicking “All hands down”, or • acknowledging the hand raise verbally, but letting the class know you will answer questions at a later time. In open discussion classes, you have a hand raise button in the top left corner of the palette, rather than the hand raise indicator. Lowering all raised hands Click All hands down on the LearnLinc palette.

All the hand raise icons in the class list are removed. The hand raise button is pushed out on the student palette for each student who had raised his or her hand. In open discussion classes, you do not have the “All hands down” button.

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Passing the Floor to a Student 1. Highlight a student’s name from the class list by clicking it once. 2. Click Pass floor.

Quick Steps Double-click a student’s name to pass the floor to him or her.

Your “On Air” indicator is replaced by the name of the new floor holder.

Taking the floor back from a student Click Take floor at any time to take the floor back from a student.

Working Privately While You Have the Floor To use synchronized content and LearnLinc applications privately while you have the floor, click Privacy. For example, if you are showing a presentation to the class, and want to view the next slide on your own, click Privacy before moving to the next slide. When you are ready to continue, return to the previous slide and click Privacy again to start sharing your actions with the class. Privacy is off when the window shade is up. Privacy is on when the window shade is down and the background is red.

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Dismissing a Student from Class 1. Highlight a student’s name from the class list by clicking it once. 2. Click Dismiss attendee.

Leaving a Class Select File > Exit, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar.

When you leave an instructor led class in which: • you are the current floor holder, students who remain in class cannot use LearnLinc features that rely on floor control, such as audio or video conferencing. • a student is the current floor holder, that student can use LearnLinc features that rely on floor control, but cannot pass the floor to another student. In open discussion classes, students who remain in class can continue to pass the floor and use features that rely on floor control after you leave.

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To Learn More To learn more about:

Please see:

Downloading and installing the LearnLinc classroom software

“Downloading and Installing the Classroom Software” on page 309.

Multicast video conferencing options

“Audio and Video Conferencing” on page 215.

Streaming video

“Adding Streaming Video to Your LearnLinc Server” on page 101.

Next Steps Once you are comfortable with the basic task of teaching a LearnLinc class, you may wish to explore some of the classroom tools that are available for your use during a class. If you would like to know more about the LearnLinc classroom tools, please see: Chapter 16

Recording Classes

page 341

Chapter 17

Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students

page 365

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 20

Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard

page 393

Chapter 21

Sharing Applications With the Class

page 413

Chapter 22

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class

page 439

Chapter 23

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions

page 445

Chapter 24

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse

page 271

Chapter 25

Creating Breakout Groups

page 467

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If you would like to know more about creating or working with LearnLinc synchronized content, please see: • Chapter 8, Converting your Content for LearnLinc • Chapter 11, Working with Resources • Chapter 18, Using Multimedia Content During Class

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Recording Classes 16

16 Recording Classes This chapter explains how to record and play back classes using LearnLinc’s Classroom Recorder and Classroom Player. In this chapter you will learn how to: • record a LearnLinc class • pause or stop the recorder • upload a recorded class to your course contents list • play a recorded class • set recorder options In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. How do I get the recorder and player? 2. What is the Classroom Recorder? 3. What is a dedicated recording computer? 4. Who can record classes? 5. What is the difference between saving and uploading a recorded class? 6. What is the Classroom Player? 7. How big are recorded files?

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you understand how to work the Classroom Recorder and Classroom Player. Specifically, you need to know: • How Do I Get the Classroom Recorder and Player? • What Is the Classroom Recorder? • What is a Dedicated Recording Computer? • What Is the Difference Between Saving and Uploading a Recorded Class? • Who Can Record Classes? • What Is the Classroom Player?

How Do I Get the Classroom Recorder and Player? The LearnLinc Classroom Recorder is installed when you complete an “Advanced - Multimedia Content” or “Custom” installation of LearnLinc 4.5. If you want to play back a recorded class on a computer that does not have LearnLinc 4.5 installed, you can download and install the player from the Download page in the Virtual Campus. The LearnLinc Classroom Player is installed when you do a Typical or Advanced - Multimedia installation of LearnLinc 4.5. What Is the Classroom Recorder? The LearnLinc Classroom Recorder is an application that records a LearnLinc class on a student computer. The Classroom Recorder captures all classroom activity, including audio, video, text chat, and any actions on the classroom workspace. The recorder also uploads the recorded file and adds it to your course contents list.

You can also use the Classroom Recorder outside of a class to upload a classroom recording that you previously saved to your hard drive.

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What is a Dedicated Recording Computer? A dedicated recording computer is a computer that records, but does not participate in, a class. In general, if you are using any conferencing type other then data-only, you should use a dedicated recording computer. Who Can Record Classes? Anyone with instructor, author, or administrator privileges can record classes. You will most likely want to join the class as a student with instructor or administrator privileges so that the student experience, rather then the instructor experience, is recorded. What Is the Difference Between Saving and Uploading a Recorded Class? You can upload a recorded class to the server immediately after recording the class or you can save it to your hard drive and upload it at a later time. Uploading the file adds it as a resource to the LearnLinc Course that the recorded class is part of. The uploaded class displays on the course contents list. The uploading process work best when only one recording at a time is uploaded to the server. The save/upload process begins as soon as: • the recording computer leaves the class OR • someone stops the Classroom Recorder.

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What Is the Classroom Player? The LearnLinc Classroom Player is a standalone application that plays the recorded class file. Once you install the player, it is accessible on your Start menu. The player is automatically launched when you play the recorded file from your course contents list or class agenda. The player streams the recorded file from the server to your computer.

You can also download the file from the course contents list, save it to your hard drive, and then play the file at a later time. The advantage of downloading and playing the file is that you do not need to have an active Internet connection while playing the file and the file will play continuously without stopping to buffer.

How Big Are the Recorded Classroom Files? The recorded classroom files average 10 MB per hour of recorded class. A system administrator should ensure that the files are backed-up or deleted according to your organization’s server space needs.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the tasks involved in recording a class and playing the recorded class, specifically: • Recording a class • Pausing or stopping the recorder • Uploading a recorded class to your course contents list • Playing a recorded class. • Setting your recorder options Note: The directions and screen shots in this guide are based on Microsoft Internet Explorer. If you are using Netscape Navigator, the directions remain the same, but some screen shots, menu names, and dialog names may differ slightly.

Recording a Class 1. Log-in to LearnLinc with instructor, author, or administrator authority on the computer that will be recording the class If you are the instructor for the class, do not log-in as yourself on the recording computer unless you want to record the instructor view of the class. 2. 3.

þ You may want to assign someone to monitor the recording computer during the class.

Join the class you want to record. Select Tools > Class > Record Classroom. Quick Steps 1. Log-in to LearnLinc as an Instructor, Author, or Administrator. 2. Join the class. 3. Select Tools > Class > Record Classroom. 4. Click Start Recording.

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The Classroom Recorder opens.

4.

Click Start Recording. The Classroom Recorder minimizes on your desktop. The recorder will continue to record the class until • you or the person monitoring the recording clicks the minimized recorder on the task bar (see the next section, “Pausing or stopping the recorder”) OR • LearnLinc is closed on the recording computer (see “Uploading a Recorded Class”).

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Pausing or Stopping the Recorder 1. Click the minimized recorder on your windows task bar. The recorder stops recording and maximizes on the recording computer’s screen.

Quick Steps 1. Click the minimized recorder. 2. Click Resume Recording to continue, or Stop to save the file or cancel the recording.

2.

Do one of the following:

If you want to . . .

Then . . .

resume recording

click Resume Recording. The recorder resumes recording and minimizes on the recording computer’s taskbar.

stop recording

click Stop. You can now either save or cancel the recording. If you save the file, you can upload it to the Virtual Campus. Refer to “Uploading a Recorded Class” and “Saving a Recorded Class to Upload Later” for more information.

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Quick Steps

Uploading a Recorded Class 1. When the class is over or someone stops the Classroom Recorder, the Classroom Recorder maximizes and a Save As dialog appears.

1. Navigate to the location where you want to save the recorded classroom file. 2. Name the file. 3. Click Save. 4. Click “Yes” to upload the file to the Server. 5. If necessary, log-in to the Server. 6. Click OK when the upload complete message appears. 2. 3.

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Select a location and type a name for the file. The default name is the name of the class you recorded. Click Save.

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The File Upload dialog appears.

4.

Click Yes. The LearnLinc Server Login dialog box appears.

5.

Enter your log-in information and click OK. You must have Administrator, Instructor, or Author authority to upload a file to the LearnLinc server. Instructors can only upload recorded classes to their own courses.

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The file begins uploading. The slider bar on the upload dialog box indicates its process. When the upload is complete, an Upload Complete message appears.

6. 7.

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Click OK. The recorded class is now accessible from the course contents list for the course containing the class you recorded.

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Saving a Recorded Class to Upload Later 1. When the class is over or someone stops the Classroom Recorder, the Classroom Recorder maximizes and a Save As dialog appears.

Quick Steps 1. Navigate to the location where you want to save the recorded classroom file. 2. Name the file. 3. Click Save. 4. Click “No” on the File Upload dialog.

2. 3.

Select a location and type a name for the file. The default name is the name of the class you recorded. Click Save.

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The File Upload dialog appears.

4.

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Click No. The file is saved to the location you specified and can be uploaded at a later time. When you are ready to upload the file, you can run the Classroom Recorder from the LearnLinc Program Group on your Start menu. See “Uploading a Saved File” on page 353.

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Uploading a Saved File 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Upload Recording. A File Open dialog box displays. 2. Navigate to the saved recorded class file and click Open. The LearnLinc Server Login dialog box appears.

3.

Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Upload Recording. 2. Navigate to the recorded classroom file and click Open. 3. Log-in to the Server and click OK. 4. Click OK when the upload complete message appears.

Enter your log-in information and click OK. You must have Administrator, Instructor, or Author authority to upload a file to the LearnLinc server. The file begins uploading. The slider bar on the upload dialog box indicates its process. When the upload is complete, an Upload Complete message appears.

4.

Click OK. The recorded class is now accessible from the course contents list for the course containing the class you recorded.

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Quick Steps

Playing a Recorded Class 1. In the Virtual Campus, access the course containing the recorded class. The recorded classroom file that you uploaded is on the course contents list.

1. Locate the recorded class on your course contents list. 2. Click Play.

Recorded Classroom Resource

2.

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Click Play. The Classroom Player opens and begins playing your recorded classroom file. As the file is opening, you will see a “Please Wait. Initial screen loading” message. When the first part of the file becomes available, the Classroom Player begins streaming the file to your desktop. The classroom activity from the recorded class occurs on your desktop, just as if you were participating in the class. While the recorded class plays, you can pause, stop, fast forward, or rewind the file using the recorder controls. The following diagram describes each control and the information the player displays about the recorded file.

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View the size and total playing time of the file in hours and minutes.

View the name of the file.

Click Fast Forward or drag the slider to move quickly through the recorded file.

Click Rewind to rewind or drag the slider to move quickly back through the file.

Click Play to play the file. The button is grayed out when the file is playing.

Click Stop to stop the file and rewind it to the beginning. Click Pause to temporarily stop the file in a particular spot.

While the recorded file plays, the current playing time displays in the status bar below the button controls. If the player needs to stop to download more data to play — a process called buffering — the estimated buffering time will appear in the status bar.

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Quick Steps

Downloading a Recorded File 1. In the Virtual Campus, access the course containing the recorded class. The recorded classroom file that you uploaded is on the course contents list.

1. Locate the recorded class on your course contents list. 2. Click the name of the file. 3. Click Download. 4. Follow your browser’s download instructions.

2.

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Click the name of the file.

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The Edit Resource page appears.

3.

Click Download.. Note that this page displays an estimated time for the file download. This estimate is based on a 28.8 kbs Internet connection. If you are connecting to the Internet at a higher speed — for example on a 56 kbs modem or on an office network with a dedicated Internet connection — the download time may be much faster than the estimate.

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The File Download dialog box appears.

4.

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Select “Save this file to disk” and click OK.

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The Save As dialog box appears.

5.

Navigate to the location where you want to save the file, and then click Save. The recorded classroom file begins to download. The File Download dialog box displays the progress as your file downloads. It is important to remember where you save the downloaded file, so that you can easily access it later when you are ready to play it.

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When the download is complete, a message displays notifying you that it is done.

6.

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You can play the file now, or wait and play it later:

If you want to . . .

Then . . .

play the file now

click Open. The Classroom Player opens and plays the file.

play the file later

click Close. The Download Complete dialog box closes and you are returned to the recorded class resource details page in the Virtual Campus.

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Playing a Downloaded File 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Classroom Player. The LearnLinc Classroom Player opens.

Quick Steps 1. Locate the recorded class file in Windows Explorer. 2. Double-click the file name to open the player and play the file.

2.

Select File > Open. The Open dialog box appears.

3.

Navigate to the recorded classroom file and click Open.

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The file opens in the Classroom Player.

Click the Play button to begin playing the file.

4.

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Click the Play button to play the file.

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Setting the Recorder Options 1. Join a class on the recording computer with administrator, instructor, or author authority. 2. Select Tools > Set Recorder Options.

‘ The Set Recorder Options dialog appears.

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3. 4.

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Under Temporary Directory, select the directory in which recorded classroom files will be saved during classroom recording. Select the audio source you want the Classroom Recorder to use when recording audio classes. The default audio source for classes using audio conferencing is LearnLinc Multimedia Conferencing.

If you want to record . . .

Then select . . .

no audio

none

audio using a dedicated recording computer

LearnLinc Multimedia Conferencing. Important! No audio generated from the recording computer will be recorded.

audio from the recording computer, multimedia audio played during a class, or telephone conferencing

Default Windows audio devices. Important! You may also need to adjust hardware components and connections, depending on what you will be recording. Please contact LearnLinc Customer Service for more information.

Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students 17

17 Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students This chapter explains the benefits and use of text chat, LearnLinc’s instant messaging tool. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Undock the text chat window • Change the font size in the text chat window • Send a message to the class • Send a private message • Restrict text chat to yourself, your assistants, and the floor holder In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is text chat? 2. Who can send and receive private messages? 3. What is restricted text chat? 4. What are network status monitor messages? 5. What do students see?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concept: the LearnLinc classroom

“Teaching a Class” on page 317.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using text chat correctly during class. Specifically, you need to know: • What Is Text Chat? • Private Messages • Restricted Text Chat • Assistant Instructors and Text Chat • The Student View

What Is Text Chat? Text chat is a messaging tool that you can use to communicate with your students and assistant instructors during class. When anyone enters a message in text chat, the message is immediately visible to everyone in the class. The message displays with the name of the sender in bold before the text.

Text chat is part of the LearnLinc palette, and is visible throughout the class. Text chat can be “undocked” from the palette to enable resizing and private messaging, but it cannot be closed. Text chat messages display in several colors: • Messages to the class from students and assistant instructors display in plain black text. • Messages to the class from the instructor display in green text. • Private messages to a student from the instructor or an assistant display in red text. • Private messages to the instructor from an assistant display in bold red text. • Private messages to an assistant from the instructor display in bold red text. • Private messages from an assistant to another assistant display in bold red text.

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Private Messages In addition to sending messages to the entire class, you can also choose to send a private message to a student or an assistant instructor. To send a private message, you must undock text chat from the LearnLinc palette. When you send a private message, the recipient sees it in red text, with your name in bold before the message text. When you receive a private message, it displays in red text, with the name of the sender and the recipient in bold before the message text. When you receive a private message from an assistant instructor, it displays in bold red text, with the name of the sender and the recipient in bold before the message text. Assistant instructors can send private messages to you, or to any student in the class. Restricted Text Chat You can choose to restrict text chat to yourself, your assistant instructors, and the current floor holder at any time during class. When text chat is restricted only the instructor, assistants, and the current floor holder can enter messages, however, everyone can see the messages in their own text chat windows. If you pass the floor to another student, that student gains the ability to enter messages in text chat, and the previous floor holder loses that ability. Students can still send private messages to the instructor and assistants. Network Status Monitor Messages When a student’s network status monitor is red for more than one minute (indicating severe network congestion), the student, instructor, and any assistant instructors receive a warning message in text chat. If the network status monitor is yellow for more than one minute (indicating moderate network congestion), only the student receives a warning message in text chat. The messages help the instructor and assistant instructors monitor any bandwith problems the students may be having, which are negatively affecting LearnLinc performance. When the class is over, the text chat is automatically saved in each user’s temporary Windows directory. Each saved text chat file will overwrite the previously saved file.

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Assistant Instructors and Text Chat If you have one or more assistant instructors in your class, they can monitor text chat while you concentrate on presenting new content. The assistants see any private messages from the students and can respond to each student individually, if necessary. If an assistant sends you a private message it displays in bold red text in your text chat window, to let you know that the message requires your attention. The Student View In instructor led classes, students have a checkbox labeled “Private” that enables them to send private messages to “all instructors”. The “all instructors” group is made up of the instructor and any assistants in the class.

In open discussion classes, students have the same text chat window as instructors. Students can send messages to the class, or send a private message to any individual in the class.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the tasks for using text chat in a class, specifically: • Sending a Message to the Class • Changing the Font Size in the Text Chat Window • Undocking the Text Chat Window • Sending Private Messages • Restricting Text Chat to yourself, your Assistants and the Current Floor Holder

Sending a Message to the Class 1. Click in the text box at the bottom of the LearnLinc palette.

transcript area

Quick Steps Type your message in the text box at the bottom of the palette and press .

enter your message here and click Send 2.

Type your message and click Send. Your message is sent to everyone in the class.

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Quick Steps

Changing the Font Size in the Text Chat Window 1. Select Tools > Local > Text Chat Font Size from the LearnLinc palette menu bar.

1. Right-click on the text chat transcript area. 2. Select a font size from the right mouse menu.

3.

Quick Steps 1. Right-click on the text chat transcript area. 2. Select “Dock My Text Chat” from the right mouse menu.

Select “Small Fonts For Me”, “Medium Fonts For Me”, or “Large Fonts For Me” from the list. All messages in your text chat transcript window resize to the option you selected.

Undocking the Text Chat Window Select Tools > Dock My Text Chat Window, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar to clear its checkmark.

The text chat window displays in the bottom quarter of the content area. You can resize, minimize, or move the window as desired.

Docking the text chat window Click the “Close” box in the upper right corner of the text chat window to return it to the LearnLinc palette.

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Sending Private Messages 1. Undock text chat from the palette.

Quick Steps 1. Undock text chat. 2. Check “Private” and select a name from the drop down list. 3. Type your message and press .

2. 3. 4.

Check “Private” to enable the drop down box. Select a name from the drop down list. Type your message and click Send. The person you selected in the drop down box see your message in red text. Only instructors and assistants can send private messages to students. Students can only send private messages to the instructor and all assistants, not to each other.

Restricting Text Chat to yourself, your Assistants and the Current Floor Holder 1. Pass the floor to the student with whom you want to chat. 2. Select Tools > Class > Restrict Text Chat, from the palette menu bar.

3.

Quick Steps 1. Pass the floor to someone. 2. Select Tools > Class > Restrict Text Chat.

Enter a message and click Send. Everyone will see your message, but only the floor holder and assistants can respond to it.

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Next Steps Text chat is one of several LearnLinc classroom tools. If you would like to know more about the other LearnLinc classroom tools, please see:

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Chapter 18

Using Multimedia Content During Class

page 271

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 20

Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard

page 393

Chapter 21

Sharing Applications With the Class

page 413

Chapter 22

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class

page 439

Chapter 23

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions

page 445

Chapter 24

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse

page 271

Chapter 25

Creating Breakout Groups

page 467

Using Multimedia Content During Class 18

18 Using Multimedia Content During Class This chapter explains the benefits and use of multimedia content in LearnLinc classes. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Suspend conferencing to run an audio or video clip • Launch and close synchronized multimedia books, audio clips, and video clips • Work with synchronized multimedia books In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is multimedia content? 2. How is it synchronized? 3. What happens when I run an audio or video clip in a class that uses live audio or video conferencing? 4. How is multimedia synchronization affected by differing connection speeds among students? 5. What do students see?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: The Virtual Campus

“Visiting the Virtual Campus” on page 271.

Working with courses

“Working With Courses” on page 289.

Teaching a class

“Teaching a Class” on page 317.

Converting content for LearnLinc

“Converting your Content for LearnLinc” on page 151.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using your synchronized content correctly. Specifically, you need to know: • What Is Multimedia Content? • Types of Multimedia Content that Can Be Synchronized • Synchronization • ToolBook, Authorware, and Director • Director Movies • Audio and Video Clips • What if My Multimedia Content Contains Audio or Video Clips and My Class Uses Conferencing? • The Student View

What Is Multimedia Content? In LearnLinc, multimedia content refers to books that incorporate several types of media, and to audio and video clips. A multimedia book and a Director movie combines text, still pictures, audio clips, video clips, animations, and other media. An audio or video clip is a pre-recorded clip that can be played on its own. Types of Multimedia Content that Can Be Synchronized LearnLinc 4.5 supports synchronization for ToolBook 5.0 books and higher, Authorware 4.0 applications and higher, Director 7.0, and audio and video clips. • ToolBook files require the ToolBook RunTime software, which is installed with the LearnLinc “Advanced” installation option. • Authorware and Director files do not require any additional software to run, but do require the LearnLinc “Advanced” installation option. • Audio and video clips require a player, such as Microsoft’s Windows Media Player or RealNetworks’ RealPlayer. Windows Media Player is installed with LearnLinc. Synchronization Synchronization can only take place during a LearnLinc class. When you launch a synchronized book during class, a unique sharing channel for that piece of content opens, and all users in the class “tune in” to that channel. The actions of the floor holder are sent to the rest of the 374 • • • • •

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class via this channel. You can think of this process as giving the floor holder a master remote control that enables him or her to control eveyone’s content.

ToolBook, Authorware, and Director In most cases, ToolBook, Authorware, and Director content is distributed to students before class on CD-ROM, or via a download link in the Virtual Campus. All students must install the content to the same location on their computers for synchronization to work properly. While in a LearnLinc class, you can take the floor and launch the content from the class agenda. The book or movie launches on all student’s computers as well. As you use the book or movie, your actions are reflected on each student’s computer. These actions include things like page turns, annotations, and shared pointer movements. The exact actions that can be synchronized depend on the functionality that the multimedia author has chosen to include. When you pass the floor to a student, that student can control the content for the class. When the book or movie is no longer needed, you can take the floor and close the it for everyone in class. Audio and Video Clips To synchronize an audio or video clip during class, you can take the floor and launch the clips from the class agenda or the library. (If the class uses audio or video conferencing, you must suspend audio/video before launching the clip.) The media player launches on everyone’s computers at the same time. Each student begins to download and play the clip, at varying speeds based on their connection to the Internet. When they are done playing the clip, each student can close his or her own media player window. Differing Connection Speeds among Students Affect some Kinds of Synchronization Although all your students’ computers receive data telling them to launch the media player and get the clip that you launched at the same time, they actually see the streamed media file at a pace based on their own connection speeds. The pace at which each student downloads the streamed file depends on his or her connection speed. For example, if most of your students are on an office network with a very large, dedicated connection to the Internet, they will download the files much more quickly than students who are at home with a 28.8 kbps modem.

þ “Connection speed” does not equal “modem speed”. In most cases, when you connect to the Internet or dial into a network using a modem, you do not connect at the fastest rate your modem is capable of. For example, if you have a 28.8 kbps modem, you might get a connection speed of 24.4kbps. If the phone circuits are out of date, you might only get a connection of 19.2

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If you know that some of your students have slow connections make sure that everyone in the class has finished viewing the file before you restart conferencing and return to your discussion. To check with your students, you might try either of the following before you launch the streaming media file: • Ask your students to raise their hands when they have finished downloading the page. • Change the feedback answer set to “Assignment status” (Not much progress, Still working, Almost finished, Completed) and ask students to indicate their progress in feedback as they view the file.

Ä Streaming media files are audio, video, or multimedia files that are stored on a web site or other accessible location. When you access a streamed media file, it begins to play almost immediately, and continues to download and store the remainder of the file as you are playing it. Using streamed files helps you to avoid long waits while you download media files.

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What if My Multimedia Content Contains Audio or Video Clips and My Class Uses Conferencing? If your class uses audio or video conferencing, you must “release” the class’ sound cards before you can play the clip. Audio and video conferencing use your computer’s sound card to send and receive audio data. When you run an audio clip, video clip, or a clip within a piece of multimedia content, your computer must use your sound card–but in a LearnLinc class, the sound card is already in use by conferencing. When you suspend conferencing before playing the clip, you are “releasing” the sound card, so that it can be used for the clip. Once the clip is finished, you can restart your conferencing and continue with class. If you are using LearnLinc’s streaming video application, conferencing is suspended for you automatically when you launch the Streaming Video. The Student View When you use synchronized multimedia content in a LearnLinc class, your students see exactly what you see. If you turn a page, the page turns on each student’s copy of the content as well. If you make an annotation, each student sees it on his or her copy as well. If the floor is passed to another student, then that student’s actions are reflected on each person’s copy of the content.

Using Multimedia Content During Class 18

Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for using multimedia content in a class, specifically: • Suspending Conferencing to Run an Audio or Video Clip • Launching a Synchronized Multimedia Book, Director Movie, Audio Clip, or Video Clip for the Class • Working With ToolBook Synchronized Multimedia Books • Closing Synchronized Multimedia Books for the Class • Closing Audio and Video Clips

Suspending Conferencing to Run an Audio or Video Clip 1. Tell the class that you will be suspending conferencing. They will not be able to see or hear you once you complete the next step. 2. Select Tools > Class > Suspend Audio/Video.

Quick Steps 1. Tell the class you are suspending conferencing. 2. Select Tools > Class > Suspend Audio/Video.

The message “Audio/video suspended” displays in the conferencing area on everyone’s palettes, and your students cannot see or hear you.

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3. 4.

Launch the clip from the class agenda or the library. Select Tools > Class > Suspend Audio/Video, again to restore conferencing when the clip is over. Conferencing is restored when your picture (or the default instructor picture) is displayed in the conferencing window. Your students can hear and see you again.

Launching a Synchronized Multimedia Book, Director Movie, Audio Clip, or Video Clip for the Class You can launch synchronized multimedia content for the class from either the class agenda or the library. Both procedures follow. Quick Steps 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. 2. Double-click the desired item in the Agenda.

Launching a Multimedia Book, Director Movie, Audio Clip, or Video Clip from the Agenda 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. You must be the floor holder to launch an agenda item for the class. 2. Click the “Agenda” tab on the LearnLinc palette. The “Agenda” tab is located in the middle of the palette, under the “People” tab.

3.

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Double click the item you wish to launch for the class. The content launches on each student’s computer.

Using Multimedia Content During Class 18

Launching a Multimedia Book, Director Movie, Audio Clip, or Video Clip from the Library 1. Make sure you are the floor holder and have Instructor authority. You must be the floor holder and an instructor to launch a library item for the class. 2. Select Run > Library, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. The LearnLinc library dialog displays.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. 2. Select Run > Library. 3. Double-click on the desired item.

Depending on the type of resource you want to launch, do one of the following: • To expand the list of books, double-click “Books” • To exapand the list of Director movies, double-click “Director Movies” • To expand the list of audio clips, double-click “Audioclips” • To expand the list of video clips, double-click “Videoclips” The resources are organized by course within each list.

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3. 4.

Double-click on the folder for your course. Highlight the desired item by clicking it once and click “Open Material” to launch it for everyone.

Working With ToolBook Synchronized Multimedia Books The following descriptions refer to the default ToolBook navigator, which is included with LearnLinc. Authorware books, and ToolBook books that use other navigators, have their own custom navigation systems. Click Contents to display the contents of the book. The author may or may not include a table of contents in the book. Click Print to print pages of a ToolBook book. Any annotations that are visible on the page appear on the printed version. Use the Shared pointer to point out parts of the content to everyone in the session. Click on Shared pointer once to turn it on. Click on it again to turn it off. Mark up pages of the book with the Draw tool. When you draw on a page, the annotation displays on each student’s copy of the book. To use the draw tool click on it once. Move your mouse to the desired location, hold down the left mouse button, and drag to draw on the page. Click Erase to remove all annotations on the current page. When you have the floor, erasing the marks on your copy of the book erases them for everyone. Use Select color to choose the color of the draw tool and the shared pointer. Click Select color, then click the color you wish to use. Click Notes to open a “sticky note” on your copy of the book. There are several things you can do with sticky notes: • type text on the note • move the note by clicking on its gray border and dragging • minimize the note by clicking the minimize note button • mail your note to everyone in the session by clicking the mail button • save your sticky note to a text file by clicking the disk button • delete the note by clicking the trash can button Click Page history to turn back to the most recently viewed page.

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Click Resync class to synchronize all students to your current page. Click Page forward to turn to the next page in the book.

Closing Synchronized Multimedia Books for the Class 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. 2. Click the “Close” button in the top right corner of the window. • For Authorware books, instruct your students to close the book themselves. • For ToolBook books, the “Shared Close” dialog displays. Click “Close All” to close the book for everyone.

Closing Audio and Video Clips 1. Click the Close button in the top right corner of the Windows Media Player window. 2.

Instruct your students to close Windows Media Player themselves.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. 2. Click the “Close” button. 3. Click “Close all” if the “Shared Close dialog displays.

Quick Steps 1. Click the close button. 2. Instruct the class to close Media Player themselves.

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To Learn More To learn more about:

Please see:

Content development for LearnLinc

LearnLinc Authoring Guide (this guide can be found on the LearnLinc Authoring Kit CD)

ToolBook navigators

LearnLinc Authoring Guide

Macromedia Authorware and Director

http://www.macromedia.com

Asymetrix ToolBook

http://www.asymetrix.com

Streaming media

http://www.streamingmediaworld.com/ http://www.microsoft.com/NTServer/mediaserv/exec/overview/ FAQ.asp http://www.realaudio.com

Next Steps In this chapter, you have learned about using multimedia content during LearnLinc classes, and how conferencing affects multimedia content. To create and use other synchronized content options, please see: • Chapter 8, Converting your Content for LearnLinc • Chapter 11, Working with Resources • Chapter 19, Synchronizing Web Content

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19 Synchronizing Web Content This chapter explains the benefits and use of the synchronized web browser, LearnLinc’s addon for your web browser. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Launch the synchronized web browser • Send the class to a specific web address when you launch the synchronized web browser • Allow a student to synchronize his or her web navigation • Close the synchronized web browser for yourself, or for everyone in the class In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is the synchronized web browser? 2. What is the difference between the Internet and an intranet? 3. What is the difference between HTML and other web presentation technologies? 4. What browsers does the synchronized web browser support? 5. How is synchronized web browsing affected by differing connection speeds? 6. What do students see?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: the Virtual Classroom the LearnLinc palette floor control

“LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet” on page 318. “The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321. “The Difference Between Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex Audio” on page 324.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using the synchronized web browser effectively during LearnLinc classes. Specifically, you need to know: • What Is the Synchronized Web Browser? • When Should I Use the Synchronized Web Browser? • What Does it Synchronize? • The Difference between HTML and Other Web Presentation Technologies • The Difference Between the Internet and an Intranet • Differing Connection Speeds Among Students Affects Synchronization • Supported Browsers • Synchronizing Navigation in Frames • The Student View

Ä A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of a web page or other resource on the Internet, or an intranet. For web pages on the Internet, a URL might take the form of http://www.servername.com/ filename.htm.

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What Is the Synchronized Web Browser? The synchronized web browser is an “add on” to your Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator web browser. When you are the floor holder in a LearnLinc class, you can use the synchronized web browser to lead the class as you navigate the World Wide Web. When you launch the synchronized web browser, everyone else’s browsers launch as well. Since the synchronized web browser uses the default web browser for each computer, people in the same class can use either Internet Explorer, or Netscape Navigator. You see your regular web browser, and you can navigate the web as you would normally. Each time you go to a new URL, or click a new link on a web page, the class also follows that link. In between your navigations, each student can browse at his or her own pace.

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When Should I Use the Synchronized Web Browser? If your content changes often and must be readily accessible to students during and outside of class, consider creating HTML content and browsing it with the synchronized web browser. Assuming you have access to a web server, or to someone who can help you post your content to a web server, you can make last minute changes quickly and easily–without worrying about distributing those changes to your students. Additionally, you can create your HTML content in a variety of ways, including: • using a WYSWIG (What you see is what you get) editor, such as Microsoft Front Page, Macromedia DreamWeaver, Adobe PageMill, or many others • converting existing documents to HTML using popular office applications, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel • using the Virtual Campus to convert your PowerPoint presentations to HTML and add them to courses and classes. What Does it Synchronize? The synchronized web browser synchronizes HTML navigation. Many web pages contain other content, such as CGI scripts, JavaScript, VBScript, ASP (Active Server Pages), Java, and Macromedia Shockwave presentations, however these elements are not synchronized by the synchronized web browser. For example, you may lead the class to a page that contains a form that you are using as a test, and then instruct your students to fill out and submit the form individually. The Difference between HTML and Other Web Presentation Technologies HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a set of “markup” tags that are inserted into a file so that it can be displayed in a web browser. These tags indicate text formatting, such as bold or italic, font size or color, and also references to images and links to other pages. For example, the tag text would produce the result text in your web browser. The synchronized web browser enables the floor holder in a LearnLinc class to “tell” the rest of the class to follow as he or she navigates HTML links to web pages. Over the past several years, many other technologies have been developed for presenting information on the web. CGI scripts, Javascript, VBScript, ASP, Java, and Macromedia Shockwave presentations are several popular presentation technologies that you have probably encountered when surfing the web–possibly without even knowing it! These technologies have

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been developed to meet the growing need for more sophisticated presentations and higher levels of interactivity on most web sites. While you may choose to use some of these technologies to create your web content, you cannot synchronize these types of content with the synchronized web browser. Since they do not use HTML links, the synchronized web browser cannot “tell” the rest of the class to follow you as you interact with these items. In some cases, this may work to your advantage. For example, you might use the synchronized web browser to lead your class through a content unit, the last page of which is a test that was created using ASP. You can lead everyone to the test page by entering the URL in the browser, or following an HTML link, and then each student can complete the test and submit his or results independently via the ASP code.

The Difference Between the Internet and an Intranet The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks, in which a user on a computer on one network can get information from any other computer on any other network, assuming he or she has permission. The Internet is a public resource that is used by millions of people around the world. Two of the most common uses of the Internet are sending email and browsing the World Wide Web. The Web is made up of millions of web sites that are connected through hypertext links. These hypertext links are “cross references” that visitors can follow instantly with a simple mouse-click. Often, the pages of a web site are developed using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Using HTML, a web site owner can add text, images, and hypertext links to page. Using the synchronized web browser, your students can follow you around the Web as you click on hypertext links. By contrast, an intranet is a private network or series of networks that is contained within an organization. Many organizations use their intranets to share company information and computing resources among their members, including the ability for groups to share information collaboratively, using tools such as LearnLinc. Intranets typically contain an internal web site as well. Anyone whose computer is on the intranet can access the internal web site, but all others are blocked from visiting. In addition, many intranets do provide access to the Internet for those on the “inside” through firewalls that have the ability to screen messages in both directions so that company security is maintained.

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What difference does this make to the synchronized web browser? The type of connection that you and your students have to the Virtual Classroom affects the types of web content that you can access. • If everyone joins the class from the public Internet, you can navigate any content on the Internet, but not content stored on an intranet. • If everyone joins the class from your intranet, you can navigate content on your organization’s intranet, but you cannot access the public Internet unless your organization allows Internet access through a firewall. • If you are on an intranet, and some of your students join class via that intranet while others join via the Internet, those on the Internet will not be able to see your intranet’s content. If your intranet allows for Internet access, you can synchronize Internet web navigation with everyone in the class. Differing Connection Speeds Among Students Affects Synchronization The speed at which each student is connected to the Internet or your network will affect how quickly they receive your web synchronization. Although all students will receive your navigation change at the same time, some may not be able to see the page as quickly as others, due to the speed at which they download the page. When you navigate to a web page, your web browser must download the page, and each element on the page, such as graphics, one at a time. When you synchronize web navigation, each student’s browser must still download the page individually. If some students have slower connections, they download the page more slowly than others. The pace at which you download the page elements depends on your connection speed. For example, if you are on your office network, which has a very large, dedicated connection to the Internet you will download a page much more quickly than you might at home with your 28.8 kbps modem. However, if you are sharing your fast network connection with 100 other users, many of whom are also browsing the web, you may actually have faster speed at home!

þ “Connection speed” does not equal “modem speed”. In most cases, when you connect to the Internet or dial into a network using a modem, you do not connect at the fastest rate your modem is capable of. For example, if you have a 28.8 kbps modem, you might get a connection speed of 24.4kbps. If the phone circuits are out of date, you might only get a connection of 19.2

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If you know that some of your students have slow connections make sure that everyone in the class has finished downloading the most recent page before you begin your discussion. To check with your students, you might try either of the following: • Ask your students to raise their hands when they have finished downloading the page. • Change the feedback answer set to “Assignment status” (Not much progress, Still working, Almost finished, Completed) and ask students to indicate their progress in feedback as they receive the page.

Supported Browsers LearnLinc 4.5 supports the following browsers for synchronization: • Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.01 w/service pack 1, and 5.0 • Netscape Navigator versions 4.05 and 4.08 • Netscape Communicator 4.7x

Ä Frames enable multiple pages to display at the same time in a single browser window. For example, many web sites have two frames: a navigation frame on the left or right that contains a “table of contents”, and a content frame, that displays the contents of the site and takes up the remainder of the browser window.

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Synchronizing Navigation in Frames Although LearnLinc supports both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, synchronizing navigation in frames is handled differently in each browser. • For frames to work properly with Internet Explorer, both the floor holder and the students must have Internet Explorer. If your content relies heavily on frames, we recommend that you use Internet Explorer on all LearnLinc computers. • Netscape users cannot view synchronized content containing frames. They will see the content of one of the frames, and may have multiple windows display on their screens. To assist a Navigator user when he or she takes the floor, instruct him or her to navigate to the address of the frame set first, so that all the frames are visible. The Student View When you launch the synchronized web browser for the class, each student’s web browser opens on his or her computer as well. As you navigate to a web page, each student’s browser follows. Remember, however, that they may not receive the page as quickly as you. Once they have received the page, they are free to scroll, follow links on that page, or navigate to other sites as desired. Each time you follow a link or navigate to a new page, all students are “resynchronized” to your new location.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the tasks for using the synchronized web browser in a class, specifically: • Launching the Synchronized Web Browser • Closing the Synchronized Web Browser for Yourself or the Class Unless otherwise noted, information in the following screen shots is for example only. In some cases, partial screen shots may be used, which represent part of a larger interface element, rather than the entire interface. Partial screen shots are represented by jagged, “tear off” edges.

Launching the Synchronized Web Browser 1. Make sure you are in a class, and you are the current floor holder. If you are the current floor holder, the red “On Air” symbol displays at the top of the LearnLinc palette.

2.

Quick Steps 1. Click the agenda tab on the LearnLinc palette. 2. Click the synchronized web browser shortcut. 3. Navigate to the desired web site.

Click the “Agenda” tab on the LearnLinc palette. The “Agenda tab is located under the “People” tab. The Agenda tab contains a list of links to class resources, and shortcuts to commonly used LearnLinc classroom applications.

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3.

4.

Click the synchronized web browser shortcut.

The synchronized web browser launches on your computer, and on each student’s computer. Type a web address in the “Address” field of your browser and press . Everyone in the class navigates to that address.

As you navigate, the class follows in their own browsers. You can navigate using HTML links, favorites or bookmarks, or by entering URLs in the “Address” field. Quick Steps 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Select File > Close, from your browser’s menu bar. 3. Select “Close All”, “Close Mine”, or “Cancel”.

Closing the Synchronized Web Browser for Yourself or the Class 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Select File > Close, from your browser’s menu bar. The “Shared Close” dialog displays.

Select: • Close Mine, to close your own browser, but leave everyone else’s open. • Close All, to close everyone’s browsers. • Cancel, to close the dialog and leave all browsers open, including your own.

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To Learn More To learn more about:

Please see:

Creating HTML content for use with LearnLinc

“Converting your Content for LearnLinc” on page 151

The Internet and the World Wide Web

“Learn the Net” at http://www.learnthenet.com “NetLearn” at http://www.rgu.ac.uk/~sim/research/ netlearn/callist.htm “The Internet Information Center at http://www.austria.eu.net/iic/

Next Steps The synchronized web browser is only one of several options for delivering synchronized content to your class. If you would like to use other content delivery options, please see: Chapter 18

Using Multimedia Content During Class

page 271

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 20

Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard

page 393

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Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard 20

20 Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard This chapter explains the benefits and use of the whiteboard, LearnLinc’s shared workspace. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Use the whiteboard outside of class • Use the whiteboard during class • Update the whiteboard for others • Save and print whiteboard files In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is the whiteboard? 2. Who can use the whiteboard? 3. Where are whiteboard files stored? 4. What do students see?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: the Virtual Classroom

“LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet” on page 318.

the LearnLinc palette

“The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321.

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floor control

“The Difference Between Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex Audio” on page 324.

Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using the whiteboard correctly. Specifically, you need to understand: • What Is the Whiteboard? • Who Can Use the Whiteboard? • Storing Files on your Computer for Use in a LearnLinc Class • Whiteboard Synchronization • The Student View

What Is the Whiteboard? The whiteboard is a shared work space in which you can present information to and collaborate with your students. You can use the whiteboard to make notes, draw simple graphics, import images, and grab screen captures of other applications. When you place an object on any area of the whiteboard (such as the shared pointer or a graphic), the students’ whiteboards scroll to view the new object. This allows you to create

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larger whiteboard images without worrying about whether or not your students will see the information on which you are focusing.

Who Can Use the Whiteboard? As with other LearnLinc classroom tools, the floor holder controls the whiteboard. The floor holder can use all of the whiteboard tools, including the shared pointer, drawing and text tools, and screen grab. The rest of the class can see the floor holder’s actions but they cannot use any of the tools. However, anyone can save or print a copy of the whiteboard at any time. Additionally, any LearnLinc user can use the whiteboard to create or modify whiteboard files on their own outside of the Virtual Classroom. Storing Files on your Computer for Use in a LearnLinc Class If you create a whiteboard file before class, store it on the computer from which you’ll be teaching that class or on a network drive that you will have access to during class. You can access your whiteboard files during class by opening them in the whiteboard, or launching them from the agenda. Note, however, that if you create an agenda item for a

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whiteboard file that is stored on your local computer, others in the class will not be able to access it unless you launch it for them while you have the floor.

Whiteboard Synchronization When you are in class your whiteboard may be in either of two states: in sync or waiting for sync. • Those who are in a class and actively receiving whiteboard information are “in sync.” • Those who have joined a class but are waiting to receive whiteboard information are “waiting for sync”. Anyone who is in sync can update whiteboards that are waiting for sync by clicking “Send Update” on the whiteboard toolbar. In sync students and the instructor see an indicator on their whiteboard status bar when other students are waiting for sync.

The Student View Students see the exact same whiteboard tools and menus as the instructor and can perform all the same whiteboard tasks as instructors when they have the floor. Regardless of whether they have the floor, students can print and save the whiteboard at any time. Additionally, they can open the whiteboard on their own, outside of class, to create new whiteboard files and view or modify existing files.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the tasks for using the whiteboard on your own and during a class, specifically: • Using the Whiteboard on your Own • Saving Whiteboard Files • Printing Whiteboard Files • Launching the Whiteboard for the Class • Opening your Whiteboard Files for the Class • Updating the Whiteboard for Others • Using the Shared Pointer • Adding Text • Drawing Lines, Ellipses, Rectangles, and Freehand Shapes • Changing the Line Weight, Line Color, and Fill Color • Importing a Picture • Grabbing a Screen Shot and Placing it on the Whiteboard • Closing the Whiteboard for the Class

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Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Whiteboard. 2. Use the whiteboard as desired.

Using the Whiteboard on your Own 1. Make sure you have downloaded and installed the LearnLinc client from the Virtual Campus web site. The whiteboard is part of the LearnLinc classroom software. You must have installed the classroom software to use the whiteboard. 2. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Whiteboard, from the Windows task bar.

3.

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The whiteboard launches. Use the whiteboard as desired. You can: • create new whiteboard files • open and modify existing whiteboard files • print the current whiteboard See the remainder of the topics in this chapter for details on each whiteboard tool.

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Saving Whiteboard Files 1. Select File > Save.

Quick Steps 1. Select File > Save. 2. Name the file and click Save.

The “Save as” dialog displays.

2. 3. 4.

Select a drive and folder in which to store the whiteboard file. Enter a name for the file in the “File name” dialog. Click Save.

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Quick Steps

Printing Whiteboard Files 1. Select File > Print.

1. Select File > Print. 2. Choose a printer and number of copies and click OK.

The Print dialog displays.

2. 3.

Select the desired printer and number of copies. Click OK. Note that the whiteboard printing function automatically scales the objects on the whiteboard so that they print on one page.

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Launching the Whiteboard for the Class 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. You must be the floor holder to launch an agenda item for the class. 2. Click the “Agenda” tab on the LearnLinc palette. The “Agenda” tab is located in the middle of the palette, under the “People” tab.

3.

Quick Steps Click the whiteboard shortcut on the Agenda tab.

Click the whiteboard shortcut to open the whiteboard.

Launching a Whiteboard File from the Agenda 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. You must be the floor holder to launch an agenda item for the class. 2. Click the “Agenda” tab on the LearnLinc palette. 3. Double click the whiteboard file you wish to launch for the class. The whiteboard launches on each student’s computer.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. 2. Double-click the desired item in the Agenda.

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Quick Steps 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. 2. Select Run > Library. 3. Double-click on the desired item.

Launching a Whiteboard File from the Library 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. You must be the floor holder to launch a library item for the class. 2. Select Run > Library, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar to display the LearnLinc library dialog.

3.

Double-click “Whiteboard Resources” to expand the list of whiteboard files.

4.

Locate the desired whiteboard file, click it once and click “Open Material” to launch it for the class. You can only open the whiteboard file if it is stored in an accessible location. If the whiteboard file is stored on a drive or computer that you cannot access, you will receive an error message stating that the file cannot be opened.

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Opening your Whiteboard Files for the Class 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. 2. Select File > Open, on the whiteboard menu bar.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. 2. Select File >Open. 3. Highlight the file and click “Open”.

The “Open” dialog displays.

3.

Navigate to the desired drive and folder to locate your whiteboard file and click “Open”. The whiteboard file you selected opens for you, and is sent to each student. You can work with the file and save your changes as desired.

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Quick Steps Click “Send Update”.

Updating the Whiteboard for Others 1. Watch the whiteboard status bar for the “waiting for update” message. 2. Select Sharing > Send Update, on the whiteboard menu bar.

Everyone who is waiting to be updated receives a copy of your whiteboard contents. Quick Steps 1. Click “Shared Pointer”. 2. Click anywhere on the whiteboard.

Using the Shared Pointer 1. Click “Shared pointer” on the whiteboard toolbar.

2.

The shared pointer displays on your whiteboard. Click your mouse to move the shared pointer to the desired location on the whiteboard. When you click, everyone sees the shared pointer in that location.

Quick Steps

Adding Text 1. Click “Text” on the whiteboard toolbar.

1. Click “Text”. 2. Drag to create a text box. 3. Enter the text.

2. 3.

Quick Steps 1. Click “Selection Pointer”. 2. Click once on the text box. 3. Edit the text.

Editing Text 1. Click “Selection pointer” on the whiteboard toolbar. 2. 3.

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The cross-hair cursor displays. Position the cursor over the whiteboard and drag diagonally to create a text box. The blinking I-beam cursor indicates the starting point for the text. Enter the desired text.

Double-click the text to activate its text box. The I-beam cursor displays. Position the cursor at the text you wish to change and edit the text as desired.

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Moving or Resizing the Text Box 1. Click “Selection pointer”. 4.

Click on the text box once. Square anchors display in each corner once the text box is selected.

Quick Steps 1. Click “Selection Pointer”. 2. Click once on the text box. 3. Drag the box border to move it, or an anchor to resize it.

• To move the text box, place the mouse over the text box border and drag while holding down the left mouse button. • To resize the text field, click on an anchor and drag while holding down the left mouse button.

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Quick Steps

Drawing Lines, Ellipses, Rectangles, and Freehand Shapes 1. Click the desired graphic tool.

1. Click a graphic tool. 2. Drag the cursor to create that type of graphic.

Use the line tool to draw horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. Use the ellipse tool to draw ovals and circles. Use the rectangle tool to draw rectangles and squares. Use the freehand tool to draw freehand lines.

2. Quick Steps 1. Click “Selection Pointer”. 2. Click the graphic once. 3. Drag an anchor to resize the graphic.

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The cross-hair cursor displays. Position the cursor over the whiteboard and drag while holding down the left mouse button to create a graphic shape.

Moving or Resizing a Graphic 1. Click “Selection Pointer”. 2.

Click the graphic once. Square anchors display in each corner. • To move the graphic, place the mouse over the graphic border and drag while holding down the left mouse button. • To resize the graphic, click on an anchor and drag while holding down the left mouse button.

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Changing the Line Weight, Line Color, and Fill Color 1. Click “Selection Pointer”. 2. 3.

Click on the graphic once. Square anchors display in each corner. Click “Line Weight”, “Line Color”, or “Fill Color”. Select a line weight and type from the line selection box.

Quick Steps 1. Click “Selection Pointer”. 2. Click once on the graphic. 3. Click “Line Weight”, “Line Color”, or “Fill Color”. 4. Select the desired weight or color.

Select a line color from the color selection box. Select a fill color from the color selection box.

Importing a Picture 1. Click Insert picture. You can insert bitmap (.bmp), jpeg (.jpg), and ping (.png) image files. The “Open” dialog displays.

Quick Steps 1. Click “Insert Picture”. 2. Locate a picture and click Open. 3. Stamp the picture on the whiteboard.

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2. 3.

Select the desired picture and click “Open”. The selection pointer and a box the size of the picture display. Stamp the picture on to the whiteboard by positioning the pointer in the desired location and clicking once. The picture displays at that location.

Quick Steps

Moving or Cropping a Picture 1. Click “Selection Pointer”.

1. Click “Selection Pointer.” 2. Click once on the picture. 3. Drag the picture border to move it, or an anchor to resize it.

2.

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Click on the picture once. Square anchors display in each corner. • To move the picture, place the cursor over the picture and drag while holding down the left mouse button. • To crop the picture, position the cursor over one of the anchors and drag while holding down the left mouse button.

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Grabbing a Screen Shot and Placing it on the Whiteboard 1. Open the application you wish to capture. Configure the application if necessary. 2. Select Grab > Grab Snapshot, from the whiteboard menu bar.

The whiteboard minimizes and the “Select Window” dialog displays at the bottom of the screen.

3.

4.

Quick Steps 1. Select Grab > Grab Snapshot. 2. Drag the capture tool on to the application you want to grab. 3. Stamp the screen capture on the whiteboard.

Drag the capture tool over the target window and release the mouse button.

The whiteboard window restores and the selection pointer and a box the size of the picture display. Stamp the screen capture into the whiteboard by positioning the pointer in the desired location and clicking once. The screen capture displays at that location.

Closing the Whiteboard for the Class 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Save the whiteboard if desired. You may wish to instruct your students to save individual copies of the whiteboard.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Select File > Exit, and click “Close All”.

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3.

Select File > Exit.

The “Shared Close” dialog displays.

4.

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Click Close All to close the whiteboard for everyone in the class. You have the options of close the whiteboard for yourself or canceling as well.

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Next Steps The whiteboard is one of several LearnLinc classroom tools. If you would like to know more about the other LearnLinc classroom tools, please see: Chapter 16

Recording Classes

page 341

Chapter 17

Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students

page 365

Chapter 18

Using Multimedia Content During Class

page 271

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 21

Sharing Applications With the Class

page 413

Chapter 22

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class

page 439

Chapter 23

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions

page 445

Chapter 24

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse

page 271

Chapter 25

Creating Breakout Groups

page 467

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21 Sharing Applications With the Class This chapter explains the benefits and use of AppShare and AppView–LearnLinc’s application sharing tools. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Launch and close AppShare • Share applications with the class • Let a student use a shared application • Let students share their applications with the class • Launch and close AppView • Show applications to the class • Set AppView to split-screen In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is application sharing? 2. What applications can I share? 3. Why are there two tools for application sharing, and when should I use each? 4. What do students see?

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What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: the Virtual Classroom

“LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet” on page 318.

the LearnLinc palette

“The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321.

floor control

“Floor Control” on page 215.

Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using AppShare and AppView correctly. Specifically, you need to understand: • What Is Application Sharing? • What Applications Can I Share? • AppShare • AppView • Deciding Between AppShare and AppView • The Student View

What Is Application Sharing? Application sharing is the ability of the class instructor to share an application on his or her computer with students in a LearnLinc class when the students do not have that application installed on their computers. As the class instructor, you can share any application on your computer with the class. Depending on the tool used to share the application you can: • share your actions with the class while you use your applications • enable a student to use the shared applications as the rest of the class watches • enable a student to share his or her own applications with the class Generally, application sharing is more effective if the instructor talks participants through each step, and gives them a few seconds to recognize what has changed in their display window.

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What Applications Can I Share? You can share any application that is installed on your computer. Note that you can only share 16-bit applications by sharing the entire desktop. If an application that is running on your computer does not display in your application list, even after refreshing the list, it is a 16-bit application. Share your desktop to share the application with the class. Neither AppShare nor AppView respect Privacy mode. You may run a second, private copy of the application you are presenting, as long as that application allows two copies of itself to run on a single computer.

AppShare AppShare can be used in any LearnLinc class. AppShare enables you to: • share your actions on any applications with the class • allow a student in the class to use your shared application • allow a student in the class to share his or her own application with the class • allow the floor holder to use another student’s shared applications Note that depending on the configuration for your class, AppShare may display either color or grayscale images. Your instructor or class scheduler can choose the AppShare display settings based on your class’ bandwidth availability and the types of applications you plan to share. Please see “Bandwidth” on page 217 for more information. AppView AppView can only be used in classes that are held on a multicast network. AppView enables you to show your actions on any application to the class. Students cannot use your shared application, or share their own applications with AppView. Tips for Using AppView • AppView uses a consistent amount of bandwidth to broadcast bitmaps. For example, using AppView to show students a large spreadsheet in Microsoft® Excel® uses the same amount of network resources as showing the Windows® Calculator. However, it may take longer for students to receive updates of applications that take up most of the desktop area. Adjust the pace at which you are teaching according to the display size of the application that you are broadcasting.

Ä A local or wide area network (LAN or WAN) is multicast if it has multicast enabled routers. Multicast-enabled routers send data to the computers on their network more efficiently than standard routers, so that a lot of data can be sent without overloading the network. Multi cast classes cannot work over the public Internet. Check with your system administrator to see if your network is multicast enabled.

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• You can use AppView to demonstrate the use of Windows® Explorer™, however, the entire desktop displays in the AppView window because Windows Explorer is part of the Windows 95 Operating System. • AppView cannot display an MS-DOS window set to full screen size.

Deciding Between AppShare and AppView Depending on your network configuration, you may have access to one or both of the LearnLinc application sharing tools. For both AppShare and AppView, only the person who is sharing the application has to have it installed on his or her computer–everyone else in the class sees a copy of the application in a display window. Although AppShare has additional functionality that enables students to share applications as well as view them, instructors who are teaching on multicast-enabled networks may choose to use AppView to conserve bandwidth. Because AppView simply reflects the actions of the instructor on the application, rather than allowing students to use the shared application, it uses less bandwidth. Additionally, because AppView is designed to be run on multicast networks, it sends data from the instructor to the class in an efficient manner. The Student View When you launch AppShare or AppView and select an application to share, a display window launches on each student’s computer. For AppShare, multiple applications can be shown in the display window at one time. You can choose to share any student’s applications by selecting a student in the AppShare control dialog, and choosing one or more of their applications. However, the student is always prompted to allow or deny you access to his or her applications. For AppView, only one application can be displayed at a time. Students see that application in the display window. When you switch applications, the previous application is replaced with the most recently selected application. The remainder of this chapter is divided into two sections. The first provides detailed directions for AppShare, and the second for AppView.

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Detailed Directions for AppShare The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for using AppShare in a class, specifically: • Sharing Your Applications With the Class • Selecting Other Applications to Share With the Class • Allowing a Student to Share his or her Applications • Closing AppShare • Using AppShare in an Open Discussion Class • Taking Control of AppShare in an Open Discussion Class Sharing Your Applications With the Class 1. Make sure your monitor is set to display 16 bit color (high color) or higher. You can check this setting by right-clicking on your desktop and selecting “Properties” from the shortcut menu. Your color palette information can be found on the “Settings” tab. 2. Take the floor. If you are the current floor holder, the red “On Air” symbol displays at the top of the LearnLinc palette.

3.

Make sure each application you wish to share is open and configured properly.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure your monitor is set to display 16 bit color or higher. 2. Take the floor holder. 3. Open and configure the applications you wish to share. 4. Click the agenda tab on the LearnLinc palette. 5. Click the AppShare shortcut. 6. Select one or more applications to share and click Start.

þ Try launching and configuring all of the applications you plan to share before class starts. Doing so enables you to make quick transitions between applications during class.

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þ If you are in a multicast class,

4.

Select Run > Application Sharing, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. The “Select Application” dialog displays.

5.

Check each application you want to share with the class, or check “Desktop” to share all your applications.

the agenda shortcut will launch AppView instead of AppShare. You must use the Run menu to launch AppShare.

þ If you are sharing your desktop and you are concerned about displaying your palette to your students consider this alternative. Set up a second LearnLinc computer, log it in to the class, and run the applications to be shared on that computer. Select it as the “presenting user” in AppShare. You can use its applications in the AppShare window, and keep your palette information private.

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If an application that is running on your computer does not display in your application list, even after refreshing the list, it is a 16-bit application. You must share your entire desktop to share that application with the class. 6.

If you plan to allow a student to use the shared applications, check “Allow floor holder to control presented applications”. Checking this option allows students to control your shared applications when you pass the floor to them.

Sharing Applications With the Class 21

7.

8.

Select the display window placement for the students’ computers. Choose from the following options: • “Upper half” sizes the student’s display windows to fit the upper half of the content area. Instruct your students to run their own copy of the application in the lower half of the content area. • “Lower half” sizes the student’s display windows to fit the lower half of the content area. Instruct your students to run their own copy of the application in the upper half of the content area. • “Full content area” sizes the student’s display windows to fit the entire content area on their screens. Click Start. The “LearnLinc AppShare” window displays on your computer, with a list of all applications that are being presented.

þ Note that regardless of where you place the students’ display window, your applications will display where they are placed on your desktop. If you opt to place the students’ display windows in the upper half of their screens, but place the application you are sharing at the bottom of your screen, the students will have to use the scroll bars to find the application in their AppShare windows.

þ If you have students with slow 9.

The AppShare display window launches on each student’s computer, and displays the selected applications. Use the applications as desired. Your actions are reflected in each student’s display window as you take them. Do not allow any other windows to overlap the applications you are sharing. Doing so obscures the view for students.

internet connections, you may wish to use feedback to ensure that they have received the AppShare window and its contents. Before you click Start, change your feedback answer set to “Yes/No”, and instruct your students to click “Yes” once they see the shared application.

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Quick Steps 1. Open and configure the applications to share. 2. Click “LearnLinc AppShare” on the Windows taskbar. 3. Click Change.... 4. Select the applications to share. 5. Click Start.

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Selecting Other Applications to Share With the Class 1. Make sure the new applications you wish to share are open and configured properly. 2. If you have minimized the “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog, click on its taskbar button to restore it. 3. Click Change.... The “Select Application” dialog displays.

4.

If the application you wish to share does not display in the list, click Refresh List.

5.

Check each new application you want to share, and clear the checkmarks next to each application you want to stop sharing.

Sharing Applications With the Class 21

6.

7.

Click Start. Once the application has been shared, the “LearnLinc AppShare” window displays on your computer, with an updated list of all applications that are being presented.

The AppShare display window on each student’s computer updates to display the applications in the list. Use the applications as desired. Your actions are reflected in each student’s display window.

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Quick Steps 1. Click Configure on the LearnLinc AppShare dialog. 1. Select a student’s name from the “Presenting User” drop down box. 2. Click Yes when the warning dialog displays. 3. Check the applications you want the student to share. 4. Click Start.

Allowing a Student to Share his or her Applications 1. If you have minimized the “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog, click its button on the Windows taskbar to restore it. 2. Click Change....

3.

The “Select Application” dialog displays. Select a student’s name from the “Presenting User” drop down box.

The “LearnLinc AppShare Warning” dialog displays.

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4.

Click Yes. A list of all the applications running on the student’s computer displays in the list.

5.

Check each application you wish to share, or check “Desktop” to share the student’s entire screen. Check “Allow floor holder to control presented applications” if you want other students in the class to be able to control the student’s applications. Select the display window placement for the student’s computers. Click Start. The “Waiting for confirmation” dialog displays. If you click “Cancel” at any time the student’s applications will not be shared.

6. 7. 8.

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The student is prompted to either allow or deny you access to the applications on his or her computer. The student sees the following dialog:

• If the student denies you access to his or her applications, a dialog displays with the message “The student has chosen not to share his or her application with you”. You cannot present his or her applications to the class. The AppShare control dialog displays again. You can try again, choose another student from the list, or share your own applications with the class instead. • If the student allows you access to his or her applications, you and the student can control the shared applications, or you can pass the floor to any student to allow him or her to control the shared applications.

Updating Student’s AppShare Windows If a student joins late, or closes and re-opens his or her AppShare window, the “Update Students” warning displays.

• If you want to update the student, click Update Now. There may be a delay in the AppShare session for the entire class while the student’s computer is updated. • If you want to wait and update the student at a later time, click Update Later. You can update the student at any time by restoring the “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog from the Windows taskbar and clicking Send Update.

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Closing AppShare 1. Take the floor. 2. If you have minimized the “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog, click on its taskbar button to restore it. 3. Click Quit. The “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog closes and the “Shared Close” dialog displays.

4.

Quick Steps 1. Take the floor. 2. Click the AppShare button on the Windows taskbar. 3. Click Quit. 4. Click “Close All”.

Click “Close All” to close AppShare for everyone.

Using AppShare in an Open Discussion Class 1. Make sure your monitor is set to display 16 bit color (high color) or higher. You can check this setting by right-clicking on your desktop and selecting “Properties” from the shortcut menu. Your color palette information can be found on the “Settings” tab. 2. Make sure the applications you wish to share are open and configured properly. 3. Take the floor. 4. Select Run > Application Sharing, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. The “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog displays.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure your monitor is set to display 16 bit color or higher. 2. Open and configure the applications you want to share. 3. Take the floor. 4. Select Run > Application Sharing, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. 5. Click Change.... 6. Select the applications to share. 7. Configure AppShare and click Start.

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5.

Click Change.... The “Select Application” dialog displays.

6.

Check each application you want to share with the class, or check “Desktop” to share all your applications. If an application that is running on your computer does not display in your application list, even after refreshing the list, it is a 16-bit application. You must share your entire desktop to share that application with the class.

7. 8.

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If you want others to use your applications when they have the floor, check “Allow floor holder to control presented applications”. Select “Upper half”, “Lower half”, or “Full content area” for the display window.

Sharing Applications With the Class 21

9.

Click Start. Once the application has been shared, the “LearnLinc AppShare” window displays on your computer, with a list of all applications that are being presented.

The AppShare display window launches on each student’s computer, and displays the selected applications. 10. Use the applications as desired. Your actions are reflected in each student’s display window as you take them. Do not allow any other windows to overlap the applications you are sharing. Doing so obscures the view for students. Note that if another user takes the floor, you can continue to share your applications, but you cannot change the applications you are presenting. The floor holder can stop your presentation and starts his or her own at any time.

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Quick Steps 1. Take the floor. 2. Restore the “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog. 3. Click Change.... 4. Click OK when the warning dialog displays. 5. Check each application you wish to share with the class. 6. Configure Appshare and click Start.

Taking Control of AppShare in an Open Discussion Class 1. Take the floor. 2. If you have minimized the “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog, click its button on the Windows taskbar to restore it. 3. Click Change.... The “LearnLinc AppShare warning” dialog displays.

• If you wish to stop the other user’s presentation and start sharing your own applications with the class click OK. • If you do not want to stop the other user’s presentation click No. The “Select Application” dialog displays.

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4.

Check each application you want to share with the class, or check “Desktop”. If an application that is running on your computer does not display in your application list, even after refreshing the list, it is a 16-bit application. You must share your entire desktop to share that application with the class.

5. 6. 7.

8.

If you want others to use your applications when they have the floor, check “Allow floor holder to control presented applications”. Select “Upper half”, “Lower half”, or “Full content area” for the display window. Click Start. Once the application has been shared, the “LearnLinc AppShare” window displays on your computer, with a list of all applications that are being presented.

The AppShare display window launches on each student’s computer, and displays the selected applications. Use the applications as desired. Your actions are reflected in each student’s display window as you take them. Do not allow any other windows to overlap the applications you are sharing. Doing so obscures the view for students. Note that if another user takes the floor, you can continue to share your applications but you cannot change the applications you are presenting. The floor holder can stop your presentation and starts his or her own at any time.

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Detailed Directions for AppView The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for using AppView in a class, specifically: • Launching AppView • Setting AppView to Split-Screen View • Showing a Different Application to the Class • Closing AppView Quick Steps 1. Launch and configure the application you wish to share. 2. Select Run > Application Viewing from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. 3. Click Select Window. 4. Highlight an application and click OK.

Launching AppView 1. Launch the application you wish to share and configure it as desired. 2. Select Run > Application Viewing, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar.

The AppView dialog displays.

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3.

Click Select Window to display the “Select window” dialog.

4.

Highlight an application from the “Select Application” list and click OK. The AppView display window launches on each student’s computer with the selected application in it. Work with the application as desired. The students see your actions in their display windows.

5.

Do not allow any other windows to overlap the AppView application. Doing so obscures the view for students.

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Quick Steps 1. Click AppView on the Windows taskbar to restore it. 2. Click Select Window. 3. Highlight the desired application and click OK.

Showing a Different Application to the Class 1. Click the “AppView” button on the Windows taskbar to restore AppView. 2. Click Select Window to display the “Select window” dialog.

3. 4.

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Highlight the new application from the “Select Application” list and click OK to start sending the application’s image to the class. Work with the application as desired. The students see your actions in their display windows. The previously shared application continues to run on your computer, but it is no longer shared with the class.

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Closing AppView 1. Restore the “AppView” dialog from the Windows task bar. The AppView dialog displays.

2.

Click Exit. The Shared Close dialog displays.

3.

Click “Close All” to close AppView on all student’s computers.

Quick Steps 1. Click the AppView button on the Windows taskbar to restore it. 2. Click Exit. 3. Click Close All.

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Quick Steps 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool. 2. Log-in to the Administration tool. 3. Select Resource > Application, from the left pane. 4. Double-click AppView in the right pane. 5. Enter -upper or -lower in the suffix field. 6. Click OK.

Setting AppView to Split-Screen View 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Administration Tool, from the Windows taskbar.

The Administration tool launches on your computer.

Note that you must be an administrator to complete this task, and you must do so before class begins.

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2.

3.

Enter your LearnLinc server name. Your server name is the domain name for your LearnLinc server computer. For example, training.xyzlearning.com. Do not include the virtual directory for your LearnLinc Virtual Campus. Enter your account information and click Log-in. The Administration tool displays.

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4.

In the left pane, click the plus box (+) next to the “Resource” folder to expand it. The resource folders display in the right pane.

5.

Click the “Application” folder to display its contents.

Sharing Applications With the Class 21

6.

Double-click the AppView icon to display its property sheet.

7.

In the “Suffix Flags” field, type either of the following • -upper to display AppView in the upper half of the content area. • -lower to display AppView in the lower half of the content area. Click OK to save your changes. When you run AppView in a class, instruct each student to size their application to fill the remainder of the content area.

8. 9.

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Next Steps AppShare and AppView are two of several LearnLinc classroom tools. If you would like to know more about the other classroom tools, please see:

438 • • • • •

Chapter 16

Recording Classes

page 341

Chapter 17

Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students

page 365

Chapter 18

Using Multimedia Content During Class

page 271

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 20

Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard

page 393

Chapter 22

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class

page 439

Chapter 23

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions

page 445

Chapter 24

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse

page 271

Chapter 25

Creating Breakout Groups

page 467

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class 22

22 Getting Instant Feedback from the Class This chapter explains the benefits and use of feedback., LearnLinc’s instant polling application. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Ask your students to use feedback to respond to a question • Change the answer set • Share the feedback summary results with the class • Clear the feedback answers In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is feedback? 2. What are the available answer options? 3. What do students see?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a thorough understanding of the following concepts: the Virtual Classroom

“LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet” on page 318.

the LearnLinc palette

“The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using feedback correctly. Specifically, you need to understand: • What Is Feedback? • What Are My Answer Options? • The Student View

What Is Feedback? Feedback is a polling application that you can use to ask a question, verbally or via text chat, and see students’ responses instantly as they select from a pre-defined answer set. While anyone can ask the class to answer a question with feedback, only the instructor can change the answer set, share the answer results with the class, and clear the answers. These options are available in the Tools menu, and by right-clicking to see the feedback shortcut menu. Feedback is located just below the “People” tab on the LearnLinc palette. You cannot move or close the feedback display. You can use feedback at any time during class, and change or reset the answers throughout class.

Use feedback to encourage student interaction in the class, let students indicate their satisfaction with the pace of the class, gauge student progress on an assignment, or poll students for yes/no and true/false responses. As students select their answers your counters, which are highlighted with the corresponding colors in the summary pie chart, are automatically updated. When you ask students to respond to a question via feedback, you see their answers in two formats: • The summary results are continuously updated in the colorful pie chart that is displayed in the feedback area. You can share the pie chart with the class if you choose. • Students answers are indicated by color-coded circles next to their names in the class list. Both the pie chart and the class list are continuously updated as the students select and change their answers.

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What Are My Answer Options? By default, the “Pace” answer set is displayed in the feedback area. However, you can choose from several answer sets, including: • Pace (Faster, Perfect, Slower, Please Review) • Agreement (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree) • Assignment status (Not much progress, Still working, Almost finished, Completed) • True / False • Yes / No • A, B, C, D The Student View The student’s feedback area is located just below the “People” tab on the LearnLinc palette. In instructor led classes, students see the current answer set with radio selection buttons next to each answer. Students do not see the summary pie chart unless you choose to share it with them. Students never see the individual responses in the class list.

In open discussion classes students always see the summary pie chart and the individual answers in the class list. Students can clear feedback or change the answer set when they have the floor.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe how to use feedback in a class, specifically: • Asking Your Students to Use Feedback to Respond to a Question • Changing the Answer Set • Sharing the Feedback Summary Results with the Class • Clearing Feedback Answers

Asking Your Students to Use Feedback to Respond to a Question 1. Ask a question verbally or in text chat. 2. Ask your students to select an answer from the feedback answer set. As each student selects an answer, your pie chart and class list are updated. Quick Steps 1. Right click on the feedback area. 2. Select an answer set from the right click menu.

Changing the Answer Set 1. Select Tools > Class > Change Feedback Answer Set, from the LearnLinc palette toolbar. A list of answer sets displays.

2.

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Select the desired answer set. Your feedback area, and each student’s, is updated with the new answer set immediately.

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class 22

Sharing the Feedback Summary Results with the Class Select Tools > Class > Show Feedback Summary Results, from the LearnLinc palette toolbar.

Quick Steps 1. Right click on the feedback area. 2. Select “Share Feedback Summary Results”.

The item is checked, to indicate that students can see the pie chart. The pie chart remains on the student palettes, and is continuously updated, until you choose to stop showing it. To stop sharing the pie chart, select Tools > Class > Show Feedback Summary Results again.

Clearing Feedback Answers Select Tools > Class > Clear Feedback Answers, from the LearnLinc palette toolbar.

Quick Steps 1. Right click on the feedback area. 2. Select “Clear Feedback Answers”.

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Next Steps Feedback is one of several LearnLinc classroom tools. If you would like to know more about the other classroom tools, please see:

444 • • • • •

Chapter 16

Recording Classes

page 341

Chapter 17

Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students

page 365

Chapter 18

Using Multimedia Content During Class

page 271

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 20

Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard

page 393

Chapter 21

Sharing Applications With the Class

page 413

Chapter 23

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions

page 445

Chapter 24

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse

page 271

Chapter 25

Creating Breakout Groups

page 467

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions 23

23 Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions This chapter explains the benefits and use of Q&A, LearnLinc’s question and answer tool. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Launch and close Q&A • Work with question lists • Add questions on-the-fly • Ask a question • View the results and share them with the class In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is Q&A? 2. When should I use Q&A? 3. Who can ask questions with Q&A? 4. Where are Q&A question files stored? 5. What do students see?

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What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: the Virtual Classroom

“LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet” on page 318.

the LearnLinc palette

“The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321.

floor control

“The Difference Between Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex Audio” on page 324.

Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using Q&A correctly during class. Specifically, you need to understand: • What Is Q&A? • When Should I Use Q&A? • Who Can Ask Questions With Q&A? • Storing Files on your Local Computer to Use in a LearnLinc Class • The Student View

What Is Q&A? Q&A is LearnLinc’s question and answer tool. Use Q&A to ask your students a series of multiple choice questions during a LearnLinc class. You can make up questions before class, or add them on-the-fly. When you ask a question, students see it and all its possible answers in their Q&A windows. Each student can select an answer, and can change his or her answer for as long as the question is available. Your Q&A window updates automatically as students select their answers. Use the Q&A question editor to create a series of questions and store them in a question file. You can open a question file during class and ask any question in the list. In addition, you can add new questions to that file, or merge that file with another set of questions at any time.

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As your students answer a question, you see a bar chart of their responses. The bar chart is continually updated as students send and change their answers. You can share the bar chart with the class, and you can view the answer details to see which students chose each answer.

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When Should I Use Q&A? Use Q&A to encourage interaction and evaluate your students’ retention of the content throughout class. As you finish presenting a topic you can quickly ask a few multiple choice questions of the class to: • determine if the class has an overall understanding of the current topic • discover which students are unclear on the current topic, and which aspects of the topic they do not understand • encourage student participation by following up with discussions via conferencing or text chat • decide whether to move to a new topic or review the topic just presented Who Can Ask Questions With Q&A? As with other LearnLinc classroom tools, the floor holder controls Q&A. While you have the floor, you can open question files, create new questions, ask questions, and view and share the results with the class. If you pass the floor to an assistant instructor or student control of Q&A passes to that person as well. When someone else has the floor, you can answer their questions, and see the answer statistics if the floor holder chooses to share them. You cannot ask questions until you take the floor again. Storing Files on your Local Computer to Use in a LearnLinc Class You must store Q&A question files on your local computer, or a network drive that you can access during class. Once you open the question file you can send the questions to everyone else in the class. You may choose to access your question files during class by opening them from the Q&A file menu, or by creating agenda items for them. Note, however, that if you create an agenda item for a question file that is stored on your local computer, the agenda item will only work for you. Anyone else who tries to use the agenda item will receive an error because they cannot access the file from your computer.

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The Student View When you launch Q&A, your students see the Q&A dialog, with a message informing them that there is no currently asked question. Once you ask a question, students see only the currently asked question and its answers. In addition, they may see the answer statistics for the current question, if you choose to share them.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the tasks for using Q&A, specifically: • Making a Question List Before Class • Removing a Question from the List • Saving Question Sets • Merging Question Sets • Launching Q&A for the Class • Adding Questions on-the-fly During Class • Asking a Question • Sharing the Answer Statistics with the Class • Closing Q&A for the Class Quick Steps

Making a Question List Before Class 1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Q&A Question Editor, from the Windows taskbar.

1. Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > Q&A Question Editor. 2. Click OK when the “Not logged-in” dialog displays. 3. Double-click to open the question editor. 4. Enter your questions. 5. Select File > Save Question File. The “Not logged-in - Unable to share” dialog displays.

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Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions 23

2.

Click OK to open Q&A.

3.

Double click the line “Double-click here to add a question” to open the question editor.

4. 5.

Place your cursor in the field “Q1” and enter your first question. Press to move the cursor to the field “A1” and enter the first answer. Repeat until you have entered each answer. You must enter at least two answers for each question. • To enter your next question, click “Next Question”. • To close the Question Editor, click the Close box in the upper right corner of the Q&A window. Select File > Save Question File, from the Q&A menu bar.

6.

Reminder! To ask questions in class, you must close Q&A and re-open it once you join a class.

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Quick Steps 1. Highlight the question. 2. Select Question > Delete Question.

Removing a Question from the List 1. Highlight the question in the “Available Questions” list. 2. Select Question > Delete Question, from the Q&A menu bar.

Be sure you are ready to delete the question. The selected question is deleted immediately and cannot be restored.

Quick Steps 1. Select File > Save Question File. 2. Name the file and click Save.

452 • • • • •

Saving Question Sets 1. Select File > Save Question File..., from the Q&A menu bar.

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions 23

The “Save As” dialog displays.

2.

Enter a location and file name for the question set and click Save. All question files must be saved with the “.qna” extension.

Merging Question Sets 1. Open a question set. If you have a question set open already, save it. 2. Select File > Merge Question File..., from the Q&A menu bar.

Quick Steps 1. Open a question set. 2. Select File > Merge Question File. 3. Select a question set and click Open.

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The “Open” dialog displays.

3. 4.

454 • • • • •

Select the question set you wish to merge with the current set and click Open. The questions from the second set are added to the bottom of the current question set. Select File > Save Question File..., from the Q&A menu bar to save the combined lists as a new question set.

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions 23

Launching Q&A for the Class 1. Make sure you are the floor holder. You must be the floor holder to launch an agenda item for the class. 2. Click the “Agenda” tab on the LearnLinc palette. The “Agenda” tab is located in the middle of the palette, under the “People” tab.

3.

Quick Steps Click the Q&A shortcut on the "Agenda" tab.

Click the Q&A shortcut to open the Q&A window.

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Quick Steps 1. Open the question editor. 2. Enter your questions and their answers. 3. Click the close box. 4. Select File > Save Question File to save the questions as a new question set.

Adding Questions on-the-fly During Class You can add a question to your “Available Questions” list at any time, but you must be the floor holder to ask the question. 1. Double click the line “Double-click here to add a question” in the Available Questions list to open the Question Editor.

2. 3.

4.

456 • • • • •

Enter your question in the question field. Enter at least two answers in the answer fields. If you are the floor holder, you can return to the “Available Questions” list at any time to ask your question. • To enter your next question, click “Next Question”. • To close the Question Editor, click the Close box in the upper right corner of the Q&A window. Select File > Save Question File..., from the Q&A menu bar to save your new questions in a Q&A file.

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions 23

Asking a Question 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Highlight a question in the “Available Questions” list.

3.

Quick Steps 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Highlight a question. 3. Click Ask selected question.

Click Ask Selected Question. All students see the question and its possible answers in their Q&A windows. As each student selects an answer your answer statistics are updated. If you pass the floor to a student after you ask a question, your question remains visible until the student asks a question.

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Viewing the Answers When you ask a question, you can see the students’ responses in summary and detail formats. Directions for viewing both formats follow. Viewing the Answer Statistics in Summary Form As students submit their answers, you see the answer statistics in percentage format at the bottom of the Q&A window. The percentages shown are of the total number of students who have answered the question, not the total number of students in the class.

Viewing the Answer Details 1. Select Answers > Show Answer Details, from the Q&A menu bar. The Answers menu is only available once you have asked a question.

The “Answer Details” dialog displays.

2.

458 • • • • •

Click an answer to display a list of all the students who chose that answer.

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions 23

Sharing the Answer Statistics with the Class To share the answer statistics with the class select Answer > Send Answer Statistics, from the Q&A menu bar.

• Once you share the answer statistics, students see them at the bottom of their Q&A windows, and they can no longer answer the question. • You cannot share the answer details with the class.

Closing Q&A for the Class 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Select File > Exit Q&A, from the Q&A menu bar.

Quick Steps 1. Select File > Exit Q&A. 2. Click “Close All”.

The “Shared Close” dialog displays.

3.

Click “Close All” to close Q&A on all students’ computers. You have the option of closing Q&A on your machine alone as well.

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Next Steps Q&A is one of several LearnLinc classroom tools. If you would like to know more about the other classroom tools, please see:

460 • • • • •

Chapter 16

Recording Classes

page 341

Chapter 17

Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students

page 365

Chapter 18

Using Multimedia Content During Class

page 271

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 20

Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard

page 393

Chapter 21

Sharing Applications With the Class

page 413

Chapter 22

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class

page 439

Chapter 24

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse

page 271

Chapter 25

Creating Breakout Groups

page 467

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse 24

24 Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse This chapter explains the benefits and use of glimpse, LearnLinc’s screen capture utility for instructors. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Launch and close glimpse • View a student’s desktop • Refresh the student list In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is glimpse? 2. What do students see?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: the Virtual Classroom

“LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet” on page 318.

the LearnLinc palette

“The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you are using glimpse effectively. Specifically, you need to understand: • What Is Glimpse? • The Student View

What Is Glimpse? Glimpse is specialized screen capture tool that you can use to capture any student’s desktop during a LearnLinc class. Glimpse is only available to the class instructor. By default, glimpse captures a thumbnail size image of the chosen student’s desktop, however, you can choose to capture a full-size image as well. You can use glimpse to “look over the shoulder” of the selected student. With glimpse, you can: • quickly view a student’s application or document • troubleshoot a student problem If a student has turned on Privacy, you can not glimpse their desktop. However, privacy is only available to students in open discussion classes.

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Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse 24

The glimpse window has a student list, and four buttons: “Capture Thumbnail”, “Capture Screen”, “Refresh List”, and “Exit”.

The Student View Students cannot use glimpse, nor are they aware that you have glimpsed their desktops.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for using glimpse in a class, specifically: • Launching Glimpse • Viewing a Student’s Desktop • Refreshing the student list • Closing Glimpse Quick Steps Click “Glimpse” from the Agenda shortcuts.

Launching Glimpse 1. Make sure you have the floor. 2. Click the “Agenda” tab on the LearnLinc palette. The “Agenda” tab is located in the middle of the palette, under the “People” tab.

3.

Click the glimpse shortcut to open the glimpse window.

Only instructors have the glimpse shortcut on the Agenda tab. While everyone can see the menu item “Instructor Glimpse Application” under the Run menu, glimpse will only launch if you are the class instructor.

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Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse 24

Viewing a Student’s Desktop 1. Launch glimpse. 2. Highlight a student name in the “Current Attendees” list by clicking on it once. • To capture a quick view of the student’s desktop click “Capture Thumbnail”.

• To capture a full size, detailed view of the student’s desktop click “Capture Screen”.

Quick Steps Double click on a name in the “Current Attendees” list to see a thumbnail of his or her desktop.

The screen capture of the student’s desktop displays in your glimpse window.

Refreshing the student list Click “Refresh List” if someone enters or leaves the classroom.

Closing Glimpse Click “Exit” to close the glimpse window.

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Next Steps Glimpse is one of several LearnLinc classroom tools. If you would like to know more about the other LearnLinc classroom tools, please see:

466 • • • • •

Chapter 16

Recording Classes

page 341

Chapter 17

Using Text Chat to Communicate With Your Students

page 365

Chapter 18

Using Multimedia Content During Class

page 271

Chapter 19

Synchronizing Web Content

page 383

Chapter 20

Collaborating With Your Students on the Whiteboard

page 393

Chapter 21

Sharing Applications With the Class

page 413

Chapter 22

Getting Instant Feedback from the Class

page 439

Chapter 23

Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice Questions

page 445

Chapter 24

Viewing a Student Desktop With Glimpse

page 271

Chapter 25

Creating Breakout Groups

page 467

Creating Breakout Groups 25

25 Creating Breakout Groups This chapter explains how you can divide your class into breakout groups, where students can work collaboratively for a set period of time before returning to the main class. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Create breakout groups • Send latecomers to groups • Join breakout groups • Help your students work effectively in breakout groups. In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is a breakout group? 2. How does open discussion work? 3. What do students see when they are in a breakout group?

Ä A breakout group is an open discussion classroom where students meet and work collaboratively for a period of time the instructor specifies.

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts:

The LearnLinc palette

“The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321.

Floor control

“Floor control” on page 215.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to help you use breakout groups effectively. Specifically, you need to understand: • What is a breakout group? • How does open discussion work? • What do students see while in a breakout group?

What Is a Breakout Group? A breakout group is an open discussion classroom where you send a small group of students to work collaboratively for a set period of time. You can assign students to groups randomly or manually. In the breakout group, students can do anything they can do in the main classroom, including audio and video conferencing, sharing content, applications, whiteboard files, and web navigation via the synchronized web browser. When the breakout group time limit elapses, the students automatically return to the main class where they can share the work they completed in the group with the rest of the class. How Does Open Discussion Work? Breakout groups are “open discussion” classes. In an open discussion class, anyone can take the floor from the current floor holder. The instructor has no more control of the floor than any other student in the class. Students click the Take Floor icon at the top right corner of the student palette to take the floor:

þ Note that students use the Take Floor icon for slightly different actions in the main classroom (instructor led class) and the breakout group (open discussion class). In the main classroom, it means return the floor to the instructor.

468 • • • • •

Take Floor

When students have the floor, they can talk to the group and control any applications or content that are in use. They can also open new applications or content.

What Do Students See in a Breakout Group? A breakout group looks like the main classroom, but has some additional breakout room features built in:

Creating Breakout Groups 25

Students can return to the main class at anytime by clicking Return to Class.

In a breakout group, students see a green notification bar above the people tab. This will turn yellow 30 seconds before the end of the breakout group. The clock indicates how much time is left before students will automatically return to the main classroom.

The class agenda in a breakout group is the same as the agenda in the main classroom.

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Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the processes for working with breakout groups, specifically: • Creating Breakout Groups • Sending Latecomers to Groups • Joining Breakout Groups • Helping Your Students Work Effectively in Breakout Groups

Quick Steps 1. In a class, select Tools > Class > Breakout Groups. 2. Click Auto Assign. 3. Select whether you want the groups created by number of groups, or by number of students in a group. 4. Type the number of minutes you want students to work in groups. 5. Click Start Now.

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Creating Breakout Groups 1. Select Tools > Class > Create Breakout Groups.

Creating Breakout Groups 25

The Create Breakout dialog box appears.

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2.

þ To quickly create and

Assign students to groups. You can assign students to groups automatically or manually:

To assign students . . .

Do this . . .

automatically

a.

Click Auto Assign. The Auto Assign dialog box appears.

b.

Select the number of groups you would like to create, or the number of students you would like to assign to each group, and click OK. Students are automatically assigned to groups, and the Create Breakout Groups dialog returns displaying the new groups.

a.

On the Main Class list, select a student you want to add to Group 1. To select multiple students, press the key on your keyboard and click each student’s name. Click Add. Click New Group, to create Group 2. Select and add students for Group 2. Continue adding groups and students until you have created all your groups.

customize groups, auto assign all students to groups, and then use the Remove and Add feature to move students from group to group.

manually

b. c. d.

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Creating Breakout Groups 25

3.

If you would like to set a time limit for the group, make sure the “Limit duration to 15 minutes” is selected. Change the number of minutes, if necessary. The default breakout group time limit is 15 minutes.

If you do not want to set a time limit for the group, click the “Limit duration to 15 minutes” check box to remove the check mark. If you do not set a time limit for the breakout group, students will have to click Return to Class when in the group to return to the main classroom. 4.

Click Start Now to send the students to their breakout groups. All students assigned to breakout groups leave the main class and join their groups. Anyone left in the main classroom will remain listed on the Person tab. While students are working in groups, you can join each group to monitor progress, give direction, or participate. See “Joining Breakout Groups” on page 475 for more information. When the time limit you have set for the group elapses, the students will automatically return to the class. As they do, they will re-appear on the People tab. When students return to the main class after a breakout group session, they will not see any content that is currently open. When all students return, you will need to re-launch the content to synchronize the entire class.

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Quick Steps

Sending Latecomers to Groups 1. Select Tools > Class > Create Breakout Groups.

1. Select Tools > Class > Create Breakout Groups. 2. Select the group to which you want to add the latecomer. 3. Click the latecomer’s name. 4. Click Add. 5. Select a time limit for the latecomer’s participation in the group. 6. Click Start Now.

The Create Breakout dialog appears, displaying the latecomer in the Main Class list.

2. 3. 4.

5.

474 • • • • •

On the Group list, select the group to which you would like to add the latecomer. On the Main Class list, select the latecomer, and then click Add. If the group has a time limit set on it, select a time limit for the latecomer’s participation in the group. For example, if you sent students to Group 1 for 15 minutes, and a latecomer arrives after the group has been active for 5 minutes, you should set the time limit for the latecomer to 10 minutes. Click Start Now to send the latecomer to the group.

Creating Breakout Groups 25

Joining Breakout Groups 1. Select Tools > Class > Join Breakout Groups.

Quick Steps 1. Select Tools > Class > Join Breakout Groups. 2. Select the group you want to join. 3. Click Join Group.

The Join Breakout dialog opens.

2. 3.

4.

Select the group that you would like to join. A list of students in that group appears. Click Join Group. You enter the selected breakout group. Once in the breakout group, you can participate at the same level as any other student by raising your hand and taking the floor. To join another group, repeat steps 1-3. OR Click Return to Class to return to the main class.

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Helping your Students Work Effectively in Breakout Groups To help students get the most out of breakout groups, provide them with some overview information before the first group session. You can also join groups to monitor progress and help students use the classroom tools. In addition, the following tips may help students work more effectively in breakout groups: Use the Hand Raise To avoid interrupting each other, students may want to click the Raise Hand icon to indicate that they would like to take the floor. The current floor holder can then wrap up whatever he or she is doing before the new student takes the floor. Synchronize Latecomers When latecomers arrive, the current floor holder needs to update any content in use to synchronize the latecomer with the rest of the group:

476 • • • • •

If the breakout group is using . . .

Then . . .

whiteboard

the latecomer will need to open whiteboard and the current floor holder will need to click Send Update on the whiteboard toolbar.

Appshare

the “Update Students” warning displays when the latecomer enters the group. The current floor holder clicks Update Now.

multimedia or PowerPoint content

the current floor holder re-launches the content for the latecomer.

synchronized web browser

the current floor holder re-launches the synchronized web browser for the latecomer.

Creating Breakout Groups 25

Save Whiteboard Content Students should be aware that they need to save any work before the end of the breakout group or it will be lost when they are sent back to class. This is particularly important when the group is working collaboratively on a whiteboard file. When the clock reaches 30 seconds before the end of a breakout group, the green notification bar turns yellow and the text changes to “Save your work. Returning to class soon.” At this point one or more students should save the whiteboard file. Groups can designate a student to save the whiteboard file to his or her hard drive, or each student can save the file.

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478 • • • • •

Assisting the Instructor During Class The “Assisting the Instructor During Class” section of this guide contains concepts and tasks that are important to LearnLinc assistant instructors. If you are a LearnLinc assistant instructor, please read this section. Chapter 26

Assisting the Instructor During Class

page 481

In addition, please review the chapters in the previous section, “Teaching LearnLinc Classes” for more information about the instructor’s role in a LearnLinc class.

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480 • • • • •

Assisting the Instructor During Class 26

26 Assisting the Instructor During Class This chapter explains the role and activities of a LearnLinc assistant instructor. In this chapter you will learn how to: • Communicate with the instructor privately • Respond to private text chat messages • Monitor hand raises and feedback responses • Launch applications for the class In addition, this chapter answers the following questions: 1. What is my role as an assistant instructor? 2. How do the instructor and I divide our classroom tasks? 3. What do students see?

What You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter To benefit from the information in this chapter, you should have a basic understanding of the following concepts: the Virtual Classroom the LearnLinc palette floor control text chat feedback

“LearnLinc Classes on your Intranet vs. Classes on the Internet” on page 318. “The LearnLinc Palette” on page 321. “Floor Control” on page 215. “How Do I Get the Classroom Recorder and Player?” on page 342. “What Is Feedback?” on page 440.

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Key Concepts Review the following concepts to ensure that you understand your role as an assistant and can perform all the necessary tasks. Specifically, you need to understand: • The Role of Assistant Instructor • The Student View

The Role of Assistant Instructor An assistant instructor is a student who has some additional capabilities within a specific LearnLinc class. You may be chosen as an assistant instructor for one class and yet participate as a regular student in other classes. The instructor or scheduler for the class determines who will be the assistant instructors for each class. If you are an assistant instructor, you can: • see student hand raises in the class list • see individual feedback responses in the class list • receive private text chat messages from students • send private messages to anyone in the class With these capabilities you can help the instructor to manage the class, resolve student’s questions or technical issues, and alert the instructor to text chat or hand-raises that need his or her attention. While you are managing these classroom activities, the instructor is free to concentrate on delivering new content to the class. It is important to note that the instructor still has all the capabilities outlined above. The instructor still sees all the indicators in the class list, and can still send private messages in text chat. With your assistance, however, the students can have a better classroom experience. As the instructor presents the class content, you can address student questions or issues individually, or bring important issues to the instructor’s attention. The Student View Students do not see an indication on the palette that there is an assistant in the class. When a student sends private email, it is delivered to the instructor and any assistants in the class. Students do see the name of the person who responded to their private message.

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Assisting the Instructor During Class 26

Detailed Directions The following step-by-step instructions describe the tasks for acting as an assistant instructor in a class, specifically: • Responding to Private Text Chat Messages • Monitoring Hand Raises and Feedback Responses • Launching Applications and Resources for the Class

Responding to Private Text Chat Messages 1. Select Tools > Dock My Text Chat, from the LearnLinc palette menu bar.

Quick Steps 1. Undock text chat. 2. Check “Private” and select a name from the drop down list. 3. Type your message and press .

The text chat window displays in the bottom quarter of the content area. You can resize the window as desired.

2. 3. 4.

You cannot access the “Private” drop down list and checkbox when text chat is docked. Check “Private” to enable the drop down box. Select a name from drop down box. Type your message and click Send. The person you selected in the “Private” drop down box receives your message in red text, with your name in bold red text at the beginning.

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Monitoring Hand Raises and Feedback Responses As students raise their hands or respond to feedback questions you see the hand raise and feedback indicators in the class list. You can alert the instructor when he or she should pass the floor to a student by sending him or her a private text chat message. The instructor sees your messages in bold, red text.

For example, if the feedback responses indicate that the majority of the class is requesting a review you can prompt the instructor to go over the content one more time, or take questions. You can also take note of which students select “Please Review” so that you or the instructor can address individual at another time. Note that although you may be monitoring feedback responses and hand raises, the instructor still sees these items in his or her class list.

484 • • • • •

Assisting the Instructor During Class 26

Launching Applications and Resources for the Class 1. Make sure you have the floor. You must have the floor to launch applications for the class. 2. Click the Agenda tab. The Agenda tab is located under the “People” tab.

þ You can launch applications, or the complete library of resources, from the Run menu on the LearnLinc palette.

• To launch an agenda item, double-click an item in the agenda list. • To launch an item from the course contents list, select “Course resources” from the drop down box and then double-click the item. • To launch an application, click an application shortcut at the bottom of the tab.

Next Steps Be sure to review all the instructor information in the Teaching a class section of this guide.

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486 • • • • •

Glossary, Appendices, and Index The final section of this guide contains a glossary of LearnLinc related terms, a troubleshooting appendix, a name service capsule definitions appendix, and an index. Glossary

page 489

Appendix A: Troubleshooting

page 509

Appendix B: Name Service Capsule Definitions

page 551

Appendix C: Configuring LearnLinc to Work With SQL Server

page 571

Index

page 575

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488 • • • • •

Glossary Administrator authority level Administrators can perform all student, instructor, and author tasks. In addition, administrators can add, edit, or delete log-in groups and user accounts, groups, and authority levels. Administration tool A LearnLinc tool that can only be used by administrators. It displays property information about LearnLinc courses, classes, resources, user accounts, and authority levels, and enables an administrator to add, edit, or delete any of these items. Advanced–Multimedia content installation The advanced installation contains all the components of the typical install, with the addition of content synchronization for ToolBook, Authorware, and Director, and the LearnLinc Classroom Recorder. If you are using synchronized multimedia content in your classes or will be recording classes, choose this download option. Agenda A list of all the resources for the current class, that displays on the LearnLinc palette. Instructors and students can click on any item in the list to launch it, with the exception of notes (which cannot be displayed in the Virtual Classroom). Additionally, users can display the course contents list on the agenda, and run an application from the shortcuts at the bottom of the agenda tab. Application LearnLinc has several classroom tools, or applications, including: Application Sharing, AppView, Glimpse, Q&A, Streaming Video, Synchronized Web Browser, and Whiteboard. While you can add any LearnLinc application to a course contents list, most LearnLinc applications are meant for classroom use only. The exceptions are Q&A, Whiteboard and Streaming Video, which can be used outside of class to create or view files before class, and are more likely to be included in a course contents list. The other LearnLinc applications are more likely to be included in a class agenda, for use during class.

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Application sharing The ability of the instructor to share an application on his or her computer with students in a LearnLinc class, when the students do not have that application installed on their computers. The class instructor can share any application on his or her computer. There are two LearnLinc tools, AppShare and AppView, that can be used to share an application. AppShare A classroom tool that enables instructors to share their actions on an application with the class, and to enable a selected student to use the application as well. In addition, an instructor can use AppShare to let a student share his or her own application with the class. AppShare can be used in any LearnLinc class. AppView A classroom tool that enables the instructor to use an application on his or her computer, and show his or her actions to the class. Students do not have to have the application installed on their computers. Students cannot use the instructor’s application, nor can they share their own applications with AppView. AppView can be used in any LearnLinc class that is on a multicast network. Assistant instructor A student in a class who has some extra privileges. These privileges enable the assistant to manage the background activities of the classroom, such as monitoring text chat, feedback responses, and hand raises. Assistant instructors enable the instructor to concentrate on presenting new content to the class. A class can have one, or several, assistant instructors, or none at all. Assistant instructors are assigned to a class when it is scheduled. Audio clip An audio clip is a digital audio file. When a user clicks on an audio clip link in the Virtual Campus, the clip plays in Windows Media Player. Note: Windows Media Player is installed with the LearnLinc classroom software. If you have not yet installed the LearnLinc classroom software, you may or may not have another application installed on your computer that can play the audio clip.

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Author authority level In addition to the student and instructor tasks, authors can add, edit, and delete courses in the course catalog and any items in any course contents lists or class agenda. Authority level A LearnLinc setting that determines what information users can access and edit. Each LearnLinc user is assigned an authority level as part of his or her user account. The default authority levels are self register, participant, instructor, author, and administrator. Auto-register When an author or administrator creates a course, he or she can choose to automatically register, or “auto-register” all LearnLinc users for the course. Courses that have auto-register turned on do not have individual or group student email lists. Bandwidth A measure of the amount of data transmitted or received per unit time, usually measured in bits per second. Bandwidth is proportional to the complexity of the data that is being transmitted. For example, it takes more bandwidth to download a photograph in one second than it takes to download a page of text in one second. Large sound or video files require even more bandwidth to download. Book A multimedia file that contains a combination of text, sound, still and motion pictures, animations, or other media formats. For LearnLinc these books, created in either Asymetrix ToolBook or Macromedia Authorware, can be synchronized in LearnLinc classes. You can add these books to a course contents or agenda list so that students can download them before class for stand alone use, or so that they can be synchronized during class. Breakout Groups A breakout group is an open discussion classroom where an instructor sends a small group of students to work collaboratively for a set period of time. Students can be assigned to groups randomly or manually. In the breakout group, students can do anything they can do in the main classroom, including audio and video conferencing, sharing content, applications, whiteboard files, and web navigation via the synchronized web browser.

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Class A scheduled event in which two or more LearnLinc users meet online, via the LearnLinc classroom software. Users can join a class by clicking a link in the Virtual Campus. Once in class, they can interact with each other using a variety of classroom tools. Class list Displays the names of everyone in the class, including the instructor, on the LearnLinc palette. Hand raise icons display next to each student who has his or her hand raised, as do Feedback response indicators for each student who has selected a response. The class list has buttons that enable the instructor to select a student and give the floor to him or her, to put all hands down, and to dismiss the selected attendee. In addition, the class list has two counters: one for the total number of attendees, another for the total number of hand raises. Classroom Player The LearnLinc classroom player is a standalone application that plays a recorded class file. Once you install the player, it is accessible on your Start menu. The player is automatically launched when you play the recorded file from your course contents list or class agenda. The player streams the recorded file from the server to your computer. Classroom Recorder The LearnLinc classroom recorder is an application that records a LearnLinc class on a student computer. The classroom recorder captures all classroom activity, including audio, video, text chat, and any actions on the screen. The recorder also uploads the recorded file and adds it to your course contents list. Classroom service A service that connects two or more LearnLinc users in a Virtual Classroom by sharing and synchronizing data among them in real time. This data includes hand raising, application and content use, and audio or video conferencing information. The classroom service is part of the LearnLinc server. Classroom software A set of tools that instructors and students use to connect, communicate, and collaborate in LearnLinc’s Virtual Classroom. Each LearnLinc user must have the classroom software installed on his or her computer before attempting to join a LearnLinc class. 492 • • • • •

Client/server architecture A client/server architecture is one in which computers connect to each other through a central server computer, rather than connecting directly to one another. Concurrent user licences The number of LearnLinc licenses that can be used at one time. This number is equal to the number of users who can be in LearnLinc classes at one time. Conferencing window A window near the top of the LearnLinc palette that displays live video, or still pictures during LearnLinc classes. If video conferencing is in use, you see and hear the current floor holder in real time in the conferencing window. If audio conferencing is in use, or no conferencing is in use, you see a picture of the floor holder, or the default pictures for instructor or student. You see the location of the floor holder, listed below the conferencing window, as well. Control panel configuration utilities LearnLinc has two control panels–one for the server, and one for the client. The server control panels enable you to change or update LearnLinc server information such as the UDP audio port for audio conferencing, the server log file, the LearnLinc server address, the Virtual Campus location. The client control panel enables you to update your location description, web proxy settings, and your UDP audio conferencing settings. Content see book. Contents list A list of resources that is contained in a course, including classes, applications, audio clips, books, notes, PowerPoint presentations, Q&A files, URLs, video clips, and whiteboard files. Once a resource is added to a contents list, students can access the resource from the Virtual Campus by registering for the course, and clicking links in the list. Cookie A small piece of information that your web browser stores on your hard drive. A web server may request that your browser save your information in a cookie. It is uniquely yours and can only be read by the server that gave it to you, preserving your privacy. The LearnLinc Virtual • • • • • 493

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Campus uses cookies to establish if you are logged in or not. The cookies are only temporary, and are removed when you close your browser.

Course A container for classes and resources. Instructors, authors, and administrators can use courses to group related classes and resources in one location that is accessible to LearnLinc students. Similar to a college or university, students must register for a course to be able to attend its classes and access it resources. All LearnLinc users can access courses via the LearnLinc Virtual Campus. Course catalog A web page in the Virtual Campus that lists all available courses. Students can register for courses from the course catalog, and then access that course’s resources and classes. Instructors can modify courses for which they are registered instructors from the course catalog. Authors and administrators can add, modify, and delete courses in the course catalog. Course contents list see contents list. Custom installation In most cases, either the typical or advanced installation options are sufficient. However, if your organization chooses not to install certain LearnLinc components, you can use the custom installation to select specific components to install. Be sure to ask your LearnLinc administrator for detailed instructions concerning which components to select during the installation. Current speaker indicator see On Air/current speaker indicator. Data only Classes that do not use LearnLinc audio or video conferencing are “data only”. Some organizations choose the “data only” option and supplement it with phone conferencing, satellite video, or other third party conferencing options.

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Director movie A Director movie is a multimedia file that contains a combination of text, sound, still and motion pictures, animations, and/or other media formats. These movies are created in Macromedia Director and can be synchronized in LearnLinc classes. Instructors can add these movies to a course contents or agenda list so that students can download them before class for standalone use, or so that they can use them in synchronization with their instructor during class. Director movies are used primarily in class. Download page The Virtual Campus download page provides links for downloading and installing the LearnLinc classroom software. All users must download and install the classroom software before attempting to join a LearnLinc class. By default the download page lists options for typical, advanced, or custom installations, however your LearnLinc administrator may choose to change the options on this page. In addition, administrators can download the LearnLinc administration tool from the download page. Feedback A classroom polling application that instructors can use to quickly poll the class using one of several predetermined answer sets. Feedback displays a set of answers on the LearnLinc palette, and a pie chart that shows the percentage of the class that selected each answer. The instructor and assistants see individual Feedback responses in the class list, next to each student’s name. File service A service that enables LearnLinc users to display their pictures in the LearnLinc palette. If a user has uploaded his or her picture to the LearnLinc server, it will be displayed when he or she takes the floor in a LearnLinc Virtual Classroom. The file service is part of the LearnLinc server. Firewall A software program that is run on a server, that protects the information on one network from users on other networks. An organization with an intranet that allows its users access the Internet installs a firewall to prevent outsiders from accessing its own private information, and for controlling what Internet resources its own users can access.

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Floor control Floor control is a format, or style of presentation, that is assigned to a class when it is scheduled. LearnLinc classes can be in one of two formats: instructor led or open discussion. For both of these formats, only one person can be the floor holder at a time. The floor holder, the person who “has the floor”, can be heard and/or seen if conferencing is in use, and can launch and synchronize applications for the class. Floor holder When a user takes the floor in a LearnLinc class, he or she is the floor holder. The floor holder is the student, instructor, or assistant who is currently “on air” during a LearnLinc class. The floor holder can be heard and/or seen if conferencing is in use, and can launch and synchronize applications for the class. Folder A group of related courses can be grouped in the course catalog in a common container known as a folder. Frames A web page design technique that enables multiple pages to display together in a single browser window. For example, many web sites have two frames: a navigation frame on the left or right that contains a “table of contents”, and a content frame, that displays the contents of the site and takes up the remainder of the browser window. When a user clicks a link the navigation frame, the results display in the contents frame. Full-duplex A sound card that can send data in two directions at once. Your sound card type determines whether you see a “Mute” checkbox or a “Talk” button displayed on the LearnLinc palette under the conferencing window. If you see the “Mute” checkbox, you are in full-duplex mode. A full-duplex sound card enables you to send your audio and receive someone else’s audio at the same time, as if you were on the telephone. In a LearnLinc class, this happens when the instructor passes the floor to a student, and both continue to talk. Everyone in the class can hear both the instructor and the floor holder at all times. If you select “headsets” when running the Audio Wizard, LearnLinc will try to use full duplex.

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Glimpse A specialized screen capture classroom tool that an instructor can use to capture any student’s desktop during a LearnLinc class. Glimpse is only available to the class instructor, and students are not notified when glimpse is being used. Group A group is a container for related user accounts. Use log-in groups to create logical groupings of users. For example, in a corporate setting, you might group your users by department: training, human resources, IT, and so forth. In an academic setting, you might group users by level within a department: freshman biology, senior nursing, and so forth. Users must know their log-in groups to log-in to the Virtual Campus. H.323 multicast video A LearnLinc class that uses video conferencing and is held on a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network). All users in the class must have either Intel ProShare 500 hardware to use H.323 multicast video. Half-duplex A sound card that can only send data in one direction at a time. Your sound card type determines whether you see a “Mute” checkbox or a “Talk” button displayed on the LearnLinc palette under the conferencing window. If you see the “Talk” button, you are in half-duplex mode. A half-duplex sound card enables you to send audio, and receive it, but not at the same time, as if you were using a CB-radio. If you select “speakers” when running the Audio Wizard, LearnLinc will use half-duplex. Hand raise button A button on the top left of the student’s LearnLinc palette that students can click to electronically raise their hands. Instructors and assistants see the hand raise indicator flash, and hand raise icons next to the students’ names. Hand raise indicator An indicator on the top left of the instructor’s LearnLinc palette that flashes green when a student or an assistant instructor raises his or her hand.

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Help Online help is available to all users. Online help contains key concepts and detailed directions for using the LearnLinc Virtual Campus, and for participating in a LearnLinc class. Home page When you log-in to the Virtual Campus, you see your home page. The home page is personalized for each user when he or she logs-in, and displays the courses for which the user is registered as a student or instructor. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) A set of “markup” tags that are inserted into a file so that it can be displayed in a web browser. These tags indicate text formatting, such as bold or italic, font size or color, and also references to images and links to other pages. Indeo multicast video A LearnLinc class that uses video conferencing and is held on a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network). All users in the class must have either Intel ProShare 150 or 200 hardware to send Indeo multicast video. Instructor authority level In addition to the student tasks, instructors can add materials and classes to the course contents list, edit the course information and display properties, edit classes and class agendas, and delete items from the course contents list and class agenda in courses for which they are registered instructors. Instructor led In instructor led floor control classes, the instructor takes the floor when he or she joins the class. The instructor can pass the floor to any student, and take the floor back at any time. The instructor is always in control of who has the floor. Instructor led floor control works well for large and/or lecture based classes, or classes that are a combination of lecture and interaction. Internet A worldwide system of computer networks, in which a user on a computer on one network can get information from any other computer on any other network, assuming he or she has

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permission. The Internet is a public resource that is used by millions of people around the world.

Intranet A private network or series of networks that is contained within an organization. Many organizations use their intranets to share company information and computing resources among their members, including the ability for groups to share information collaboratively, using tools such as LearnLinc. Internet audio A LearnLinc class that uses audio conferencing and is held on the Internet, or in low bandwidth classes on your intranet. Keep alive A firewall setting that enables a client computer to maintain a TCP connection to the server for an entire class, rather than having to re-establish a TCP connection every time it sends data. Using keep alive is more bandwidth efficient, but is not available on all proxy servers. Consult your proxy server documentation for more information. kbps kbps is an acronym for “kilobits per second”. Your modem speed is measured in kbps, and has a certain speed associated with it, for example, 28.8 kbps or 56 kbps. However that number indicates the fastest connection that your modem is capable of–you may actually connect at a slower rate. Refer to your modem documentation to determine your connection speed during a LearnLinc class. LearnLinc LearnLinc is an online learning environment. Your organization can use LearnLinc to train students who are at a distance, including those at other corporate offices or locations, those who telecommute from home or while traveling, and those who contract with your organization to receive training.

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LearnLinc aware Content that has been designed or converted for synchronized use in the LearnLinc Virtual Classroom is LearnLinc aware. Content created in ToolBook, Authorware, PowerPoint, and HTML can be converted to be LearnLinc aware. LearnLinc palette see palette. LearnLinc classroom software see classroom software. Log-in When you enter the Virtual Campus, or launch the Administration tool, LearnLinc requires that you enter your user account ID, group, and password. Your information is then sent to the LearnLinc Name Service database, where it is compared with the account information in the database. If the two match, you can enter, or log-in, to LearnLinc. Log-in group see group. Log-out page The Virtual Campus log-out page enables each user to exit the Virtual Campus and ensure that his or her account cannot be used by others. As an added security measure, any account that is inactive for approximately 15 minutes is automatically logged-out. This includes the time spent in the virtual classroom–if a user is in class for more than 15 minutes, he or she is automatically logged-out of the Virtual Campus. Multicast A local or wide area network (LAN or WAN) is multicast if it has multicast enabled routers. Multicast-enabled routers send data to the computers on their network more efficiently than standard routers, so that a lot of data can be sent without overloading the network. Multicast classes cannot work over the public Internet. Check with your system administrator to see if your network is multicast-enabled.

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Multicast audio A LearnLinc class that uses audio conferencing and is held on a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). Multimedia book see book. Multimedia content see book. Mute Users who have a full-duplex sound card, see a “Mute” checkbox below the conferencing window. They can talk as soon as they are given the floor, and must check the box to silence their audio and/or video conferencing while they have the floor. Name service A database that stores all LearnLinc information, including LearnLinc user account, course, class, and resource information. In addition, the Name Service also stores system information that is not visible to most LearnLinc users. The Name Service is part of the LearnLinc server. Network bandwidth monitor An indicator on the LearnLinc palette that flashes green, yellow, and red. Green indicates sufficient bandwidth to participate in class. Yellow indicates that there is not enough bandwidth for all the LearnLinc information, resulting in poor quality audio or slow text chat, for example. Red indicates that there is not enough bandwidth to participate in the LearnLinc class at all. Note A note is a text item that displays in the Virtual Campus. You can add notes to a course contents list that contain important information about the course and its contents, or you can create an HTML link to a web page as the content of your note. You can add a note to a class agenda, but only the title will display in the Virtual Classroom. Notes are limited to 129 characters.

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Open discussion In open discussion classes, the instructor has no more control of the floor than any other student in the class. Anyone can take the floor at any time, although using the hand raise function helps to ensure order for the class. Open discussion floor control works well for small, highly interactive classes or meetings. On Air/current speaker indicator An indicator at the top of the LearnLinc palette that turns red, with the message “On Air” when the user has the floor. When another user has the floor, the indicator displays the name of that person. Palette The LearnLinc palette is the main interface element in a LearnLinc class. The palette displays the most commonly used tools, including conferencing (audio or video), the class list, the agenda, feedback, and text chat. The palette displays additional information about the class, and additional tools, for instructors. In addition, palette displays slightly different information and tools depending on the floor control policy that is in effect. Participant authority level see Student authority level. Q&A LearnLinc’s question and answer tool. Use Q&A to ask your students a series of multiple choice questions during a LearnLinc class. You can make up questions before class, or add them onthe-fly during class. Once you ask a question, students can see the question and all its possible answers. Each student can select an answer, and can change his or her answer for as long as the question is available. Q&A file A list of multiple choice questions and their answers. The list is created using the Q&A editor, and is displayed in the Q&A application during class. Quick tour All users can take the Virtual Campus quick tour to learn more about using the Virtual Campus, and joining classes. 502 • • • • •

Register If a student wishes to participate in a course, he or she must “sign-up”, or register, for the course. Doing so enables the student to access all resources and classes stored in the course. In addition, an instructor, author, or administrator can register students for a course. When a student is registered for a course, that course is listed on his or her home page. Resource A training material that has been added to a LearnLinc course or class. The LearnLinc resource types are applications, audio and video clips, multimedia books, Director movies, PowerPoint presentations, notes, and Q&A and Whiteboard files. Any of these resources can be added to a LearnLinc course contents list, or a class agenda or autostart list. Once added to one of those lists, students and instructors can access them in the Virtual Campus and Virtual Classroom. Restricted text chat When text chat is restricted only the instructor, assistants, and the current floor holder can enter messages, however, everyone can see the messages in their own text chat windows. Only the class instructor can restrict text chat. Self register By default, users who self register (create their own accounts) can perform the same tasks as students. Server information page Provides you with information about the status of the LearnLinc server, the active classrooms, and the installed LearnLinc licences. The Server Information page can be accessed from your web browser. The URL for the page is http://servername/ll/ll.dll/ServerInfo, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server. Sound card A piece of hardware that you can add to your computer to play and record audio. For example, you use your sound card when you listen to music CDs on your computer. You can use your sound card to send and receive live audio as well as prerecorded audio. LearnLinc requires a sound card to enable audio or video conferencing during a LearnLinc class.

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Start page When you navigate to the Virtual Campus, the start page displays. By default, the start page has three options that allow you to log-in to the Virtual Campus, create a new account, or browse the course catalog. Streaming media file Audio, video, or multimedia files that are stored on a web site or other accessible location. When you access a streamed media file, it begins to play almost immediately, and continues to download and store the remainder of the file as you are playing it. Using streamed files helps you to avoid long waits while you download media files. Streaming video Streaming video is either a prerecorded video clip or live video that users can view as it is downloading to their computers. Prerecorded streamed video clips are stored on a web server or other accessible location. When you access a streamed video file it begins to play almost immediately, and continues to download and store the remainder of the file as you are playing it. Using prerecorded streamed video files helps you to avoid long waits while you download media files. Live streamed video is captured by encoder software on the instructor’s computer, sent to a server, and then sent to all the students in the class. Streaming live video is bandwidth efficient, but is only a one-way video solution. Student authority level Students can create their own user accounts, browse the course catalog and user directory, change their personal profile information and passwords, register for courses, use course and class materials, email course instructors or students, participate in course discussion lists, and join classes. Synchronized content Content that has been designed or converted to be used in the LearnLinc classroom. When the floor holder uses the content, his or her actions affect everyone’s copy of the content. For example, if the floor holder turns a page in a multimedia book, the page turns on each student’s copy of the book as well.

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Synchronized web browser An “add on” to your Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator web browser that enables the floor holder in a LearnLinc class to lead the class as he or she navigates the World Wide Web. Each time the floor holder goes to a new URL, or clicks a new link on a web page, the class follows. In between navigations, each student can browse at his or her own pace. Take floor Instructors can click “Take floor” to regain control of the floor, including conferencing and any applications or content that are in use at any time during a LearnLinc class. In Open discussion classes, students have a “Take floor” button as well. Talk button Users who have a half-duplex sound card, must click the “Talk” button below the conferencing window after they get the floor, and before they can speak to the class. When they are done speaking, they must click it again to hear the instructor. Clicking the Talk button does not affect whether or not a user has the floor. Text chat A classroom tool that enables you to send messages to the whole class, or to an individual. Text chat displays on the LearnLinc palette. Students may choose to send a private message that is received by the instructor and any assistant instructors in the class. Instructors and assistants can undock the text chat window and send private messages to any individual in class. The instructor can restrict text chat to him or herself and the current floor holder. Threaded discussion Each course has its own discussion area, in which all users who are registered for that course can read and post messages to create an on-going discussion. Messages that are entered are available to everyone in the course, and are listed according to the category, or thread, to which they pertain. Typical installation The typical installation is sufficient for most users. It includes the LearnLinc classroom tools, sample files, documentation files, audio and video conferencing components, the LearnLinc Classroom Player, and Microsoft Streaming Media Player.

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URL (Uniform Resource Locator) The address of a web page or other resource on the Internet, or an intranet. For web pages on the Internet, a URL might take the form of http://www.servername.com/filename.htm. URL–LearnLinc resource type You can create a URL to add a link to a web address to your course contents list, class agenda, or autostart list. When you click on a URL link, a new web browser window opens and displays the web page. Note that users who are outside your company’s network cannot access content on your intranet. User account A user account is a container for all the available information for one user. A user account contains the user’s full name, log-in ID, log-in group, password, personal profile information (email address, home page, contact information, comments), authority level, and registration information. User directory The Virtual Campus user directory lists all LearnLinc users in your organization. Students, instructors, and authors can see information for anyone in the directory, and edit their own information and password. Administrators can add, edit, and delete user accounts and groups as well. Video clip A video clip is a digital video file. When you click on a video clip link in the Virtual Campus, the clip plays in Windows Media Player. Note: Windows Media Player is installed with the LearnLinc classroom software. If you have not yet installed the LearnLinc classroom software, you may or may not have another application installed on your computer that can play the video clip. Virtual Campus The Virtual Campus is a web site that displays LearnLinc information, and provide students and instructors with a way to access courses and materials, and join classes. Administrators, authors, and instructors, can use the Virtual Campus to add, edit, and delete LearnLinc information as well. In addition, the Virtual Campus provides users with links for each class, so that they can enter a Virtual Classroom. 506 • • • • •

Virtual Classroom An online meeting space in which students, an instructor, and assistant instructors, can communicate, interact, and collaborate using a variety of classroom tools. You gain access the Virtual Classroom by registering for a course in the Virtual Campus. If that course contains any classes, you can join those classes. Volume indicators Indicators on the LearnLinc palette that show the volume level for both the computer’s speakers (or headset) and microphone. Green bars indicate an appropriate volume. Red bars indicate that the volume it too loud. Web proxy server A computer that acts as a gate between users on a network and the Internet. Using a web proxy enables an organization to ensure security, administrative control, and cache Internet information. Using a web proxy reduces network traffic and speeds the response time of your web browser by caching, or storing, local copies of each page that its users visit. Whiteboard A collaboration tool that students and the instructor can use to share simple drawings, text, imported pictures, and screen captures during LearnLinc classes. The current floor holder can add to, edit, or delete the information on the whiteboard. All users can save or print a copy of the whiteboard. The whiteboard can also be used outside of class to create or edit whiteboard files. Whiteboard file A whiteboard file may contain text, simple graphics, and imported pictures. When you use a whiteboard file during class, only the floor holder can edit the file.

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A

A Appendix A: Troubleshooting This appendix provides additional troubleshooting information for the LearnLinc Virtual Campus and the LearnLinc classroom. In most cases, the tasks described in this appendix require a LearnLinc administrator or help from your IS department. The following issues are addressed in this appendix: • Installation Issues • Virtual Campus Issues • Virtual Classroom Issues • Classroom Tools Issues • Multimedia Content Issues • Administration Issues • Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting • Network Troubleshooting with Ping

Installation Issues Administration Tool Installation When I attempt to connect to the LearnLinc Server for the first time, I get the message, “Your log-in cannot be validated. Please check your user name, group, and password and try again.” LearnLinc passwords are case sensitive. Be sure your user name and group are correct and reenter your password, being careful of capitalization.

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Server Installation I copied my LearnLinc Data and Internet Audio license keys to the server, double clicked on each one to apply them, and then rebooted my server. When I try to run an Internet audio class, I receive an error stating that I am not licensed for this conferencing option. 1. Launch a web browser on the server, or another computer. 2. Navigate to “http://servername/ll/ll.dll/ServerInfo”, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server. If the Server Information page displays only two licenses, either of the following may be the case: • You were not logged on to the server as either a local or domain administrator when you applied the keys. Check your log in, reapply the keys, reboot the server and check the Server Information page again to verify that the keys are properly installed. • The IP address encoded in the key does not match the current IP address of the server. Open the key files in a text editor, such as Windows Notepad. Verify that the IP address in the key matches the IP address of your server. If these addresses do not match, you must request new license keys from LearnLinc.

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Virtual Campus Issues I can’t log-in to the Virtual Campus. First, ensure that you have typed your user name and password correctly, and selected the correct group. If you have entered all your user information correctly, the problem may be caused by your web browser configuration. To log-in to the LearnLinc Virtual Campus, you must enable the use of cookies for your browser. The procedure for enabling cookies in Internet Explorer and Navigator follow. For Internet Explorer 4.x: 1. From the menu bar, select View > Internet Options. 2. Click the Advanced tab. 3. Scroll down to the yellow exclamation icon under “Security” and select “Always accept cookies”. 4. Click OK to save your changes. For Internet Explorer 5.x 1. From the menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options. 2. Click the Security tab. 3. Select “Internet” or “Local Intranet”, depending on where your LearnLinc Virtual Campus is located. 4. Click Custom Level... to display the “Security Settings” dialog. 5. Scroll down to the “Cookies” group. 6. Under “Allow per-session cookies (not stored)” select “Enable”. 7. Click OK to save your changes. For Netscape Communicator 4.7x and Netscape Navigator 4.05 and 4.08 1. From the menu bar, select Edit > Preferences. 2. Click Advanced to display the “Advanced Options” dialog. 3. In the “Cookies” group select “Accept all Cookies”. If your cookies are set properly and you still have trouble logging-in check the following: • Make sure that your LearnLinc administrator has not changed your name, password, or group. • Check your computer's system time. If it is set for a future date and time, reset it to the current time.

Ä A cookie is a small piece of information that your web browser stores on your hard drive. A web server may request your browser to save your information in a cookie. It is uniquely yours and can only be read by the server that gave it to you, preserving your privacy. The LearnLinc Virtual Campus uses temporary cookies to establish if you are logged in or not.

þ We suggest that you always allow cookies. If you choose to be alerted before saving cookies, you will be prompted at every page after you log-in, and you must accept each cookie to remain logged-in.

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When logging into the Virtual Campus, I do not see any groups in the “Group” drop down list. The web server is unable to communicate with LearnLinc’s “Name Service” database. This problem has several potential causes. Review the list potential causes and solutions provided below, keeping in mind that many of these steps involve some technical knowledge of NT Server and Internet Information Server. If you are not comfortable applying these changes, please contact your IS professional or call LearnLinc Customer Service. • Have you rebooted since the installation of the LearnLinc server software? If not, reboot your server and log back in to the Virtual Campus. • Inspect the LearnLinc Server Configuration screen for the proper IP address or server DNS name. To access the Server Configuration screen, select Start > Programs > LearnLinc Server, and click the Virtual Campus tab. Check the LearnLinc Main Server field. If this is set to a DNS name, try putting the numeric IP address of the server, and then rebooting the server. • Are there multiple IP addresses or network cards on this server PC? Learnlinc installs itself to the default web site and uses the associated IP address. • If you recently upgraded to LearnLinc 4.5 and replaced the installed LL 4.5 database with an earlier backed-up version of your database (4.0 or 3.x), LearnLinc will not function properly. Follow the instructions provided in the “Upgrading to LearnLinc 4.5” (included in your product package and on the Customer Support site) and reinstall the server. • Does the http://servername/ll/ll.dll/ServerInfo page work? If not, check the entire LL virtual directory properties. Is the path correctly mapped to the physical LL directory? Is the Anonymous User (IUSR_Servername) account used for directory security? • Check that the Server ODBC source is configured correctly. Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > ODBC, and click the System DSN tab. Find learnLinc40ServerDB and make sure it is pointing to LearnLincServer\Sysdata\LLServer.mdb. • Are there other LL or LearnLinc virtual directories of an existing website on this same server - perhaps from previous installations of LearnLinc? Try removing these other LL ‘pointers’, leaving only one LL virtual directory pointing to newly created LearnLincServer/Bin directory. If applying some of the fixes suggested here does not resolve the problem, please contact LearnLinc Customer Service, or access LearnLinc’s support site at http://support.learnlinc.com.

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I selected a user with the authority level of “student” to be the instructor for a course. Now, that student can add and delete classes and resources in that course. What can I do? We strongly recommend that you do not assign users with lower authority levels (student and self register) as instructors for courses. Doing so will enable them to access the edit functions for any course in which they are instructors. When you create user accounts, we recommend that you give instructor or greater authority to anyone who should be teaching or managing courses, and only assign those users as instructors. When I created my account, I used more than one space in a row in my log-in ID (or name). Now, I still have to enter all the spaces to log-in, but I only see one space when my ID or Name displays in the Virtual Campus. Which should I use? You should always use the exact characters, including spaces, that you entered when creating your account. Because of the limitations of HTML, the language used to create web pages, the Virtual Campus cannot display more than one space, but your user information is stored exactly as you entered it.

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Virtual Classroom Issues Trouble Joining a Class When I click on “Join Class” I get a message that says: “Internet Explorer cannot download from the Internet site...” What's wrong? This message is often due to running a version of Internet Explorer that is not compatible with LearnLinc. If you are using Internet Explorer 4.01, you must apply Service Pack 1 for it to work with LearnLinc. Otherwise, your browser will be unable to work with Active Server Pages (ASP) or Internet Information Server 4.0 (IIS), both of which are used by LearnLinc. The Learnlinc client CD includes Internet Explorer 5.0, which fixes this problem. Install IE 5.0 from the LearnLinc CD or go to Microsoft's web page and download and install either Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 or SP2 or Internet Explorer 5. I’m using Netscape, and when I click on a “join” link, I get a message that asks me whether I want to open or save a file called join.lrn. What should I do? When you click join, your computer should download the file “join.lrn” and launch LearnLinc, so that you can join class. Your computer does not have the proper registry entries to launch Learnlinc when you click “join”. In most cases, if you select “Open it,” Learnlinc will launch. If the option is available, select “Do not show this dialog again” to make sure that LearnLinc launches automatically every time you click “join”. When I click “join”, I get a message that asks me what program I want to use to open the file “join.lrn.” What do I do? The Learnlinc classroom software is either not installed or is not installed properly. Reinstall the classroom software by downloading it from the Virtual Campus or installing it from the Learnlinc client CD.

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When I click on Join Class, I get a message that says that all current licenses are in use. What's wrong? The Learnlinc keys for the server may have expired, are not installed properly, do not contain the correct IP address for the server, or you need to purchase more licenses because they are all in use. First, check your LearnLinc server licensing through the troubleshooting page at http://servername/virtualdirectory/troubleshooting.asp, where servername is the name of your LearnLinc server and virtualdirectory is the name of the virtual directory in which your Virtual Campus is stored. If your keys have expired or the server IP address has changed, contact LearnLinc Customer Service to obtain new keys. You can also try reappling your current keys by logging on to the Server computer as an administrator, copying the files to the server, double-clicking on each file, and then restarting the server. When I click Join Class, I get the following message:, “You cannot connect to the LearnLinc server”. What should I do? Your computer cannot connect to the Learnlinc server to join the class. 1. Be sure that: • the LearnLinc service is actually running on the server • you have TCP/IP connectivity to the server To check for TCP/IP connectivity, try “pinging” the server (for information on how to ping a server, see “Network Troubleshooting with Ping” on page 546). • If you can ping the server, but still get this message when trying to join a class, you may be prevented from joining class by a firewall. The firewall may be preventing Learnlinc information from travelling across the network to your computer. Contact your Information Systems department for further help. • If you cannot ping your LearnLinc server, check to be sure all of your network cables are connected properly, restart your computer and try it again. If you still cannot ping the server, then contact your Information Systems department for further help. 2. Have your LearnLinc administrator check the address of the server as it is reported in the error message. If that address is not correct, your LearnLinc administrator must to run the

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Server Configuration Control Panel on the Learnlinc Server to make the appropriate changes.

When a I try to join a class which has beginning and ending times set, I get a message saying that it is either too early for the class or that the class has ended. I am trying to join at the appropriate time. What’s wrong? The LearnLinc classroom software uses the local time settings on the your computer to determine if it is the correct time to join the class. When the beginning and ending times are sent to the LearnLinc server, they are converted to Greenwich Mean Time and are then converted back to the appropriate time zone for the computer that is joining the class. Make sure that the date, time, and time zone for your computer are correct for your location. Students are allowed to join the class beginning 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. When I try to join a class, one of the following happens to me: • I get into the class and see the student palette, but only for about 20 seconds. • The Learnlinc splash screen progress indicator hangs on “Joining the class…” Why is this happening? You may need to enable some of the additional connection options included in the 4.5 client software. Try the following: 1. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel and double click on the LearnLinc Client icon. The Learnlinc Client Configuration dialog opens. 2. Under Web Proxy, select “Force HTTP Polling”. 3. Click Apply, and then OK. 4. Try to join class again (there is no need to reboot your computer). 5. If you still encounter the problem, return to the Client Configuration dialog and select “Force all Requests to Use the Proxy Server,” click Apply and OK, and try to join the class again. 6. If you still encounter the problem, return to the Client Configuration dialog and under Internet Options, deselect the “attempt to use UDP audio” option, click Apply and OK, and try to join the class again. If, with both of these options enabled and UDP disabled, you still cannot join the class, please contact Learnlinc Customer Service.

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When I click Join, I get one of the following errors: • “Unable to connect to the Learnlinc Server...” The end of the error message displays HTTP status code 407 or HTTP status code 401. • “Unable to access User Info on LL server". What does this mean?

Most likely your web proxy uses a type of authentication that LearnLinc does not support. Authentication is used to control where internal network users can go on the Internet. Internal network users who want to go out to the Internet must first “authenticate” to the proxy server. Some authentication schemes, such as Challenge-Response (NTLM) authentication, are not supported by LearnLinc. Search for article QL9JD0000509 on the LearnLinc Customer Service Support Site for details and possible solutions. You can also try the troubleshooting steps outlined in response to the question When I try to join a class, one of the following happens to me . . .” on page 516 of this appendix document or call LearnLinc Customer Service for assistance. Audio Issues When I join a class, no one in the class can hear me and/or I can't hear anyone else. What might be wrong? There are a few possible answers to this question. Consult the Audio Troubleshooting steps in “Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting” on page 537 to resolve the most common audio problems.

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When I talk during a class, most students can hear me but some cannot. What might be the problem? In situations where some students can hear your audio, and others cannot, the problem is with either the audio hardware on those computers in question or the network. Use text chat to ask the students what color their network indicators are. They may not have enough bandwidth for good audio transmission. • If they have yellow or red network indicators, there is not enough bandwidth for clear audio. Use less bandwidth intensive content or applications, and pause after you take an action, to allow the students’ computers to update before you begin speaking again. • If their indicators are green, ask the students who cannot hear you consult “Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting” on page 537 to resolve any problems with their audio hardware. If a student goes through Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting, has his or her audio working properly, but still cannot hear you, then contact LearnLinc Customer Service. When I talk, everyone can hear me but they say the my audio is “breaking up” or is “choppy.” What might be wrong? There are three possibilities: 1. Bandwidth. If some or all of your students are on dial-up connections, using modems, they may not have enough bandwidth to receive a smooth stream of audio. When you do other things in a class (such as launch the Synchronized Web Browser or other content), there is even less bandwidth available to transport audio. The bandwidth monitor in Learnlinc should help you monitor the available bandwidth. The bandwidth monitor is located underneath the conferencing window and is represented by two computers with an arrow between them. • If this monitor is green, then you have enough bandwidth. • If the monitor turns red, bandwidth has dropped below acceptable levels. Pause for a moment, and do not try to speak again until everyone's monitor returns to green (or at least to yellow).

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As an instructor, there are several things you can do to make the audio smoother: • Do not talk while you are launching or changing content pages. • Click the “Mute” button whenever you launch content. • Try to use less bandwidth intensive content (fewer graphics, etc.). Processor interrupts. If the content you are using in a class is processor-intensive–that is, when it opens it contains lots of graphics that take a little while to display on screen–your audio may break up. When your computer has to display a graphic on screen, it interrupts the processor to ask it to do so. As it does this, the processor momentarily stops playing the audio stream, and the result is choppy audio. To resolve this problem: • Don't talk while you are launching or changing content pages (pause until the graphic displays). • Use less graphic intensive resources in class. • Have your students upgrade their processors. You are overdriving your microphone. Some microphones are very sensitive. If you talk into a sensitive microphone–even at a normal volume–it picks up too much noise for the sound card to deliver smoothly. This can result in “choppy” sounding audio. Try turning down your microphone volume in the Learnlinc Audio Wizard or in the volume control on your computer. • Select Tools > Local > Audio Wizard, on the LearnLinc palette menu bar to run the Audio Wizard. • Double-click on the speaker icon in the lower right of your Windows taskbar to launch the Windows volume control panel.

When I have the floor, other participants complain that they hear a loud hissing sound. What’s wrong? Either extremely sensitive or low-quality microphones can cause hissing sounds. Typically, turning down the microphone volume will reduce the hiss, but may not remove the problem. If the problem continues, try using a different microphone.

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When one or more participants talk during a class, some people hear an echo. They hear what the person said again about 2-3 seconds after they heard it initially. What is wrong? Echoes are caused by one of two situations: 1. Someone is using external speakers and a microphone. When they have the floor, other people's voices come out of their speakers and go back in through their microphone, thus causing the echo. • Ask the participant who has the external speakers to use a headset instead. • If the participant does not have access to a headset, he or she must run the LearnLinc Audio Wizard and select “Speakers” when prompted. This will give the student a “Talk” button on the LearnLinc palette, which he or she must click to talk once he or she gets the floor. When the student is done talking, he or she must click the “Talk” button again to listen. This “half-duplex” audio configuration resolves the echo problem by turning off the students speakers when they are using their microphone. 2. A participant’s audio drivers are causing the echo. If one participant seems to be the cause of the echo (i.e.; it only happens when they have the floor) but the participant is using either the “Talk” button scenario described above or is using a headset, he or she may need to update the computer’s audio drivers. Instruct them visit the Learnlinc Audio Update web page for assistance (http://audioupdate.learnlinc.com). Even though my sound card is capable of full-duplex sound, I get a “Talk” button in a Learnlinc class. Why? If you are sure you have a full-duplex sound card, either of the following may have happened: • You selected “speakers” in the Learnlinc Audio Wizard. This would force the Talk button to show up even if your sound card is full-duplex capable. This setting helps to prevent audio echoes from participants who use external speakers during LearnLinc classes. To remove the Talk button, select Tools > Local > Audio Wizard, on the LearnLinc palette menu bar to run the Audio Wizard. When prompted, select “Headsets” instead. • Your sound card’s drivers are being detected as half-duplex, even though they are full duplex. Update your audio drivers by visiting the LearnLinc Audio Update web page for assistance (http://audioupdate.learnlinc.com), or your computer or sound card manufacturer's web page. Download the latest audio drivers, install them, and restart your computer. Run the LearnLinc audio wizard again, making sure to select “Headset” when prompted. 520 • • • • •

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Video Issues Why do some people in the class have video conferencing, while I only have audio conferencing? LearnLinc video conferencing comes in two types: Indeo and Multicast, each of which has its own hardware requirements. The table below outlines the type of conferencing you will have in classes that use video conferencing, based on your hardware. In all cases everyone in the class can hear you, even if they cannot see you. In a class that uses: If you have:

you will use:

Indeo video conferencing

Intel ProShare 150, 200, or 400 hardware and software

video conferencing–everyone in class can see you. When someone else has the floor you can hear their audio but you can only see them if they have ProShare 200 or 400 hardware and software.

Multicast video conferencing

Intel ProShare 200 hardware and software

audio conferencing–everyone in class can hear you but not see you. When someone else has the floor you can hear their audio, but you cannot see them.

Multicast video conferencing

Intel ProShare IBVC or 500 hardware and software

video conferencing–everyone in class can hear you, only others with ProShare IBVC or 500 can see you. When someone else has the floor you can hear their audio, but you can only see them if they have ProShare 400 hardware and software.

To determine what type of conferencing your class uses locate the class in the Virtual Campus by logging-in, clicking the course name on your home page, and then clicking the class name in the course’s contents list. The conferencing type is listed on the class details page under “Audio/Video”. To determine what type of ProShare hardware you are using consult your ProShare documentation or your IS department.

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Some students seem to take a long time to receive streaming video clips or a live video feed. Why? Streaming video is designed to work over lower bandwidth connections effectively–but it may take longer to do so. If some students have more available bandwidth than others, they may receive and view clips faster than others. This is normal. To improve performance, students need a faster connection to the server and/or the Internet. LearnLinc Palette Issues The list of students in a class is either incomplete or contains multiple entries for some students. What’s wrong? The student list in the LearnLinc palette is refreshed periodically and may take some time to synchronize for to all the computers in a class. If someone has left and reentered a class, his or her name may appear twice for a short period of time. Alternately, if a new student enters the class, it may take some time for his or her name to show up on everyone's list. Generally, after a minute or two, the list will return to normal.

Classroom Tools Issues Synchronized Web Browser Sometimes, multiple windows launch in the synchronized web browser. Why? 1. LearnLinc support for frames differs for Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The method by which the synchronized web browser connects to each browser differs, and Netscape Navigator does not provide a way to communicate frames information to the synchronized web browser. • Netscape users will not be able to view synchronized content containing frames properly.

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• For frames to work properly with Internet Explorer, both the floor holder and the students must have Internet Explorer. We recommend that you use Internet Explorer on all LearnLinc computers if your content contains frames. Web pages that contain frames or complex uses of VBScript or JavaScript can cause the synchronized web browser to launch multiple windows as well. (Simple uses of JavaScript are usually safe.) • If you are authoring your own HTML content, avoid using VBScript or JavaScript to create iteration loops, page redirection, browser spawning, or other scripts that hold up the CPU for a long time. • If you are browsing sites on the public Internet, test them with the synchronized web browser before using them in class to see if there are multiple window issues. Some web sites contain scripts that launch a second browser window automatically when you navigate to a page on the site. Test the site by viewing it with your regular web browser first, to see whether it is launching second windows for you.

When I launch the Synchronized Web Browser, students with Netscape do not get a new browser window. When the instructor launches the Synchronized Web Browser and Netscape is already running on a student’s computer, a new Netscape window will not open. The Synchronized Web Browser will take control of the existing Netscape window. If Netscape is minimized, the student must click Netscape on the task bar to restore the window. Internet Explorer users will see a new browser window open when the instructor launches the synchronized web browser. When I type a URL into the Synchronized Web Browser, some students receive the page instantly, while others have to wait for the page to load. Many organizations use web proxy servers that cache web pages on their networks. When one person accesses that page, the page is saved on the server. When other users access the page, they are retrieving the cached page, rather than the original. Retrieving a cached page usually occurs quickly. If you have some students who are on a network with a web proxy server, and others who are not, those who are not will have to retrieve the page from its source, which may take longer.

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When I type a URL into the Synchronized Web Browser, some students receive errors in their browsers, informing them that they cannot access the page. If you are accessing pages on your intranet, and some of your students are outside your organization’s firewall, they may not have access to those pages. Many organizations choose not to grant outside access to intranet pages to persons outside the firewall, for reasons of confidentiality or security. When I close the Synchronized Web Browser, Netscape crashes. This is a known problem with Netscape Navigator 4.04. LearnLinc supports Netscape Navigator 4.05 or higher, Netscape Communicator 4.5 and higher and Internet Explorer 4.01/sp1 and higher. Please upgrade your browser to a supported version. A student closed his or her web browser while we were using the Synchronized Web Browser. How do I get them back in sync with the rest of the class? Click the agenda tab on your LearnLinc palette. Next, click the Synchronized Web Browser icon. Doing so will re-launch the student’s browser. Once the student’s browser is open, click the Refresh or Reload button on your browser to force all of the browsers in the class to resync with yours. I clicked on a link on a web page and now my students are telling me that the web page is flashing continuously on their screens. It looks fine to me. What’s wrong? or Someone in the class clicked on a link on a web page and now the web page is flashing continuously on my screen What’s wrong? If the floor holder clicks on a link in a banner ad, or a link that gets redirected after it is clicked (for example, a link that gets redirected to a secure server so that the url protocol changes from “http” to “https” after it is clicked) the floor holder will follow the link properly, but everyone else in class will see the page flash or flicker continuously in their browsers. To stop the flashing, the floor holder can click on another link that does not redirect. We recommend that you do not create content that contains banner ads or redirect links.

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When I am the instructor and launch a URL agenda item, one of my students gets an error message “Unable to invoke Internet Explorer”. LearnLinc web synchronization attempts to open the default web browser. If no default is set, you may get this error. The definition of a default browser is the browser that automatically opens when you click on a URL in any Windows application. To specify a default browser, follow the instructions below for the browser you have installed on your computer. If this does not work, try reinstalling your browser. Internet Explorer 4.x 1. Open Internet Explorer 4.x. 2. Select Tools > Internet Options. 3. On the Programs tab, click the “Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default” check box. 4. Close all browser windows. 5. Open Internet Explorer again. A dialog displays, asking if you want to make Internet Explorer the default browser. 6. Click Yes. Internet Explorer 5.x 1. Open Internet Explorer 5.x. 2. Select View > Internet Options. 3. On the Programs tab, click the “Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default” check box. 4. Close all browser windows. 5. Open Internet Explorer again. A dialog displays, asking if you want to make Internet Explorer the default browser. 6. Click Yes.

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Netscape Navigator or Communicator 1. Select Start > Programs > Accessories > Notepad, to open Notepad. You will use Notepad to edit your Netscape preferences file. 2. In Notepad, select File > Open, and browse to C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\[USERID], where USERID is your windows user profile ID. For example: C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\jonathanm 3. Change 'Files of type:' to 'All Files' 4. Select “prefs.js.” You will receive a “Do Not Edit This File” message, which you can ignore. 5. Change the following line: From: user_pref("browser.wfe.ignore_def_check", true) To: user_pref("browser.wfe.ignore_def_check", false) 6. Select File > Exit, and then “Yes” to save changes. 7. Open your Netscape browser. A message appears asking if you want to make it the default browser. 8. Click “Yes.”

Text Chat I want to send a private text chat message to a student, but the private option is not available. Text Chat must be undocked from the LearnLinc palette for private chat to become available. Right click on the text chat area and click “Dock my text chat window” from the shortcut menu to clear it’s checkmark and undock text chat. Students cannot send private text chat messages to each other. Whiteboard When I open up a Whiteboard file it takes a long time for the file to display on the student's computers. And sometimes my audio gets choppy while the file is loading. What can I do? Launching whiteboard files may take some time over a slow dial-up connection, and will use up some bandwidth–so that the audio data may not get to the student in time. This can cause audio to sound “choppy” in a low bandwidth situation. As a workaround, pause when you

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launch a whiteboard file, and do not begin speaking again until the whiteboard status bar says “synchronized.”

When I try to launch the Whiteboard, it does not launch on my students’ computers. Why? Be sure you have the floor before you launch synchronized applications like the Whiteboard. If you do not have the floor, you will not be able to launch or close the Whiteboard on your students’ computers. When I launch a Whiteboard file from the agenda, I get a message that says, “Failed to open document”. What's wrong? The Whiteboard can not locate the file that is specified in the agenda item. The file may be located on another computer or on a network drive that you cannot access. Complete the following steps to check the path in the Whiteboard resource to find out where the file is located. 1. Return to the Virtual Campus. 2. Locate the course you are taking and click it’s name. The course’s contents list displays. 3. Click on the class name for the class you are taking. The class’ details tab displays. 4. Click the “Agenda” tab. The agenda list displays. 5. Click the tile of the whiteboard file with which you are having trouble. The whiteboard file’s details page displays. 6. Check the location of the file. • If the file is located on a local drive, such as “C:\” or “D:\”, you must have the file stored in that same location on your computer to use the agenda item. • If the file is stored on a network drive, you must have access to that drive to use the agenda item.

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Application Sharing When I launch an application, some of my students can only see part of it–the rest is off the screen. Why? You are running your monitor at a higher resolution than your students (such as 1024x768 versus 800x600). This gives you more “room” on your screen than your students, so that part of the program is off screen for them. To resolve this issue: • Lower your monitor resolution to match your students’. • Ask your students to increase their monitor resolution to match yours. • Resize the program or content window so that your students can better see the resources. • Have students use the scroll bar that surrounds the Appshare window. This will allow them to view different areas of the application. When I am teaching a class, sometimes I don't seem to control the student's computers. They don't synchronize correctly in the content window, or their applications don't shut down when I close mine. Why? You must have the floor whenever you want to synchronize your actions with the class. Without the floor, you will not be in control of the student's computers. Look for the red “OnAir” indicator at the top of your LearnLinc palette before attempting to perform synchronous activities such as shutting down shared applications, advancing to new screens in synchronous content, or launching shared content (such as Question and Answer files, HTML files or multimedia content). When using Application Sharing, the students see the screen flicker and blink often, and some or all of them are disconnected from class. The instructor or presenting user’s PC color depth setting is probably set incorrectly for Appsharing. Appshare requires that the PC that is presenting the application has a color setting above 256 colors (at least 16-bit color). To change your color settings: 1. Right click on the Desktop, and select “Properties.” 2. Click the “Settings” tab. 3. Under Color Palette, select “65,536” or one of the higher options. When I try to run AppShare by clicking on the shortcut icon on the Agenda tab, I get AppView instead. Why? 528 • • • • •

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If you are in a LearnLinc Multicast Audio or Multicast Video class the AppShare/AppView icon will only launch AppView. You can run AppShare by selecting Run > Application Sharing from the LearnLinc palette menu bar.

I installed LearnLinc on both sides of my dual boot (Windows 95/98 and Windows NT) computer. I uninstalled LearnLinc from one of my drives, and now AppShare won’t work. Regardless of where you choose to install LearnLinc the OpSession engine, which is necessary for AppShare to run, is installed to “C:\Program Files\Common Files\OpSession”. If you uninstall either copy of LearnLinc, AppShare will stop working with the remaining copy. To fix this problem, reinstall LearnLinc on the drive on which you want to run LearnLinc. One of my students joined class late, and now that student doesn’t see my cursor as I use the shared applications in AppShare. Why not? This is a known limitation of LearnLinc 4.0. To resolve this issue you must stop the AppShare session for the entire class and then restart it. When a latecomer joins your AppShare session you have the option to update them immediately, or wait until later. We recommend that you choose to update later and finish the current task, then stop AppShare for the class and restart it for everyone, so that the latecomer can see all the AppShare activity. I was sharing my desktop with the class, and when I tried to switch to just one or two applications, the students never got them. What should I do? If you encounter this situation, click “Send Update” in the “LearnLinc AppShare” window. Doing so will update everyone in the class, so that they see the new applications you have shared. You may want to set Feedback to “Yes/No” and ask your students to click “Yes” when they see the shared applications.

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I want to stop sharing the current application, but there are no other applications in the list. How do I stop sharing it? • If you are done with AppShare, click Exit in the “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog to stop sharing the application and close Appshare. • If you want to share another application, launch and configure that application on your computer. When you are ready, click “Change” on the “LearnLinc AppShare” dialog. When the “Select Application” dialog displays, click “Refresh List”. Clear the check mark next to the current application and check the new application. Configure AppShare and click “Start” to begin sharing the new application. AppView When I launch AppView and attempt to send the application to the students, they only see a white window and not the application itself. AppView only works on networks that use IP Multicasting. IP Multicasting is not currently enabled on your network, or you are attempting to use AppView over the Internet, which does not support IP Multicasting. As an alternative, use AppShare, or contact your network administrator to discuss adding IP Multicasting to your network. When I launch AppView on my Windows NT Workstation and send the application out to the students, they see my entire desktop. This is a limitation of the AppView application in the Windows NT environment. This does not occur under Windows 95 or 98.

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Glimpse When I click “Capture Screen” in glimpse, it takes a very long time to see the screen capture and/or I can’t participate in class while I’m waiting for the screen capture to display. When you use “Capture Screen” to view a student’s desktop, you are requesting a large amount of data to be transferred from the student’s computer to your computer. If you have a slow connection, it may take several minutes for the entire screen capture to display in your glimpse window. Additionally, the transfer of glimpse data may affect the quality of your audio conferencing or other bandwidth intensive LearnLinc applications. • If you have a slow internet connection, for example a 26.4 kbps connection, use “Capture Thumbnail” to conserve bandwidth. • If you have a slow connection and you must capture a full screen, warn your students that they may not be able to hear or interact with you for several minutes. One or more of my students are not in the “Current Attendees” list. The “Current Attendees” list in glimpse lists everyone who was in the class when glimpse was launched. Click “Refresh List” to update the list if students join class after you launch glimpse. If no students are in the list, make sure you have the floor, and then re-launch glimpse. When I glimpse a student's screen, the image that I get is small and difficult to read. How can I get a better screen image? By default, the Glimpse application takes a “thumbnail” size picture of the student's screen. This improves the speed of the screen capture, and is designed for the “overall” view–to see what programs are open on a student's screen, for example. To see a more detailed view of a student's screen, highlight his or her name in the “Current Attendees” list and click “Capture Screen”. A much larger and more detailed image of the student's screen displays. Note that the larger image takes longer to display. It may take as much as 30 seconds over a slow dial-up connection. When I glimpse a student's screen, it takes much too long. How can I get a quicker image of the student’s screen? To get a less detailed, but much faster image of a student's screen, use the “Capture Thumbnail” button. Highlight the student's name in the “Current Attendee” list and click “Capture Thumbnail” button. Using “Capture Thumbnail” produces a smaller, less detailed image of the student's screen–but the image displays much faster than the “Capture Screen” option. • • • • • 531

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Multimedia Content Issues When I launch a Toolbook or Authorware multimedia resource, some or all students get the error message “LearnLinc cannot invoke presentation name” What’s wrong? Learnlinc is trying to locate and open the appropriate file, but can not find it. Usually, this is because the file is not stored in the same directory on every student’s computer. Multimedia files, due to their large size, must be distributed ahead of time to every student’s computer in the same path and folder. When the instructor launches a multimedia file, the instructor's computer simply tells all the other computers in the class to go find it’s copy of the multimedia file in the same directory, and open it up. If the file does not exist in that directory, the “Unable to Invoke” error will display. For example, if the instructor launches the file “test.ili”, which is stored in “C:\content\hr”, his or her computer tells each student’s computer to look in “C:\content\hr” and open the file “test.ili”. If the file is not stored there on a student’s computer, he or she will get the “Unable to Invoke” error. There are two other less likely possible causes for this message: • You are running the file from a network drive and directory, but not everyone in the class has that drive mapped to the same drive. To correct this problem, be sure that everyone has the drive mapped exactly the same, so that when anyone in the class clicks on “My Computer” they see the same drive letter mapped to the same network drive. If this is not possible, you must either distribute the file locally and recreate the resource in the Agenda. • The file is being shared but is not marked as “read only”. If the file is not “read only”, the first user to get to the file locks it–and no other users can open it. To correct this problem, ask the user who does have the file open to close it. Locate the file on the server, right click on it, and select “Properties” from the right click menu. Check the “read only” option, and click OK. Try running the resource again.

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When I launch a multimedia file, it opens up on my computer, but does not open up any of the students' computers. Why not? To launch applications on other computers in a LearnLinc class, you must have the floor. If the red “On-Air” indicator displays at the top of your LearnLinc palette, you have the floor. If you do not see the On Air indicator, click the Take Floor icon on the upper right of the palette to take the floor back (only the class instructor has the Take Floor icon). When I play a multimedia file that has an audio clip embedded in it, no one can hear the embedded clip play. Why not? This may occur because the sound card is still being used by LearnLinc audio or video conferencing. 1. Close the embedded media clip. 2. Select Tools > Class > Suspend Audio/Video from the LearnLinc palette menu bar. (This option is only available to the class instructor. Doing so will release the sound card, so that other applications can use it. Try playing the embedded clip again. When the clip is done playing, select Tools > Class > Suspend Audio/ Video again to restart LearnLinc audio or video conferencing. After I have played an audio or video clip, no one can hear me. What might be wrong? Be sure that you have “unsuspended” audio/video after you finish the clip. When the clip is done playing, select Tools > Class > Suspend Audio/Video, making sure that the check mark is cleared from “Suspend Audio/Video” to restart LearnLinc audio or video conferencing. When I try to run the Powerpoint to Toolbook converter, I get prompted to “select the instance of LearnLinc” that I want to use. But nothing is listed in the screen. What Should I do? To use the PowerPoint to ToolBook converter, you must first open a blank ToolBook template. The converter creates a bitmap for each slide in your PowerPoint file, and pastes them into the blank template. 1. Exit the PowerPoint to ToolBook converter by clicking Cancel. 2. Open a template by selecting Start > Programs > Learnlinc Utilities, and then clicking on one of the available LearnLinc templates. Choose the template based on the monitor resolution that your students’ computers use.

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3. 4. 5. 6.

When you see the message stating that you are not logged in to LearnLinc, click OK. The template opens, and displays a blank gray screen. Run the PowerPoint to ToolBook converter. Select your Powerpoint presentation on the first screen The second screen displays, with the message “Select LearnLinc Content from this screen” Make sure the template you opened in step 2 is highlighted and click Next to continue with the conversion process.

When I launch a LearnLinc ToolBook template from the LearnLinc utilities program group, I get the following message: “You are not logged-in to LearnLinc. You will not be able to use LearnLinc resources until you log-in”. What should I do? Click OK. This is a notification message that will not affect your ability to convert your PowerPoint content. The Template will open and you will then be able to launch and use the PowerPoint to Toolbook converter. When I launch a PointPlus presentation in the synchronized web browser, the PointPlus logo displays but the presentation does not display and the middle of the screen is blank. What is wrong? There are a few possibilities: • The HTML file that was created by the PointPlus converter does not have the proper “embed” command in it, or does not have the “application=” line in it. Open the HTML file in NotePad, and look for the following lines: Where filename is the name of your PointPlus presentation file. Be sure this line actually contains the extension “.css” after the filename. If it is not there, add it and save the file. Now run the file again in your web browser. If it does not work, edit the file to add the following line after the embed command: TYPE="application/x-ilinc-PointPlus" So that the line reads as follows: Add the line, save the file, and try it again. • If the problem persists, the Pointplus plug-ins may not be installed properly on your computer. Make sure you have administrative rights to the computer (if it is an NT computer) and reinstall the Learnlinc client using the Custom installation. Select all the 534 • • • • •

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available options when prompted. After reinstalling LearnLinc, be sure that the following files exist in your “Plugins” directory: “icssply.dll”, “ilssclnt.dll” and “npsquish.dll” (The location of the plug-ins directory will be different depending upon the Operating System you are using and the browser you are using. Generally it can be located by searching for the directory called “Plugins.”)

When I try to launch a PowerPoint presentation that I converted to HTML or to a PointPlus presentation, I can open the file, but some or all of my students get an error message that the file can not be found. What could be wrong? A common mistake is to try to view HTML files or PointPlus files in the synchronized web browser from a local or network drive, rather than from a web server. When you use the synchronized web browser to view the file, your computer tells the other computers in the class to locate and open the file from the same location. If that location is a local or network drive that you can get to, but that some or all of the students cannot get to (for example, c:\myfiles\htmlfile.htm), then the students will not be able to open the file and will get error messages such as “404 error file not found”. If you move your presentation files to a web server, or other location that all your students can access, you will be able to use them successfully during a LearnLinc class. Place the HTML and/or .css files in a virtual directory on a web server (the LearnLinc server is a web server) in the Inetpub\WWWroot folder). Use the synchronized web browser to view the file by entering the file’s new location. For example, “http://servername/filename.htm” where servername is the domain name of your server and filename is the name of the first HTML file in your presentation.

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After uploading and converting my PowerPoint file using the upload feature (QuickLinc), the agenda item does not work. I notice that http:/// (three slashes) shows in the URL location of

my browser when I run the item. Also, the view and description do not work when looking at the agenda item’s information in the Virtual Campus. The URL pointing to your converted PowerPoint slide may have more than 135 characters. The URL is automatically created during the upload process using the course and folder name, as well as the PowerPoint file name. For example, if you are uploading “How to make a basket.ppt” to the course “Basket Weaving 101” which is in the virtual campus course folder “Arts and Crafts Courses”, then the URL will be: http://servername/learnlinc/content/arts_and_crafts_courses/basket_weaving_101/ how_to_make_a_basket/slide1.htm (Note that the underscores in the URL count as characters) Try shortening the file name before uploading, or shorten the name of the course that will contain the PowerPoint URL agenda item, and then re-upload the file.

Administration Issues I created an account with some punctuation in it (such as a period) and now I am having trouble using the account. What’s the problem? The LearnLinc Name Service database, where user names are stored, uses periods to separate objects. When you use a period in a user’s log-in ID, or a course, class, or resource name, it corrupts the object in the Name Service. Delete the account and recreate it without punctuation. I gave a user some additional rights by assigning them a higher authority level (such as instructor), but they can not log in to the Administration tool to work with their course and classes. What’s wrong? To run the Learnlinc Administration tool, users must have Administrator level authority. For all other authority levels, users are restricted to using the Web based administration utilities in the Virtual Campus.

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Audio Conferencing Troubleshooting Use this section to troubleshoot your audio problems. Follow the steps in order. Note that in some cases, you may be asked to repeat certain steps. Where that is true, the instructions will prompt you to move to a different Step if you have already completed a particular step once.

Step 1 Select Start > Programs > LearnLinc > LearnLinc Audio Wizard, from the Windows taskbar. Step 2 1. Click Next. You may see a message stating that there are known problems with your audio drivers. If you get this message, note this and click OK to continue. 2. Click Next and move to Step 3. Step 3 1. Select either “Speakers” or “Headset”, depending upon what type of hardware is currently attached to your computer. Turn on the speakers, or put on your headset. If your headset has a microphone button make sure it is not muted. 2. Click Next. Step 4 Do you see a message stating that your computer is unable to play the file “test.wav”? • If yes, exit the LearnLinc Audio wizard and move to Step 10. • If no, click Next, and move to Step 5. Step 5 Click the “Play” button. You should hear the following message: “Adjust the volume until you can hear this message comfortably.” • If you hear the message, move the volume slider until you are satisfied with the volume. Click Next and move to Step 6. • If you do not hear the message, move to Step 12.

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Step 6 1. Click on “Record” and talk into the microphone for several seconds. 2. When you are done, click on “Playback.” • If you hear the recording play back, move to Step 7. • If you do not hear the recording play back, move to Step 16. Step 7 Click on Finish. You have successfully completed the audio wizard. Now join a LearnLinc class. (See “Joining a Class” on page 329 for details.) When you are in a class, you will see either a “Mute” checkbox or a “Talk” button underneath the conferencing window on the LearnLinc palette. The following diagram highlights the difference between the “Mute” checkbox and the “Talk” button.

• If you see a “Talk” button (right diagram), move to step 18. • If you do see a “Mute” checkbox (left diagram), move to Step 8.

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Step 8 Exit the class you are in and join the LearnLinc Audio Test site on demo4.learnlinc.com. 1. Launch your web browser and navigate to http://demo4.learnlinc.com. 2. Click “I’m a LearnLinc user and I’d like to log-in.” 3. Enter the following account information and click Login. Log-in ID: student Group: sample Password: leave this field blank. 4. Scroll down, locate the course “Internet Audio Test Class” and click “Join”. Once you join the class, you should hear the LearnLinc audio message, stating that your computer is properly configured to receive audio. If you did not hear the audio test voice, contact your system administrator or LearnLinc Customer Service. Step 9 Make the appropriate adjustments to your hardware. Plug the cables into the correct ports, make sure the power is on, turn the volume control knob up, and return to Step 5. Step 10 • If this is the first time you have been directed to Step 10, complete the tasks below. • If this is the second time you have been directed to Step 10, skip this step and move to Step 11. • If this is the third time you have been directed to Step 10, contact your system administrator or LearnLinc Customer Service assistance. Reinstall the LearnLinc classroom software with the Custom installation option. When prompted, select all components for installation. Doing so will force the replacement of several key files, and should resolve the problem. When you have completed the Custom install of LearnLinc, return to Step 1. Step 11 • If this is the first time you have been directed to Step 11, then proceed with the directions below.

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• If this is the second time you have been directed to Step 11, contact your system administrator or LearnLinc Customer Service for assistance. Your audio drivers (the software that tells your computer how to talk to your sound card) most likely need to be updated. Updated drivers are available from either your computer manufacturer your sound card manufacturer of your sound card. Generally, you should start by visiting the web page for your computer manufacturer (such as Dell, IBM, or Compaq). Most manufacturers have the correct audio drivers for the sound cards they distribute available on their web sites. Follow the instructions with the drivers to update them. If you need assistance updating your drivers, visit the LearnLinc Audio driver update page at http://audioupdate.learnlinc.com When you have successfully updated your audio drivers, restart your computer, and return to Step 1 of the Audio conferencing troubleshooting section.

Step 12 1. With the LearnLinc Audio Wizard still open, double-click on the speaker icon in the bottom right of the Window task bar. The Volume control panel displays. Note that your Volume control panel may look slightly different, based on the type of sound card you have.

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2.

Check to be sure that none of the “Mute” checkboxes are selected, except for “Mic.” In particular, be sure that “Mute All” is not checked and that the “Mute” selection underneath “Wave” is not checked. • If any items are muted, move to Step 13. • If nothing is muted, move to Step 14.

Step 13 1. Clear selected Mute checkboxes, except for the “Mic.” Mute checkbox, in the Volume control panel by clicking on the checkbox to remove the checkmark. 2. Select Options > Exit, from the Volume control panel menu bar. 3. Return to the LearnLinc Audio Wizard, and click “Play” again. • If you hear the file play, return to Step 6. • If you still do not hear the file play, move to Step 14. Step 14 With the LearnLinc Audio Wizard still open, check your audio hardware. If you are using external speakers, be sure they are plugged into the correct ports on your computer and that the speakers' power is turned on. Also be sure the volume control knob on the speaker itself is turned up. If you are using headsets, be sure that they are plugged in correctly, and that any volume control knobs are turned up. Also be sure that any mute buttons on the headsets themselves are not set to “Mute”. • Was anything turned off, turned down, or muted? If so, return to Step 9. • If nothing was turned off, turned down, or muted, move to Step 15.

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Step 15 1. Exit the LearnLinc Audio Wizard. 2. Select Start > Programs > Accessories > Multimedia > Sound Recorder, from the Windows taskbar. The Sound Recorder displays.

3. 4. 5.

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Click Record, and talk into the microphone. When you have finished speaking, click Stop. Click Play to try to play back the recording. • If you can record and play back a sound using the Sound Recorder, move to Step 10. • If you can not record and play back a sound using the Sound Recorder, move to Step 11.

A

Step 16 1. With the LearnLinc Audio Wizard still open, double-click on the speaker icon in the bottom right of the Window task bar. The Volume control panel displays. Note that your Volume control panel may have a different name, and may look slightly different, based on the type of sound card you have.

2.

Select Options > Properties, from the Volume control panel menu bar.

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3.

Select “Recording” and click OK. The Recording control panel displays. Note that your Recording control panel may have a different name, and may look slightly different, based on the type of sound card you have and your operating system.

4. 5.

Make sure that the “Mute” checkboxes are cleared for “Line In” or “Mic”. If you see “Select” checkboxes on this screen, click on the “Select” checkbox for the input port that your microphone uses. In most cases, this is either “Line In” or” Mic”. If one input port is selected and your system is not working, clear it and try selecting the other. • If any options were muted or set incorrectly in the “Master Record” settings, return to Step 6. • If everything in the “Master Record” settings was set correctly, move to Step 17.

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Step 17 1. Check your microphone hardware to be sure your microphone is plugged in to the proper port on your computer and that any mute buttons on the microphone itself are not muted. When you have checked your hardware, try using the Sound Recorder to record and play back your voice. 2. Exit the LearnLinc Audio Wizard. 3. Select Start > Programs > Accessories > Multimedia > Sound Recorder. The Sound Recorder displays.

4. 5. 6.

Click Record, and speak into the microphone. When you are finished speaking, click Stop. Click Play to play back your recording. • If you can record and play back sound using the Sound Recorder, move to Step 10. • If you can not record and play back sound using the Sound Recorder, contact your system administrator, or LearnLinc Customer Service.

Step 18 Recall that when you ran the LearnLinc Audio Wizard in Step 1, you selected either “Speakers” or “Headset”. • If you selected “speakers”, move to Step 8 and remember that: To be able to talk in a LearnLinc class you must click the “Talk” button. (So that it appears pushed in.) To be able to hear in a LearnLinc class, click the Talk button again. (So that it appears pushed out.) • If you selected “Headset” then move the Step 19.

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Step 19 You sound card may not support full duplex audio, or your drivers may need to be updated. Check you sound card specifications or contact your system administrator to find out whether your sound card is a half-duplex or a full duplex. • If the card is a half-duplex then you can use LearnLinc, but you must click the Talk button to speak. The alternative is to purchase and install a full duplex sound card. • If your card is half duplex and you want to use LearnLinc with the Talk button, move to Step 8. • If your card is full duplex, move to Step 11.

Network Troubleshooting with Ping Ping is a useful program for testing your connection to your LearnLinc server when you are encountering problems during class. You can use Ping to send a few packets of data from a client computer across the network to the server computer to see if the connection to the server is functioning properly. You can also track Ping results during class and save them to a text file. The text file can then be used by your IT staff or LearnLinc Customer Service to identify your problem. Descriptions for both processes are provided below. How to “Ping” your server to see if the connection to the server is functioning properly: 1. Select Start > Programs > Accessories > MS DOS Prompt (or Command Prompt), from the Windows taskbar. Windows 95 and 98 have “MS DOS Prompt”, Windows NT has “Command Prompt”. 2. Type “Ping ###.###.###.###" in the DOS window, where ###.###.###.### is the IP address for the server. 3. Press . You will see either of two responses. Each response is described in detail, below.

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• Example 1: Pinging the server results in a “Reply” from the server.

In this case, the server with the IP address of 255.255.255.0 received the ping test packets and sent a reply. The reply got back to the original computer very quickly (1-10 ms as indicated by the “time=1ms” indicator). The TCP/IP connection to the server is functioning properly.

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• Example 2: Pinging the server results in a “Request Timed Out” response.

In this case, the Ping test packets did not get to the server with the address 255.255.255.0. When the computer that sent the packets realized this (after the TTL or “Time to Live” expired) it displayed the message “Request Timed Out.” In this case, the TCP/IP connection to the server is not functioning correctly. Contact your network technicians to continue troubleshooting the problem.

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How to track ping results during class and save them to a text file: 1. Select Start > Programs > Accessories > MS DOS Prompt (or Command Prompt), from the Windows taskbar. Windows 95 and 98 have “MS DOS Prompt”, Windows NT has “Command Prompt”. 2. Type “Ping ###.###.###.### -t >c:\pingtest.txt" in the DOS window, where ###.###.###.### is the IP address for the server. 3. Press . The DOS screen displays a blinking cursor.

4. 5. 6.

Minimize the DOS window and continue with your class. When class is over, close the DOS window and go to the c:/ drive and locate the pingtest.txt file. This should contain all the ping responses received during class. Send this file to your IT staff or to LearnLinc Customer Service.

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B Appendix B: Name Service Capsule Definitions LearnLinc supports the following capsule types in its database:

Resource related User related Virtual classroom Application Authority Course Audioclip Persona Session (i.e., Class) Base Path Book Director Movie Help Navigator Note Qna Recorded Class Template Url Videoclip Whiteboard Directory (i.e., Group or Folder)) Each capsule type is described in detail below. Capsule types are listed in alphabetic order. Review the recommended location and the properties and values for each capsule type. • • • • • 551

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Capsule-specific information (information the you provide) appears in italics.

Application

refers to a LearnLinc or third party application

Recommended location

Resource.Application.app-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Application

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Executable

UNC Filename or relative Filename

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Prefix Flags

see note1

Suffix Flags

see note1

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

B

Audioclip

refers to stored, streamed, or live audio

Recommended location

Resource.Audioclip.audioclip-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Audioclip

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC Filename or relative Filename

Preferred App

Resource.preferred-application

Download

a URL including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.ilinc.com, or file://\\server\content\installme.exe

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

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Authority Level

stores the attributes of a user authority level

Required location

System.Authority.Authority level

Property

Value

Resource Type

Authority

Longname

Descriptive text

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Can Administrate

True or False

Can Author

True or False

Can Change Password

True or False

Can Join Session

True or False

Can Register

True or False

Can Schedule Session

True or False

B

Base Path Resource

base folder and sub-folders in which a file is stored

Recommended location

Resource.base-path-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Base Path

Longname

Descriptive text

Pathname

UNC Path name

Creator

Persona.group.user name

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Book

ToolBook and Authorware multimedia content

Recommended location

Resource.Book.book-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Book

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC Filename or relative Filename

Preferred App

Resource.preferred-application

Download

URL, including the protocol prefix, such as ftp: //www.servername.com, or file:///drive/path

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

Class

see Session.

B

Course

Stores information about a course, including resources and classes stored in the course

Required location

Course.course-nam

Property

Value

Resource Type

Course

Longname

Descriptive text

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Home Page

URL for the courses home page without the protocol prefix. This is assumed to be http.

Visible

True or False, specifies whether the course is visible in the Course Catalog.

Autostartx2,3

Resource.resource-name

CourseStudentx3

Persona.group.user name

CourseInstructorx3

Persona.group.user name

Download

A URL including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file:// \\server\content\filename.exe

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

Session.session-name Course.course-name

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Director Movie

SDirector Multimedia Content

Recommended location

Resource.Director.capsule-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Director

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC filename or relative filename

Preferred App

Resource.Application.Director

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

B

Help

Refers to help files

Recommended location

Resource.help-capsule-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Help

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC Filename or relative Filename

Preferred Application

Resource.preferred-application

Download

URL, including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file://\\server\content\filename.exe

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

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Navigator

Refers to a pre-made navigation tool for ToolBook content

Required location

Resource.Navigator.navigator-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Navigator

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Download

URL including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file://\\server\content\filename.exe

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

B

Note

Stores and displays text messages in courses

Recommended location

Resource.note-capsule-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Note

Longname

Descriptive text (title of the note)

Contents

Descriptive text (contents of the note)

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

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Persona

User Account

Required location

Persona.group.user name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Persona

Longname

Full name of the user

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Authority

Authority level (descriptive name)

Password

encrypted string

Last Login Time

The last time the user logged-in

Contact

Contact information for the user

EMail

email address

Home Page

Web home page of the user, without the protocol prefix (http://) Additional information entered by administrator or user

Comments Registrationx

562 • • • • •

3

Session.session-name

StudentForCoursex3

Course.course-name

InstructorForCoursex3

Course.course-name

Pref: AllOnTopDisabled

True or False

Pref: AutoRegister

True or False

Pref: HideDesktopOnJoin

True or False

B

Qna

Pre-made question and answer files

Recommended location

Resource.qna-capsule-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Qna

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC Filename or relative Filename

Preferred App

Resource.Application.Q&A

Download

URL, including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file://\\server\content\filename.exe

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

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Recorded Class

Recorded Classroom File

Recommended location

Resource.Recording.capsule-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Recording

Course

Course.course-name

Longname

descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC Filename or relative path

ServerFileName

Name of file on LearnLinc server

FileSize

size of file in bytes

Creator

Persona.group.user-name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

B

Session

A class. The name Session is only seen in the Advanced Properties tab.

Required location

Session.session-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Session

Longname

Descriptive text

Start Time 2

The time is stored as the string representation of a double floating point. This maps to an actual date and time according to the OLE Date/Time rules

End Time 2

The time is stored as the string representation of a double floating point. This maps to an actual date and time according to the OLE Date/Time rules

Autostartx2,3

Course.course-name Resource.resource-name

Agendax5

Course.course-name Resource.resource-name

Floor Control

Floor control policy type, “Instructor Led” or “Open Discussion”.

Instructor

Persona.group.user name

Session ID

numeric string

Conf: Type

None, Audio, A/V, MCAudio, MCVideo

Conf: Frame Rate

if type = MCVideo or A/V, then number between 1-30

Conf: Version

1 (one) for prior versions of LearnLinc, 4 for LearnLinc 3.0 and higher

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Session

A class. The name Session is only seen in the Advanced Properties tab.

Required location

Session.session-name

Conf: Video Address

if type = MCVideo or A/V then multicast IP address, port

Conf: Audio Address

if type = MCVideo or A/V or MCAudio then multicast IP address, port

Conf: Bandwidth

if type = MCVideo, then Low, Standard, or High

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Description

Descriptive text

Joining String

Descriptive text or blank

Session Password

encrypted string or blank

Is Multicast

True or False

Obsolete properties

The following properties are obsolete in LearnLinc 3.0 and higher: Give Shortcuts to All Session Address Use Session Palette Start Time End Time

B

Template

Pre-made template for multimedia content

Required location

Resource.Template.template-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Template

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC Filename or relative Filename

Download

a URL including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file://\\server\content\filename.exe

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

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Url

Refers to web content

Recommended location

Resource.url-capsule-name

Resource Type

Url

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

URL including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file://\\server\content\filename.exe

Preferred App

Resource.application.synchronized web browser

Download

URL including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file://\\server\content\filename.exe

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

B

Videoclip

Use for stored, streamed, or live video/audio

Recommended location

Resource.Videoclip.videoclip-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Videoclip

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC Filename or relative Filename

Preferred App

Resource.preferred-application

Download

a URL including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file://\\server\content\filename.exe

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

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Whiteboard

Whiteboard files

Recommended location

Resource.whiteboard-capsule-name

Property

Value

Resource Type

Whiteboard

Longname

Descriptive text

Base Path Resource

Resource.base-path-resource

Filename

UNC Filename or relative Filename

Preferred App

Resource.Application.Whiteboard

Download

a URL including the protocol prefix, such as ftp://www.servername.com, or file://\\server\content\filename.exe

Creator

Persona.group.user name

Version

Descriptive text

Copyright

Descriptive text

Publisher

Descriptive text

Author

Descriptive text

Description

Descriptive text

1

The complete command line to run an application is: “Executable PrefixFlags Filename SuffixFlags”, where the filename is the name of the document to start, if one is specified.

2

Autostart capsules are the materials and sessions contained in the course

3

Each autostart and registration property must have a unique name, indicated by a unique suffix number. When these materials and classes are presented to the user, they are ordered by those numbers.

4Childname 5

570 • • • • •

is the name of the child folder relative to the parent folder in which it resides.

Agenda list values have the same restrictions as autostart resources.

C

C Appendix C: Configuring LearnLinc to Work With SQL Server If you choose to store your LearnLinc Name Service data on an SQL Server, you will need to configure the SQL Server to work with LearnLinc. To configure the server, install SQL Server version 7.0 and LearnLinc Server to the server machine, and then follow the instructions below.

Step One: Add the LearnLinc Database to the SQL Server 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

On the Start menu, select Microsoft SQL Server 7.0, and then click Enterprise Manager. On the tree in the left pane, select your server, server group, and server machine, and then click the Databases folder. On the Action menu, select New Database... The Database Properties dialog opens. In the Name field, type LearnLinc40. Under Database Files, click the Initial Size (MB) cell and type 20. Leave the remaining default settings and click the Transaction Log tab. Under Translation Log files, click the Initial Size (MB) cell and type 5. Click OK and close Enterprise Manager.

Step Two: Run the Initialize Name Service SQL Script 1. 2. 3.

On the Start menu, select Microsoft SQL Server 7.0, and then click Query Analyzer. Check that the Query Analyzer is set to connect to the server you are using. If you need to select a server, click the browse button and select the server. Click OK.

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4. 5. 6. 7.

8.

The Query Analyzer window opens. In the DB: list on the toolbar, select LearnLinc 40. On the File menu, click Open, and locate the “Sqlnmsvc.sql” file. This file is installed in your LearnLinc Server/bin directory. Click Open. The SQL script opens in the Query Analyzer window. On the Query menu, select Execute. You will receive one error stating that it “Cannot drop the table ‘ResourcePropertyValue’ because it does not exist in the system catalog.” This error is OK. If you get any additional errors, please call LearnLinc Customer Service. Close the script and then close Query Analyzer.

Step Three: Configure the ODBC Data Source 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

13.

572 • • • • •

On the Windows Control Panel, double-click ODBC Data Sources. The “ODBC Data Source Administrator” dialog appears. Click the “System DSN” tab. Select “LearnLinc40ServerDB” and click Remove. A message appears asking if you are sure you want to remove the database. Click Yes. Click Add. The “Create New Data Source” dialog opens. Select SQL Server and click Finish. The “Create a New Data Source to SQL Server” dialog opens. In the Name field, type LearnLinc40ServerDB (the same name that you deleted in step 3 of this section). In the Description field, type LearnLinc 4 Name Service Database. On the Server list, select the name of the SQL server. Click Next. Accept the defaults for authentication (unless you have a reason to change them) and click Next. Click the “Change the default database to:” check box, and then select LearnLinc40 from the drop down list. Leave the remaining default settings. Click Next, and then click Finish. An “ODBC Microsoft SQL Server Setup” dialog appears, notifying you that a new ODBC data source will be configured. Click OK.

C

The “ODBC Data Source Administrator” dialog appears. 14. Click OK to finish. 15. Reboot your server. LearnLinc is now configured to use SQL Server.

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Index A a,b,c,d 441 about button 114 activity logging on server 56 activity logs server 47 add application to list 251 audio clip to list 248 authority level 138, 264 book to list 248 class to course contents list 221 course 196 Director movie 248 folder 193 large number of users 144 log-in group 129 note to list 253 pictures to LearnLinc palette 118 Q&A file to list 248 Q&A questions on-the-fly 456 resource to agenda or autostart list 243 resource to course 209 resource to course contents list 238 resource to course or class who can 237 text to whiteboard 404 URL to list 250 user 133

video clip to list 248 whiteboard file to list 248 add button 114 add/remove button 114 additional materials 3 administration troubleshooting 536 administration tool 14, 45, 489 add, edit, delete authority level 138, 264 adding large number of users 144 installing 62 managing users 128 some users cannot log-in to 536 administrator authority level 126 default password 77 permissions in virtual campus 273 administrator authority level 489 advanced choosing installation option 307 advanced–multimedia content removing option from download page 105 advanced–multimedia content installation 489 agenda 489 adding application 251 adding audio clip 248 adding book 248 adding Director movie 248 adding note 253 adding Q&A file 248

• • • • • 575

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adding resource to 243 adding URL 250 adding video clip 248 adding whiteboard file 248 launching multimedia content from 378 launching whiteboard from 401 LearnLinc palette 323 removing resource from list 262 agenda list editing resource 256 agenda tab 114 agreement 441 all hands down 336 answer details for Q&A 458 statistics for Q&A 458 answer menu send answer statistics 459 answer set changing feedback default 121 changing in feedback 442 answer sets feedback 441 answer statistics share with class 459 answers clearing in feedback 443 answers menu show answer details 458 appendix a troubleshooting 509 application 489 adding to list 251 assistant launching for class 485 capsule 552

576 • • • • •

changing in appview 432 controlling during class 528 resource 234 students see only part when floor holder launches 528 application sharing 413–437, 490 appshare 415 appview 415 what can be shared 415 what is 414 application sharing. See also, appshare, appview applications troubleshooting in the virtual classroom 522 appshare 13, 415, 490 bandwidth required for 217 launching 417 shortcut launches appview instead 528 split-screen 419, 423, 426, 429 using student’s shared application 422, 428 what can be shared 415 what is application sharing 414 appview 13, 415, 490 changing applications 432 closing 433 launch 430 obscuring shared windows 431 split-screen 434 students see entire desktop 530 students see white window, not application 530 tips for use 415 troubleshooting 530 what can be shared 415 what is application sharing 414 ask a question with Q&A 457 assignment status 441

assistant instructor 220, 481–485, 490 launch applications and resources for class 485 monitoring hand raises and feedback 484 responding to private messages 483 role 482 select for class 227 student view 482 assistants tab 114 attendee list refreshing in glimpse 465 students not in glimpse list 531 audio full vs. half-duplex 324 Internet conferencing 216 making sure the class can hear you 333 multicast conferencing 216 audio clip 375, 490 adding to list 248 close 381 in multimedia file cannot hear 533 launching from agenda 378 launching from library 379 resource 234 suspend conferencing for 377 audio conferencing. See conferencing audio wizard 333 unable to play test.wav 509 audioclip capsule 553 author 491 authority level 126 permissions in virtual campus 273 authority level 491 add, edit, delete 138, 264

capsule 554 table of permissions 127 what is 126 authority levels 272 and the virtual campus 272 Authorware 375 converting for LearnLinc 153 doesn’t open on student’s computers 533 error, cannot invoke file 532 supported versions 374 auto register 191 auto register button 115 auto update 330 auto-register 491 autostart adding application 251 adding book 248 adding note 253 adding Q&A file 248 adding URL 250 adding video 248 adding whiteboard file 248 autostart list adding audio clip 248 adding resource to 243 editing resource 256

B bandwidth 40, 491 setting for conferencing 217 system requirements 18 bandwidth monitor. See network bandwidth monitor base path

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capsule, defined 555 bitmap converting for LearnLinc 153 book 491 adding to list 248 capsule 556 resource 234, 235 border graphics changing in virtual campus 113 Breakout Groups description of 468 breakout groups creating 470 joining 470 browse the web during class 383 button changing in virtual campus 113 list of graphics 114

C campus. See virtual campus cancel button 115 capsule application 552 audioclip 553 authority level 554 base path defined 555 book 556 course 557, 558 help 559 navigator 560

578 • • • • •

note 561 persona 562 qna 563, 564 recorded class 564 session capsule class 565 template 567 URL 568 videoclip 569 whiteboard 570 capsule file 65, 66 importing into name service 66 capture screen shot in whiteboard 409 thumbnail or screen in glimpse 465 capture screen takes a long time 531 catalog. See course catalog CBT 152 change application in appview 432 feedback answer set 442 font size in text chat 370 location description in palette 314 virtual campus location 57 chapter organization 2 checklist deploying LearnLinc 38 checklist, installation 44 circle draw in whiteboard 406 class 290, 492 add to course contents list 221 adding resource to agenda or autostart list 243

agenda removing resource from list 262 sorting list 260 asking a question during 457 assistant instructor 220 assistant launching applications and resources for 485 audio and video conferencing 215 cannot join 514 close whiteboard for 409 communicating in, overview 33 data only 215 deleting powerpoint presentation 165 dismissing student from 338 H.323 multicast video 216 indeo multicast video 216 internet audio 216 joining 329 joining, overview 32 leaving 338 making sure they can hear you 333 multicast audio 216 on Internet vs. intranet 318 open whiteboard for 403 opening Q&A for 455 recording 345 rehearsing, overview 31 scheduling 213–231 security 220 select assistant instructors 227 sending email to 301 setting bandwidth for 217 setting entering message 220 setting password 220 streaming video 220 talking to 334

the student view 220 troubleshooting 339 class agenda hiding resource in 254 class list 492 difference between instructor and student 327 in glimpse 465 incomplete or displays multiple entries for some names 522 LearnLinc palette 323 not updated in glimpse 531 classroom 33 classroom log file 48 classroom service 9, 492 classroom service licences checking 53, 75 classroom software 492 about 306 allowing users to install 69 changing web proxy settings 315 components installed 49 configuring for firewalls and web proxies 70 customizing installation 123 download and install 309 installing on user computers 68 system requirements 19 classroom tools troubleshooting 522 classroom. See virtual classroom. clear feedback 443 client about 306 allowing users to install 69 changing web proxy settings 315 components installed 49

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configure 70 customizing installation 123 download and install 309 installing on user computers 68 system requirements 19 client configuration 314 client/server architecture 7, 40, 493 close appview 433 glimpse 465 Q&A for class 459 synchronized web browser 390 whiteboard for class 409 color changing in whiteboard change line weight and color in whiteboard 407 concurrent user licence model 39 concurrent user licences 493 conferencing audio and video types 215 audio cannot hear or be heard during class 517 audio choppy or breaking up 518 audio has an echo 520 audio has loud hissing sound 519 bandwidth required for 217 data only 215 full duplex sound card with talk button 520 internet audio 216 licensing error 510 multicast audio 216 multicast video 216 mute checkbox or talk button 322 mute microphone 335 no one can hear floor holder 533 some have video others have audio only 521

580 • • • • •

some students cannot hear 518 suspend audio/video 377 talking to the class 334 troubleshooting audio 537 troubleshooting video 521 volume indicators 323 conferencing window 322, 493 configure classroom software 70, 314 LearnLinc palette 331 virtual campus 58 web proxy settings for classroom software 315 connection speed affects synchronization 375 affects synchronized web browser 387 vs. modem speed 375, 387 content 493 adding to course and class, overview 30 choosing conversion option 154 conversion options 152 convert PowerPoint to ToolBook 172 converting 151–183 creating, overview 30 LearnLinc is different than other content 152 make available to students 157 navigator 175 PowerPoint upload 159 storage 157 content author role on LearnLinc team 27 contents adding application 251 adding audio clip 248 adding book 248 adding Director movie 248

adding note 253 adding Q&A file 248 adding URL 250 adding video clip 248 adding whiteboard file 248 contents list 493 add class 221 adding resource to 238 removing resource from list 262 sorting 260 contents tab 115 contents, toolbook navigator 380 control panel changing location description for palette 314 changing web proxy settings 315 client 314 logging server activity 56 updating virtual campus configuration 58 control panel configuration utilities 493 conventions in this guide 3 convert choosing option 154 content for use in LearnLinc classes 151 content options 152 storing content 157 tips for converting PowerPoint to ToolBook 174 cookie 493 defined 511 cookies always allow 511 cookies not enabled 511 course 494 accessing information 294 adding resource 209 adding to course catalog 196

capsule 557, 558 class 290 contents list add class 221 adding resource to 238 editing resource 256 removing resource 262 sorting 260 deleting powerpoint presentation 165 grouping related in folder 193 opening resource 297 people 291, 299 registering for or dropping 285 registering for, overview 32 registering instructors 199 registering students for 204 sending email to class 301 student view 192, 293 students register for 190 threaded discussion 292 what is 189 who can manage 290 working with 289–304 course catalog 188, 494 accessing information 294 adding course 196 adding folder 193 course catalog button 115 course contents hiding resource in 254 course contents list 494 opening resource 297 create authority level 138, 264 large number of users 144

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log-in group 129 new virtual directory 57 resource 233–267 user 133 create new 133 crop picture in whiteboard 408 current speaker indicator 494 current speaker/on air indicator 322 custom choosing installation option 307 removing option from download page 107 custom installation 494 customize client installation 123 features that can be 99 localization 99 process for virtual campus 100 streaming video 98 virtual classroom distributing customizations 100 virtual classroom, features that can be 100 why 98 customize LearnLinc 97–124

D data only 215, 494 bandwidth 18 database exporting name service 63 import capsule file 66 name service 8 default 77

582 • • • • •

administrator password 77 changing desktop bitmap 120 changing feedback answer set 121 changing synchronized web browser page 120 default pictures changing 119 delete authority level 138, 264 log-in group 136 powerpoint presentation 165 question 452 question from Q&A list 452 resource 262 user 136 desktop viewing student’s in glimpse 465 desktop bitmap changing default 120 desktop.bmp 120 details answers for Q&A 458 details tab 115 Director movies adding 248 description of 235 directory, virtual 57 discussion tab 115 discussion, threaded. See threaded discussion dismiss student 338 display location description in palette 307 picture in LearnLinc palette 315 pictures in LearnLinc palette 118 distribute virtual classroom customizations 100

dock text chat 370 documentation update policy 4 download allowing users to, classroom software 69 classroom software 309 process 307 recorded class 356 download button 115, 116 download page 188, 495 draw shapes in whiteboard 406 draw tool, toolbook navigator 380 drop course 285 duplex full vs. half audio 324

error not licensed for conferencing option 510 not logged-in to LearnLinc 534 unable to play test.wav for audio wizard 509 your log-in cannot be validated 509 error.inc 110 Excel converting for LearnLinc 153 exit class 338 class, overview 33 glimpse 465 export entire name service 65 name service 63 selected information from name service 65

F E edit authority level 138, 264 password 281 resource 256 text in whiteboard 404 user profile 281 edit tab 116 ellipse draw in whiteboard 406 email sending to class 301 enable server licences 52 entering message 220

feedback 439–444, 495 answer sets 441 ask students to use 442 assistant, monitoring 484 changing answer set 442 changing default answer set 121 clearing 443 difference between instructor and student 327 LearnLinc palette 324 open discussion 441 sharing summary with class 443 student view 441 what is 440 feedback.qna 121 file

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printing from whiteboard 400 saving in whiteboard 399 file menu Q&A exit Q&A 459 merge question file 453 save question file 452, 454, 456 file service 9, 495 files storing locally for Q&A 448 storing whiteboard locally 395 fill changing color in whiteboard 407 find virtual campus 274 firewall 495 configuring classroom software to use 70 considerations for LearnLinc 41 floor pass to a student 337 privacy 337 take during class 322 taking from a student 337 floor control 215, 324, 496 floor holder 9, 496 folder 496 adding to course catalog 193 font changing size in text chat 370 frames 496 defined 388 in synchronized web browser 388 freehand draw in whiteboard 406 full-duplex 324, 496

584 • • • • •

G glimpse 13, 461–466, 497 attendee list not updated 531 can’t participate while waiting for glimpse 531 closing 465 image is small 531 image takes too long 531 launching 464 refreshing student list 465 selecting a student 465 student view 463 troubleshooting 531 what is 462 grab screen shot in whiteboard 409 graphic moving in whiteboard 406 resizing in whiteboard 406 graphics changing buttons 113 changing in the virtual campus 112 changing on welcome page 112 changing virtual campus borders 113 list of tab and button 114 group 497 group. See log-in group guest course catalog removing access to 103 guide chapter organization 2 conventions 3 organization 1 who should read 1

H H.323 multicast video 216, 497 half-duplex 324, 497 hand raise 325 all hands down 336 assistant, monitoring 484 difference between instructor and student 327 responding 336 hand raise button 497 hand raise indicator 322, 497 hardware and software planning 28 help 189, 498 capsule 559 how to get 4 help button 116 hide a resource 254 resource in course contents or class agenda 236 home button 116 home page 188, 498 HTML 498 converting for LearnLinc 153 frames, defined 388 vs. other web presentation technologies 385 when to use 385

I ili file 172 image file converting for LearnLinc 153 images changing in virtual campus 112

list of tab and button 114 import name service capsule file 66 picture in whiteboard 407 indeo multicast video 216, 498 indicator hand raise 322 network bandwidth monitor volume 323 information accessing for a course 294 information page, server 46 install administration tool 62 allowing users to, classroom software 69 classroom software 68, 309 classroom software, overview 30 server 51 server software, overview 29 install from the web 307 install.doc 69 installation choosing option 306 customizing client 123 installation checklist 44 installations troubleshooting 71 instructor authority level 126 LearnLinc palette diagram 11 list in course student list in course 299 permissions in virtual campus 273 registering for course 199 role on LearnLinc team 27

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instructor authority level 498 instructor led 324, 498 instructor led floor control 215 instructor picture changing default 119 instructor pictures adding to LearnLinc server 118 instructor, assistant 220 select for class 227 instructor.bmp 119 interface component administration tool 14 appshare and appview 13 glimpse 13 Q&A 13 whiteboard 13 interface components LearnLinc palette 10 virtual campus 9 Internet LearnLinc classes on 318 vs. intranet 386 internet 498 Internet audio 216 internet audio 499 Internet Explorer frames in synchronized web browser 388 Internet vs. intranet 318 intranet 499 LearnLinc classes on 318 vs. Internet 386 intranet vs. Internet 318 IS support person role on LearnLinc team 26

586 • • • • •

J join a class 329 cannot connect to server when joining class 515 cannot join class 514 class, overview 32 prompted to download file when clicking 514 prompted to select program to open join.lrn 514 join button 116 join.lrn 514 jpeg converting for LearnLinc 153

K kbps 217, 499 keep alive 41, 499 key checking licence keys 53, 75 enabling on server 52 keys error 510

L language button 117 latecomers sending to breakout groups 470 launch applications and resources for the class, assistant 485 appshare 417 appview 430 glimpse 464

Q&A for class 455 synchronized web browser 389 whiteboard file from agenda 401 whiteboard file from library 402 whiteboard from agenda shortcut 401 launching audio or video clip from agenda 378 audio or video clip from library 379 multimedia book from agenda 378 multimedia book from library 379 LearnLinc 499 bandwidth use 40 customizing 97 deployment checklist 38 ensure all hardware and software in place 42 using, overview 32 what is it 7 LearnLinc administrator role on LearnLinc team 27 LearnLinc aware 500 LearnLinc classroom software 500 LearnLinc information required for testing 74 LearnLinc menu set navigator 175 LearnLinc palette 10, 321, 500 agenda 323 changing default pictures for student and instructor 119 changing location description 314 class list 323 conferencing window 322 configure 331 displaying location description in 307 enabling users to show their pictures 118 feedback 324

hand raise indicator 322 instructor diagram 11 location 322 making your picture display in 315 mute 322 network bandwidth monitor 323 on air/current speaker indicator 322 student diagram 12 student view 325 take floor 322 talk button 322 text chat 324 volume indicators 323 LearnLinc server adding streaming video 101 system requirements 16 LearnLinc team, overview 26 leave class 338 class, overview 33 library launching multimedia content from 379 launching whiteboard from 402 licence concurrent user model 39 licenses error 510 line changing weight and color in whiteboard 407 draw in whiteboard 406 list. See class list local storing Q&A files 448 localize parts of LearnLinc 99

• • • • • 587

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virtual campus text 109 location 314 changing virtual campus 57 displaying description in palette 307 on LearnLinc palette 322 log server activity 56 log file for server activity 56 log-in 500 cannot 511 error cannot be validated 509 error, not logged-in to LearnLinc 534 to virtual campus 275 to virtual campus, overview 32 log-in group 500 creating 129 delete 136 not displayed on log-in screen 512 what is 127 log-in groups not displayed on log-in page 512 log-in page no groups 512 no groups in list 512 no password field 512 logout button 116 log-out page 500 logout page 188 logs server 47 lower raised hands 336

588 • • • • •

M memo.doc 69 merge question set 453 message assistant responding to private 483 entering, for class 220 private text chat 367 restricting text chat 343, 367 sending private text chat 371 sending text chat 369 microphone mute 335 modem speed vs. connection speed 375, 387 monitor hand raises and feedback responses for assistant 484 network status 332 monitor, network bandwidth 323 move graphics in whiteboard 406 picture in whiteboard 408 text box in whiteboard 405 multicast 415, 500 multicast audio 216, 501 system requirements 21 multicast video 216 bandwidth 18 multimedia book 501 launching from agenda 378 launching from library 379 ToolBook 380 multimedia content 373–382, 501 cannot hear audio clip 533

choosing installation option 307 doesn’t open on students’ computers 533 error, cannot invoke file 532 student view 376 supported versions 374 troubleshooting 532 types that can be synchronized 374 what is 374 multiple choice questions. See Q&A multiple servers maintaining data on 49 multiple sites testing 74 mute 322, 335, 501 mute checkbox 324

N name service 8, 501 exporting 63 exporting entire 65 exporting selected information from 65 importing capsule file 66 navigator 175, 380 adding to ToolBook book 175 capsule 560 Netscape Navigator frames in synchronized web browser 388 network planning 28 troubleshooting with ping 546 network bandwidth monitor 501 LearnLinc palette 323 network status monitor 332

in text chat 367 note 501 adding to list 253 capsule 561 resource 235 notes, toolbook navigator 380

O office documents converting for LearnLinc 153 on air/current speaker indicator 322, 502 one-way video 220 online help overview 32, 33 open glimpse 464 port for UDP audio 41 resource 297 whiteboard file for the class 403 open discussion 324, 502 and breakout groups 468 open discussion floor control 215 overview creating a LearnLinc environment 26

P pace 441 packing list 66 packing list file 65 page forward, toolbook navigator 381 page history, toolbook navigator 380 palette 502

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displaying location description in 307 troubleshooting 528 palette. See LearnLinc palette participant authority level 126 participant authority level 502 pass floor 337 password default administrator 77 editing 281 field not displayed on log-in page 512 setting for class 220 pausing class recorder 347 people 291 course 299 people list incomplete or displays multiple entries for some names 522 people tab 117 permissions in virtual campus 272 persona capsule 562 picture display in LearnLinc palette 315 importing in whiteboard 407 moving or cropping in whiteboard 408 student and instructor changing defaults in LearnLinc palette 119 pictures displaying in LearnLinc palette 118 pie chart 443 pilot class planning 29 ping

590 • • • • •

saving results in text file 549 troubleshooting the network 546 plan your environment, overview 28 playing downloaded recorded classes 361 recorded classes from the server 354 png converting for LearnLinc 153 pointer, shared 404 PointPlus presentation doesn’t display in synchronized web browser 534 PowerPoint convert to ToolBook 172 converting for LearnLinc 153 resource 235 some students cannot open converted presentation 535 tips for converting to ToolBook 174 upload in Virtual Campus 159 powerpoint deleting presentation 165 PowerPoint to ToolBook converter 172 select the instance of LearnLinc message 533 presentation deleting powerpoint 165 print toolbook navigator 380 whiteboard file 400 privacy when you have the floor 337 private making a resource 254 resource 236 sending text chat message 371 text chat message 367 text chat option not available 526

private messages assistant responding to 483 project manager role on LearnLinc team 26 proxy. See web proxy punctuation in user accounts 536

Q Q&A 13, 445–459, 502 adding questions on-the-fly 456 answer statistics 458 asking a question 457 capsule 563, 564 closing for class 459 launching for class 455 making question list before class 450 merging question sets 453 question editor 456 removing question from list 452 saving question sets 452 sharing answer statistics 459 storing files locally 448 student view 449 what is 446 when to use 448 who can ask questions with 448 Q&A file 502 adding to list 248 resource 235 question asking with Q&A 457 question editor 451, 456

question list making before class 450 removing question 452 question menu delete question 452 question set merging 453 saving 452 questions adding on-the-fly 456 quick tour 502 quick tutorial 188 quick tutorial button 117

R Recording 341 recording classes 345 rectangle draw in whiteboard 406 refresh student list in glimpse 465 register 503 for course 285 for course, overview 32 instructor for course 199 students for course 204 who is for course 299 registration information 4 registry file checking 53 enabling server licences 52 release

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sound card 377 remove access to virtual campus functions 102 question from Q&A list 452 resource 262 Required elements for testing LearnLinc information 74 software 74 required elements for testing 74 resize graphics in whiteboard 406 text box in whiteboard 405 resource 503 adding to class agenda or autostart list 243 adding to course 209 adding to course contents list 238 application 234 assistant launching for class 485 audio clip 234 book 234, 235 creating 233–267 Director movie 235 editing 256 making private 254 note 235 opening from course contents list 297 PowerPoint 235 private, who can see 236 Q&A file 235 recorded class 235 removing from list 262 sorting in list 260 URL 236 video clip 236 what is 234

592 • • • • •

whiteboard file 236 who can add to course or class 237 restrict text chat 343, 367, 371 restricted text chat 503 results sharing feedback with class 443 resync class, toolbook navigator 381 return button 117 return floor difference between instructor and student 327 role of assistant instructor 482 run appshare 417 appview 430 run menu appview 430 library 379 run. See launch

S save question set 452 whiteboard file 399 save button 117 schedule planning 28 schedule a class 213–231 scheduling courses and classes, overview 30 screen shot converting for LearnLinc 153

grabbing in whiteboard 409 security 220 select assistants for class 227 select color, toolbook navigator 380 self register 503 permissions in virtual campus 272 self-register authority level 126 send email to all in course 301 text chat message 369 server activity logs 47 cannot connect to when joining class 515 client/server architecture 7 components installed with 45 creating new virtual directory 57 deleting powerpoint presentation from 165 enabling licences 52 error not licensed for conferencing option 510 installing 51 installing other software 45 licences checking 53, 75 logging activity 56 maintaining data on multiple 49 troubleshooting page 46 server components classroom service 9 file service 9 name service 8 server configuration control panel 46 logging server activity 56

server information page 46, 503 checking server licences 53, 75 server log file 48 server, SQL 8 server. See LearnLinc server ServerInfo 53, 75 service classroom 9 file 9 name 8 session capsule 565 session. See also Class set bandwidth 217 entering message for class 220 share feedback summary results 443 Q&A answer statistics with class 459 your applications with the class 417 shared close toolbook 381 shared pointer 404 toolbook navigator 380 sharing. See application sharing shortcut whiteboard 401 software installing other on LearnLinc server 45 required for testing 74 sound card 324, 503 release 377 split-screen appshare 419, 423, 426, 429 appview 434

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SQL Server configuring to work with LearnLinc 571 using with LearnLinc 49 SQL server 8 square draw in whiteboard 406 start page 187, 504 statistics answers for Q&A 458 share Q&A with class 459 store Q&A files locally 448 whiteboard files locally 395 streaming media 376 streaming media file 504 streaming video 504 adding to LearnLinc server 101 bandwidth 18 customizing LearnLinc with 98 in a class 220 students take a long time to see 522 student authority level 126 dismissing from class 338 LearnLinc palette diagram 12 passing floor to 337 registering for course 204 taking floor from 337 view of LearnLinc palette 325 viewing desktop in glimpse 465 student authority level 504 student list refreshing in glimpse 465 student picture changing default 119

594 • • • • •

student pictures adding to LearnLinc server 118 student view class 220 course 192, 293 multimedia content 376 Q&A 449 synchronized web browser 388 whiteboard 396 student.bmp 119 suggestions how to submit 4 summary results feedback 443 sync.htm 120 synchronization connection speeds affect 375 in the synchronized web browser 385 multimedia content 374 multimedia content types 374 updating the whiteboard 404 whiteboard 396 synchronized content 504 synchronized web browser 383–391, 505 affected by connection speed 387 changing default page 120 closing for the class 390 frames 388 Internet vs. intranet 387 launching 389 multiple windows 522 netscape crashes on close 524 netscape users do not get new window 523 PointPlus presentation doesn’t display 534 some students cannot see page 524

student closed on own 524 student view 388 students wait a long time to see page 523 supported browsers 388 what is 384 what is synchronized 385 when to use 385 system authority level capsule 554 system requirements bandwidth 18 client 19 LearnLinc server 16

T tab list of graphics 114 take floor 322, 337, 505 talk to the class 334 talk button 322, 324, 505 teach LearnLinc class 317–340 template capsule 567 test.wav unable to play error 509 testing change the system administrator account password 78 instructor, join a class in the Sample Course 84 instructor, launch the synchronized web browser and navigate to a URL 91 instructor, pass the floor 89

instructor, take the floor back 91 instructor, talk to the class 88 instructor, use AppShare 93 log-in as an administrator 76 log-out, and log-in again as sample instructor 83 multiple sites 74 required elements 74 student, join the same class on another LearnLinc computer 86 student, raise hand 89 student, talk to the class 90 testing the LearnLinc environment 73–96 testing the LearnLinc environment, overview 30 text adding to whiteboard 404 changing in virtual campus 110 editing in whiteboard 404 localizing virtual campus 109 text box moving or resizing in whiteboard 405 text chat 365–371, 505 assistant instructors and 368 changing font size 370 difference between instructor and student 327 docking 370 LearnLinc palette 324 private message 367 private option not available 526 restricting 343, 367, 371 sending a message 369 sending private message 371 the student view 368 troubleshooting 526 undocking 348, 351, 370 what is 342, 366 This 461

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threaded discussion 292, 505 tips converting PowerPoint to ToolBook 174 ToolBook 375 adding navigator 175 close for class 381 convert PowerPoint to 172 converting for LearnLinc 153 default navigator 380 doesn’t open on students’ computers 533 error, cannot invoke file 532 error, not logged-in to LearnLinc 534 supported versions 374 tips for converting PowerPoint to 174 tools menu changing feedback answer set 442 clearing feedback answers 443 restrict text chat 371 show feedback summary results 443 suspend audio/video 377 undocking text chat 348, 351, 370 translate parts of LearnLinc 99 virtual campus text 109 troubleshooting administration 536 appendix 509 audio conferencing 537 classroom tools 522 installation issues 509 installations 71 multimedia content 532 network 546 virtual campus issues 511 virtual classroom 339, 514

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troubleshooting page 46 true/false 441 typical choosing installation option 307 removing option from download page 106 typical installation 505

U UDP port opening for LearnLinc audio 41 undock text chat 348, 351, 370 unicast audio bandwidth multicast audio bandwidth 18 system requirements 20 unregister course 285 update student list in glimpse 465 upgrade a translated virtual campus 110 upload recorded class to server 348 saved class recording to server 353 URL 506 adding to list 250 capsule 568 defined 384 resource 236 use whiteboard on own 398

user 133 adding large number of 144 administration options 128 authority level 126 default administrator password 77 delete 136 locating information about 278 log-in group 127 new authority level for 138, 264 user account 506 created with punctuation 536 gave additional rights but cannot use administration tool 536 persona capsule 562 what is 126 user account creation removing access to 102 user directory 188, 506 create new user 133 creating a log-in group 129 delete user 136 locating information about a user 278 removing access to 104 user directory button 115 user profile editing 281 users adding, overview 30 managing 125–147

V video multicast conferencing 216 streaming

students take a long time to see 522 video clip 375, 506 adding to list 248 close 381 in multimedia file cannot hear 533 launching from agenda 378 launching from library 379 resource 236 suspending conferencing for 377 video conferencing. See conferencing video, streaming adding to LearnLinc server 101 customizing LearnLinc with 98 videoclip capsule 569 view Q&A answers 458 Virtual Campus managing users 128 virtual campus 9, 271–287, 506 accessing course information 294 adding folder to course catalog 193 authority levels 272 changing border graphics 113 changing button graphics 113 changing graphics 112 changing location 57 changing password 281 course catalog 188 download page 188 editing user profile 281 error cannot log-in 511 finding 274

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help 189 home page 188 list of tab and button graphics 114 localizing text 109 locating information about a user 278 logging-in 275 logout page 188 log-out, overview 33 make available to students, overview 31 making changes to text 110 modifying download page download page modifying in virtual campus 104 opening resource 297 process for customizing 100 quick tutorial 188 registering for or dropping a course 285 removing access to functions 102 start page 187 the student view 273 updating configuration 58 upgrading when translated 110 upload PowerPoint 159 user directory 188 create new user 133 creating a log-in group 129 delete user 136 welcome page changing graphic 112 what is 74 where is 189 who is registered for course 299 virtual classroom 214, 318, 507 distributing customizations 100 features that can be customized 100

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troubleshooting 339, 514 virtual directory creating new on server 57 volume indicators 507 LearnLinc palette 323

W waiting for update 404 WBT 152 web install from 307 web address. See URL web browser, synchronized. See synchronized web browser web content 383 when to use 385 web pages converting for LearnLinc 153 web proxy changing settings in control panel 315 configuring classroom software to use 70 specifying in LearnLinc 308 web proxy server 308, 507 web site virtual campus 9 welcome page changing graphic 112 whiteboard 13, 393–410, 507 adding text 404 cannot open file from agenda 527 capsule 570 changing fill color 407 changing line weight and color 407 close for the class 409

doesn’t launch on other’s computers 527 drawing 406 editing text 404 file takes a long time to load 526 grabbing a screen shot 409 importing a picture 407 launching a whiteboard file from the agenda 401 launching from agenda shortcut 401 launching from the library 402 moving graphics 406 moving or cropping picture 408 moving or resizing text box 405 opening file for the class 403 printing a file 400 resizing graphics 406 saving a file 399 shared pointer 404 storing files locally 395 student view 396 synchronization 396 troubleshooting 526 updating for others 404 using on own 398 what is 394 who can use 395 whiteboard file 507 adding to list 248 resource 236 Word converting for LearnLinc 153 words.inc 109 words.txt 109, 110

Y yes/no 441

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