Echo360 and Lecture Tools: Piloting a student engagement platform for UWindsor
Nick Baker Acting Director, Office of Open
Learning
OUCC Conference28 April, 2014
Join the presentation in Lecture Tools
http://bit.do/OUCCEcho360
Overview
• Windsor and Provincial context• Selecting a solution• Intro to Echo360 and Lecture Tools• Considerations, challenges and
unexpected outcomes• Demo of the system and trying it out (time
permitting)
What challenge are we trying to address?
• Enhancing student engagement and learning, especially in large classes
• Reducing cost to students• Clicker use declining (with no replacement)• MTCU Ancillary fee policy• Class sizes increasing• Trying to increase quantity & quality of distance
and hybrid courses– Positioning ourselves to take advantage of the OOI
funding & MTCU directions
Provincial Context• Productivity and Innovation Fund (PIF)
Grants– Multi-institutional and institutional
• Total of $45m shared across colleges and universities
• $1.32m funding across 7 projects• 3 Institutional projects - $500k• Money had to be spent by March 31, 2014
University of Windsor Institutional PIF Grants
Proposal Title Funding
Navigating Large Foundational Classes: Providing Scalable Infrastructure for Next-Generation Blended Learning Classrooms to Enhance Student Learning Outcomes, Access and Choice
$349,925
Leading the Leaders: Developing Metrics and Management Mechanism for Embedded Educational Leadership Initiatives
$100,000
Enabling Cost-Effective Data-Driven Decision Making: Shoestring Analytics $49,468
Large Classes PIF
Technology• Echo360 lecture capture system• Lecture Tools Student Engagement
System• Classroom upgrades• Electronic Course Outline System (ECOS)• ePortfolio system
Instructor support
• Funds for development support• Instructional/curriculum design support• Technology support• Hardware
ECHO360
What is Echo360?
• Integrated student engagement platform– Classroom lecture capture– Personal lecture capture– Rich Media Tool– Learning analytics– Lecture Tools (clickers on steroids!)
http://goo.gl/urTkE1 (Echo)
http://goo.gl/ffvlDl (LT + Echo)
Why Echo360?
• Feature set• Price• Integration with existing systems (Crestron,
Sakai etc)• Existing expertise
– e.g. Wowza server for streaming media, Linux• Streaming and recording• Integration with Lecture Tools – powerful
additional functionality
Teachers receive real-time reports on student engagement and comprehension
Teachers create and record study materials with embedded polls and quizzes
Students review and respond to prepare and provide feedback
DURING CLASS
Teachers engage with new interactivity, can monitor and adapt to student activity
Students ask questions, take notes, flag issues, and respond to in-class questions
No Clickers Required!
Students review class materials and collaborate with peers online to master content
Echo360 Active Learning
BEFORE CLASS AFTER CLASS
Slide Reference: Echo360, 2013
Multiple Recording Solutions
Media Import• Capture content using 3rd party tools• Easily ingest content into EchoSystem with
consistent look/feel/branding/security
Personal Capture Software• EchoSystem capture software on laptops/desktops• Create modules and tutorials from anywhere with
an internet connection
Classroom Capture Software• EchoSystem capture software• Automated classroom capture using existing
technology investment
SafeCapture HD Appliance• Hardware based capture• Full integration with room A/V environment• Ideal for auditoriums, smart classrooms, etc.
Slide Reference: Echo360, 2013
Capturing options
• 2 x video streams + 1 audio recorded– e.g. PC, external laptop, webcamera, VC
cameras, document camera, electronic whiteboard, digital microscope…anything that can go through projector!
• HD Capture appliance• Software Capture (no Mac, no streaming)• Personal Capture• Media Ingest
Media Import: Easily Upload Content from External Sources
Slide Reference: Echo360, 2013
HD Appliance - Video
• Any VGA, DVI-I or HDMI enabled device– H.264 standard– 240kbps – 3.2Mbps
• Digital (HDMI) or analogue (composite) input
• Configurable output frame rate• Output to stream (via Wowza server) +
asynchronous “Echoes”
HD Appliance - Audio
• Stereo, mixed-mono, mono• Capture in AAC • Pro-level or consumer level signals• Balanced or unbalanced • Stereo RCA or bare wire• Control integrated with Crestron
controller/touch panel
Software capture• Site licence • Same as Personal Capture now• Schedulable (personal capture not schedulable)• Room AV input to PC
– Epiphan DVI2USB device– ART Pro USB Dual pre-amp & computer interface
• No streaming, No Mac (Personal Capture does though)
• User must be logged in to start scheduled capture
Automated and Intelligent Workflow for Lecture Capturing
Record, Produce, Manage and Publish Instructional Media
Slide Adapted from Echo360, 2013
Processing videos
• Internal HDD on Appliances for temporary local storage; PC HDD
• Push to ESS and Media Server via SFTP for processing
• Raw files stored on server, processed to ‘Echoes’– Raw = 60% of storage; delete these after 30 days &
keep Echoes• Processing time = real time + small % • Processed in order received by server
Publishing videos
• Either released/published automatically or released manually by instructor– Instructor can edit multiple times until raw files
deleted (non-destructive editing)– Multiple formats for same recording can be
published• Publish to LMS and EchoCentre• Can make recording publically available• Can publish to other locations e.g. iTunesU,
RSS, webportal
Viewing recordings• Access through LMS or EchoCentre
– LDAP (requires Active Directory for full functionality), CAS, Shibboleth, Trusted System authentication
• Access on PC, Mac, iOS, Android, tablet/phone (app or browser)
• HTML5 interface
Echo Centre
https://e360system.uwindsor.ca:8443/
Scheduling recordings
• Schedule recordings based on – Term, Course, Section, Instructor– Campus, building, room
• Automatically schedule with integration to SIS (and/or other enterprise systems)– Start automatically at scheduled time
(appliance), or after log in (software)• ‘Opt out’ at the moment• Ad Hoc
Other considerations
• Can brand recordings automatically with institutional look and feel
• Can brand at the faculty or department level
• System Admins can change almost anything without additional assistance from Echo360
• 24/7/365 support from Echo
LECTURE TOOLS
What is Lecture Tools?
• Web-based student engagement platform• Similar to clickers but much more powerful
– Searchable repository– Notes system
• Developed at UMich and sold to Echo360• Currently Flash-based with app for iOS
(moving to HTML5)• Can be integrated to LMS (LTI) (gradebook,
access etc)
What is Lecture Tools?
• Very easy to use, upload files, add interactive slides, reorder etc.
• Drag and drop functionality• Flat images of slides (no animations)• Learning analytics (lite)• Student notes, discussion forums,
bookmarks, searchable lectures• Student questions (anonymous or not)• http://goo.gl/D61ljt
Accessing Lecture Tools
• LTI integration to Sakai – challenging but works
• Passes through roles but still need to create a password first time
• Students see list of lectures by date
First Use in CLEW
First Use in New CLEW Site
Outside of CLEW
Outside of CLEW• Upload a file containing the following:
email address (mandatory), optional Last Name, First Name. No column headers, one student record per line
• Save as a .csv file
Student Access by Direct Link
Presenting in Lecture Tools
• Can import previous presentation or upload new– File types to upload can
include .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .ppsx, .pdf• ‘Objectives’ slide can be created in the system• Animations will be lost when uploading PPT• Edits to slides need to be done in program they
were created in, NOT online• Delete, hide or rearrange order in Lecture Tools
Preparing a presentation
Question types
• Multiple question types inserted easily into presentation
• Behaves slightly differently on app (especially Image Quiz & visible characters)
• Results can be sent to gradebook in LMS
Developments coming in Echo360/Lecture Tools
• Android App• Integration with Echo360 as a single
student engagement platform• Improved analytics
Next steps
• Installation in classrooms over summer• Personal Capture rollout• Lecture Tools trial in selected large
classes• Integrate with systems (LMS, SIS, etc)
Challenges & Considerations
• Time restrictions on spending money• Large project team• Room AV setups different across campus
– Different reqs for appliance and software• Integration with existing systems (LMS,
SIS, HR) and level of integration• Ongoing administration
Unexpected outcomes
• Increased deep collaboration across units• AV upgrades• AV inventory• New ways of managing AV in classrooms• Policy review and development in a range
of areas (e.g. security, archiving, copyright, appropriate use of IT, IP, course mode definitions etc.)
• Going beyond one-off development• Encourage development of new coherent
credentialing programmes– Attract new students– Allow more current students to graduate/succeed
• Significant redevelopment of existing courses to DE/hybrid mode
• Redeveloping courses that are significant blockers for existing students
What are we trying to achieve?
• Mainstreaming DE/Online/Flexible/Hybrid learning and teaching
• Building capacity in faculty, enabling new practices
• Sustainable offerings and practices• Increasing quality in DE & blended offerings • Improved reputation• Providing more flexible options for all
UWindsor students (and instructors!)
What is the end game?
Summary
• Very simple to use, varying levels of automation possible
• Expected high value return• Lot of work, but worth it• Need strong AV engineering, server,
firewall/security teams• Evaluation of outcomes longer term project• Expect to see change over 2-3 years
ContactNick Baker
Acting Director, Office of Open LearningErie Hall 1111email: [email protected]. 4925
Connect with us• In person…
– Erie Hall 1110-1112• Phone…
– Ext 2008• On the web:
– Office of Open Learning Official Website (under construction): www.uwindsor.ca/openlearning
– Open Learning Windsor Blog: http://ctl2.uwindsor.ca/openlearning/
• Social media:– Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/UWindsor.OfficeOfOpenLearning– Twitter: @UWinOpenLearn