Echo 360 has a new look and functionality. Over the summer we migrated our Echo360 system to the new Active Learning Platform. This new interface provides improved functionality for instructors and students.

Over the last weekend in June (June 27 & 28, 2015) we migrated our Echo 360 system to Echo’s new Active Learning Platform. During the process we moved all the video content instructors created for courses to the new system. We did not lose content but be aware that in approximately 30 days links to content in the old system will disappear and we will no longer have access to the old Echo ESS System. All instructor accounts were also migrated and you will be able to access the system through Blackboard. Personal Capture users need to download and install the “new” version that points to the new system location, but the software looks and works the same way as the “old” version.

So what’s new? The new Active Learning Platform (or ALP) integrates what were two separate tools – Lecture Tools and Echo 360 Lecture Capture (and personal capture). With ALP there is no longer an interface to add interactive slide content (Lecture Tools content) to courses separate from the interface to add video content. From a single interface instructors can upload presentations and integrate interactive features, upload video, and view analytics describing student use of the materials. In addition, instructors can leverage some of the interactive features of Lecture tools with videos captured either with the appliances in Beatty 426 and Blount Auditorium or with Personal Capture. Students can post questions or mark sections of a video as confusing and their comments are tied to the specific location in the video making it easier for an instructor to identify what specific content or concept is difficult for their students.

If you’ve used Echo360 in the past, you’ll notice that the interface is more intuitive and easy to navigate. ALP also makes the reuse of content much easier, all content is saved to your personal library from which you can add it to courses or selectively share it with colleagues or students. Users creating content that isn’t for a specific course no longer need to have a course created just to have a place to store a recording – your personal library can store recordings not attached to any course.

For instructors considering flipping some of their course content, Echo360’s new Active Learning Platform offers some valuable tools to engage students and measure learning. Integrated learning tools in the video workflow allow you to pose questions, allow students to respond to your questions, mark sections of the video as confusing, ask their own questions, and take notes on your video all tied to the video timeline.  So before you come to class you can review the questions and the analytics and know where your students are and, if necessary, modify your class activities to better meet student needs.

System analytics allow instructors to see how the students are interacting with the video and presentation content. Are they passively viewing the content or are they responding to questions and taking notes on what they see. The new analytics interface allows instructors to see who is watching, whether they respond to questions, and the word count for notes taken. Instructors can even customize an engagement score to calculate a value based on your expectations of how the students should interact with your content.

On July 17th Echo presented training on the new system. (Watch the recording. 1 hr 59 mins.) We’ll be scheduling additional training in early September for anyone interested in using the new system. Watch the LIT calendar for dates and times. We’ll also have the session recorded so you can watch the session later if the meeting time does not work with your schedule.