advanced

L E A R N L I N CA D V A N C E D G U I D E

v e r s i o n 4 . 5

LearnLinc Corporation385 Jordan Road, Troy, NY 12180-7601 USAphone: +1 (518) 286-7000fax: +1 (518) 286-2439

email: [email protected] address: www.learnlinc.com

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

NoticeDisclaimer 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 Corporation385 Jordan RoadTroy, NY 12180phone: +1 518.286.7000

fax: +1 [email protected]://www.learnlinc.com

LearnLinc has recently become part of a new total-solution e-learning company called Mentergy, Inc. LearnLinc joins Allen Communication and Gilat Communications, Ltd. in this new organization, which remains committed to customer-focused, e-learning success. Mentergy will continue to offer LearnLinc virtual classroom software, in addition to a full range of e-learning products and services for courseware development, consulting, self-paced and live delivery systems, and hosted e-learning services.

LearnLinc Advanced Guide

v

Contents1. 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 StartedWhat 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

ClientLearnLinc Classroom Software ............................................................................................................................. 19

Third Party Software......................................................................................................................................................... 25

Overview: Creating a LearnLinc Environment..................................................................................................................... 26

Assemble your Team........................................................................................................................................................ 26

Plan your Environment .................................................................................................................................................... 28

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LearnLinc Advanced Users Guide

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 LearnLincWhat You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................... 38

Key Concepts ........................................................................................................................................................................ 38

vii

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 LearnLincWhat 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

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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 Users 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 EnvironmentWhat 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 LearnLincWhat 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 UsersWhat 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


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

xi

Creating LearnLinc Courses, Classes, and Content

8. Converting your Content for LearnLincWhat 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


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 CoursesWhat 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


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 ClassesWhat 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


xiii

Adding a Class to a Course Contents List ..................................................................................................................... 221

Selecting Assistant Instructors for the Class .................................................................................................................. 227

Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 231

11. Working with ResourcesWhat 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


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 CampusWhat You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 272

Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 272

Authority Levels and the Virtual Campus ..................................................................................................................... 272

The student view............................................................................................................................................................ 273


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 CoursesWhat 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


xv

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 ClassWhat 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


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 ClassWhat 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

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The Difference Between Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex Audio ................................................................................... 324

Hand Raising................................................................................................................................................................... 325

The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 325


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 ClassesKey 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


xvii

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 StudentsWhat 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


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

xviii


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

18. Using Multimedia Content During ClassWhat 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


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 ContentWhat 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

xix

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


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 WhiteboardWhat 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


Using the Whiteboard on your Own............................................................................................................................. 398

Saving Whiteboard Files................................................................................................................................................. 399

Printing Whiteboard Files .............................................................................................................................................. 400

Launching the Whiteboard for the Class....................................................................................................................... 401

xx


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 ClassWhat 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

xxi

Allowing a Student to Share his or her Applications ................................................................................................... 422

Updating Students 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 ClassWhat 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


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

xxii


23. Polling the Class With Q&A Multiple Choice QuestionsWhat 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


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

xxiii

24. Viewing a Student Desktop With GlimpseWhat You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter .................................................................................................. 461

Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 462

What Is Glimpse?............................................................................................................................................................ 462

The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 463


Launching Glimpse......................................................................................................................................................... 464

Viewing a Students Desktop......................................................................................................................................... 465

Refreshing the student list.............................................................................................................................................. 465

Closing Glimpse ............................................................................................................................................................. 465

Next Steps............................................................................................................................................................................ 466

25. Creating Breakout GroupsWhat 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


Creating Breakout Groups ............................................................................................................................................. 470

Sending Latecomers to Groups...................................................................................................................................... 474

Joining Breakout Groups ............................................................................................................................................... 475

Helping your Students Work Effectively in Breakout Groups..................................................................................... 476

xxiv


Assisting the Instructor During Class

26. Assisting the Instructor During ClassWhat You Need to Know Before Reading This Chapter ............................................................................................. 481

Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 482

The Role of Assistant Instructor..................................................................................................................................... 482

The Student View ........................................................................................................................................................... 482


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 IndexGlossary .............................................................................................................................................................................. 489

Appendix A: Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................................... 509

Appendix B: Name Service Capsule Definitions .............................................................................................................. 551

Appendix C: Configuring LearnLinc to Work With SQL Server ...................................................................................... 571

Index................................................................................................................................................................................... 575

1

1

1About this GuideThis 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 GuideThe 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 its 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 OrganizedThe 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.

2

LearnLinc Advanced Users Guide1

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 OrganizedThe 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 chapters 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 chapters 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.

1 3

Additional MaterialsIn 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 GuideThe 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 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 and appear in the outside margin of the page, next to the topic to which they relate. An example appears next to this text.

This is a note. Notes contain useful, but non-essential infor-mation about the topic next to which they appear.

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

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Warnings are indicated by a circled arrow and rules above and below the warning text. Warnings appear directly below the text to which they relate. An example follows.

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 SuggestionsIn 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 basisyour 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 InformationYour 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 licensesplease record the number in a secure location.

This is a warning. Warnings contain essential information that you should consider before completing the tasks with which they are associated.

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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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2Getting Started

2Getting StartedThis 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 SoftwareThe LearnLinc software can be divided into two main pieces: the server and the client, each of which is made up of several individual elements.

Client/Server ArchitectureLearnLinc 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

A client/server architecture is one in which computers con-nect to each other through a central server computer, rather than connecting directly to one another.

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class the user wants to join and connects the users 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 ComponentsThe 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 Se

advanced

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