What’s in it for me?

The Active Learning Platform was designed by Echo360 as a powerful, all-in-one technology for classroom participation, anytime learning and streamlined studying on any device. The Active Learning Platform provides you with the tools necessary to become more engaged in your learning with both your peers and instructors, including anytime online access to recorded classroom videos, instructor presentations, the ability to take notes, ask and respond to questions anonymously, bookmark videos and instructor presentations, and let the instructor know when their content is confusing. And, all of this information can roll up into a really cool study guide to help you prepare for tests.

Why use the Active Learning Platform?

Research from the University of Ottawa finds that:

• Class failure rates have over the last three years decreased from 5% (approximately 25 students) to 1 percent (approximately 5 students receiving F grades).
• 10 percent average increase in final exam scores over three years.
• 40 percent increase in learning gains measured pre- and post- assessments.
• 23% higher exam scores for students that used the Active Learning Platform versus those who do not.
• Suggests that there is a correlation to your success when you use the Active Learning Platform.

Additional research from the University of Michigan shows (See Figure):

• Attendance, although pertinent to your learning and often the only recorded measure of participation, is unrelated to exam scores
• The number of lecture captures viewed after class is weakly related to exam scores
• The number of notes taken in the Active Learning Platform is strongly related to exam scores
• The number of slides you view through the Active Learning Platform during class is strongly related to exam scores

Samson, P. (2015, March). Students with Lower GPA’s Participate Differently in Class From Those with High GPA’s (Knowing This, What Should We Do?). Poster session presented at the Research and Scholarship in Engineering Education Poster Fair, Ann Arbor, MI.
Montpetit, C. (2015, May 19). Faculty-developed tools that bend the curve on student engagement – eCampus News. Retrieved May 20, 2015, from http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/faculty-developed-tools-347

Getting Started with Echo360 Active Learning Platform (ALP)

Echo360 is now the Echo360 Active Learning Platform (ALP)! Echo360 ALP offers a range of tools for promoting student learning, engagement, and success, including:

• Lecture capture: Capture high-definition video of in-class lectures, or record screencasts using your computer. Edit your videos at any time with the online editor.
• Content management: Upload, organize, and share video content easily. Then add presentations, PDFs, and other media with a simple drag-and-drop.
• Student engagement: Add polls, quizzes, and other activities to make traditional lectures more interactive. Students use laptops and mobile devices to take notes, mark important or confusing content, and ask and respond to questions in real time.
• Learner analytics: Get real-time behavioral data on class attendance, participation, and at-risk students. Track content views, questions asked, activity responses, and more.

To get started with Echo360 ALP, follow these step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Add Echo360 ALP to an BlackBoard Course
Step 2: Navigate in Echo360 ALP7
Step 3: Add a Class
Step 4: Add Content to a Class
Step 5: Edit Content
Step 6: Add Interactive Slides to Presentations
Step 7: Manage & Publish Content
Step 8: Present a Class
Step 9: Manage Questions
Step 10: View & Customize Analytics

Step 1: Add Echo360 ALP to an eCampus Course

Follow the instructions below to connect Echo360 ALP and your Blackboard course. Completing the steps below automatically creates your Echo360 account.

1. Make the Echo360 ALP Tool Available
   1. Login to Blackboard (blackboard.liu.edu) and navigate to your course.
   2. Go to Content > tools > Echo360 PLatform.
   3. Check the box in the Availablecolumn for “Echo360 ALP” and click Submit.

   For detailed instructions, see “Make the Echo360 ALP Tool Available in Blackboard”

2. Add an Echo360 ALP Tool Link to the Course Menu
   1. Click the plus sign (+) at the top left of your Blackboard course menu. Select Tool Link.
   2. Enter a name for the link and select Echo360 ALP from the drop-down menu.
   3. Check the Available to Users box and click Submit.
3. Set Up an Echo360 ALP Section
   1. 1. Click the Echo360 ALP link in your Blackboard course to go to the Echo360 website.
         Note: If the link does not launch, turn off your pop-up blocker and try again.
      2. Choose your section from the drop-down list, or create a new one.
      3. Click Continue to Echo360
      4. Your Echo360 account will be automatically created using the email address associated with your Blackboard account. After your account is created, you will receive an email notification with a link to create an Echo360 ALP password. (If you do not receive an email, go to www.echo360.org and click the “Forgot your password?” link.)

   For detailed instructions, see Set Up a Section in Echo360 ALP

4. Login to Echo360 ALPAfter your account is created, you can login to Echo360 ALP in two ways:
   1. Click the Echo360 ALP Tool Link you added to Blackboard.
   2. Go to echo360.org and enter your email and Echo360 password.

Step 2: Navigate in Echo360 ALP

Home Page
The Home page appears by default when you login to Echo360 ALP. It contains a snapshot of the status of each of your course sections, including new questions, students to watch, and student engagement. Click the link to learn more about the Home page.
Classes
On your Home page you will see list of all your sections. Each section is made up of “classes” that hold content for students to view. To view your existing classes — or to create, edit, or delete a class — click the All Classes button for a particular section.
From the Classes page you can create new classes (Step 3) and add content (Step 4).

From the Classes page you can also access the:

1. Edit video page — to make cuts and trims
2. Edit presentation page — to rearrange, add, and delete slides and add interactive slides
3. Availability settings — to control if/when content is visible to students
4. Go to Classroom button — to present a class
5. Q&A tab — to manage questions
6. Analytics tab — to view data on student engagement

To learn more about the Classes tab, see Understanding the Class List.
Watch the Instructor Overview video tour to learn more about general navigation and key features in the Active Learning Platform.
Account Settings
Click the gear icon at the top right and select Account Settings from the menu to change your name, email address, or password.

Step 3: Add a Class

In the Echo360 ALP, a course (ENGL 1301) has multiple sections (ENG-101-003 Fall 2015) that are taught by different instructors. Each individual instructor’s section is made up of classes. These classes hold content (presentations, captures, videos) for students to view.

ALP organizational structure: Course → Section → Class → content
Add a Class

1. On your Home page, click the All Classes button for a section.
2. Click New Class.
3. Edit the class details and click Create.

For detailed instructions, see Adding a Class.
Edit and Delete a Class

Edit Class Details
You can still edit the details of a class after creating it.

1. On your Home page, click the All Classes
2. Select the class you want to edit.
3. Click the Edit Details

For detailed instructions, see Editing Class Details
Delete a Class
Warning: When you delete a class, all the corresponding activities, notes, and analytics are also deleted. The original presentations and videos remain in your ALP Library and can be re-published to a new location.
To delete a class:

1. On your Home page, click the All Classes
2. Select the class you want to remove.
3. Click the Delete Class

For detailed instructions, see Deleting a Class

Step 4: Add Content to a Class

You can add three types of content to Echo360 ALP:

• Presentations: PowerPoint and Keynote presentations or PDF files
• Videos: classroom lecture captures, personal captures, or files from your computer
• Other media: see Supported Content Formats for a full list of file types you can upload

About Presentations
You can add a presentation to a class by uploading content from your computer, importing from your ALP Library, or creating a new presentation. See Add a Presentation to a Class to learn more, or watch this video tutorial.
About Videos

• Lecture CapturesLecture capture allows instructors to record lectures taught in specific classrooms and make them available to their students online. Email it@liu.edu to schedule auto capture of your lectures in Lecture Capture able classrooms.
• Personal Captures (Screencasting)Echo360’s personal capture software runs on your computer and allows you to simultaneously record audio, your computer screen, and/or video from your webcam — then publish it as a single video file. Click here to learn more about Personal Capture and system requirements. You can download Personal Capture for free from Echo360 ALP. Watch these videos to learn how to download and use Personal Capture for Windows or for Mac, or refer to the links below.

Other Videos
You can also manually add videos to Echo360 ALP. See Adding a Video to a Class to learn more, or watch this video tutorial.

Add Content

1. On your Home page, click the All Classes
2. Click the blue + icon to the right of the class to which you want to add content.
3. Select Add video (to add video, audio, or multimedia) or Add presentation (to add PowerPoint, Keynote, or PDF files).
4. Select the location from which to add the content.

Instructor FAQ’s

Student FAQ’s