This fourth generation release of LearnLinc provides users with expanded accessibility, enhanced collaboration, and sophisticated classroom management. As the standard for instructor-led online learning, LearnLincTM software is fully deployed at more Global 2000 corporations and universities than any other solution. LearnLinc 4.0, combined with LearnLinc's best of breed partner solutions, delivers a robust total learning system to train thousands of employees across the enterprise.

Based on best practice experience from LearnLinc customers around the world, LearnLinc 4.0 enhances the return-on-investment and productivity gains that have been posted at Aetna US Healthcare, MCI WorldCom and other industry leaders.

Handraising

LearnLinc instructors can view the list of students in a LearnLinc class. When a student clicks on their handraise icon, the instructor can see a hand appear next to their name on the student list. The instructor can then highlight the student name and give control of the LearnLinc classroom including course content and audio or video conferencing to the student, who is seen or heard by the entire class. The interaction between students and between instructor and student is an important element of a successful class environment leading to greater involvement and student retention of course material.

Floor Control

LearnLinc Floor Control provides instructor control and classroom coordination. Currently, there are two floor control policies for LearnLinc classes: instructor-led and open discussion. Floor control determines three key elements during a LearnLinc class:

• who may launch applications for everyone in the class
• who has control of course content
• whose voice or video image is featured in the audio or
  video conferencing portion of the class

Instructor-led Floor Control

Instructor-led Floor Control maximizes the control of the instructor. He or she decides who has the floor, when to give the floor to a learner, and when to take back the floor. The instructor can use "Privacy" to jump ahead in course content or use tools without being synchronized with the students. Learners can raise and lower their hands to be recognized by the instructor and address the entire class, just as in a traditional classroom.

Open Discussion Floor Control

Open Discussion Floor Control is similar to a roundtable discussion. During an open discussion class the instructor has no additional authority, and any learner can take control of the floor at any time. The open discussion floor control policy allows small groups to collaborate in highly dynamic classes. Open discussion gives learners maximum freedom while maintaining order through floor control.

Assistant Instructor

Many LearnLinc customers have requested that an assistant be able to log on to class to help the instructor with class interaction. While the instructor is launching and leading the class content, the assistant instructor can be monitoring text chat, hand raising, and feedback. The assistant instructor may alert the instructor to student responses or reply using private text chat to individual students while the main class is continuing. This feature can result in more interaction with students, increased effectiveness of instruction (without as many distractions), and enhanced use of LearnLinc features by the instructor.

Q&A (Question & Answer)

LearnLinc Q&A can be used by an instructor or student to ask multiple choice or true/false questions during a class. The floor holder can ask one question at a time with up to five multiple-choice answers. Questions may be written ahead of time or composed spontaneously during a class. The answer results are displayed for the floor holder in easy-to-read percentages. Results can be shared with other class participants, or reviewed privately. Q&A is a dynamic method to verify learner progress and comprehension. It encourages interaction and participation during a LearnLinc class, while allowing the instructor to assess learning results.

Feedback

Instructors can use LearnLinc Feedback to continuously poll learners about the progress of the class. Students select feedback answers such as "Faster," "Perfect," "Slower," and "Please Review." The instructor can see the percentages for each response. Instructors may create custom response sets or choose several default answer sets, including:

• Pace – Faster, Perfect, Slower, Please review
• Agreement - Strongly agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly
  disagree
• Assignment Status - Not much progress, Still working,
  Almost finished, Completed
• True/False
• Yes/No
• A, B, C, D

Text Chat

LearnLinc Text Chat is a text-based communication tool that instructors and students can use to compose and exchange ideas and comments with everyone in a LearnLinc class. Students can also send private messages to the instructor. Everyone in the class can save text, paste text from other documents into text chat, and print a transcript of the text generated during a class. Instructors and Assistant Instructors can send private text chat messages to individual students.

LearnLinc Text Chat allows the exchange of ideas, brainstorming, and discussions without interrupting the flow of the class. Private messages allow students to ask questions they might not ask in a public forum.

LearnLinc Picture ID

LearnLinc class interaction can be personalized with LearnLinc Picture ID. All participants (instructors, assistant instructors, and students) can use Picture ID to display pictures of themselves to the class, enhancing the sense of community and collaboration vital to successful on-line learning.

Glimpse

Instructors can use LearnLinc Glimpse to grab a screen capture of any student desktop. The instructor can then see the status of the student work to correct a problem, or view an assignment.

Streaming Video

LearnLinc Streaming Video introduces integrated one-way video and audio for communication (live or pre-recorded) from instructor to students over the Internet/intranet. Customers who need a lecture-mode option for large-scale presentations will find this useful.

Synchronized Multimedia Courseware

LearnLinc allows instructors and students to control Synchronized Multimedia Courseware created in Asymetrix ToolBook™ and Macromedia Authorware™. These multimedia-authoring tools can be used to create highly interactive courseware containing audio and video clips, animation, simulations, learning
exercises, and tests. As an instructor turns the pages of such multimedia courseware, pages are turned on all student computers as well.

Synchronized Multimedia Courseware provides CBT-style interactive content which can be authored for both instructor-led and self-paced learning.

Synchronized Web-browser

LearnLinc instructors and students (whoever is the floorholder) can use the Synchronized Web-browser to lead everyone in class to different Web sites. When the floor holder navigates to a Web page, all other class browsers go to that site as well. Each learner can explore that site and its links or move on to other sites. When the floor holder navigates to another site, again, the class follows. Everyone may use forward and backward navigation tools and favorites in the Synchronized Web-browser.

The Synchronized Web Browser provides instructor-led access to Internet/intranet information or HTML course material.   Instructors can easily and quickly create and revise their own Web-based content or assign student to research web-based content.

PowerPoint Conversion to HTML

QuickLinc allows instructors, authors, and administrators to transform Microsoft PowerPoint slides into LearnLinc-ready web pages in seconds. Synchronous QuickLinc courseware can be created on-the-fly for LearnLinc classes, as either instructor-led or self-paced content.

The PointPlus Maker, included with LearnLinc, can also be used to convert PowerPoint presentations into a single PointPlus presentation file, called a Compact Slide Show. This slide show can be embedded in an HTML page and viewed with any browser that has the PointPlus plug-in included in LearnLinc clients. The PointPlus Sync Agent enables LearnLinc users to synchronize the slide show presentation.

PowerPoint Conversion to ToolBook

MS PowerPoint™ content can be converted to ToolBook multimedia content which can be synchronized in a LearnLinc class. This provides easy conversion of new or existing PowerPoint presentations into interactive LearnLinc multimedia content.

Application Sharing

LearnLinc allows instructors to share one or more applications or the entire desktop, enabling software skills training on multiple applications. By launching multiple software applications from the desktop, instructors can demonstrate the interaction of complex interfaces. New server-based LearnLinc Application Sharing is highly scalable, allowing instructors to select any software application on any class computer to demonstrate or share.

LearnLinc Application Sharing requires no third party software installation such as NetMeeting. LearnLinc Application Sharing allows an instructor to select an application from a student machine to display or share without giving the floor to that student. This feature is one more example of the classroom control design of the LearnLinc environment.

Application Sharing simulates an interactive computer lab with shared control where students watch an instructor run a software application and then run their own copy of the software for assignments.

Split Screen for Application Sharing

The LearnLinc content area may be split into upper and lower sections for application sharing. The instructor may chose to place the shared application in the upper or lower half or full screen in the student's content area. This is most useful to allow students to run their own version of the shared application to mimic the instructor lessons.

Shared Whiteboard

With the LearnLinc Shared Whiteboard, instructors and students can easily add content to a LearnLinc class. Objects and text from any Windows supported application can be pasted in to the whiteboard and shared by everyone in class. The floor holder can highlight, add, delete, or edit the whiteboard contents. Whiteboard contents can be saved as text or whiteboard files, or printed by everyone in class. The whiteboard has been enhanced to support synchronized viewing, insuring that all students see what the instructor is viewing after scrolling. The whiteboard can also be accessed outside the LearnLinc classroom, to pre-load content or to access content between classes.

The Shared Whiteboard provides a common area for learners to spontaneously share ideas that enrich and reinforce their learning experience.

Class Agenda

The LearnLinc Class Agenda allows instructors to list the learning components of a LearnLinc class to be launched automatically. Learning tools such as the Synchronized Web Browser, Q & A, Shared Whiteboard or any other application can be launched on all class computers from the Class Agenda.
Content information such as a specific web site can be pre-loaded to save time during class.

Virtual Campus for Self-paced (Asynchronous) Learning

Students can use the Virtual Campus Course Catalog to preview (or review) class content without being logged into a LearnLinc class. Instructors can make homework and research assignments available to students through the Virtual Campus.

LearnLinc Virtual Campus

The LearnLinc Virtual Campus is a Web-based instruction management system that allows students to gain access to LearnLinc course information quickly and easily. Students may preview the course catalog, access self-paced course content, and view instructor/student profiles. Instructors and students can use a threaded discussion tool for each LearnLinc course to communicate outside the LearnLinc classroom. The LearnLinc Virtual Campus is fully customizable and offers course registration, online help, tutorials, and instant access to join LearnLinc classes.

The LearnLinc Virtual Campus Internationalization Kit allows customers and partners to enable students to access course catalogs and register for class in any language. LearnLinc already has Spanish and German versions of its Virtual Campus.

LearnLinc Administration Tool

The Web-based Admin Tool extends LearnLinc administration access to any location with an Internet connection. Administrators can access one user interface to create user accounts, create LearnLinc classes, add class materials, etc.

LearnLinc Network Monitor

The LearnLinc Network Monitor provides continuous feedback about the available bandwidth for LearnLinc data and communications connectivity during a LearnLinc class.

LearnLinc Audio Wizard

The LearnLinc Audio Wizard provides step-by-step procedures to configure LearnLinc Audioconferencing under varying hardware and software conditions.

LearnLinc Security

LearnLinc provides two levels of security. Log-in security prevents users from logging-in to LearnLinc without an assigned user name, group name, and password. Class security prevents unauthorized users from joining a password-protected LearnLinc class. LearnLinc also allows guests to log-in with limited capabilities.

Connectivity & Communication Options

With LearnLinc, you can create a custom online learning solution tailored to the needs of your organization. LearnLinc Connectivity & Communication Options offer you different connectivity and conferencing methods to meet the needs of your organization today and tomorrow.

LearnLinc Bridges Firewalls

Just-in-time corporate training demands that employees can access live online learning from any site regardless of firewall considerations. Firewall friendly LearnLinc uses HTTP tunneling for easy access through corporate firewalls that support Internet connections. Companies that train customers, resellers, and other vendors often face firewall hurdles between locations. LearnLinc transcends these limitations, offering compelling online training to any location. LearnLinc even offers browser-based diagnostics for firewall configuration to speed deployment.

Enterprise-wide Database Integration with Microsoft SQL Server

LearnLinc is integrated with Microsoft SQL Server (part of Microsoft BackOffice) to offer a more efficient and scaleable database option for large-scale online learning deployments. LearnLinc also supports Microsoft Windows, NT workstation, NT Server, Internet Explorer, PowerPoint, and Netshow.

The LearnLinc Server supports the LearnLinc data-only virtual classroom without purchasing additional options. The LearnLinc data-only virtual classroom can be combined with existing phone conferencing, room videoconferencing or other communication systems.

LearnLinc Streaming Video – Integrated one-way video and audio for communication (live or pre-recorded) from instructor to students over the Internet/intranet.

LearnLinc Unicast Audioconferencing – full duplex (two-way) audio for student sites using the Internet/intranet from remote locations or home. Half duplex (click-to-talk) is also available.

LearnLinc Multicast Audioconferencing – full duplex (two-way) audio which minimizes bandwidth requirements for large scale classes. Half duplex (click-to-talk) is also available.

LearnLinc Multicast Videoconferencing – Integrated videoconferencing with full duplex (two-way) audio which minimizes bandwidth requirements for large scale classes. LearnLinc Multicast Videoconferencing supports Intel ProShare Conferencing Video System 150 or 200, as well as ProShare 500.

Special Note: LearnLinc clients configured for any of the Communications Options listed can join any LearnLinc session to share data. Audio and video may be shared, depending on system configurations.