Power Link Stories Pilot experience with Live Classroom Power Link Carlos Araya (caraya@csuchico.edu)

Audience Poll How many in the audience: Have heard of Wimba Live Classroom? Use Live Classroom without Power Link? Use Live Classroom Power Link?

How many in the audience:

Have heard of Wimba Live Classroom?

Use Live Classroom without Power Link?

Use Live Classroom Power Link?

Agenda About CSU, Chico About our relationship with HW About the setup of our delivery system Where did we start?

About CSU, Chico

About our relationship with HW

About the setup of our delivery system

Where did we start?

Agenda (cont.) Issues with the old system The Power Link What we like What we want to change Issues that affect the Power Link deployment

Issues with the old system

The Power Link

What we like

What we want to change

Issues that affect the Power Link deployment

Agenda (cont.) What we have learned Where to next? Q & A

What we have learned

Where to next?

Q & A

About CSU, Chico One of 23 CSU campuses Located in Chico, CA -- 90 miles north of Sacramento Residential Campus Serves 12 counties 15000 FTEs

One of 23 CSU campuses

Located in Chico, CA -- 90 miles north of Sacramento

Residential Campus

Serves 12 counties

15000 FTEs

About our relationship with HW Started in 2000 Result of a transition from satellite service Deliver at least 30 hours of content a week Variety of faculty skill levels

Started in 2000

Result of a transition from satellite service

Deliver at least 30 hours of content a week

Variety of faculty skill levels

About the setup of our delivery system Up to 24 in-class students 2 computers, one for instructor, one for assistant

Up to 24 in-class students

2 computers, one for instructor, one for assistant

About the setup of our delivery system (cont) 3 streams originating from each classroom Real Video @ 20 kbps Real Audio Only High bandwidth QuickTime @90 kbps

3 streams originating from each classroom

Real Video @ 20 kbps

Real Audio Only

High bandwidth QuickTime @90 kbps

About the setup for our delivery system (cont.) Multiple video (VHS and DVD) and audio formats can be piped into the class

Multiple video (VHS and DVD) and audio formats can be piped into the class

About the setup for our delivery system (cont.) Triple redundancy built in to the process Live Classroom Archive RM file stored on encoder Tape archive of the class kept until the next session

Triple redundancy built in to the process

Live Classroom Archive

RM file stored on encoder

Tape archive of the class kept until the next session

Where did we start? Homegrown System Eliminates the need to log in twice Eliminates anonymity

Homegrown System

Eliminates the need to log in twice

Eliminates anonymity

Where did we start? (Cont) Logs users as guest but uses their name from Campus Edition To those in the room all users appear with first name and last name

Logs users as guest but uses their name from Campus Edition

To those in the room all users appear with first name and last name

Where did we start (cont.) 2 Elements Student script Link to admin area for instructor

2 Elements

Student script

Link to admin area for instructor

Issues With The Old System Forced Guest Access Server is wide open as a result Privacy No real access control and security is an issue

Forced Guest Access

Server is wide open as a result

Privacy

No real access control and security is an issue

Issues With The Old System (Cont) Consent for people not in the class to view archives? Link from each CE course has to be manually edited to point to the correct room

Consent for people not in the class to view archives?

Link from each CE course has to be manually edited to point to the correct room

The Power Link Version 3 Of the Power Link Introduced Spring 2007 5 sections

Version 3 Of the Power Link

Introduced Spring 2007

5 sections

What we like People still login only once but now it’s not anonymous All users coming through Vista get an account created in Live Classroom Security and ACLs can be enforced Access Control List (ACL): Who has access to what

People still login only once but now it’s not anonymous

All users coming through Vista get an account created in Live Classroom

Security and ACLs can be enforced

Access Control List (ACL): Who has access to what

What we like (cont.) We are considering disabling guest access altogether once all our courses are moved over to Vista and the Power Link Most of the administration can be done directly through the Power Link Tidies things up

We are considering disabling guest access altogether once all our courses are moved over to Vista and the Power Link

Most of the administration can be done directly through the Power Link

Tidies things up

What we like (cont.) We can trust our power users to do more without breaking things :-) The integration with Vista is very tight Upload material from my files in Vista to Live Classroom directly

We can trust our power users to do more without breaking things :-)

The integration with Vista is very tight

Upload material from my files in Vista to Live Classroom directly

What we like (cont.) Publish archives directly from Vista User Accounts and Rooms use different IDs than our rooms created manually Easier to identify

Publish archives directly from Vista

User Accounts and Rooms use different IDs than our rooms created manually

Easier to identify

What we want to change User Accounts and Rooms use different IDs than our rooms created manually We can’t choose the ID for the rooms or users This is good but causes problems for our assistants and staff when setting up encoders

User Accounts and Rooms use different IDs than our rooms created manually

We can’t choose the ID for the rooms or users

This is good but causes problems for our assistants and staff when setting up encoders

What we want to change (cont.) The room name is the same as the name of the proxy tool in the Vista section The Room ID is fixed and can not be selected or created manually Naming is difficult and this complicates management

The room name is the same as the name of the proxy tool in the Vista section

The Room ID is fixed and can not be selected or created manually

Naming is difficult and this complicates management

What we want to change (cont.) There is still stuff that needs to be done through the LC administration Setting up the video on the branding frame Any additional access has to be configured through LC Admin

There is still stuff that needs to be done through the LC administration

Setting up the video on the branding frame

Any additional access has to be configured through LC Admin

Issues that affect deployment of the Power Link Level of administrative work having to be done We centralize the creation of all our LC channels for a given semester.

Level of administrative work having to be done

We centralize the creation of all our LC channels for a given semester.

Issues that affect deployment of t he Power link For the Power Link this means adding my Vista admin account to each course adding the Power Link and creating the room We do not want faculty to do it

For the Power Link this means adding my Vista admin account to each course adding the Power Link and creating the room

We do not want faculty to do it

Issues that affect deployment of the Power Link (cont.) Vista accounts solely for HW access Rather than complicating things for our assistant we add an assistant account to all Vista courses Everyone logs in through Vista.

Vista accounts solely for HW access

Rather than complicating things for our assistant we add an assistant account to all Vista courses

Everyone logs in through Vista.

Issues that affect deployment of the Power Link (cont.) Assistant account must be instructor in Vista This introduces a potential risk unless the assistant are trained in Vista Not likely to change, have to rely on our assistants

Assistant account must be instructor in Vista

This introduces a potential risk unless the assistant are trained in Vista

Not likely to change, have to rely on our assistants

What we have learned It can be disconcerting and scary Most of our pilot faculty were worried about how it would change the way they use LC This was not the case

It can be disconcerting and scary

Most of our pilot faculty were worried about how it would change the way they use LC

This was not the case

What we have learned It makes us dependent on Vista for access to channels Even more of priority to have a stable system System had to be rebooted 20 minutes before a Power Link – enabled class started. Scary thought 

It makes us dependent on Vista for access to channels

Even more of priority to have a stable system

System had to be rebooted 20 minutes before a Power Link – enabled class started. Scary thought 

What we have learned (cont.) Additional Training is needed For faculty at least to show them how things are different and how they are the same For staff to know how to assist faculty For administrators to effectively manage the system Look on the admin interface when things are not working

Additional Training is needed

For faculty at least to show them how things are different and how they are the same

For staff to know how to assist faculty

For administrators to effectively manage the system

Look on the admin interface when things are not working

What we have learned (cont.) Some things are not intuitive Prefix for the classes was not shown when the channel was created Had to look in the LC admin interface to get the full channel ID in order to encode video to it

Some things are not intuitive

Prefix for the classes was not shown when the channel was created

Had to look in the LC admin interface to get the full channel ID in order to encode video to it

Where to next Moving all our Fall 2007 classes to use the Power Link Consideration for our Modem Users How far in advance do we need to set everything up? How much does Live Classroom 5.0 changes the way we do things?

Moving all our Fall 2007 classes to use the Power Link

Consideration for our Modem Users

How far in advance do we need to set everything up?

How much does Live Classroom 5.0 changes the way we do things?

Where to next (cont.) Working with HW to improve the Power Link and our internal processes Making product suggestions based on experience Rinse and repeat

Working with HW to improve the Power Link and our internal processes

Making product suggestions based on experience

Rinse and repeat

Credits Staff (Ann, Bill, Buzz and Stephen) Assistants (Jared, Gene and Dylan) Pilot faculty using Power Link (Cris Guenter, Tony Waters, Sally Parker, Steve Kooch and Graham Thurgood)

Staff (Ann, Bill, Buzz and Stephen)

Assistants (Jared, Gene and Dylan)

Pilot faculty using Power Link (Cris Guenter, Tony Waters, Sally Parker, Steve Kooch and Graham Thurgood)

Q & A

Thank you Carlos Araya Information Technology Consultant California State University, Chico [email_address]

Carlos Araya

Information Technology Consultant

California State University, Chico

[email_address]