Center for Online Learning
Wimba Classroom - Features and Benefits
Features
Video and audio - Add a headset and webcam and you can now engage students just like you are there. Wimba Classroom can also be used with a landline phone so that traveling participants can dial-in without a computer.
Fully-featured chat - All the features you'd expect, including private chatting. You can also view a full attendance roster, see who is talking, and even have decorum like handraising.
Flexible content area - You can import powerpoint slides, word documents, excel documents, PDFs, movie clips, webpages, images, and more to present to your students. The slide manager allows you to easily flip to any content you like with a simple mouse click.
Application sharing - This allows you to show the students your screen, just as if they were in class watching you do it. You can even pass control over to a student to allow them to control the application...even if they don't have the application installed on their computer.
Electronic whiteboard, polls, and surveys - You can draw or allow your students to draw on the whiteboard, and you can give surveys and polls during the lecture to keep them engaged. Publish the results to the class to add additional feedback!
Archivable presentations - Increase retention by archiving all classroom presentations for later viewing. Even if a student misses a lecture they can go back and watch it online.
Directly plugged into WebCT Vista - That's right. Wimba Classroom can work just like another tool built right inside of Vista. It's like having an online classroom built right in!
Benefits
Enhance online courses with interaction - Interaction with the instructor continues to be a key to effective learning, even in online classes. With Wimba Classroom, the interaction is still present, even if your students are displaced around the world.
Supplant videoconferencing - With Wimba Classroom's presentation and video capabilities you can create a seemless learning environment without having students drive to remote centers and classrooms on campus.
Ensure comprehension - With polling and survey tools built in, you can lecture and teach and gain immediate feedback into your students comprehension and retention.
Create a sense of community - Students can login after hours meet with their study groups, collaborate on projects, or even to just "hang out".
Anytime access - There is no door and lock in a Wimba Classroom. You can meet when it is convenient for you and your students, and lecture from anywhere with an Internet connection.