|
|
CollabWorx Virtual Classroom
is a complete software solution enabling interactive, real-time delivery
of corporate training or academic classes over the network. The process
involves an instructor and support personnel at one geographical location
and a group of students at remote locations. Both parties (instructor(s)
and students) use desktop computers as the only communication device. The
notion of "remote" encompasses distances from "across the
hallway" to "across the continent."
 Virtual
Classroom is an application of the patent-protected CollabWorx
Platform (CWP), a groundbreaking, event-sharing collaboration technology
created by CollabWorx. The CWP VC is hence compatible and interoperable
with all other solutions based on the CWP platform. How does CWP VC compares
to other interactive distance learning products? See this feature-by-feature
comparison
table.
CWP Virtual Classroom is used to implement interactive, synchronous
distance learning process. Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) should
not be confused with the popular approaches to "distance learning"
based on publication of the courseware on a web server and providing students
with access to the site. This process is known as "asynchronous"
distance learning, and it is Web-age extension of the centuries-old methodology
of sending students to the library. In contrast, CWP VC provides an experience
equivalent to participation in a live class, with all the opportunities
to interact with the teaching personnel.
CWP Virtual Classroom is seamlessly integrated with the asynchronous
courseware repositories. The system uses such repositories in the
process of synchronous delivery, and it also provides mechanisms to capture,
store, index, and publish records of the interactive classes for later
asynchronous use. However, the focus of the TI VC is interactive synchronous
distance learning (ISDL).
System architecture:
- Event-sharing distributed collaboration platform
- Distributed, fault-tolerant system state machine
- Separation between event and data distribution channels ensuring high
scalability and capability to adapt network topology to the backbone
performance
- Client software completely integrated with Web browser for universal
data access using standard Web client-server infrastructure
- Support for SOCKS4 proxies to securely traverse corporate firewalls
- Support for distributed array of courseware/data servers, including
support for access to local replicated repositories such as CD-ROMs,
with corresponding URL mapping capability.
Class servers:
- Platform-neutral, high-performance robust Java server, scalable to
hundreds of class participants
- Centralized administration of server clusters and class-to-server
mapping
- License and security management tools
- Usage logging for troubleshooting and billing
- Authentication and admission policies
- Integrated gateway to user databases with support for RDBMSes, XML-based
files on HTTP servers, and local files
- User database administration tools supporting extensible set of attributes
- Support for firewalls
- Mail gateway and listserv support
- Server location independent on the location of courseware servers
Client software:
- Seamless integration with web browsers
- Built in interfaces to application modules in several programming
languages
- Clients are extensible and configurable to enable branding and flexibility
- Configurable system startup setup with predefined sessions, flexible
layout, and role-dependent functionality
- Multi-session support enables out-of-band support and private channels
- "Look over your shoulder" seamlessly integrated for easy
troubleshooting and support
- Sophisticated, application-dependent floor control and session admission
policy
- Both Session Manger and applications support independent data views
enabling user role and network adaptivity
Basic application set:
- A selection of chat tools for different audiences. CWP VC chats support
utilities such as copy and paste, session archiving, configurable sets
of canned, application-specific text and audio messages, time-stamping
etc., in addition to the usual complement of chat features. For K-12
audience we provide avatar-based chats.
- A selection of whiteboards, from a simple quick draw to an advanced
layered whiteboard with import/export and data save capabilities
- Application sharing is supported via integrated PC-specific MS NetMeeting,
and multi-platform Virtual Network Computer
Teaching process support
- Student feedback tool with question and help request support and with
real-time class reception feedback enabling the instructor to adjust
instruction style, tempo, and difficulty level.
- "Over your shoulder" capability to follow students' activities
- On-the-fly and database-connected quiz builder enabling real-time
pop quizzes checking student comprehension level
- Support for both private and public Q&A
- Teacher-controlled student access to audio/video channel
- Out-of-band channels for teaching assistants and support personnel
- Dynamic out-of-band channels for communication between students
Multimedia support:
- Fully integrated, software only, multi-platform, multi-codec IP audio/video
conferencing agent. The agent supports UDP and (optional) multicast,
and it uses RTP and RTCP for data transport.
- Complete support for streaming shared media. The system provides Java
playback tools for both canned audio and video using standard codecs
and it also supports shared Real Audio and Real Video
- Shared interactive 3D VRML2 applications are supported via special
set of APIs. Current system provides demonstration modules.
- Integrated multimedia class recording and publishing system
Contents sharing:
- Shared browser application enables automatic sharing and link following
of arbitrary Web contents, including pages using DHTML/CSS, Java applets,
and ActiveX objects
- Several whiteboard with various sets of features
- Application sharing via both NetMeeting and VNC, seamlessly integrated
- Special shared JavaScript browser supports finely-tuned control shared
DOM, as well as sharing forms and form-based science workbenches
- Active Shared Objects technology enables automatic interactive sharing
of applets embedded in web pages
- Java CWP API is encapsulated in an object enabling graphical authoring
environment
Courseware repository integration:
- All CWP VC shared browsers are integrated with our courseware management
solution. This system supports customizable templates that define courseware
presentation layer look-and-feel. Tools are provided for shared retrieval
of the multimedia educational objects
Synchronous - asynchronous integration:
- Support for session contents storage and forwarding to external e-mail
gateways
- Support for communities via session contents forwarding to community
listservs
- Class recording support, including audio, video, and courseware material
recording and automatic indexing
- Automated publishing of recorded classes
|
 |
