The University is joining the ranks of corporations, government agencies and academic institutions that are utilizing the conferencing superpowers of Adobe Connect.
Recently made available to current students, faculty and staff, Connect allows users to collaborate on projects, conduct meetings and even teach classes over the Internet.
Kevin Duffy, digital imaging coordinator for photographic services in the ITS department and Adobe Connect project manager, said the software should reach 100 percent functionality by this fall.
“Compared to other similar resources and software tools out there, it reigns supreme,” Duffy said. “Pilot groups are already teaching classes online using Connect.”
Students can request a virtual meeting room — a URL brings users to the conferencing site — through the GROK Knowledge Base.
Modular pods control chat, video, audio, document sharing, notes and attendance functions.
Duffy said meeting rooms are geared toward educational purposes and requests are limited to academic projects associated with classes and student organizations.
“We’ve had a pretty decent amount of activity so far, with someone using it every day,” Duffy said. “We’ve been granting access manually through [lsu.edu/connect], which brings you to a portal in GROK. From there, when you request an account it automatically sets up a help desk ticket for administrators who can grant you access.”
Faculty and staff will be given host rights, for which they will have to re-apply each semester. Students must request access, and if approved, the meeting room will be available for two weeks. However, under special circumstances, permission can be given for an extended time period.
Sheri Thompson, IT planning and communications officer, said she has used Connect to meet with people across the nation.
“You can have a meeting across multiple spaces and times without having to meet in person,” Thompson said. “People can look at it and see a snapshot of what’s going on.”
Duffy said Connect can be used for small private meetings or as a large webcast.
“The only two absolute requirements are a computer and Internet connection,” he said. “People can meet with no loading or sign-up and nothing to download. You could even use it to meet across seas.”
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Contact Morgan Searles at [email protected]
ITS offers Adobe Connect meetings
April 11, 2011