Trying to communicate with someone at a distance and wanting to include both audio and video? There are a wide array of options available for UW-Eau Claire staff and students. The following options are recommended and supported by LTS. You are strongly encouraged to seek the support and advice of LTS for video communication needs you are not familiar with.
To avoid audio echo, it is recommended one of the participants use headphones or a headset. A microphone is required for audio and a webcam for video. Most webcams also include a microphone. These recommended solutions are available for Windows and Mac. There are some feature limitations to the Mac version for Skype. All options have minimum hardware and operating system requirements.
With 48 hours notice, a request can be submitted to the LTS Help Desk to have a webcam installed at the teaching station of a classroom or lab. Note that the microphone of the webcam may not be sufficient enough to pickup the audio from the whole room. It may also be difficult to see the participants. The larger the room the more problematic this becomes.
LTS Video Services has two distance education classrooms, one that can seat up to 35 participants, and a dual purpose room for up to 20 students in a classroom setting or 2-8 people around a table. These rooms are setup for standards based video conferencing, audio conferencing, and can also be integrated with Lync or Skype. An office is also available for 1-2 people to do video conferences. LTS Video also has a portable video conferencing system. Besides LTS resources, there are several other video conferencing capable locations on campus that may be available that LTS Video can help coordinate the use of. Contact LTS Video at (715) 836-5088 or video@uwec.edu.
| Communication Option | Description | Type and Number of Participants | When to Use | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Microsoft Lync |
Allows for instant messaging, file transfer, video and audio calls, desktop sharing, and web conferences. The Lync client is installed on all Windows and Mac UW-Eau Claire computers and has a free attendee client available for non-UW-Eau Claire Windows users (attendee client is not available for Mac.) UW-Eau Claire users can download the full client to their personal Mac or Windows PC. |
Faculty, staff and students Up to 250 participants |
When you want to easily connect with others on the UW-Eau Claire campus. Other UW institutions (UWSP) and organizations around the world also use Lync and their contacts can also be added by using their email address if they allow "open federation." |
Online Help and links for student or staff downloads |
| Collaborate or Online Rooms within D2L (formerly Elluminate) | Blackboard acquired Wimba and Elluminate and merged them into a single product now called Blackboard Collaborate. In D2L, the tool is called Online Rooms in the course navigation bar. Moderators and participants entering online rooms will see the Bb Collaborate name and logo as the software opens. | Faculty, (large group of students as participants) | When you have a D2L class set up and wish to connect to some or all of the students in that class. |
LTS D2L support (Roxie Muldoon or Gene Leisz) weekdays or the Help Desk; also Collaborate online documentation |
| Skype | Acquired by Microsoft in 2011, Skype allows for voice, video, desktop sharing, instant messaging, and file transfer. Additional features can be paid for. Skype is available on all classroom teaching stations, lab teaching station computers, and library group stations. Skype is also available for installation on UW-Eau Claire computers through Run Advertised Programs (Windows) or Self Service (Mac) for those who do not have administrative rights on the computer they use. | Faculty, staff and students (Requires the creation of a Skype account.)Person-to-person video (Free), group voice (Free), 3-5 video participants as a pay for service. | Skype is very widely used. Use Skype when you want to easily connect to another individual (rather than a group). | Skype.com |
| Cisco Movi | Movi is a desktop software that is used to connect to traditional standards based video conferencing systems typically found in distance education classrooms and conference rooms. Movi allows a single participant to join a video conference conveniently from their office computer. Movi users can also video conference with each other. Screen (content) sharing is available. Movi is also available for installation through Run Advertised Programs (Windows) or Self Service (Mac) for those who do not have administrative rights on the computer they use. | Faculty, staff, and students (must request their username be enabled for Movi) | Use Movi when the previous options are not allowed or when the site you are working with has standards based video conferencing systems (Polycom, Cisco/Tandberg, LifeSize, etc.). Most rooms setup for groups of people have video conferencing equipment installed since personal solutions like Lync or Skype are not best suited. The Movi client itself can only handle a call from one site. Movi can participate in multipoint calls being hosted on a bridge (MCU). UW-Eau Claire currently does not have a bridge, but bridging services are available from UW-Eau Claire's ICS for a fee. | LTS Distance Education staff |
