Communication & Collaboration

Extend the classroom, stimulate student engagement, active learning and interaction with the most comprehensive assortment of integrated communication and collaboration tools available. ANGEL’s signature ease of use encourages faculty to embrace these exciting methods to support learning without the hassle of separate log-ins and unfamiliar navigation.

• Email
• Discussion Forums
• Podcasting
• Wikis
• Blogs
• ANGEL LIVE Synchronous Tools – Virtual Office Hours, Desktop Sharing, Whiteboard, Chat and Instant Messaging

Email

Secure ANGEL Course Mail is a powerful, full-featured communication system. It handles folders, multiple attachments, blind carbon copies (BCC), HTML formatted messages and links for speed. Course Mail flexibility enables customization to address institution-specific email strategies.

• Course Mail does not require an internet email account, but all mail can be forwarded to an internet email account.
• Administrators can send mail to the entire learning community.
• Administrators can configure Course Mail so mail can be sent to anyone in the learning community from within any course, even if the mail recipient is not in that course.
• A consolidated mailbox includes all mail in one box, no matter what course the mail is viewed from.
• Instructors can personalize email signatures for each course they teach.
• Powerful tools are available to manage unacceptable behavior, e.g., cyber bullying, with fine levels of control.

Discussion Forums

ANGEL’s Discussion Forums make it easy to create an online environment that fosters enthusiastic student participation and provide instructors with a host of time saving features. Common pedagogical models for using discussions in the classroom are built in and multiple view modes and search filters make it easy to find and act on discussion posts. A host of discussion settings allow instructors to configure the discussions in their courses to meet their specific educational requirements and personal preferences.

ANGEL’s unique grading rubrics allow the system to evaluate student behavior according to instructor established rules, making it much easier for instructors to evaluate student activity within a discussion. All of the statistics are driven to a single page for review where the scores derived from the rubric can be posted to the Gradebook with a single click.

Podcasting

Nowhere is podcasting – or syndication – as simple as it is in ANGEL. Instructors broadcast audio or video files, links or content items by simply placing the item in a course syndication folder.

Students download music and video files to iPods or other MP3 players with a click. Files can also be played in a standard browser – no MP3 player required. Text items are syndicated to RSS-enabled browsers or readers.

Wikis

The collaboration wikis enable make them especially valuable for active peer-to-peer learning and student interaction. ANGEL Wikis:

• Are easy for any user to format and edit.
• Support threaded discussions.
• Can be graded like any lesson item.
• Simplify administration with a timeline of changes, complete table of contents and list of content tags.

Blogs

Blogging as a classroom application is being recognized for allowing enhanced comprehension and communication among students as well as for promoting active learning and building deeper understanding. ANGEL Blogs include a timeline of posts, a complete table of contents and a list of content tags in the blog.

ANGEL LIVE Synchronous Tools

Synchronous technology enhances students’ online learning experience by providing a real-time learning environment. Offering the benefits of convenience, personalized attention, and greater collaboration, ANGEL LIVE Synchronous Tools add a valuable new learning dimension that goes beyond that of other online tools.

Virtual Office Hours, an ANGEL First

Student Queue Manager shows your place in line.

Holding virtual office hours with standard LMS “chat” features can be limiting. ANGEL is the first LMS to include a feature that models the real-world office hour scenario. Our Virtual Office includes scheduling capabilities and a queue manager to control student access. Students stay in a visual waiting room until their appointment time, with options to sound an alert and to bring the Virtual Office screen to the forefront to notify them that the instructor is ready. Productivity doesn’t suffer while waiting in line – students can work in other applications until their appointment time, and instructors can invite more than one student into a virtual office meeting limiting the need to address the same topic in numerous private discussions.

Desktop Sharing

Demonstrate and share any desktop application, such as Microsoft® Suite products or tutorial software provided by textbook publishers. Interact with individuals, groups or teams. Desktop Sharing is a great way to work on projects together. View online users and participate in private conversations as applications are shared. Desktop Sharing facilitates hands-on teaching and learning anytime, anywhere

Whiteboard

Add another dimension to your classroom with ANGEL’s Whiteboard. Augment communication and creativity, illustrate and share imagery and complex concepts with students, teams or the learning community.

Controlled Chat & Instant Messenger

Communicate online in real time. Participating in peer-to-peer chat reinforces concepts and builds community. It also frequently reduces questions and email to instructors. Use the “Who's Online” nugget to show who's in your course chat rooms.

VALUE: ANGEL's array of built-in communication and collaboration technologies require no additional investment.