TNC 2010

Integrating a videoconference

system in a university portal

Gregory DENIS Yves EPELBOIN

Agnès PRUVOST

TNC 2010

Common Project EVO / UPMC

TNC 2010

Goals

• Integrate a distance learning system called EVO-Learning into universities environment.

• Provide a user-friendly and intuitive web interface in the university portal to manage the virtual class rooms.

• Use the portal authentication system to identify the participant into EVO-Learning

• Forward the user information from the portal to the distance learning system.

TNC 2010

INTEGRATION

• The Evo-Learning portlet is compatible with ESUP Portal which is a derived version of U-Portal.

• Authentication via Portal in CAS.A Shibboleth version will come

• User information retrieved via local LDAP

TNC 2010

Advantages

• Avoid management of the user registration.

• Manage, Control of the lawful users

• No additional Authentication required to join a virtual class.

• The web interface module (portlet) will become open source soon

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University Portal

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Specific Features

New EVO meeting type:

Class Room

2 specific user types:

Professor and student

For each user type:– Different Abilities– Different Graphical User Interfaces

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Professor (1)

from the Portal

• Create a class room reservation and attach some students to it

• Modify, Duplicate, Cancel a class room• Add a moderator to the class room• Protect a class room via a password• Join any ongoing class room

TNC 2010

Professor (2)

• Send / receive: audio / video• Broadcast the desktop• Send files to students• Allow a student to speak via a dedicated

“Raising Hand” widget• Ban a student from the class room• Extend the class room duration

in the class room (virtual)

TNC 2010

Student (1)

from the Portal

• Ongoing Class rooms (can be joined)– Public classes (with no list of attendees)– Classes in which he/she is attached to

(previously by the professor)• Calendar

– List of all the class rooms that he/she will be able to join per month

– Calendar view (cells) of the class per month

TNC 2010

Student (2)

• Receive: audio / video• Receive professor desktop• Access to files• Interactive Chat• Can raise hand, when request is accepted:

– Send audio, video, desktop to the class room– Send file to the professor

In the class room (virtual)

TNC 2010

Real Time Distance Learning

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Evo-Learning

• System to provide a real time distance learning platform

• Real Time media : Text, Audio, Video, Desktop, Whiteboard, Files, Recordings.

• The system is based on the EVO technologies

• It is adapted to the constraints linked to learning scenarios : Professor / Students

TNC 2010

Digital Raising Hand

TNC 2010

Digital Raising Hand

Students

Professor

A simple interface to require to speak

A simple widget to moderate a class

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Request to Speak

Students

Widget for the Professor

The student can cancel his/her request at any time via a click on the same button

TNC 2010

Allow / Deny Request

Professor

Refuse

AcceptBlock any Raising Hand

A powerful widget to manage the requests

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Infrastructure&

Servers

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Architecture

Portlet Interface

University’sPortal

User

ESUP PortalUPortal

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EVO-Learning Server

Runs on A unique machine (linux)

Components:–Database Server–EVO Media Router–EVO Internal Web Server–EVO Files Server

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EVO-Learning Interface

Component that exchanges information between the Portlet and the EVO server

Provides Java Interface to:–Manage reservations of class room

–Join with automatic authentication–Manage attached students to class

–Manage attached moderators to class

TNC 2010

A shared System

• Up to 5 universities can use a unique EVO-Learning server.

• Each university has to set the dedicated Portlet to access the service.

• 1 media router (or more) can be added to the infrastructure to handle more real time traffic

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EVO International

A dedicated Portlet has been developed and put in place to access the international EVO service (http://evo.caltech.edu)

TNC 2010TutoJRES 08

Gregory DENIS Yves EPELBOIN

Agnès PRUVOSTWith a grant from the city of Paris to the universities Paris 2 and UPMC-Paris 6 through UNR Paris IdF

TNC 2010

Demonstration

TNC 2010

Extra Capturesof the Portal

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Browse the reservations

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Detailed View

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List of Virtual Classes

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Creation of Virtual Class

…with a list of students and an extra moderator

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Creation of Recurrent Virtual Class

…protected by password

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Ongoing classes

A single click on the “Arrow – Target” button will start the application to join the selected virtual class.

TNC 2010

Student Version