TNC 2010

Integrating a videoconference

system in a university portal

Gregory DENIS Yves EPELBOINAgnès 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

TNC 2010

University Portal

TNC 2010

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

TNC 2010

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

TNC 2010

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

TNC 2010

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

TNC 2010

Infrastructure&

Servers

TNC 2010

Architecture

Portlet Interface

University’sPortal

User

ESUP PortalUPortal

TNC 2010

EVO-Learning Server

Runs on A unique machine (linux)Components:

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

TNC 2010

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

TNC 2010

EVO InternationalA 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 EPELBOINAgnès PRUVOST

With 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

TNC 2010

Browse the reservations

TNC 2010

Detailed View

TNC 2010

List of Virtual Classes

TNC 2010

Creation of Virtual Class

…with a list of students and an extra moderator

TNC 2010

Creation of Recurrent Virtual Class

…protected by password

TNC 2010

Ongoing classes

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

TNC 2010

Student Version