CourseConnex™ is a web-based education collaboration tool that extends effective communication between instructors and students outside the boundaries of a classroom's walls. Students, professors, and administrators gain a means for interaction outside of the normal educational setting, and at their own convenience via the CourseConnex™ technology.
Benefits
All levels of the educational system benefit from the extensive communication capabilities of CourseConnex™. Students become connected with their courses and with fellow students outside the classroom, supporting both independent and collaborative learning styles. Instructors are able to electronically change and update course content and students' grades throughout the progression of a course, allowing students to see changes as they are made, thereby increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the instructors' efforts. Administrators are provided with an easy-to-use interface for creating courses and users. equiLearn handles all necessary server administration and maintenance tasks, greatly reducing administrative overhead, and allowing educational institutions to concentrate on their core competency: teaching.
Customization
Each of our customers selects a CourseConnex™ package that meets their specific needs. The product is delivered in a modular format, allowing our customers to easily create a system that meets all of their needs, with no extra fluff to create confusion. We also custom develop modules for our customers, allowing them to receive additional features if we do not already offer something that they need.
Support
To ensure that our customers are always up and running, our support services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We stay awake so you don't have to.
Modules
We have a stock of modules that are currently available, and can work with you to develop a module customized specifically for your institution if we do not already offer something that meets all technical needs.
Feature List
Our product is delivered in a very modularized format, allowing each of our customers to choose just those features and benefits that they want from our software. We have a "stock" of modules that are currently available, and can work with you to develop a module customized for your institution if we do not already offer something that meets all of your needs.
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Course Materials:
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Instructors can introduce students to what will be taught during the course by posting:
- Syllabus
- Handouts
- Past homework assignments
- Projects that were completed by previous students
This is a key section for students to find out what the course has to offer them prior to or after signing up.
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Course Lectures:
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Course lectures are one of the most popular modules.
This module allows the instructor to post:
- Entire lectures
- Lecture notes
- Presentation slides in a format that all students can access
This provides an essential supplement to classroom-based discussions, providing a record that students can look back on if they missed something during class. It is also a necessary tool for those courses taught entirely over the Web, serving as the main content delivery method to students.
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Discussion Forums:
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Students and instructors can interact on a regular basis within the discussion module.
The module allows any member of the class to post:
- Questions
- Comments
- Observations
The postings are archived so students can look back at previous discussions to gain additional insight into problems that their peers have already experienced. Student-instructor interaction is extended from a few hours a week in the classroom to a 24/7, fully archived media.
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Grade Book:
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The Grades module allows instructors to post their assessment of their students' work in a private forum.
The module can take input automatically from the Testing Center module, or manual input from an instructor. The system offers the flexibility of:
- Letter grades
- Numeric grades
- Hand-written assessments
Instructors can choose to allow their students to view aggregate data to compare their performance to their peers. This feature encourages students who are falling behind to put in more effort.
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Testing Center:
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The Quizzes and Tests module can handle all of the assessment needs for a class.
The module can be used for:
- Short quizzes to prepare for class
- Quizzes or tests to provide periodic assessment of progress
- Fully-electronic test taking
For multiple choice and other forms of "single answer" questions, the tests can be auto-graded, providing immediate feedback to the student on their progress. This serves as a great review mechanism for students.
For more complex questions, such as short or extended answer (essay) questions, instructors can grade their students' work online, and provide their assessment of each student's performance as soon as it is available.
This module automatically connects to the Grades module, posting any quiz or test grades on each student's grade sheet.
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Assignment Dropbox:
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This module allows for assignments to be handed out and/or submitted online.
It provides the instructor the ability to post instructions for an assignment, and upon completing the assignment, each student can submit their completed work online.
Everything from word processing documents to computer code can be submitted through the simple form, making it immediately available for assessment by the instructor.
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Chat System:
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The Chat module allows members of a class to communicate in real time through a text-based chat system. Any users that are currently logged in can enter the course-specific chat room and communicate with each other, asking questions and getting answers. Real-time interactivity helps to create a community among students.
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Student Roster:
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The Student Roster allows the instructor to post information about the members of their class, and allows students to post information about themselves.
Some examples of frequently posted information are:
- Names
- Pictures
- E-mail addresses
- Phone numbers
The information helps students to learn each others' names and encourages interaction between classmates.
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Instant Notification:
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The "IN" module allows students or professors to pop up a message on the computer screen of another logged on student, allowing students or instructors to get someone's attention to have them join a chat session, or to answer any quick questions that they might have.
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Who's Online:
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The Who's Online feature interacts with both Instant Messaging and Chat, allowing students and instructors to see who else is currently using the online course. After finding out who is available, a user can send an Instant Message or a chat invitation to their peers.
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360° Evaluation
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The 360° Evaluation module provides a means for students and instructors to evaluate each other and the course. This model of feedback is becoming increasingly popular in both the business and education arenas, providing a great value through its versatility. The feedback collected is anonymous, allowing each person who is evaluated to receive all pertinent feedback. Feedback about the course is delivered to the instructor, providing valuable information to help improve the course in the future.
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