Echo360 Updates Student Interface to Drive Engagement

Echo360 yesterday updated its video and engagement platform to enhance the user experience for nearly 3 million students worldwide using the platform.

Contextual notes are linked to class presentations and videos, so students can jump from their words to those of the instructor. Image Credit: Echo360.

For starters, the platform's user interface has been completely redesigned, based on student and instructor feedback. It still features its key collaboration tools, which help promote active learning. But with the new design update, students can more easily engage with video-based course content to:

  • Ask a question;
  • Participate in a class discussion;
  • Take contextual notes;
  • Flag confusing content; and
  • Inform the instructor that they are struggling with the click of a button.

In addition, students and instructors can now arrange media streams in a side-by-side view, so that they can watch class lectures or review a presentation while simultaneously taking notes. They can also arrange content to emphasize what is most important to their learning.

Echo360 gives flexibility to students with busy schedules who cannot attend class due to outside commitments and responsibilities. Two-thirds of students attending Indian River State College (IRSC) in Florida, for example, work while enrolled in school and the platform allows these students to have 24/7 access to course content. They can even use the platform on their phone, as the mobile version allows students to view a presentation, respond to polls, ask questions and participate in class discussions with their peers.

IRSC Vice President of Institutional Technology and Chief Information Officer Paul O'Brien said in a statement, "Students are telling us they've changed courses because they wanted to take the class with an instructor who was using Echo360 to incorporate video into learning and facilitate interaction with faculty, peers and content."

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • digital network with glowing blue and red lines, featuring multiple red arrows shifting in different directions

    Report: Attackers Change Tactics as Ransomware Payoffs Decline

    Attackers are changing tactics as they collect less money from ransomware payoffs, according to a new report from Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics firm.

  • SXSW EDU

    Explore the Future of AI in Higher Ed at SXSW EDU 2025

    This March 3-6 in Austin, TX, the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival celebrates its 15th year of exploring education's most critical issues and providing a forum for creativity, innovation, and expression.

  • business leader standing confidently amid interconnected gears

    Leading Through Complexity: How Online Leaders Can Drive Digital Institutional Transformation

    Leaders charged with developing and expanding online programs at their institutions are finding themselves in increasingly complex roles, but there are a few core steps institutional leaders can take to ensure success.