Echo360 Updates App for Improved Accessibility, Offline Access
Echo360 has updated its mobile app to make it easier on batteries and data plans, to improve accessibility and to make it easier for students to listen to course content as they move around.
A new interactive Q&A feature allows users to discuss topics and ask and answer questions with their peers as they view content. The new feature also allows instructors to participate in a move designed to extend classroom discussion beyond the classroom.
The company has also added closed captioning to the app to make videos more accessible to student with hearing impairments or to allow other users to view videos in class or other quiet environments without disturbing those around them.
A background mode was added in response to a common student suggestion. This new feature allows users to listen to lecture audio while their screens are locked, allowing them to review material as they engage in chores or errands or simply to conserve battery life.
Secure offline viewing rounds out the new features, allowing students to download encrypted copies of video over an internet connection for later viewing, whether they have access to the internet or not while also barring them from sharing content with unauthorized viewers.
"With the proliferation of mobile, colleges and universities have an exciting opportunity to create mobile-friendly learning experiences that can serve students, regardless of device or location," said Bill Holding, executive vice president of product at Echo360, in a prepared statement. "Both working adults and our newest generation of college students expect to have their course content at their fingertips. These new features are designed to help institutions better support students who increasingly depend on their smartphone to succeed."
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Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].