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About Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional

Connect is a rich Web communication system that lets instructors reach an audience anytime with engaging multimedia content. Currently, two of its system components, Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional and Adobe Presenter, are available for use at Purdue University. Because Connect is deployed using Adobe Flash Player, already installed on more than 98% of browsers, audiences can join Connect online meetings, courses, and presentations instantly. Connect can be used for distance learning, professional development, and collaboration.

Using Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro 7
Using Adobe Presenter 7

Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional
Adobe Connect is used for real-time meetings and seminars enriched with interactive presentations and discussion capabilities. It combines existing learning content with real-time interactivity between presenters and students for engaging collaborative teaching and learning experiences. Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional presenters can use PowerPoint slides, live and recorded video, Flash animations, live screen-sharing, audio, and two-way text chat to deliver more effective presentations.

Adobe Presenter
Adobe Presenter is a plug-in that integrates with Microsoft PowerPoint and simplifies the creation and sharing of narrated, self-paced, media-rich presentations. With Adobe Presenter, Purdue faculty and staff can create dynamic presentations and training courses, complete with a narrated voice-over, directly from within PowerPoint. It’s easy to incorporate video, animations and even software simulations. Adobe Presenter also allows instructors to create Flash-based learning objects, including narration and assessments, using PowerPoint. Adobe Presentations can be imported into Blackboard Vista and integrated with the gradebook.

How will it enhance learning in my classroom?

Adobe Connect can be used to deliver lectures at a distance. Instructors who are out-of-town can deliver a class online when needed. If they teach in a computer equipped classroom, they can also bring in guest speakers to talk to their students, using a headset/microphone and a web cam. Some instructors use these live meeting sessions as virtual office hours to answer students’ questions. All Connect sessions can be recorded easily and instructors can make the links available to those students who weren’t able to attend the session. With the newest release, Connect also offers breakout rooms, the editing and downloading of recordings, and additional options for managing access and entry.

Adobe Presenter allows instructors to develop tutorials or create narrated lectures using Powerpoint. They can incorporate interactivity by adding quiz questions throughout the presentation. They can also incorporate video (screen captures, simulations, or other video demonstrations) within the presentation as long as this video is in Flash format. Adobe Presentations that include quizzes in them can be used with Blackboard, which allows instructors to load this as SCORM objects. Blackboard will actually keep track of the student scores within the gradebook. Presentations that don’t include quizzes can simply be placed in Blackboard as Content Files, or students can access them through a URL on the Adobe Server.

Case Study: How Adobe Connect is being used at Purdue University.

Where is it available?

All faculty and staff have a Connect account and can request a "host" meeting role. A host can set up meetings, invite guests, manage content, and assign other roles to meeting attendees. To request the host role, you must be faculty or staff and have a valid career account login and password.

Contact

If you have questions or problems using the Adobe Connect software, you should first consult the Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional online documentation web site. If you are still unable to resolve the problem, please direct your questions to your local campus helpdesk. West Lafayette faculty and staff should contact the ITaP Customer Service Center at 494-4000 or by sending email to itap@purdue.edu.