University of Southern Maine

Online Classrooms - Elluminate at USM

Elluminate is an online meeting space where students, faculty and staff can share voice, chat, desktop applications and the Elluminate whiteboard live via the internet. It is funded by USM's Center for Technology Enhanced Learning (CTEL) and is used for online classes, meetings and seminars.

Elluminate Users need a reasonably up-to-date computer with an internet connection, speakers and a microphone (or headset) to participate in an Elluminate session. There is no charge to connect to an Elluminate session.

Learning to Use Elluminate

Using various buttons and menu commands, the session Moderator (faculty member, team-leader, facilitator, teacher) controls the session. Elluminate, Inc. provides excellent, live, online training for Moderators. These training sessions are regularly scheduled and you can attend these for no charge. Go to elluminate.com and click on Training to access training sessions and documentation. You will need to have either a headset with microphone or speakers and a microphone on your computer.

Using Elluminate at USM

You must schedule Elluminate as if it were a classroom with a 25-seat limit. To schedule a session, contact the USM HelpDesk at 780-4029 or helpdesk@usm.maine.edu. Please allow for 72 hours notice so your session(s) can be scheduled on time. Once the session is scheduled, the Moderator will receive a web address to connect to the session(s). The email will include instructions for your students to connect to the session(s), and a web address where they can test their computer system and configure the audio to connect to Elluminate sessions.

Necessary Computer Equipment

Each user must have a reasonably up-to-date computer with an internet connection. Elluminate works with internet connection speeds ranging from Dial-up (28.8) through High-speed connections such as Cable or DSL. Each computer must be equipped with speakers and microphone or headset with microphone. Inexpensive headsets can be purchased through the Campus Computer Store at USM. Contact the Campus Computer Store through the HelpDesk at 780-4029.

When connecting to a session, Elluminate will download the necessary Java files to each computer. This can take a few minutes for the first-time connection.

Getting Help

The USM HelpDesk is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM for assistance. There are also a variety of excellent, after-hours options for help directly from Elluminate. Visit elluminate.com for those options.

V-Room (Three for Free)

Three for Free Web Conferencing is an excellent free tool available to anyone who desires it. Many of our faculty use their v-rooms for virtual office hours. This room is a scaled down version of Elluminate where up to 3 people can meet with Voice over Internet, video,white board and application sharing. To get your v-room, go to http://elluminate.com/vroom/register.go. Your v-room is a great place to practice your Elluminate presentation skills.

Fix for Launching Elluminate Sessions and Recordings for Users on Mac OS 10.5.7

The latest update from Apple, Java SE 6 Update 4, modified the association between JNLP files and Java Web Start, which could affect the launching of your Elluminate Live! session. For example, you may find your session opening with Elluminate Publish! or that the usual JNLP icon on your desktop is blank and the program to start can’t be found.

Please follow the steps below to determine if your system is affected and how to resolve this.

Open any Elluminate Live! session available to you, such as your free vRoom or the Elluminate configuration room.

If the JNLP file opens in anything other than an Elluminate Live! session:

1. Save the file to your desktop with a jnlp file extension, e.g. Meeting.jnlp
2. Right click or Control click on the JNLP file and select Open With -> Other
3. In the “Choose Application” window, browse to /System/Library/CoreServices/Java Web Start.app
4. Check the box for “Always Open With” and then click the “Open” button.

If you have any questions, please contact Elluminate Technical Support.