Wimba Classroom
Wimba Classroom is a tool that allows faculty to create a live online classroom. Just like Blackboard, it is jointly supported by Information Technology Services and The Reinert Center for Teaching Excellence.

While Blackboard provides an asynchronous online classroom, everything in Wimba happens in a live real time environment. This requires that the students and professor/presenter be online together at a designated time.

Wimba features include:

• Present Power Point while giving a live audio presentation
• Share software and computer Applications
• Connect to students through video
• Chat
• Break students into small groups
• Record sessions for repeated use

Wimba Classroom can be accessed via SLU’s Blackboard CE Course Management System (CMS). This integration provides an easy method to create and add a Wimba session to a Blackboard class that automatically sets the instructor up as the presenter and the students as participants.

Last updated 07.22.09

Getting Started
At this time the Reinert CTE is offering one-on-one training and support for Wimba Classroom. We'd also be happy to come speak to our small group or department about the product. Contact Sandy Gambill at 977-7202 for more information.

Ways to Use Wimba Classroom

Live lectures online

Presentations by guest speakers who are difficult to schedule

Office hours for online courses

Student presentations

Small group work space for activities such as online case studies

Resources
The ITS Wimba page

Wimba Classroom company web site. Their product demos are very good starting point. Remember Wimba Classroom is the only product SLU available at SLU at this time.

Research and Pedagogy
E-Conferencing for Instruction: What Works?

Learning in Real Time (Book available at the Reinert CTE for preview.)