Sclipo – Web Learning Application or eLearning for the Rest-Of-Us (part 2)

In part 1 of this post, I explained that Sclipo is a Web Learning Application, a new eLearning software category for “rest-of-us”: independent teachers, and small companies and schools in continuous education for which a traditional Learning Management System is too complex and costly.

In this part 2, I describe the learning applications that Sclipo provides through its Web Academy, which is the eLearning space teachers, schools, companies and anybody who enjoys teaching can open on Sclipo.

With your Web Academy you can:
* Teach & manage face-2-face, online and blended Courses
* Store & share content in your Library in any format: videos, documents, audio, images
* Teach Live classes and webinars via webcam, whiteboard, desktop sharing and more cool live interaction tools
* Organize offline Events and collaborate in online Groups with your students and fellow teachers
* Promote your Academy and its services across the web, such as Facebook or Twitter
* Collect payments for courses and live sessions (no commission for Sclipo)
* Invite & manage an unlimited number of Students
* Authorize multiple Teachers to teach courses and live sessions of your Academy
* Customize your Academy name, URL and look & feel

Here more detail:

Courses
This application allows you to publish, manage and teach face-2-face, online and blended courses. A course can be taught by one or many teachers. It allows you to share content, hold discussions, schedule live sessions and post messages on the course wall. Courses comes with an administration panel to invite, approve and communicate with students and teachers. Courses can be public and private. You can also charge for courses and easily collect payments via credit card or other forms. Sclipo takes no commission.

Library
This application allows you to store, share and manage the content (videos, papers, presentations, audio and images) you use for teaching. You can store your own content and use content from thousands of other Academies on Sclipo. You can use the content in courses and live sessions, and share it in your groups and events. Your content can be private or public.

Live Web Teaching
This application allows to conduct live classes, webinars and meetings with multiple participants anywhere. A live session can be stand-alone, or part of a course, event or group. You teach through webcam (= video chat), document sharing, whiteboard, text chat and screen sharing. You can schedule an unlimited number of public and private sessions. Sessions can be recorded. You have an administration panel to invite, approve, administer and communicate with participants. Just like in Courses, you can charge for live sessions and easily collect payments via credit card or other forms. Sclipo takes no commission.

Events
This application helps you organize off-line educational happenings such as conferences, workshops and lectures. You can discuss on the event wall, stream event sessions live and share content with participants. Just like in the Courses and Live Teaching app, you can charge for Events and easily collect payments via credit card or other forms. Sclipo takes no commission.

Groups
This application helps you collaborate online with fellow students and teachers for studying, researching or conducting other collaboration activities. You can discuss on the group wall, hold live online meetings and share content with members. Hmm, you cannot charge for participation in Groups. We thought this makes little sense. Let us know, if we are wrong:).

Academy Dashboard
The Dashboard has tools to customize your Academy, to administer its Teachers and promotion features.
* Customization is easy! In less than 1 minute you can make your Academy look great without any programming skills! Choose your preferred Academy name and URL simply by typing them into a text field. Design your favorite look & feel by uploading a background image (for example your logo or a cool photo) and by selecting a matching background from a color panel with just one click!

* You can have multiple teachers at your Web Academy. Teachers can help you teach courses and live sessions. Or, these can teach courses and live sessions by themselves with you being the coordinator. To increase the number of teachers, just go to Dashboard / Administer Teachers and invite people from your Sclipo contact list or by writing / importing their email addresses. Your invitees will receive an email with a personal invitation code. Once a person accepts the invite to be a teacher, you can assign her/him to courses and live sessions of your Academy. That teacher can then edit the course / live session, promote it, invite students, define activities, etc. Only you, the Academy owner or “Dean”, can publish a course / live session and change its price and payment conditions.

* Just by having your Academy on Sclipo helps you gain notoriety. Google and other search engines can easily find your content and courses (if you want). And, if they are good, word will spread. In addition, Sclipo also gives you tools to let the world know about your Academy. Just click on the tab Dashboard / Promote Academy and you will be able to invite your students, tweet about your Academy or let your Facebook friends know about it. You can also put a cool button with a direct link to your Web Academy on your web.

Well, I hope this post helped you understand what eLearning tools Sclipo offers and how these benefit your teaching.

For more info, check out:
About Sclipo, with more info on what Sclipo does for whom and why.
The Sclipo University, our Web Academy with free tutorials, courses and live sessions to learn all about Sclipo’s apps.
Sclipo Features, providing an overview of all features.
Part 1 of this post, where I explain why Sclipo is eLearning for the Rest-Of-Us and how the Sclipo Web Learning Application is different from a traditional eLearning solution.

Haven’t got your Web Academy yet? See our Web Academy plans and select the one that best fits your teaching needs.

Last, but not least, I’d like to thank Victor, without whom Sclipo’s learning applications would only exist in my head :) Thanks Victor!!