Desire2Learn Capture Server 6.0 Administrator's Guide

Desire2Learn Capture Server 6.0 is a powerful Web application that provides the Web-based user interface for streaming rich media Webcasts.

1. Manage Content

1.1 Live

In order for Webcast viewers to login and watch a live Webcast, an event must be created on your Desire2Learn Capture Presentation Portal.

1.1.1 Create Events

1. To create an event you need an account with administrative privileges. Navigate to your Presentation Portal and click on the Login link. Enter your administrator username and password.

2. An Admin link will appear next to the Login link. Click on the Admin link and the Create Live Event Web form will appear.

3. Complete the form by filling in the event information, i.e., Title, Presenter's name(s), Date, and the Event Start and End time. You can also include a brief description of the event.

4. In the layout settings menu select the appropriate template for your Webcast by clicking on the appropriate template icon.

There are four available templates

• Rich Media (audio, video, synchronized slides)
• Video (optimized for video only presentations)
• Screen Cast (optimized for screen sharing and audio presentations)
• Audio (audio, synchronized slides)

If you do not want the chat feature on during your Webcast you can disable it by checking the Chat Disabled check box

If you need to keep your event private you can restrict access by adding an event password. To add an event password check the Event Password Required checkbox and enter a password.

To converse bandwidth you can add a viewer limit to your Webcast by checking the Viewer Limit checkbox and specifying the maximum number of users your Webcast will allow.

Once you have completed the form click the Create button at the bottom of the page.

1.1.2 Manage Events

You can edit previously scheduled events in the Manage section.

1. To edit or correct previously scheduled event information click on the Manage link. A list of scheduled events will appear.

2. Click on the event you want to edit.

3. In the example below, there is a spelling mistake in the event title. Click on the event title text box, and edit the title. You can also change the date, time, and description.

4. When you are finished editing, click on the Save Changes button at the bottom of the form.

1.2 Stream using Web Capture

Note: The Web-based capture application is restricted to Microsoft Power Point as a presentation format. Please consider a Capture Station hardware solution for Power Point, screen sharing, or VGA capture options.

There is a Flash-based presenter tool built in to Desire2Learn Capture Server 6.0 for personal Webcasting. It is designed for streaming individual presentation sessions to remote audiences, which makes ideal for scenarios when you need to share a talk with a distributed group of participants from home, remote office, or a hotel room. Any computer with Flash Player 10+, a high speed internet connection, and webcam and microphone is sufficient for this type of production.

1. To begin using the Web capture feature click the Manage link under the Live heading on the sidebar.

2. Click on the Capture link next to your event title

3. If you are the presenter click the Start Presenting button. If you are an administrator responsible for coordinating the presentation copy and paste the Share URL and send it with an invitation for your event via email.

4. A Flash Player window will open prompting you to allow access to your camera and microphone. Click the Allow button.

5. Click the Add Media button to upload your Power Point slide deck from your local hard drive. Once your slides have been processed click the Start button in the encoder window to begin Webcasting. To advance the slides click on the slide frame or select one from the thumbnail bar. When your presentation is over click the Finish button to stop streaming.

1.2.1 Publish presentations recorded with Web Capture

Once the Webcast is over the Publish option will appear in front of your event in the administrative area. Click the Publish button to make the event available as an on-demand webcast.

1.3 Managing Archived Presentations

1.3.1 Manage Folders

The Manage Folders functions allow you to create and edit folders to better organize your archives.

1. To create a folder click on Manage Folders.

2. Enter the folder name in the text box, you may also enter a password in the adjacent text box if required.

3. Click Create New Folder. The new folder will appear in the Manage Folders list:

To edit the folder name, or to add or change a password, click on the event name in the list, and change the information in the text box.

You can delete the folder by clicking on the red X to the right. You can also change the order of the folders by dragging the arrow up or down the list.

A Folders list appears on the Published Events page.

1.3.2 Manage Presentations

The Manage Presentations features help you manage your archives.

1. To edit archive information or change an archives' ranking in a folder, click on Manage Presentation

2. Go to the Folders drop down list to locate the folder where the presentation is saved.

3. Select the folder, the list of presentations appears.

You can drag the presentation up or down the list using the arrows on the left. Edit the text of the presentation by clicking on the title, see how many times a presentation has been viewed, or delete the presentation by clicking on the red X on the right.

Go to the Published Events page, click on your folder and the list of presentations contained in the folder will appear.

2. Post Production Editor (New in Version 6.0)

Desire2Learn Capture 6.0 allows you to make simple edits to a presentation's video file, chapters, and slides in your browser with Capture Producer.

Note: To edit presentations with Desire2Learn Capture Producer, you will first need to publish it to the Capture Server. If the presentation should not be public in its unedited form, it's recommended to create a password-protected folder so that any presentations that require editing are intermediately published to the protected folder. Once editing is complete, you may then move the presentation into a public folder (see Managing Archived Presentations).

To launch Producer, do the following:

1. Click the Manage Presentations link in the Archived heading. A list of your archived presentations will appear

2. Launch ePresence Producer by clicking the Post-Production link next to the title of the presentation you want to edit. The Producer interface will open

2.1 Editing Video Files

1. You can cut video content from the beginning and end of your presentation. Specify the segment you want to cut by dragging the start or end marker on the timeline to the desired position

2. Click the Enable Start / End Cuts icon to mark the segment for deletion

3. To undo a cut click the Disable Start / End Cuts icon

4. Click the Save Button

2.2. Editing Slides

2.2.1 Editing Slide Titles

1. Click on the slide you want to edit in the slide and chapter menu

2. Edit the text in the Title field in the Slide Event window

3. Click the Save button

2.2.2 Editing Slide Position

1. Click on the slide you want to edit in the slide and chapter menu. The slide marker on the timeline indicates where the slide appears during the video presentation

2. There are three ways to change a slide's position:

• Enter a new time in the Time field in the Slide Event window. The slide marker will automatically display the new slide position. You can also increment or decrement the time in the Time field in 1 second intervals using the up and down arrows in the Time field.
• Drag the slide marker on the timeline to the desired position. The Time field in the Slide Event window will be automatically updated.
• To set the slide's time to the current playback position, click the Set time to playback position icon in the Time field.

3. Click the Save Button

If you would like to navigate to the position within the video where a slide will appear, double-click on the slide's title in the Slide and Chapter window.

2.2.3 Adding Slides

1. To add a slide click the Add a New Slide icon.

A new slide event will appear in the Slide and Chapter menu

2. In the slide event menu specify the Slide title and Time.

3. Click the Select a Slide box

2.2.4 Deleting Slides

1. Select the slide you want to delete from the Slide and Chapter window

2. Click the Delete Icon

3. Click the Save Button

2.2.5 Editing Slide Metadata

Each of your slide events can include metadata that enables users to search for keywords in the Webcast viewer interface

To enter or edit slide metadata do the following:

1. Select the slide you want to delete from the Slide and Chapter window

2. Click the Slide Thumbnail in the Slide Event window. The slide selection window opens

3. Double click the Slide Thumbnail

4. Enter the search keywords in the Search Metadata field

5. Click the Save button

2.2.6 Uploading a Powerpoint File

You can make new slides available to your presentation by uploading a Powerpoint presentation file. To do so, take the following steps:

1. Click the Upload Powerpoint File button.

2. Click Select Presentation.

3. A file selector window will open. Select the Powerpoint file you would like to upload.

4. You will see display showing the system's progress as it uploads your Powerpoint presentation. When the process is complete, you can choose to either upload another presentation (click the Upload Another) button or to return to editing your presentation (click the Done button).

Now that your Powerpoint presentation has been uploaded, you can add slides from the presentation in the same way as other slides - see section 2.2.3.

2.3. Editing Chapters

2.3.1 Editing Chapter Titles

2.3.1 Editing Chapter Titles

1. Click on the Chapter you want to edit in the Slide and Chapter menu

2. Edit the text in the title field in the Chapter Event window

3. Click the Save button
   

2.3.2 Editing Chapter Position

1. Click on the slide you want to edit in the Slide and Chapter menu. The Chapter Marker on the timeline indicates where the chapter appears during the video presentation

2. There are three ways to change a chapter's position:

• Enter a new time in the Time field in the Slide Event window. The chapter marker will automatically display the new chapter position. You can also increment or decrement the time in the Time field in 1 second intervals using the up and down arrows in the Time field.
• Drag the chapter marker on the timeline to the desired position. The Time field in the Chapter Event window will be automatically updated.
• To set the chater's time to the current playback position, click the Set time to playback position icon in the Time field.

3. Click the Save Button

If you would like to navigate to the position within the video where a chapter will begin, double-click on the chapter's title in the Slide and Chapter window.

2.3.3 Adding Chapters

1. To add a slide click the Add a New Chapter icon.

A new chapter event will appear in the slide and chapter menu

2. In the Chapter Event menu specify the chapter Title and Time.

3. Click the Save Button

2.3.4 Deleting Chapters

1. Select the chapter you want to delete from the Slide and Chapter window

2. Click the Delete Icon

3. Click the Save Button

2.4 Revision History

Capture Producer allows you to load a previous revision of your presentation at anytime.

To access a previous revision of your presentation do the following:

1. Select the date and time stamp of the revision you want to load from the Revision History drop down menu

2. Click the Load button. Note that any unsaved changes will be lost if you load a previous revision.

3. Confirm load by clicking the Yes button

3. Manage Server

3.1 Community

Communities allow you to organize your events and customize the way they are presented to different groups of users. If you have multiple distinct groups using the Desire2Learn Capture Server, creating a community for each group provides two advantages:

• Communities ensure that each user group and can only access its own events.
• Each group's Desire2Learn Capture community homepage can have its own look and feel.

3.1.1 Creating a New Community

To create a new community, follow the steps below:

1. Click the Create link under the Community heading in the sidebar. The Create Community Web form will appear.

2. Fill in the fields in the Create Community Web form:

Name	A name for your new community.
Owner	The name of the community's owner.
Alias	A community's alias determines the URL that will be used to access it. For example, if your server URL is  http://www.myserver.com, and you choose the alias 'my_community' for your alias, then that community can be accessed at http://www.myserver.com/my_community.aspx.
Admin Password	The password for the community's administrator. See section 2.2 Users for more details on user accounts.
Moderator Password	The password for the community's moderator. See section 2.2 Users for more details on user accounts.

You can click on Additional Details to enter more details about the community and its owner. The following fields can be filled in:

Description	A description of the community.
Owner Homepage	The URL of the community owner's homepage.
Owner Address	The community owner's street address.
Owner Email	The community owner's email address.

You can also click on Pointers to change your community's publishing points.

3. When you are satisfied with the information you have entered into the form, click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the form. Your new community has now been created.

You can view your new community at http://serverURL/alias.aspx, where 'serverURL' is your server's base URL, and 'alias' is the name you entered in the Alias field.

3.1.2 Managing Existing Communities

To modify or delete an existing community, follow the steps below:

1. Click Manage under the Community heading on the sidebar. A list of the communities on the server will appear.

2. To modify a community, click on its name (the name listed under the "Long Name" field). You will be presented with a form similar to the one for creating a new community; see section 3.1.1 for a description of the meaning of the form's fields.

3. To delete a community, click the red "X" located to the right of the community entry you would like to remove. You will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the community.

3.2 Users

3.2.1 User Access Levels

There are six user access levels on the Capture server:

• No Account
• Basic
• Moderator
• Manager
• Admin
• Super-Admin

No Account means the user has not registered for an account; the other access levels are for registered users. The following chart details the privileges for each access level. An asterisk (*) indicates that the access level has the indicated privilege.

No Account		Basic	Moderator	Manager	Admin	Super-Admin
Watch live events or archived events that do not require login.	*	*	*	*	*	*
Watch live events or archived events that require login.	*		*	*	*	*
Moderate live events.	*			*	*	*
Pre-schedule live events, modify archived events, create/modify event folders.	*				*	*
Manage user access, website customization, and Capture Station automation for one particular community.	*					*
Manage user access, website customization, and Capture Station automation for any community.	*
Create and modify communities.	*

3.2.2 Creating User Accounts

User accounts are created through presentation portals, not through the server administration panel.

To create a user account do the following:

1. Click the Join button at the top of any page on the presentation portal.

2. A form where account information can be filled in will pop up.

Fill in the form fields. Only the Email, Username, and Password fields are required.

3. Click the Join button at the bottom of the form.

4. Your account is created, and you are automatically logged in.

Accounts created in this way are by default Basic accounts. For an explanation of how grant a user account a higher access level, see section 3.2.3 below.

3.2.3 Managing User Accounts

1. Click Manage under the Users heading in the sidebar.

2. A list of user accounts will appear.

For each user account, the username, email, and access level are listed. You can change the order in which the accounts are displayed by clicking on one of the headings. For example, to sort the accounts alphabetically by username, click the Username heading.

3. To modify a user account, click on its username in the list. A form containing the user's account information will appear.

4. To delete a user account, click the red "X" located next to the user account you want to delete. A dialogue box will pop up asking you to confirm that you want to delete the user.

5. You may change the account information by modifying the text in the appropriate field. To change the account's access level, select the desired level from the Access drop-down menu.

6. When you are satisfied with the new account information, click Save Changes.

• New in version 6.0 * Export user list. You can now export your user list as a comma separated value file by clicking the Export to Excel button at the top of your user list.

3.3 Customization

The Customization functions on the sidebar allow you to change the appearance of your presentational portals. Each community on your server has its own appearance settings. If you have multiple communities, follow the instructions in section 3.1.1 for logging into communities to ensure that you are customizing the correct presentation portal.

3.3.1 Changing Your Header Image

You can replace the header image that appears at the top of your presentation portals with your own image. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Prepare your image file. Your image should be 760 pixels wide, and at least 35 pixels high. If the image is wider than 760 pixels, the right side of your image will be cut off past 760 pixels.

2. Click the Header link under the Customization heading on the sidebar

2. Click the Choose File button, and select your image file on your computer.

3. Click the Add button.

4. Your new header image will appear in the Preview area below and at the top of the page. If the new header image is not displayed at the top of the page, try refreshing the page. If the new header image is still not displayed, clear your browser's cache and refresh the page again.

3.3.2 Changing Your Style (Colors and Fonts)

The set of colors and fonts used by a presentation portal is defined by its theme. You can customize the themes used by your presentations portals by following the steps below:

1. Click Style under the Customization heading on the sidebar.

2. A list of themes will appear. The theme that is currently in use will appear at the top of the list; the other entries in the list are themes that can be used or edited. The two small colored squares located to the right of a theme's name show the primary and secondary colors used by the theme, and give a general idea of what the theme will look like. Themes are available to all the communities on the server.

3. To switch the current theme, click the Use link next to the theme you would like to use. The page will be updated to reflect the new color scheme and fonts.

4. To modify a theme, click its Edit button. A page will appear allowing you to modify the properties of your theme. You can change the theme's name by editing the text in the Name text box under the Meta heading.

5. If you would like to create a new theme, you can duplicate an existing theme, and then modify it. To duplicate a theme, click its Duplicate button. A duplicate theme will be created, and then you will be brought to a page where you can modify it. See above for instructions on how to modify a theme.

6. To delete a theme, click the red "X" located next to the theme you would like to delete.

3.3.3 Changing Your Contact Information

The content that appears in the "Contact Us" page of the Desire2Learn Capture server can be edited. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Click Settings under the Customization heading on the sidebar.

2. Click the Documents bar. The Documents tool will open.

3. In the drop-down box, select contact.html.

4. You can now edit the contents of the page (as HTML) in the large text box.

5. Click Save Changes to save the page.

3.3.4 Advanced Settings

For advanced users, Desire2Learn Capture supports additional advanced customization. Please refer to our advanced server customization guide.

3.4 Reporting (New in Version 6.0)

3.4.1 Visits

You can track user visit to your Desire2Learn Capture webcasts by clicking the Visits link under the Reporting heading. In the visits window you can track which webcasts users have visited, the users' IP addresses, the date and time visited, user name, and duration of the visit. This data can be exported as comma separated value file by clicking the Export to Excel button at the top of the page.

3.4.2 Live Events

To access data on live events click the Live Events link under the Reporting heading on the sidebar. The name, time and date of all the live events that have been conducted on your server are listed. Chat logs from each event can be exported by clicking the icon in the chat log column.

4. Automation

Desire2Learn Capture Station includes advanced automated scheduling features that enable the Station to be controlled by the Web server. The automation feature allows you to deploy multiple stations that can run multiple recording sessions without the need for an operater to be physically present at the site. This feature is ideal for situations such as Webcasting multiple lectures across a campus or managing a series of presentations during a large conference.

4. 1 Configuring your Capture Station

1. Before you begin you must ensure a stable highspeed Internet is available.

2. Click the Options button and select the Server Tab

3. Under the Automation heading enter a unique Station or room ID in the Station ID field

4.2 Scheduling an Automated Event

1. Navigate to your ePresence server and enter the admin area by entering your username and password.

2. Under the Manage Live heading, click the Create link

3. Enter the title, presenter's name and description

4. Select the Webcast template

5. Specify the start and end date / time for your presentation. Your station will automatically start and end capturing your event at these specified times.

6. Click the Automation drop menu.

To have your presentation webcast live automatically click the Stream Event Live checkbox. If this option is not selected the station will autmotaically record the presentation to the local hard drive on your Capture Station.

To publish your event as an On-demand webcast click the Publish To Web checkbox and select the target folder you want the presentation to be sent to on the Server. The default publishing time is 10 pm, Please contact support to change the publishing time. Please note that the execution depends on the server time zone.

If you want this event to recur on a regular basis click the Recur checkbox and specify how often you want the event to recur and when this schedule should stop.

In the Room drop down menu select the unique ID of your Capture station.

7. Click the Create button

The events are recorded automatically during the execution times. If two ore more event times overlap then the capture stations treat them as a single event. Multiple events are queued for publishing. The default publishing time is 10 pm EST. Please note that the execution depends on the server time zone. If you want to change the default publishing time please contact Desire2Learn Capture Support.

4.3 Monitoring the hardware status

Multiple automated capture stations report their status so the server administrator can monitor their availability at any time.

To monitor your hardware status do the following steps.

1. Navigate to your ePresence server and enter the admin area by entering your username and password.

2. Under the Automation heading click the Hardware Status link

3.The Hardware Status link leads to a status report page. Stations that are operational are indicated as "online". Non-operational stations are displayed "offline":