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Student Guide to Using Echo360

Echo360 is an online learning platform that many instructors use to post recordings of in-person lectures, or to share course content for flipped or team-based learning classes. You can use Echo360 to review past lectures in preparation for an exam, view presentation slides at your own pace, or ask questions about course content. This page describes the key features of Echo360 to help you participate in classes, and tools to help you study.

Access Echo360

The easiest way to access Echo360 is through logging into your Moodle or Blackboard course page, and then following links posted by your instructor to specific recordings. These links log you into Echo360 automatically. You can also go directly to Echo360 (without having to go through Moodle or Blackboard), and log in with your NetID and password.

Download the Echo360 Mobile App

Echo360 App Icon, blue square with a circle and left pointing arrow in the centerYou can use the free Echo360 App to view lecture slides, watch course videos on demand, and ask questions/participate in discussion via your smart phone or tablet. When logging into the app, make sure to use your netid@umass.edu address.

 

Notes, Q&A, Bookmarks, & Flags

Student tool icons, from left to right, notes, discussion, new question, bookmark, I'm confused, all classes

When you are viewing a class, Echo360 provides a set of tools that display in a toolbar at the top of your browser window. These functions allow you to take notes during a lecture, post questions to the class discussion, bookmark parts of the video for future reference, flag things that are confusing (which also notifies your instructor), and view other classes associated with your course.

Create a Study Guide

Echo360 can also be a helpful tool when you want to study or review past class sessions. The Study Guide feature will collect all your notes, questions, and bookmarks from a class session, that way you can easily reread them. 

  1. Once logged into Echo360, navigate to the Echo360 Home, then select COURSES and the course you want to review. A list of all classes for that course will display.
  2. In the upper right, select STUDY GUIDE. The Study Guide page will open.
  3. In the upper left, choose the class title you would like to review from the drop-down menu. Any notes you have taken, questions you have asked, or parts of the class you have bookmarked will display in the left panel.
    • If you select a bookmark, the right panel will display the lecture video cued up to that time during the lecture
    • If you select a question, the right panel will display that discussion thread.
  4. Click DOWNLOAD to download a text version of your notes (including time stamps that correspond to the video)

When Online Participation is Graded

Echo360 keeps track of which classes you watch and participate in. Some instructors may factor this into calculating a participation grade using the following information:

  • Attendance - Whether you opened a class session. New and unwatched classes will display with a green icon. Watched classes will display with a gray icon. You can read more on interpreting the media icons for classes in Echo360's support article on Student Class List.
  • Video & Presentation Views - Whether you viewed the entirety of a lecture recording or slide presentation. It is alright if you need to pause a viewing part of the way through and come back to it later. Echo360 will remember where you left off during your next session.
  • Q&A - During any lecture or presentation, you can add new questions the the class discussion, or reply to questions from your peers. Remember, questions you post on Echo360 are visible to the entire class.
  • Notes - Echo360 has a built-in note taking function that allows you to take notes in the same window as the class video, and timestamp your notes as you take them. You can copy and paste these notes, or download a text version if you use a different system for electronic notes.
  • Activities - Some slide presentations may also included embedded quiz questions such as short answer or multiple choice. Make sure you remember to click Submit for your answers!

Additional Help

For additional support with Echo360, view their online support pages.