Echo360 is a platform to manage, store, and share digital media. Within Echo 360, you can upload any media from your computer to your personal library, edit or crop videos, and embed polls directly into a video. There is built-in analytics to measure individual and overall class engagement with the content. Echo360 also includes automatic transcription, which you can edit before sharing.
Echo360 has three main use cases on campus:
1. Classroom Recording
2. Personal Library
3. Embedding videos in Moodle
IMPORTANT: Sharing videos via Echo360 is preferable to sharing a Zoom recording link because it will not expire within Zoom's 180 day limit.
Brandeis has Echo360 cameras installed in many physical classrooms around campus for automatic lecture recording. The physical Echo360 cameras can record both what is on the classroom projector as well as a video camera, or just one view. The course instructor can request one or both views to be automatically recorded for the semester.
Many classrooms come equipped with auto-tracking cameras that have the ability to zoom in on the presenter at the front of the room and follow them as they move. This is especially useful for recording lectures that include board writing. The list of classrooms with 360 cameras can be found at the bottom of this page.
Echo360 accounts are available to all faculty, students and staff. Accounts are automatically created when a video is viewed on Moodle or when a video is posted to Moodle via the Echo360 activity toolbar button.
If you have trouble accessing your account, or need to request an account to be created manually, please email help@brandeis.edu.
Once you have an account, you can log in by visiting login.brandeis.edu and clicking on the Echo360 icon OR by visiting echo360.org and use your Brandeis Account email address to log in.
Instructors can request their class to be automatically recorded by contacting Media and Technology Services. The benefit of lecture capture through Echo360 is that a link can be posted on the class Moodle page that will host all of the recordings in one place.
The link to request automated lecture capture is available in the help menu at the bottom of every Moodle page, and is also available below.
The primary course instructor must submit the request for automated lecture capture. On the request form, provide the building, room number, and the start and end times for each recording.
Once you have confirmed that an Echo360 course has been set up for your Moodle course, you can add a link to Echo360 in your Moodle course.
If you are trying to add just one video from Echo360, see the "Add an embed of an Echo360 Video Guide" below.
*Special Note: If the echo360ALP activity is hidden from course participants, they will not inherit the permission to view the echo360 files (even if shared outside of the course via email).
Echo360 directly connects with your Zoom account. If you are logged into your Brandeis Zoom account, and save a recording to the cloud, the recording will automatically appear in your Brandeis Echo360 personal library.
You can access your personal library by visiting login.brandeis.edu and clicking on the Echo360 icon OR by visiting echo360.org and use your Brandeis Unet email address to log in.
Did you know that you can embed a video from Echo360 into any resource or activity in Moodle that has a tool bar?
1. Start by adding the resource or activity type that you want to use to host the video.
2. Select the Echo360 plugin(the Blue Button) from the Atto Editor Tool bar.
3. Select how you want to load the video content from Echo360.
4. Select the media you want to Embed and select Next.
5. Adjust the Embed options for the video and select Embed.
6. In the Moodle activity you will see the link from Echo360 with the name of the video in text editor.
7. Select Save and Display and verify that the correct video is embedded and that it will play.
*NOTE - Embedding too many video players in a course page may lead to significantly decreased page performance, as the beginning part of every course video needs to be loaded. The best practice here is to avoid embedding more than 4-5 videos on a page. This is a limitation based on how web browsers sequentially load page content. If it is an absolute requirement to share multiple embedded players, there is significant efficiency to be gained by creating those within a Moodle Page activity, as opposed to the label activities of the main course page.
Press play to view a short GIF animation that shows the same procedure.
Encouraging students to submit video recordings via Echo360 in Moodle fosters student engagement, builds digital communication skills, and enables instructors to gain a deeper understanding of students’ knowledge and presentation abilities. Echo360 video assignments are ideal for presentations, language practice, reflective self-assessments, and role-playing scenarios, allowing students to showcase skills in a visual, interactive format.
1. Create an assignment to collect student video submissions.
2. On the settings page, select Online Text for Submission Types.
3. Direct students to select the Blue Button from the text editor toolbar.
4. On the next screen students will have the option to upload a video or create content.
5. Enter the grading interface for the assignment and you will be able to view the video assignment.
The Echo360 Active Learning Platform is available to faculty, staff and students to host, manage and record academic media content. Polling questions in Echo360 can be used to engage with your students on specific topics and concepts from the class. Echo360 polls can be added in two ways:
Echo360 is fully supported by Brandeis. For help using Echo360, review the resources linked below or contact help@brandeis.edu.
Complete the Request Automated Lecture Capture form to have a course setup in Echo360 that you can use for polling.
The form includes a questions asking "How do you plan to utilize Echo?"
If you just want polling select "I just need a section to be created to use polling features or share pre-recorded videos with my students.
If you want polling and lecture capture, select "Both."
It takes a few days, but you should receive confirmation that the course has been created in Echo360.
Once you have connected your Moodle course to the Echo360 course you are ready to start adding poll questions. While you can add class sessions and poll questions in Moodle, we recommend opening Echo360 in a new tab to create the class sessions and quizzes.
The following video shows how to create a class session and build a poll.
We recommend keeping the poll questions closed until you are ready to use them to avoid students responding before class. After you create the polling questions, you will need to view the questions and select the hand icon to close each question so it is ready when you share it with students.
There are several ways students can answer Echo360 polling questions during class:
The following video shows how students can access and participate in polls on a laptop computer.
The Echo360 automated lecture capture system is installed in select classrooms on campus and allows for sessions to be scheduled for automatic recording. These recordings have the ability to incorporate both content (anything that comes out of the projector) as well as video (via a video camera installed in the room) or just one or the other.
Classrooms that are equipped with automated capture systems include:
*Auto-tracking cameras have the ability to zoom in on the presenter at the front of the room and follow them as they move. This is especially useful for recording lectures that include board writing.