Microsoft Office Live Communications Server
Effective communication is vital at all levels of education. The learning environment is defined by the ability of students to ask questions of teachers, and share ideas with their peers. Also, staff need the ability to deal with day-to-day matters and unplanned issues, effectively, together, and in real time.
Teachers, students, and administrators are often located in different buildings, and more frequently, on different sites. This situation makes rapid face-to-face communication difficult. E-mail has become a less effective tool for real-time communication, due to the volume of e-mail, and proliferation of spam.
Microsoft® Office Live Communications Server 2005 is a powerful instant messaging (IM) real-time communication platform that supports effective, efficient, collaboration. As part of an institution’s Learning Gateway framework, it offers enhanced security and seamless integration with other Microsoft products.
Five Reasons to Deploy Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005
| • | Unite your institution for instant availability and collaboration to develop an environment of discussion, questioning, and learning. |
| • | Provide your students with a constantly updated source of academic information in the form of customisable tabs. |
| • | Add real-time collaboration capabilities to core Microsoft Office programs. |
| • | Communicate and collaborate quickly, easily, and securely with other academic institutions around the world. |
| • | Reduce the cost of communication and travel for staff and students. |
Benefits for Stakeholders
Institutions
Productivity benefits arise from the ability to locate each other more rapidly. Online presence and status features of IM help reduce nonessential e-mails and phone calls. In one case study, 80 per cent of IM users said they share information more easily using IM, and 70 per cent experienced fewer delays in daily work. Also, virtual office hours—supported by the introduction of Live Communication Server—helped increase student-teacher interaction by 33 per cent, helping more students.
Deploying Live Communication Server as part of Microsoft Learning Gateway framework, can help boost your communications infrastructure. IM encryption, logging, and archiving, and server-side contact lists provide enhanced security and reduce spam. Compatibility with Windows Messenger version 5.1—installed as standard with Microsoft Windows® XP—means there is no need to force students and teachers to download new software to benefit.
Students
IM helps students get instant answers to queries, without needing to find staff in person. There’s no need to search—important information from around campus comes to you with tabs. Use the file-transfer capability to attach copies of your work to your questions, to help teachers give you a better answer. Add-in modules make it possible for you to communicate with friends on external IM networks from the same client you use in campus.
Teachers
Take control of time by using IM to set ‘virtual’ office hours. You can set regular times to be available to colleagues and students, at the times that suit you—even working from home.
Students can be given richer means of understanding concepts, by adding video, audio and file-sharing to a tutorial conversation. IM can help minimise language and social barriers: students who are not being taught in their first language may prefer to communicate in writing; shy pupils can have an equal chance to ask questions. And you can work better with your colleagues on research projects, regardless of location, with Microsoft Office collaboration functions.
Useful links
System requirements
More information and FAQs
Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 home page
