Home - Student guide to using Elluminate - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Elluminate Live!?
What are the benefits of using Elluminate?
What are the minimum system requirements?
Does Elluminate work with a Mac? with Linux?
How do I access the recording of a session?
I get a "400 Goodbye" error when I try to connect to the Nexus server. Why?
Why doesn't my PowerPoint presentation work on Elluminate?
The audio isn't working with my headset for my Mac. What shall I do?
How do I clear the Java cache?
Which version of Java am I running?
I am a Mac OS X user. I've successfully connected to Elluminate session in the past, but now my computer can't launch Elluminate. This happened after a recent JAVA update.

What is Elluminate Live!?

Elluminate Live! is a "live" interactive virtual environment for communication, presentation, interaction and instruction.

Elluminate Live! uses a strong communication platform, rich in features, that focuses on collaboration and communication. The Elluminate Live! interface provides a unique learning and teaching school, capturing the essence of a "face-to-face" session.

Elluminate Live! is delivered via Internet, the moderator and participants (and guests) log in using a computer (PC or Mac) with an Internet connection (DSL or cable recommended) through a browser such as Microsoft IE or Mozilla Firefox. The Elluminate Live! interface requires the user use either a headset with built-in microphone or a separate microphone and speakers due to the interactive nature of the Elluminate Live! tool. Users users will be participating in interactive Elluminate Live! sessions by talking, text messaging and listening.

Elluminate Live! is used in education (delivering online courses, blended courses, collaborative writing, research, office hours, tutorials, etc), private enterprises or in hosting events (seminars, conferences, workshops, training purposes, etc).

SLIS faculty are using Elluminate Live! in many different ways. Some will be conducting their online sessions using Elluminate Live! or use the technology for a blended learning that combines Asynchronous and Synchronous tools. Others might use Elluminate Live! in a traditional classroom setting, providing an extra tool for students to work on group projects. Faculty also have the ability to use Elluminate Live! for office hours.
What are the benefits of using Elluminate?

While our main campus is in San José, we have other campus sites as well. Elluminate allows staff the ability to hold collaborative group meetings, enabling those in remote locations to contribute equally with those "on site". It has broad client operating system support (Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris), including support for closed captioning and screen reader capabilities. Elluminate can be used for scheduled classes and spontaneous one-on-one tutoring sessions, both of which may be recorded and archived for use in the future.

Its use in SJSU SLIS distance learning classes during the Fall 2006 semester allowed for the active and sophisticated participation of students who were located as far away as Hong Kong and Germany.

For real life case studies showing the benefits of using Elluminate, and to see how other institutions have benefited from incorporating Elluminate into their curriculums, visit:
www.elluminate.com/case_studies_academic.jsp
What are the minimum system requirements?

Your system must meet or exceed the following minimum requirements:

PC/Windows:
Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP
Pentium II 266 MHz processor or faster
64 MB of RAM
20 MB of available disk space on your hard drive
Soundcard with speakers and microphone or headset
28.8 kbps or higher Internet connection is required

MAC:
Mac OS 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, Mac OS X 10.1 or later
G3 233 MHz or better
64 megabytes for OS 9, and; 128 megabytes for OS X and above
20 megabytes of available disk space on your hard drive
Stuffit Expander
Soundcard with speakers and microphone or headset
28.8 kbps or higher Internet connection
Does Elluminate work with a Mac? with Linux?

Yes, you can use Elluminate whether you use Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, or Solaris operating systems.
How do I access the recording of a session? Is there a text transcript?

Sessions are often (but not always) recorded. The moderator makes the decision about whether or not to record.

Recordings are in audio/video format but are not available as text transcripts.

To access recordings, you will either use a link provided by your instructor or you may find the recording by following these steps:
1. Go to https://nexus.sjsu.edu
2. Click the "Recordings" button
3. Use the calendar on the right to select the day of the event. You'll need to confirm that you want to download the Java file and you'll also need to enter whatever password was set for the meeting.
In the recording, you can use the little time slider in the lower left to move ahead to a particular time point of the recording if you wish. In addition, there are play/pause controls at the upper left of the screen.
I get a "400 Goodbye" error when I try to connect to the Nexus server. Why?

You must use https:// (note the "s") at the beginning of the link, not the usual http://. So, to connect to the Nexus server to view a list of Elluminate sessions or recordings, use this link:
https://nexus.sjsu.edu
Why doesn't my PowerPoint presentation work on Elluminate?

Some users of Windows Vista or the Mac OS may have problems uploading PPT or Keynote files to the whiteboard. A workaround is to save the slides as images. See complete information from the Elluminate.com support site .
The audio isn't working with my headset for my Mac. What shall I do?

Many Mac models have a built-in microphone and speakers, making a headset optional. These integral components are compatible with Elluminate.

If you are using a headset, be sure to install it prior to logging on to your Elluminate session.

The Elluminate website specifies that a USB headset must be used to ensure compatibility.

If using a headset, you will need to specify it as your audio input/output device. To do this, open System Preferences.
- Click on the Sound icon. This will open the Sound option window.
- Select Output and choose the output device you are using. Verify that mute is not selected and that the volume slider is at least halfway up.
- Select Input and choose the input device that you will be using.
Both input and output volumes may be adjusted as needed by using the Audio Set-Up Wizard.

If you are using the built-in microphone and speakers, simply adjust the sound levels using the Audio Set-Up Wizard in Elluminate.
How do I clear the Java cache?

See Elluminate.com's instructions for how to clear the Java cache.
Which version of Java am I running?

For all platforms: visit the Elluminate Support page www.elluminate.com/support which will check and display the version you are running.
I am a Mac OS X user. I've successfully connected to Elluminate session in the past, but now my computer can't launch Elluminate. This happened after a recent JAVA update.

The latest Java update for the Mac, Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 4, broke the association between JNLP files and Java Web Start.

If a JNLP file opens in Text Edit or other application instead of launching Java, take the following actions to restore the proper association so that Java Web Start applications launch correctly:
1. Save the text file to your desktop with a jnlp file extension, e.g. Meeting.jnlp
2. Right click the JNLP file and select Open With –> Other
3. In the Choose Application window, select:
  /System/Library/CoreServices/Java Web Start.app.
4. Check the box for Always Open With then click the Open button.

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