INDIANAPOLIS -- Ivy Tech Community College is using new technology that instantly links students and professors -- a solution more direct and speedier than e-mail.

Wimba Pronto is an instant messaging tool that works by pulling enrollment information from a school's database and connecting students to each other, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

"The first day that I log in as a student, it automatically lists who is in each of my classes, what my classes are … who my instructors are," said Matthew Wasowski, Wimba's director of customer programs. "If I have a question about a homework assignment or just want to reach a classmate, I have it very well organized and can find them instantaneously."

The program aims to facilitate learning that is both more convenient and more efficient, especially for commuter students.

"I've got a class all the way in Decatur and I live downtown," said student Travon Curry. "If I can't make it out there all the time, I can maybe instant message someone and see what I missed."

The service also helps instructors who teach online classes, allowing them to communicate instantly with students who may be thousands of miles away.

"Because we're not in a face-to-face class, it will ... give us that interaction immediately instead of waiting for e-mail," said Renee Rule, assistant professor of English.

Ivy Tech is the first school in Indiana to use Wimba Pronto. The basic service is free to students on the school's campuses statewide.

The company hopes to use Ivy Tech as an example of how the technology could be used at any school. The school's pay a licensing fee to make the software available to their students.

More Info: Wimba Web Site