Overview of the Simmons eLearning Interface

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GSLIS Technology Group Revised 08/18/08

Simmons eLearning Creating Online Courses

Contents

The Build Tab………………………………………………..……2 The Teach Tab…………………………………………………….3 The Student View Tab…………………………...……………4 Editing the Course Home Page……..……..……..……..5 Adding Course Content Files and Assignments…………………………...……..6-8 Content Links and Learning Modules.…….……..9 Managing Groups and Grades………….…………………10-13

Overview of the Simmons eLearning Interface The first time you login to your course, you will be given the following options:

• Set up a blank course • Copy content from another course • Assign a template to this course • Import content from file

The first two options are the most common. If you choose to copy content from another course, you must be enrolled as a designer in the source course. If you are a new instructor, or wish to model your course after someone else’s section, contact [email protected] with the course number and section for which you need access. Once the content from your chosen source has been copied, you will be able to edit the course just as if you have started it from scratch. The rest of this document contains information and tips for editing an eLearning course. Things to Remember

The Simmons eLearning manual is built into the system. Click the HHelp link (top right) to access it Use the correct tab when Building, Teaching or Previewing. The tabs at the top of the screen let you toggle between the different views for your course: BBuild for editing, Teach for interacting with students or their work, and SStudent View to preview the course as your students will see it. Menus are tab-specific, and will display only the tools that apply to that tab’s function. For example, the Grade Book will display only in the Teach tab.

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The Build Tab

Under the Build tab, you will do most of the design and content development for your course. You can edit the Home Page and add files and content links, you can choose which tools to display in the Course Menu, create assignments and assessments, and set release criteria. Below is an overview of the tools available in the Build tab.

Course Tools Menu

Hidden tools are shown with an (H) next to them, and are not visible to students.

The Content Toolbar

Add File: Quickly creates a link and uploads the file in one step. Create Folder: Group links and files together Add Content Link: Create an icon link to any of the .tools you have added to your site

Page Options

Add a header or footer, or change the overall layout and design of your course home page.

Designer Tools Menu

Manage Course: Set preferences such as which tools are active, what is listed in the course menu, the overall design of the site, and administrative tasks such as making backups of your course. File Manager: Create or upload, export, and organize all the files you will use in your course. Selective Release: Control access to course content based on time, grades, groups, individuals or other criteria.

ActionLinks Menus

Displays the available options for editing hiding or deleting the item

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The Teach Tab

This view allows you to interact with students and review or grade their work. You will be able to use the tools in your Simmons eLearning course as your students do, but with certain additional instructor privileges.

Instructor Tools Menu

Along with the tools available in the Designer Tools Menu in the Build tab, the Instructor Tools Menu offers additional administrative features: Assessment Manager: Manage, review and grade all the quizzes/surveys/etc you have released to your students Assignment Dropbox: Manage, review and grade all the papers/presentations/etc that you have assigned Grade Book: View and manage student grades Group Manager: Create student groups for collaborative or course management purposes Tracking: Generate student activity reports based on students’ usage of the course site and tools Notes: A simple notebook-like function that allows you to write “notes to self” while working on your course.

Course Tools Toolbar

This contains shortcuts to the tools you have assigned to the course.

ActionLinks Icon

In the Teach view, the ActionLinks icon allows you to go to the item, hide it from students, or edit properties (i.e., the title).

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The Student View Tab

This tab allows you to preview exactly what your students will see. You can make sure that students have access to the correct features and only those features. Your activity in this view will be associated with a “fake” test student. The student will show up in the class roster as, for example, Demo Student 487843.

My Tools Menu

These items allow students to keep track of their participation and achievement. You can choose to allow them to view grades, progress reports, the notes feature and the My Files organizational tool.

Course Tools Menu

Shortcuts to access tools quickly.

Click these arrows to collapse or expand the Course Tools menu.

Headers and Footers

These may be added for titles, announcements, and other information.

Breadcrumbs

Keep track of where you are in the course. Click these links to return to the corresponding screen, rather than using your browser’s Back button.

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Editing the Course Home Page

Adding Text: Headers and Footers Headers and footers may be used to add a title, make notes, or create announcements. To create and/or edit a header or footer:

1. Click the Build tab. 2. Click the PPage Options button (top right corner) and select CCreate or EEdit

Header (or Footer) from the drop-down menu. 3. A window will open that allows you to enter the text you wish to add. You can use

HTML by either checking the “Use HTML” box, or turning on the HTML Creator. 4. When you are finished, click SSave.

A Note about the HTML Creator: Simmons eLearning provides an HTML Creator in many of its forms such as the Create or Edit Header window. This feature allows you to format text using a word processor-like interface rather than HTML code. However, the HTML Creator is JAVA-based and not fully supported by all web browsers. Make sure that your browser has passed the Simmons eLearning browser check before you try to use this feature.

Basic HTML Tags

HTML tags are inserted before and after the marked-up text to change the appearance or the function of that

text. Some basic HTML tags include:

 denotes/creates a paragraph, text will continue in a new paragraph after a blank space.

 creates a link break in the text, text will continue on the line immediately below

, make text appear bold and italic, respectively

<a href=http://www.simmons.edu>Simmons Home Page</a> creates a hyperlink (in this case, to the

Simmons Home Page)

<img src=”filename.jpg”> inserts an image on the page

To create links to files in Simmons eLearning, whether they are found in your My Files folder or another

location, click the ActionLinks icon next to the filename, and select View File HREF from the drop-

down menu. Copy and paste the URL into your HTML link.

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Adding Course Content

Things to Note about Files: File Types When you upload files to eLearning, keep in mind that it is a web application and therefore will only display file types recognized by web browsers. Some common types include:

• web pages (.html, .htm, .php, etc) • Text files (.txt) • PDF files (.pdf), provided Adobe Reader is installed • image files (.jpg, .bmp, .gif, etc)

It is not recommended that you use files such as Microsoft Word documents (.doc), Excel Spreadsheets (.xls), and Photoshop Images (.psd), since they may not be supported by web browsers. Typically, users will not be able to view or edit these files unless they download them to their computer and have the corresponding software installed.

File Names There are some restrictions on how you name files within Simmons eLearning. The file names may only include letters, numbers, underscores, and dashes. All file names must also end in a period followed by the appropriate extension (e.g., file_name.html) and must not contain spaces.

File Storage There are several areas in eLearning where you files may reside.

My Files – Private Storage This is your personal storage area. You can access files in this area from any of your courses in Simmons eLearning. However, this is also a private area. Students will not be able to access any files that are stored in your MyFiles area. If you want students to see the files in this area, you must copy them to the repository or class files area.

Repository –– Shared Resources Repositories can contain resources that would be of interest to all faculty in a specific unit. For example, a department-level repository might contain an academic honesty policy.

Class Files – Files Within a Section This area contains the files that are uploaded directly into the course. Because they are associated with a specific section in Simmons eLearning, they are not accessible from any other course or section.

My Computer – Your Local Hard Drive This allows you to upload a file from your computer directly to Simmons eLearning.

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Managing Files

This is an overview of the basic file management options in Simmons eLearning. All file management tasks must be completed in either the Build or Teach tab.

Import Files from Your Computer To upload files from our computer to Simmons eLearning:

1. In the File Manager screen, click the folder where you wish to place your file and click Get Files . A pop-up window will open.

2. Click on the appropriate source llocat ion (i.e., My Files, Repository, Class Files or My Computer).

3. In the Open window, navigate to and select the file you wish to import, then click OOpen. An applet will open, illustrating the import progress. The file will be imported to the folder you selected in Step 2.

Using Folders to Organize Your Files You can create folders to organize the files in your File Manager. Simmons eLearning uses a folder structure very similar to that of your computer. To create a new folder:

1. In the File Manager screen, click CCreate Folder . The Create Folder window will open. Enter a TTitle for your new folder and click OOK. Your new folder will appear in the location you selected.

2. To create a new folder within an existing one (i.e., to make a hierarchy), simply navigate to that folder and then follow the steps above.

Moving and Deleting Files To move a file from one folder to another:

1. In the File Manager screen, locate the file you wish to move. 2. Select the box next to the file name. 3. Click MMove. The Browse for Location window will open. 4. Click on the destination folder and click OOK. 5. The file you selected will be moved to its new location and you will see a confirmation

message at the top of the screen.

To permanently remove a file from your course: 1. In the File Manager screen, locate the file you wish to delete and select the box next to

the file name. 2. Click DDelete, then click OOK to confirm that you want to delete the selected file. 3. The file you selected will be permanently removed from Simmons eLearning.

A Note about Moving, Renaming, and Deleting Files When you move, rename, or delete a file, any links created to the file will still exist. If these links are not updated, they will not work correctly. Also, note that when you delete a file, it is permanently removed from Simmons eLearning. It’s a good idea to make sure you have a backup copy of a file in your computer or another media before removing it from your course.

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Assignments

This is an overview of the options for creating, editing and controlling access to Assignments in Simmons eLearning.

Create and Edit Assignments 1. On the Build tab, from the Course Tools menu, select AAssignments. You will be taken

to the Assignments screen, where you can click CCreate Ass ignment. 2. The Create Assignments screen gives you all of the options below. Once you are

finished setting up your assignment, click SSave. The new assignment will appear in the Assignments screen.

3. You can edit an existing assignment by clicking on its title. Be sure to click SSave to keep your changes!

Standard Options • Title: choose a name that clearly identifies the nature of the task • Descr iption: A summary of the assignment which will be visible to

students in the Assignments section of your course. • Item Visib ility : Assignments are hidden by default. However, if you

release an assignment to some or all of your students, Simmons eLearning will automatically make it visible.

• Instructions: Students will see this set of instructions when they access the assignment.

• Add Attachments : Allows you to attach files that the students can download, such as documents or images.

• Student Submission Format : This affects how you receive student work, either as Text with attachments (most common), or as a Web site (which requires students to upload a ZIP file).

• Assignment Recipients: Allows you to send the assignment to all students or to a specific group. You may also include additional instructions for certain groups of students.

• Dates : This lets you determine a Due Date and a Cutoff Date for your assignment (submissions are marked late in the grade book is submitted after the Due Date, and are not accepted after the Cutoff Date)

• Grading: This determines how the assignment will be graded and creates a column in the Grade Book.

More Options At the bottom of the Create Assignment screen, click MMore Options to access the following:

• Grade Release: Select this option to allow students to view the corresponding grade book column

• Taking Back Submission: Allow students to take back their work after they have submitted it, to make changes and corrections

• Publishing Submissions : Decide if students will be able to publish their work for the entire course to see.

• Section Instructor notification: Decide whether to receive an email notification when a student submits an assignment

Add a Calendar Entry

Simmons eLearning can

automatically add a calendar entry

for your assignment. Simply select

the box next to Create a

corresponding event in the

Calendar tool while you are setting

the dates for your assignment. The

Calendar Entry will be added to the

course calendar, and automatically

added to student calendars.

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Content Links

One way to organize your eLearning course is by adding CContent Links to the home page. These will allow students quick access to the resources you expect them to use the most. See the options illustrated below:

A few things to note:

• Syllabus : You can choose to create a syllabus within eLearning, or to upload a file you’ve created elsewhere (Remember that PDF versions work the best)

• Web Links : One useful trick with web links is that you can add them directly to the Course Tools menu. In MManage Course, click AAdd Custom Link , enter a title and a URL, browse for a suitable image for the Icon, then click SSave. Just be sure you enter the URL correctly!

• Folders : Rather than displaying several links to files and assessments, you gather them all

into a folder link. Simply create the folder, then click the AActionLinks menu next to the file or link you wish to move, and choose “Move link to folder” or “Move file to folder”. A pop-up window will appear, asking you to designate a folder.

Learning Modules

Another way to organize your course is by creating LLearning Modules. Similar to organizing files and links into folders, learning modules allow you to gather related course materials – assessments, files, discussion, etc – under a single heading. Students can then navigate easily to all related resources.

To create learning modules: • In the Build tab, click the LLearning Modules link from the Course Tools menu. You will be taken to the Learning

Modules screen, where you can click “Create Learning Module”. • Type a NName and, if you wish, a

description, then hit SSave. • Once your module is named and

saved, you can click on it to access the menu at the right. Add files, links to assessments, creating headings etc to organize your module.

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Managing Groups and Grades

The Group Manager tool in eLearning allows instructors to create subsections of students within their online course. This can facilitate study or project groups, allowing selected students access to an exclusive page to share ideas and information through threaded discussions and chat rooms. Once created, you can manage your groups independently by assigning different projects and sending different announcements. Members can be randomly assigned, instructor-appointed, or self-determined by the students. Students can be added to and removed from groups at any time. Create Groups

1. In the Teach tab, under the Instructor Tools menu, choose GGroup Manager , then click on Create Groups .

2. Choose one of the options: Create custom group, Create multiple groups, or Create groups with sign-up sheets. For this example, we will follow the steps to create a single custom group.

3. On the Create Custom Group screen: • Enter a name for the group • Write a description, if you wish • Click AAdd Members , and choose students from the class roster that pops up • Click SSave

The process for creating multiple groups and sign-up sheets is similar to what we have just described, except that you will have options for the number of groups created, the number of students in each, and how to distribute extra members. Once you have created a group, you can modify its settings at any time. Click the AActionLinks icon next to the group name, and choose EEdit Group from the drop-down menu. To set up group collaboration tools, such as discussion topics and chat rooms, navigate to the GGroup Manager , click the box next to the group name, and select a tool from the CCreate Group Activ i ty drop-down menu. These tools will then be visible only the group members. If you wish to see them as well, you must add the Demo Student user to each group (this can be done when you first set up the group, or through the edit screen). Send Mail to Groups You can send an email to all the members of particular groups, which students will be able to access from their Mail folder upon logging in to eLearning. Please note, this eLearning mail will not appear in the students’ Simmons email account.

1. From the Instructor Tools menu, select GGroup Manager . 2. Check the box next to the groups to whom you would like to send mail, and click the SSend

Mail button (bottom left of the screen). 3. In the Create Message pop-up window, the names of the group members will already be

entered into the To field. Type a subject and your message, add attachments, and click Send. The pop-up window closes and the message is sent.

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Managing the Grade Book

The Teach tab gives you access to the grade book function, which can be tailored to your use. You can set up a grade book that is always available online, divide a large class into smaller sections and release grade information to students without compromising their privacy, among other things. You can also upload and download information to and from eLearning if you use other software in your computer. Students with “TA” level access to your course will also have access to the Student Management functions and can enter grades or perform other data management tasks.

Things to Note: • Columns can be created, deleted and edited to display different types of data. Click the AActionLinks icon for GGrade

Book Options and choose “Column Settings”. From here, you can also choose to release a column’s grade information to students.

• You can choose to export the entire grade book to a spreadsheet, or else use the AActionLinks icon to view a column’s submissions, click “View Report”, choose to run Overall or Comparison stats, and then click “Download Records.” See the following pages for more information.

Change the View by selecting the relevant tab. Click the header to

sort by that criteria.

Change column settings, view particular students, and view changes to the Grade Book.

Click the ActionLinks icon to view submissions and statistics for that column.

Select a name to edit values and view a performance report for that student.

Click to export grade book data to the local computer.

Click to change the number of records per page.

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Import and Export Student Data

If you want to manipulate the data in Simmons eLearning using a separate program, such as Microsoft Excel or Access, or Filemaker, you can download some or all of the columns to your local hard drive in Comma Delimited Format, make your changes, and upload the edited data back into eLearning to add it to the Grade Book. Export student data to MS Excel The process of opening Simmons eLearning data in Excel is similar to other spreadsheet programs. The file is exported from eLearning as a text file and the spreadsheet program converts the data into columns.

1. On the Grade Book screen, click the Export to Spreadsheet button at the bottom of the screen.

2. Under Select Export Format, choose comma-del imited and UUnicode (UTF-8) .

3. Click EExpor t . 4. Your computer’s File Download window

will open, prompting you to save or open the file.

5. If the file name displayed ends in .csv, choose OOpen from the File Download window, and the file will open in Excel or another chosen program. You can then use the SSave As menu to rename it and save it as an Excel Workbook.

6. If the file name ends in .txt, click SSave to rename the file and save it to your hard drive.

7. Open MMicrosoft Excel , then go to File > Open. Locate and select the .txt file you downloaded from eLearning and click OOpen.

8. The Text Import Wizard window will open. Under Original data type, select Delimited , then click NNext .

9. In the next window, under Delimiters, check the box next to Comma and click NNext .

10. Ignore SStep 3 of 3 and click Finish. Your student data should now appear in an Excel worksheet.

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Import Student Data

Prepare a Data File for Upload

In order to upload student data into Simmons eLearning, the file must: • Be saved as a comma delimited (.csv) or tab delimited text file (.txt). • Have a header row containing a title for each column. • Contain a column titled User ID (capital U, space, capital ID). This column contains the

Simmons eLearning account user names, which matches the imported grades with the existing students in the Simmons eLearning grade book.

Note: To avoid possible errors, remove any columns that do not need to be changed (e.g., First Name, Last Name, etc). Upload the Data File

1. On the Grade Book screen, click the IImport from Spreadsheet button at the top of the table. The Import File screen will open.

2. Click BBrowse. Your computer’s Open File dialog box will appear. 3. Find, select and open the ff ile you want to import. The name of the file will appear inside

the File field. 4. Click UUpload . The Import File screen will appear. 5. For each column of imported data, use the drop-down menu to select:

• An exist ing column and place the data in a column that already exists in the grade book (such as “Midterm”).

• Add as new column and create a new column for this data.

• Do not import and ignore this data, such as “First Name” and “Last Name”.

6. Click IImport . If you have chosen not to import some of the columns, the Import Errors screen will open, indicating that “The following column(s) were not imported as requested”.

7. Click OOK. You will return to the Grade Book screen. 8. Make sure the new and updated data is properly inserted in the grade book.

Documents

Overview of the Simmons eLearning Interface