Introduction to Designing and Teaching Courses with GeorgiaVIEW Vista

Transcription

1 Information Technology Services Kennesaw State University Mastering the Fundamentals: Introduction to Designing and Teaching Courses with GeorgiaVIEW Vista The Vista Learning System by Blackboard, Inc. A Project of the University System of Georgia

2 Copyright 2009 Information Technology Services Kennesaw State University This document may be downloaded, printed, or copied, for educational use, without further permission of the Information Technology Services Department (ITS), provided the content is not modified and this statement is not removed. Any use not stated above requires the written consent of the ITS Department. The distribution of a copy of this document via the Internet or other electronic medium without the written permission of the ITS Department is expressly prohibited. 2

3 Contents Introduction... 4 Learning Objectives... 4 How to access GeorgiaVIEW Vista... 5 Browser Compatibility... 6 Java Requirements... 6 The My GeorgiaVIEW Page... 8 Course News... 9 The Content Manager Page Accessing a Course Section for the First Time Na vigating through a Course Section The Role Tabs The Course Toolbar Th e Home Page Header and Footer Adding Tools to the Home Page Adding Folders Customizing your Course The File Manager Syllabus Learning Modules Ad ding Content to your Learning Modules Content Files Goals Discussions Assignments Assessments Mail Mail Notification Icons Th e Grade Book Adding or Removing Students Granting or Denying Access to your Course Section Ex porting and Importing Importing Many Files into Vista Exporting Learning Modules Importing a Learning Module Exporting Assessments Importing Assessments Getting Help Co nfiguring your Browser to Allow Pop ups from GeorgiaVIEW Vista Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox What's New in Vista? How to troubleshoot peculiar happenings in Vista such as a disappearing Grade Book?

4 Introduction Kennesaw State University is using GeorgiaVIEW Vista for online course management. GeorgiaVIEW Vista, a University System of Georgia (USG) initiative, is an Internet based teaching and learning environment that organizes course materials and assignments, facilitates communication with students, and provides online testing and course assessment tools, along with many other features to aid in classroom instruction. Building on the familiar tools and interface of WebCT Vista, GeorgiaVIEW Vista has evolved to a more comprehensive system, which offers faculty and students enhanced functionality for teaching and learning, improved performance, a more robust architecture, and an improved interface and navigation structure. This document is meant to explain the fundamentals of designing and teaching with GeorgiaVIEW Vista. GeorgiaVIEW Vista can help you to be more efficient and flexible in teaching your courses. GeorgiaVIEW Vista can be used as a small component of a course, such as to post grades, or it can be used to completely teach the course online. To use GeorgiaVIEW Vista, you need an internet connection. You must know how to use an Internet browser, have basic word processing skills, and have basic computer file management skills. You are not required to know HTML or computer programming. Learning Objectives Get familiar with the GeorgiaVIEW Vista system. Set up the Home Page. Use tools to create course content. Use tools to convey objectives and grade submissions by students. Communicate with students. Manage files and export/import course content. 4

5 How to access GeorgiaVIEW Vista To login to GeorgiaVIEW Vista: 1. Open a web browser and point it to: 2. Enter your NetID in the KSU NetID field. 3. Enter your NetID password in the Password field. 4. Click OK. Note: If you see a message about popups, click on the yellow bar and then select Always allow popups from this site. Note: If you are asked about security certificates, click Yes. When prompted with the security warning shown above, click Run to allow the Java application to load. 5. You should arrive at your My GeorgiaVIEW page and should see a course list in the center. 5

6 Browser Compatibility At this point, you can click on the Check Browser link to verify that your web browser is fully compatible with GeorgiaVIEW Vista. The Browser Check tool will also check that cookies are enabled, that the pop up blocker is turned off, and that the Java requirements are met. It is strongly recommended that you uninstall any Yahoo, Google, or AOL browser toolbars you may have so that your online course will function properly. Your web browser must be configured to allow Java applets to run. Scheduled System Maintenance Each GeorgiaVIEW Vista server undergoes scheduled maintenance every other Friday from 10:00 PM through Saturday at 7:00 AM. During this period, the GeorgiaVIEW Vista service is temporarily unavailable. This routine, periodic maintenance is essential to keep GeorgiaVIEW Vista operating smoothly. Faculty should schedule quiz and assignment submission deadlines BEFORE the maintenance period begins. Students should plan to complete work BEFORE the maintenance begins. You can review the Vista scheduled maintenance calendars at the GeorgiaVIEW web site: Java Requirements GeorgiaVIEW Vista requires the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.4.2_07 or higher to be installed on your computer (excluding 1.5.0_02). JRE Version 5 (1.5_17) is strongly recommended. To fin d out which version of Java is running on your PC: 1. Click on the Start button on your compute r desktop. 2. Click on Settings, and then Control Panel. 3. Double Click on Java. 4. Click on the About button. 5. Close the Control Panel. 6

7 To obtain the recommended version of Java, you can go to: PC users: bin/intershop.enfinity/wfs/cds CDS_Developer Site/en_US/ /USD/ViewProductDetail Start?ProductRef=jre 1.5.0_17 oth CDS_Developer Mac users: Use the Software Update feature (available on the Apple menu) to check that you have the most up to date version of Java for your Mac. Note: Vista needs only ONE supported install of Java. If you have multiple versions of Java installed on your PC, Vista will not work properly. Multiple versions of Java do not affect Macs. To fin d out if multiple versions of Java are installed on your PC: 1. Click on the Start button on your compute r desktop. 2. Click on Settings, and then Control Panel. 3. Click on Add or Remove Programs. 4. Scroll down to locate all versions of Java, J2SE, JRE, JVM, or Sun Java. 5. If you find multiple versions, click on the older one to select it, and then click on Remove. 6. Close the Control Panel. 7

8 The My GeorgiaVIEW Page After logging in, you will be at your My GeorgiaVIEW page. The My GeorgiaVIEW page is an overall view of all the course sections to which you have access. In the center of the My GeorgiaVIEW Page, you will see a list of your course sections. You will automatically have a GeorgiaVIEW course for every section that you teach. To enter a course: Just click on the course section link in the Course List. Note: You cannot change your password here. To change your password you will need to go to: Log out Click here to completely logout of Vista. Calendar The Global Calendar is an overview of all the Course Calendars. Check Br owser Vista is browser sensitive. Click on this link to see if your browser is compatible. Channels Channels allow you to select which components to display on the page. An Action Link next to each channel gives you the options of editing and/or hiding the channel. A Pencil Icon lets you edit the course list. Note that hiding a course does not remove the course or change your enrollment, access, or activity in the course. 8

9 My Settings This section lets you set global settings across all sections. You can view/edit your profile information, modify several tool settings such as calendar view and paging, set your online visibility status, and see an overview of your roles within the sections/courses you are enrolled in. Help: The Help feature is context sensitive, so wherever you are in Vista, clicking Help (top right hand side of the screen) will open Help with information about the screen that you are on. Course News Whenever there is a new Discussion message, a new Assignment, or a new Mail message, an icon will appear in the Course List on your My GeorgiaVIEW page. These icons are called Course News. They indicate that changes have been made to a course section. This is especially helpful if you have several course sections and would like to be able to login and see if there is anything new from the last time that you logged in. 9

10 The Content Manager Page Clicking on the Content Manager tab takes you to My Files. My Files is a subset of the course File Manager, which houses course files such as Syllabus, PowerPoint presentations, multimedia clips, and images that need to be accessible to users enrolled in your course. My Files, on the other hand, is used to create and store your personal files in the online course system. Each user, including each student user, has their own My Files that is always private and cannot be accessed by other users. You have one gigabyte of storage space in My Files. Accessing a Course Section for the First Time When you click on a course section for the first time and for the first time ONLY, you will be prompted to Assign Course Content. The four options are as follows: o Set up a blank course to design the course from scratch. o Copy content from another course to assign content from other courses, including courses you migrated from WebCT Vista. This process does not pull any student data. o Assign a template to this course. o Import content from file to import course content from exported course file. If you choose Set up a blank course, you will be presented with the following screen: 10

11 In this scenario, if you select all the tools, you will be presented with the course Build interface with all available tools, as seen below: 11

12 Click on Done to begin building your course, and you will be presented with the following screen: Navigating through a Course Section Once you click on a course section, you may see a splash page that explains the Course Tools and Designer Tools, and offers links to Tutorials. Click Done to continue. If you no longer wish to see this splash page, you can check the box beside Do not show this page again. Once you have entered a course section, moving around in GeorgiaVIEW Vista is best done with the internal navigation tools, not your Back button in your web browser. There is always a set of Role tabs, Course Toolbar, navigating arrow, or a Bread crumb trail visible that should be used to navigate from page to page or tool to tool. 12

13 The Role Tabs There are three Role tabs in the top left corner of the Vista screen: Build, Teach, and Student View. The Build tab is used to build and organize content and tools in Vista. The Teach tab is used to manage course content and tools and perform Instructor duties with the Grade Book and Grading Forms tools. The Student View tab allows you to see what the student in the course sees. The Course Toolbar The Course Toolbar is located on the left side of the screen. It is split into two areas: Course Tools and Designer Tools. The Course Tools toolbar is visible in your course section at all times, by you, and by your s tudents. It provides one click access to all the tools made available to the course. The Course Tools toolbar contains Announcements, Assessments, Assignments, Calendar, Chat, Discussions, Goals, Learning Modules, Local Content, Mail, Media Library, Roster, SCORM, Search, Syllabus, Web Links and Who s Online components. The Designer Tools toolbar contains the Manage Course, File Manager, Grading Forms and Selective Release components. The Designer Tools toolbar becomes Instructor Tools in the Teach tab, with additional tools: Assessment Manager, Assignment Dropbox, Grade Book, Group Manager, Tracking, and Notes. Note: The menu area, which includes both toolbars, can easily be collapsed to increase the size of the main content area by clicking on the double arrow between the main content area and the menu area. A second click expands the menu area back. Note: Clicking on any of the tools takes you to the page that lists the content related to that tool. 13

14 To ad d a tool to the Course Tools toolbar: 1. Click on Manage Course on the Designer Tools toolbar. 2. Click on Tools. This section shows all of the pages and tools that you can add to the Course Tools toolbar. 3. Click on the tool that you wish to add in the Add to Course Toolbar section. You should see the desired tool move from the Add to Course Toolbar section to the Course Toolbar itself. Note: If you want to see exactly what the students see in their course section, click on the Student View tab. The Home Page When you first go into a course section, you should see a blank Home Page with descriptions of course content components (see image below). Header and Footer The Home Page has a header section and a footer section. You can add text, such as the course name, or anything else that you want to the header or footer of the Home Page. To ad d a header to the Home Page: 1. Click on the Page Options button in the upper right corner of the page. 2. Click on Edit Header. 14

15 3. The Edit Header text editor will open. 4. Click on Enable HTML Creator if you wish to use the HTML creator. HTML creator offers an easy, graphical interface for applying formatting, such as boldface, and for inserting images and links. 5. Add the text that you wish to the text editor. 6. Check the box if you want to use this header as the default header for the entire course. 7. Click Save. The footer works the same as the header; it is just at the bottom of the page instead of the top. To ed it the header or footer of the Home Page: 1. Click on the Page Options button. 2. Click on Edit Header or Edit Footer. 3. Make the changes that you wish. 4. Click Save. To remove the hea der or footer: 1. Click on the Page Options button. 2. Click on Edit Header or Edit Footer. 3. Remove all of the text from the editor with the delete key or the backspace key. 4. Click Save. Adding Tools to the Home Page You can add tools to the Home Page from the Add Content Link button at the top of the Home Page. Clicking on the button brings up a list of the tools that you can add to your Home Page. 15

16 To ad d a tool to the Home Page: 1. Click on the Add Content Link button. 2. Click on the tool that you wish to add to the Home Page from the pull down list. 3. Click on Create (name of the tool). Note: Two things are actually created with this step; the tool is created and a shortcut to it from the Home Page is created also. To remove a tool from the Home Pag e: 1. Click on the Action Link button next to the tool that you wish to remove. You will see a small menu appear beside your tool. 2. Click on Remove Link. Note: These steps only remove the link to the tool. To delete the tool itself: 1. Go to the Course Tools toolbar. 2. Click on the link that represents the type of tool that you wish to delete. 3. Check the box in the front of the tool to be deleted. 4. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the tools list. 16

17 To hide/unhide a tool: 1. Click on the Action Link button next to the tool you wish to hide. Y ou will see a small menu appear beside the tool. 2. Click on Hide Item. T o unhide a tool, go through step 1, and then click on Unhide Item. For a list of tools that are available, and descriptions of what they do: 1. Click on Manage Course in the Designer Tools toolbar. 2. Click on Tools. Adding Folders The Create Folder feature allows you to add folders which help you organize and sort your course content. Folders make it easier for students to find documents by limiting the amount of scrolling they need to do and by labeling specific content areas. There are two main ways of using folders to organize your material; content based and chronological order. An example of content based organization is creating a folder for all your lecture notes, another for exams, a third for discussion topics, etc. An example of chronological order is to create a folder for all Week One materials, another for Week Two, etc. 17

18 To Create a Folder: 1. Click on the Build tab. 2. Navigate to the location where you want to place the folder in your course. To add a folder into an existing folder, click on the folder link to go into that folder. 3. Click on the Create Folder button. 4. Enter a Title for the folder and an optional De scription. 5. Decide whether or not to show the folder to students. 6. You may click on + Add Another Folder to create additional folders. 7. Click Save. Customizing your Course You have multiple options to customize the look and feel of your course in GeorgiaVIEW Vista: text and background colors, icon styles, page layout, and custom web links in the Course Toolbar. 18

19 Features to customize your course can be found in the Manage Course tool under Course Menu, Colors and Course Content Icons, in the Page Options under Customize Page Display, and in Customize Link under Action Link. The Course Menu in Manage Course lets you set general display settings, Hide or Unhide Links to the Course Tools toolbar, and add Custom Links to Internet resources to the Course Toolbar. To ad d a Custom Link to an Internet Resource such as Galileo: 1. Click on Manage Course on the course toolbar, and then on Course Menu. 2. Click on Add Custom Link either next to Course Tools if you want the link to be available to you and the students or next to My Tools if you want the link to be available to students only. 3. In the Add Custom Link window, enter a Title and the complete Website address (URL). 4. Click on Save. 19

20 Colors in Manage Course lets you choose text and background colors from predefined color sets. You can also select Custom to define your own set of text and background colors. Course Content Icons in Manage Course lets you change the icon style in the course. You can c hoose from predefined icon sets or you can use your own icons. Click on the Select New Content Icon Set button to apply a predefined style set. Click on the Action Link beside an icon to replace it with your own icon. Customize Page Display in Page Options lets you change the page layout, add/remove a background image, and change the background color. To change the page layout, you can choose from predefined layout templates or you can define your own layout. To access Customize Page Display: 1. Click on the Build tab. 2. Click on the Page Options button on the Home Page. 3. Click on Customize Page Display. 20

21 Customize Link under Action Link lets you a replace the icon for a particular item but keep the icons for other items of the same type consistent. Not e: Y ou cannot resiz e an image within Vista. You must use an image editing software to do so. 1. From the Build tab, navigate to the item for which you want to replace the icon. 2. Click the Action Link button next to the item link s name. 3. Click on Customize Link. 4. Click on Replace Icon. 5. In Get Files, click on My Computer and browse for your icon. 6. Select the file and click Open. 7. Click Save. The File Manager The File Manager is a place where the files that you upload into Vista reside. All of the files that you use in Vista will at some point have to be uploaded into the File Manager. You can upload your files into the File Manager in advance of assigning them to a tool, or when you create a tool you will have to upload them then. To open the File Manager: 1. Click on Manage Cour se in the Designer Tools toolbar. 2. Click on File Manager. The File Manager should open. 21

22 To upl oad a file to the File Manager: 1. Click on the Get Files button. 2. Click on My Computer. 3. Browse t o the file that you wish to upload and click on it to select it. 4. Click on Open. 22

23 The image below shows the File Manager with two files uploaded. One file is an Excel Spreadsheet, and the other is a JPEG image. To upload many files at one time: use the ctrl key 1. Click on the Get Files button. 2. Click on My Computer. 3. Browse to the files that you wish to upload and click on them while pressing down the ctrl key to select them. 4. Click on Open. To dele te a file from the File Manager: 1. Open the File Manager using the steps stated previously. 2. Check the box beside the file(s) you wish to delete. 3. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the files listing. In addition to uploading and deleting, you can manage files by copying, moving, and zipping t hem. Note: The Public Files folder in the File Manager is public to the students and to other Designers or Instructors that may have access to that particular course section. 23

24 Syllabus A Syllabus is an outline of topics covered in an academic course. There are four options in GeorgiaVIEW Vista for adding your syllabus: Use the Add Con tent Link feature to import a syllabus file created on your computer. Use the Syllabus tool to add a syllabus file. Use the built in Syllabus tool to create a syllabus online. Link to a syllabus that is an external webpage. To add a Syllabus to the Home Page using the Add Content Link feature: GeorgiaVIEW Vista lets you import a syllabus file that you created on your computer. The imported syllabus must be in plain text (e.g., Word.doc or Adobe.pdf) or HTML format. Note: It is highly recommended that you save your Syllabus to HTML format, since it will display more "cleanly" for students. For example, in Microsoft Word, choose File > Save As. Under Save as typ e, choose Web Page, Filtered (*.htm; *.html). 1. On the Home Page, click on the Add Content Link button. 2. Click on Syllabus > >. 3. Click on Select File. 4. Click on My Computer. 5. Browse to the file that you wish to upload and click on it to select it. 6. Click on Open. To ad d a Syllabus using the Syllabus Tool: 1. Click on the Syllabus tool in the Course Tools toolbar. 2. Select Us e File in the Select Syllabus Type section. 3. Click on Browse in the Select Syllabus section. 4. Click on My Computer. 5. Browse to the file that you wish to upload and click on it to select it. 6. Click on Open. 24

25 To create a syllabu s online using the built in Syllabus: 1. Click on the Syllabus tool in the Course Tools toolbar. 2. Select Use built in syllabus in the Select Syllabus Type section. 3. Click on Add Syllabus Item, and then select the placeholder you wish to add to your syllabus from the dropdown list. You may choose from Course Requirements, Custom HTML, Goals, Lesson, Other, Policies, and Resources. Note that the built in Syllabus tool allows you to create as many placeholders as needed or build the contents one at a time via the options on the Add Syllabus Item list. 25

26 Syllabus items may be added, modified, reordered or removed at any time. The advantage of this option is that if you make frequent changes to your syllabus, you just have to make the updates within the Syllabus tool and not have to re upload a file every time you make updates. To link to a Syllabus that is an external webpage: The Syllabus tool does not have the option of linking to an external webpage. You can use the Web Link tool to create the same effect. 1. On the Home Page, click on the Add Content Link button. 2. Click on Web Link >>. 3. Click on Create Web Link. 4. Enter a Title for your URL ( Syllabus is recommended). 5. Enter the web address (URL) of the Syllabus page (must start with 6. Check the box beside Open in a new browser window. 7. Click the Save button. To se e how the Syllabus works and how it looks: 1. Click on the Student View tab. 2. Click on the Syllabus. 26

27 Learning Modules A Learning Module is a tool that helps you group Content Files, Website links, Discussions, Assignments, and Assessments into logical units. When you use Learning Modules to group your content, it is easier to move and share the content with other course sections. Learning Modules allow you to structure content hierarchically within a table of contents by using headings and outline numbering. In this way you can organize the order in which content is delivered to students. This is what makes a Learning Module different from a Folder, in which the links to content are free floating with no explicit order in which students should do the activities. The capability to define the learning path is beneficial for a fully online distance course in which you have limited or no face to face contact with students. Note: When exporting Learning Modules, Web Links, Discussions, and Assignments do not export with the Module; only Content Files and Assessments will be included in the export package. To ad d a Learning Module to the Home Page: 1. On the H ome Page, click on the Add Content Link button. 2. Click on Learning Module >>. 3. Click on Create Learning Module. 4. Enter a Title for your new Learning Module. 5. Enter an optional Description to inform the students as to the nature of the module. 6. Decide whether to show the module to students upon saving or keep hidden until you are finished adding content to the module. 7. Decide whether or not to display the Table of Contents in a separate pane on the left. 8. Select whether the First page of the learning module should be the Table of Contents itself or the First page in the Table of Contents. 9. Click on Save. A link to the Learning Module is placed on the Home Page. 27

28 Below is an example of a Learning Module named Themes Module ; this is actually a shortcut or a link to the new Themes Module Learning Module. There is no content in this Module; we will have to add it. To delete a Learning Module (shortcut) from the Home Page: 1. Click on the Build tab. 2. Click on the Action Link button beside the Learning Module that you wish to delete. A small menu should appear. 3. Click on Remove Link. 28

29 To completely remove a Learning Module from your course section: 1. Complete the previous steps to remove the shortcut link from the Home Page. 2. Click on the Learning Modules tool in the Course Tools toolbar. A list of your current Learning Modules should appear. 3. Check the box beside the Learning Module(s) you wish to delete. 4. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the listing. To hid e a Learning Module (make it unava ilable): 1. Click on the Learning Modules tool on the Course Tools toolbar. A list of your current Learning Modules should appear. 2. Click on the Action Link button beside the module you wish to hide. A small menu should appear. 3. Click on Hide Item. If you wish to un hide (make available) this Learning Module later, go back through the same steps and click on Unhide Item. 29

30 Adding Content to your Learning Modules Once you have created a Learning Module, you may want to add Content Files, Discussions, Assignments or Assessments to it. Learning Modules that contain Content Files and/or Assessments can be easily exported to another course section, or another semester. Note: When exporting Learning Modules, only Content Files and Assessments will be included in the export package. Other tools such as Web Links, Assignments and Discussions can be added to a Learning Module, but they will not be included in the export package. Content Files A Content File can be any normal web deliverable file format such as Word documents, Adobe Acrobat PDF documents, HTML web pages, or Excel Spreadsheets. To ad d a Content File to a Learning Module: 1. Click on the Action Link beside the Module you wish to add a Content File to. A sma ll menu should appear. 2. Click on Go to Learning Module. 3. Click on Add File. 4. Select to browse for an existing file (click on Create File to create a new file online). The Get Files Browser should open. 5. If yo u have already uploaded the file that you wish to use in this Content File: a. Click in the checkbox beside the file to select it. b. Click OK. 30

31 5. If yo u have not yet uploaded the file that you wish to use: a. Click on My Computer. b. Browse your local drive for the file. c. Select the file. d. Click on the Open button. The Content File should appear in the Learning Module. Note: It is strongly recommended that you upload PDF files instead of Word documents because of virus risks and compatibility issues (2003 versus 2007). Note: You can filter content to show only specific file types such as PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Image, Audio, Web Link, etc. Select the files you want to show from the pull down list and click on the Green Arrow to activate the filter. Click on All Types, and then the Green Arrow to remove filter. 31

32 Goals The Goals tool allows you to set the goals for a course, and to create categories to organize them. You can also associate files and course content with goals. Associating content allows you to communicate to students which items in the course will support progress towards the achievement of each goal. You can associate the following content with any goal: assessments assignments chat rooms discussion topics learning modules media library collections a syllabus web links You may want to create a category for each unit in your course to help students understand the expected outcomes of each. To create a Category: 1. Click on the Build tab, and then click on the Goals tool on the Course Tools toolbar. 2. Click on the Create Category button. 3. On the Create Category screen, enter a Title and Description. 4. Click Save. 32

33 To create a Goal: 1. Click on the Build tab, and then click on the Goals tool on the Course Tools toolbar. 2. Click on the Create Goal button. 3. On the Create Goal screen, enter a Title and Description. 4. Decide whether to make the goal visible to students or not. 5. Assign the goal to an optional Category. 6. Click Save. To associate Content with a Goal: 1. Click on the Build tab, and then click on the Goals tool on the Course Tools toolbar. 2. Click on the Goal you wish to associate Content with. 3. Click on the Associate Content button and select the tool from the pull down list. 4. Select the item from the in ventory list. 5. Click on the Add Selected button. 33

34 Note: Instructors (via the Teach tab) and Students can click the Goals tool to view the goals in the course. Clicking on a goal will let students view files and course content, such as assignments and assess ments, which have been associated with the goal. Note: Goals are not visible inside course content. To move or reorder goals: 1. From the Build tab, click the Goals tool. 2. Next to the goal you want to reorder, select the check box. 3. Locate the goal above which you want the checked goal to appear and to the left of the target go al, click the Insert icon. 4. Click on Move Selected Items Above. 34

35 Dis cussions The Discussions tool is a communication tool that allows everyone in your course to post messages to a topic. The difference between the Mail tool and the Discussions tool is that when you post a message in the Discussions tool you are sending the message to a topic instead of a person or group of persons. You can use the topic that is created by default, or you can create your own topics. There are three types of discussion topics: Threaded: Create a threaded topic for a more traditional online discussion. Participants post and reply to messages. Replies that are associated with the same post are grouped together, creating message threads that can be expanded and collapsed. Class blog: Create a collaborative blog (weblog) space by allowing participants to post a chronological series of entries on a particular topic. Participants can then add comments to any blog entry. Journal: Create a journal topic to give Students a place for their own writing. The journals can be kept private between the Student and the Section Instructor or shared with the class. You can create discussion categories to group similar or related discussion topics together. For example: You can create a category called Graded Topics that contains all the topics that Students will be graded on. After one category is created, any topics that are not assigned to a category appear under Uncategorized Topics. As a result, you can: Create a topic and leave it uncategorized. Create a topic in an existing category. Create a topic and a category simultaneously. To ad d a Discussio n topic to a Learning Module: 1. Click on the Action Link button beside the Learning Module you wish to add a Discussion Topic to. A sma ll menu should appear. 2. Click on Go to Learning Module. 3. Click on Add Content Link. 4. Select Discussions >>. 5. Click on Create Discussion Topic. 35

36 6. Click on the Discussion link on the Add to Learning Module toolbar on the left side of the screen. 7. Click on Create Discussio n Topic. 8. Click on the Create Topic button. 9. Select the type of discussion topic you would like to create. 10. Click Next. 11. Add a Title and a Description for your new Discussion Topic. If you wish to categorize the discussion topic, click on Select Category, and then click on Create New Category. If you want to grade the student s participation in this Discussion topic, check one of the boxes under Allow the topic to be graded. This will add a grade column to the Grade Book for this discussion topic. Set the maximum grade if you select the default numerical. Enter the Grade Book column title. If you want students to be able to see their discussion grade, check the box next to Release grade to Students in My Grades. If you want to enable students to review each other s messages, click on Peer Review to set reviewing options. 36

37 12. Click on Topic Behavior Options to set student posting rules. If you do not want your students to be able to edit their posts to this topic, uncheck the box. If you want to lock this topic so that no more messages can be posted to this topic, check the box. If you want to allow your students to post messages to this topic without their names attached, check the box: Authors are anonymous to Students. 13. Click the Save button. To us e the Discussion tool: 1. Click on the Teach tab. 2. Click on the Discussions tool in the Course Tools toolbar. 3. Click on the Discussion topic in which you want to interact. The Messages section of your Discussion topic should open. 37

38 To read a message: click on the Subject link. The Message window will open and you can read the message. To reply to a message: click on the Reply button. 38

39 To Pos t a Message: 1. Click on the Create Message button. The Create Message window will open. 2. Enter a Subject and a Message. 3. Click on the Post button. Note that it is a good idea to preview your message before you post it to the whole class to read. You may also click the Save as Draft button if you wish to review it and post it later. 39

40 Ass ignments The Assignments tool lets you provide a place where your students can upload (submit) a file such as a Word document or an Excel spreadsheet. You can set the Due Date, the Cutoff Date, and even attach a file that the student can download to start with. The Assignments tool also allows you to add a column to the Grade Book so that you can grade the assignment submissions from inside Vista. To ad d an Assignment to a Learning Module: 1. In the Build tab, click on the Action Link button beside the Learning Module you wish to add an assignment to. A sma ll menu sh ould appear. 2. Click on Go to Learning Module. 3. Click on Add Content Link. 4. Select Assignments >>. 5. Click on the Create Assignment button. 6. Enter a Title, Description and Instructions for your new Assignment. 7. If you wish to provide a file that your students will be able to download for the Assignment, click on Add Attachments. If the file that you wish to attach is not in your File Manager, you will have to upload it from your local computer. 8. Select Text in the Student submissions format section. 9. Click on All Students individually in the Assignment recipients section. You can leave it set to Dec ide later if you wish. 10. Choose a Due Date and a Cutoff Date. 11. Check the box in the Grading section if you wish to grade this assignment. This will add a co lumn for this assignment to the Grade Book tool. Note: The More Options section allows you to let the student resubmit the file they submitted. You can also check the option Both the Section Instructor and Students can publish submissions if you want students to be able to make their submissions visible to all the other students. 12. Decide whether or not you want to receive an notification each time a student submits an assignment. 13. Click Save. 40

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42 To ed it an Assignment: 1. Click on the Build tab, and then the Assignments tool in the Course Tools toolbar. A list of the Assignments should appear. 2. Click on the assignment you wish to edit. The Edit Assignment window should open. You can make the changes that yo u wish here. 3. When you are finished editing the settings of the assignment, click on Save. To se e the assignm ents the way your students will see them: 1. Click on the Student View tab. 2. Click on the Assignments tool in the Course Tools toolbar. The Assignments Inbox should open. 3. Click on the assignment you wish to see. The Edit Submission window will open. Your student will see the Instructions, the file you provided, the Grading Criteria, and the Due Date. 42

43 4. Click on the Cancel button. When students submit their assignment, they will be directed to a Confirmation page. 43

44 To review and grade submitted assignments: 1. Click on the Teach tab. 2. Click on the Assignm ent Dropbox in the Instructor Tools toolbar. The Assignment Dropbox should open. The Assignment Submissions are categorized by tabs along the top. In the Submitted tab, you should see the assignments that have been submitted along with the names of the students that submitted files. 3. Click on the Title of the assignment to review and grade it. The Submission window will open. 44

45 4. Make any comme nts that you wish to make in the Grader/Reviewer Comments section. In the Save Options section you have three choices. You will have two choices if you did not allow the student to make multiple submissions or the due date has past. If you wish to send the submission back to the student with comments so they can edit it further (you will not see this option if the Due Date has past), select Return to Student for further editing. If you do not want to grade this submission now, select Save for further review and editing. If you are ready to return the submission to the student, select Return graded submission to Student and enter a grade in the box. 5. Click Save. Assessments GeorgiaVIEW Vista provides the Assessments tool to help you test and grade your students understanding of course material. There are three types of Assessments tools: Quizzes, Surveys, and Self Tests. The Quiz and the Survey will create columns in the Grade Book for grading and feedback purposes, while the Self Test will not. Each type of assessment allows you to create questions for the student to answer. There are nine types of questions at your disposal: Calculated, Combination, Fill in the Blank, Jumbled Sentence, Matching, Multiple Choice, Paragraph, Short Answer, and True / False. In the examples provided below, we will create a Quiz and use the Multiple Choice question types. To ad d an Assessment ( Quiz) to a Learning Module: 1. Click on the Build tab, and then click on the Assessments tool. 2. Click on the Create Assessment button. The Create Asse ssment window should appear. 3. Enter a Title and an optional Description. A column is automatically created in the Grade Book for your assessment. You can enter a different name for the Grade Book column. 4. The Quiz type of Assessment should already be selected. Click Save and Add Questions. 45

46 5. Click the Create Questions button and select a question type from the drop down list. 6. Click on Multiple Choice and fill out the form specific to the question type. a. Enter a Title for your question. b. Enter the Question text of your question. c. Enter the text for each Answer and Feedback, for up to five answers. You can click on the Create Additional Answers button if more answers are needed. d. Check the Correct Response box for the answer that is correct. You can have multiple correct responses by selecting Multiple Answers in the Select Mode section. 46

47 7. Click Save once you are finished creating the question. 8. Repeat for each question that will be used for this assessment. 9. When you are finished adding questions, set the point values for the questions and click Update Total to see if they are correct. 10. Click on the Assessments tool in the Course Tools toolbar. 11. If you want to try the quiz without releasing it, you can preview the quiz by clicking on the Action Link button beside the quiz, and then click on Preview. 47

48 12. By default the Start Time is set for the current date and the End Time is unlimited. You can click on the Action Link button beside the quiz, and then on Edit Properties to change it if you wish. You can also change the Duration (allotted time to take test; default is one hour) and number of Attempts allowed here. 13. While in Edit Properties, you may choose to display the assessment in a separate browser window, associate goal(s), provide custom instructions, decide if and how results are displayed to students, and when the test is available. 48

49 14. You can also set release criteria by clicking on the Action Link button beside the quiz, and then on Set Release Criteria. If you set release criteria there, it will override the start and end time set in Edit Properties (see step 12). You can release the assessment on a certain date, to certain students, to a certain group of students, and according to criteria in the Grade Book. (Please refer to Level 2 booklet for information on Selective Release) Mail The Mail tool allows all of the people in your course to communicate with each other. The Mail tool is similar to e mail, but does not have addresses like e mail. Only people in the course can communicate with other people in the same course. Note: The Mail tool must be on the Course Tools toolbar; if it is not, your students will not see it. It may already be on the Course Tools toolbar; if it is, skip to To use the Mail tool. To ad d the Mail tool to the Course Tools toolbar: 1. Click on Manage Course on the Designer Tools toolbar. 2. Click on Tools. 3. Check the box next to Mail. 4. Click Save. To use the Mail tool: Click on the Mail tool on the Course Tools toolbar. T he Mail tool opens to the Inbox by default. To read a Mail message: Click on the message link in the Subject column of the Inbox. Note: Mail messages may come in while you are in the inbox. To see these new messages: click on the Refresh now button. 49

50 To create a new Mail message: 1. Click on the Creat e Message button. The Create Message window will open. Composing a mail message is like composing an e mail message, except you can only send mail to other people in the course. You cannot send mail to external e mail addresses. 2. Click on the Browse for Recipients button to choose to whom you wish to send a mail message. If you know the recipients NetID s, you can enter them separated by commas. 3. Enter a Subject and a Message. 4. Click on Send. 50

51 Mail Notification Icons There are two ways to notice if you have new mail: Course News Course Toolbar Icons Indicates that mail has been read Indicates that unread mail has arrived The Grade Book The Grade Book lists all of the students that are enrolled in your course, and has columns for grades. The mid term and final grade columns are included in the Grade Book by default. Additional grade columns can be added when you create Assignments and/or Assessments. You can also add your own grade columns as you wish. To get t o the Grade Book: 1. Click on the Teach tab, and then click on Grade Book on the Instructor Tools toolbar. 51

52 2. Make sure that you are on the Grades tab. To record a grade: 1. Click on the dotted line at the intersection of the students row and the desired grade column. 2. Enter the grade into the Change to: box. 3. Click Save. Note: Changing or editing a grade works the same way. To ad d your own custom grade column: 1. In the Create Column drop box, choose the type of grade column that you wish to add. 2. Enter a Column Label. 3. Enter all other settings for the grade column. 52

53 4. Click Save. The Column Settings option in the Grade Book Options lets you set options for each grade column. To release grades to your students: 1. From the Grade Book, click on the Grade Book Options button. 2. Click on Column Settings. To hide a grade column, click on Yes in the desired column, on the Released to Student row. The Yes will turn to a No. To release a grade column, click on No in the desired column, on the Released to Student row. The No will turn to Yes. 3. Click on the Grade Book tool on the Instructor Tools toolbar to go back to the Grade Book. To hide and un hide a grade column: In the Grade Book, click the Reorder Columns button. On the next screen, check the box beside the column that you want to hide, and then click on Hide Column. Click on Save. To un hide a column, go through the same steps but click on Show Column instead. Note: The Final and Midterm grades columns are in the Grade Book by default. They cannot be deleted; but you can hide or release them to the students. 53

54 Adding or Removing Students The bulk of your students should be added automatically by the USG/Banner/NetID system. You may need to enroll one or two, or unenroll one or two from time to time. To ad d members/ students to your course section: 1. Click on the Enroll Members button. 2. Enter the Student s NetID. 3. Check the Student box. If the member that you are adding will be auditing the course, check Auditor instead. 4. Click Enroll. 5. C lick Save. To remove a member/student from your course section: 1. Select the member/student that you wish to remove by checking the box beside their name. To select all of the members/students, click in the check box at the top in the header of the page. 2. Click the Unenroll button. Note: Unenrolled students retain their user name and can access their My GeorgiaVIEW page and other courses in which they are enrolled, but they will no longer have access to your course. Their grade information remains in the Grade Book. You choose whether to hide or show that data. Note: If you receive notice from the Registrar that a student has been dropped from your course, and it is a few weeks or more into the term, use the Deny Access option in case the student is reenrolled. Perhaps, the student did not pay a tuition bill on time. If re enrolled, you can choose Grant Access, and all of that student's data is retained. 54

55 Granting or Denying Access to your Course Section To deny a student or a group of students access to the course section: To 1. Select the student or students that you wish to deny access by checking the box beside their name. To select all studen ts, check the box at the top, in the header of the page. 2. Click on the Deny Access button. grant access to your course section: 1. Select the student or students to which you wish to grant access. 2. Click the Grant Access button. Note: If a member/student is denied access to the course section, a red icon will appear beside their name. Exporting and Importing Importing Many Files into Vista You may find that you have many Word documents and PowerPoint presentations that you need to upload into Vista. Instead of uploading the files one at a time, you can compress them into one file (a zip file), so that you only have one file to upload. Once you get the compressed file into Vista, there is a way to uncompress it so that you have your many files. Note: The following instructions are for Windows XP. If you are using Windows 98/ME/2000, you may have to obtain a file compression application such as WinZip to compress your folder. To compress your files and import them into Vista (Windows XP): 1. Create a new folder on your computer, and put into it all of the files that you need in your course. 2. Right click on the folder and click Send to: Compressed (zipped) Folder. 55

56 You should now see the original folder plus another folder with the same name with a.zip extension and a zipper on the folder icon. 3. From the File Manager in Vista, click on the Get Files button. 4. Click on the My Computer button and browse to the compressed zip folder. 5. Select the zipped folder and click Open. 6. Click on the Action Link button beside the zipped file, and then click on Extract. 56

57 Note: When the file is finished uncompressing, you should see a folder in the File Manager with all of your files in it. You do not need to move the files from this folder. Whenever you need to point to one of these files for some reason, just point into this folder. Exporting Learning Modules You can export learning modules and use them in other courses and installations. For example, if you create a learning module in a French 1001 course, you can export it and re use it in a French 1005 course. When you export a Learning Module, any Discussions, URLs, or Assignments that are in the Module, these items will not go with the module. Only Content Files and Assessments will be exported. Tip: You can export multiple Learning Modules to one content export package. To export a Learning Module: 1. Go into the Course Section which co ntains the Learning Module that you wish to export. 2. Click on the Build Tab, and then the Learning Modules tool on the Course Tools toolbar. 3. Select the Learning Module(s) that you wish to export. 4. Click on Export. T he Browse for Location window should open. 5. Decide where to save the export content package. Note: Save the file in My Files if you plan to access that file from all courses in which you are enrolled. Save the file in Class Files if you only plan to use this file in this course. Do not put the file in Public Files, unless you want your stud ents to see it. Note: Learning Modules are exported in a zip file. 57

58 6. Type a name in the Save as: box and click Ok. 7. On the Export Log screen, you should see your zipped export module. Click on the Return button. To download the export content package to your computer: 1. Go to the File Manager. 2. Check the box beside the export content package you wish to download. 3. Click on the Move button. The Br owse for Location window should open. 4. Click on My Computer. Th e browser s download dialog box should appear. 5. Click Ok. The zipped file should now be on your computer. Note: You can select and move multiple items. Multiple items moved to your computer will be compressed and moved as a single zip file. Importing a Learning Module A Learning Module must be exported as a zip file (see the instructions for Exporting Learning Modules ) before you can import it with these instructions. To import a Learning Module into Vista: 1. Go into the Course Section to which you wish to import a Learning Module. 2. Click on the Manage Course tool on the Instructor Tools toolbar. 3. Click on the Import link. The Get Files Browser should open. 4. Click on My Computer. 58

59 5. Browse to the place on your local computer where you have saved the zipped Learning Module, and select the file. 6. Click Open. 7. When the Content Import activities are finished, click on Return. 8. Click on the Build tab, and then the Learning Modules tool on the Course Tools toolbar. The Learning Module is in the course section now, but there is no shortcut to it from the Home Page. 9. Check the box next to the imported Learning Module link. 10. Select Home Page in the bar next to Create Link on: 11. Click on Green Arrow to add a link to the Home Page section. Exporting Assessments When you export an assessment, its contents are also exported, along with its properties and any link ed files. Submission and security settings, however, are not exported. 1. Click on the Build tab, and then the Assessments tool on the Course Tools toolbar. 2. Select the Assessment(s) that you wish to export, and click the Export button. 59

60 The Browse for Location window should open. 3. Decide where to save the export content package. 4. Type a name in the Save as: box and click Ok. 5. The Export Progress screen appears, listing details of the export in progress. As long as you saved the file in My Files, the content package (the zip file) is now ready to be imported into a different course. 6. On the Export Log screen, click the Return button. Importing Assessments 1. Click on the Manage Course tool on the Instructor/Designer Tools toolbar. 2. Click on the Import link. 3. Find and select the assessment file to import. For example, click on My Files if you had expor ted a quiz there from another course. 4. Click Ok. T he Content Import in Progress screen appears. It updates as import activities occur. 5. Click on the Return button. 6. Click on the Build tab. 7. Click on the Assessments tool on the Course Tools toolbar to see the imported assessment(s). 8. Select the Assessment and select the Learning Module in the bar next to Create Link on:. 9. Click on the Green Arrow to add a link to the Learning Module. 60