Teacher manual
Table of contents Table of contents... 1 Registration... 2 Login / Logout... 3 Login... 3 Logout... 3 Trouble signing in / forget your password?... 3 Creating a course... 4 Hiding and viewing courses... 4 Adding sections... 5 Duplicating sections... 5 Selecting labs... 6 Previewing labs... 6 Assigning labs... 6 Customizing start and due dates... 7 Editing existing courses and sections... 8 Editing existing courses... 8 Adding new sections to an existing course... 8 Editing an existing section... 8 Adding new labs to an existing section... 8 Assignments page... 9 Navigation... 9 Previewing, assigning, and editing short answer... 10 Previewing... 10 Assigning/unassigning... 10 Editing... 11 Previewing and assigning multiple choice... 13 Previewing... 13 Assigning... 13 Customizing labs... 14 Selecting a base lab... 14 Modifying text... 14 Choosing containers and instruments... 14 Choosing materials... 14 Adding your own media... 15 Gradebook... 16 Main page controls and functions... 16 Grading short answer... 17 Viewing multiple choice grades... 18 Profile... 19 If you need to change your password... 19 1
Registration You can set up a Late Nite Labs instructor s account whether you re planning on using our labs for your course or just want to take a look around our labs. Instructor accounts are always free. 1. From our website, click the red Register/Purchase button in the main menu on our homepage or go to www.latenitelabs.com/register. 2. Select Teacher. 3. Enter the email address you want associated with your account, and then a password. Click Register. 4. On the next page, click Request Validation. 5. You ll be prompted to provide some basic account information. (When asked for your preferred method of contact, please select Email if you don t have a North American phone number.) When you re done, click Submit, or Back if you need to edit your information. At this time, your request will be submitted to our team. You should receive an email confirmation within one business day of the request. Then you ll be able to sign in, preview labs, and start building courses. If you don t see the email in your inbox after one business day, check your spam box. If you don t see it in your spam box, call our office at 212-629-7500 or email our help desk at support@latenitelabs.com. 2
Login / Logout Login 1. Click the blue Sign In button at the top of our homepage or go to www.latenitelabs.com/login. 6. Enter your email and password, then click the Sign In button. Logout To sign out of your account, click Log out in the menu on the left. Trouble signing in / forget your password? 1. Click the blue Sign In button at the top of our homepage. 7. Click the Forget Password? button. 8. Enter your email and then click the Reset Password button. 9. You ll receive an email with a link to create a new password. 3
Creating a course To start building your courses, just log into your account on www.latenitelabs.com. 1. Click Courses in the left-hand menu. 2. Click the red Create New Course button in the Course Builder field. When the window pops up, enter the title of your course. Below your title you ll that the Active setting will automatically be selected. Un-check this to make the course inactive. For more about this, read Hiding and viewing courses below. 3. Click Create Course. An empty box with the heading Sections for course: [Your Course Title] will appear below the Course Builder field. It s okay that it s empty now it s ready for you to add sections! Hiding and viewing courses If the Active box is automatically checked, this means that a course will be open for student enrollment. If you make a course inactive by unchecking the box, students won t be able to enroll in it. You can go back to change your course name or active/inactive choice anytime by clicking on the Edit Course button in the Action column of the course list. The inactive option is helpful if you re developing a course for future use that you want to keep separate from courses currently in use. This option can be changed at any point, even after a course or section is completed. When reviewing your courses list, you ll have the option to view only active courses or sections. If there s a course you want filtered out of this view, you can make it inactive. 4
Adding sections 1. Click the red Add Section button in the Course Builder field. When the window pops up, enter the section s title. The inactive/active option works exactly as it does with your courses. See Hiding and viewing courses for more information. 2. Click Create Section. A box with the section s information will appear under the Course Builder field. Please take note of the unique section code now in blue. It is very important you ll have to give students this number so that they can enroll for your course. This number ensures that they login to the correct section and can access the labs you ve assigned them essentially linking their student account to your instructor account. 3. If you d like to add more sections, click the Back To Sections button and repeat steps 1 and 2. Otherwise you can proceed to assign labs to your section. Duplicating sections Now that you have a section in your course, you ll notice that a blue Duplicate Section button now appears in your Section list. This can save you time if you plan to teach multiple sections with the same labs. 1. Click the Duplicate Section button. Type in the new section s title and then select the section you want to duplicate from the drop-down menu. 2. Click Create Section. The screen you see now is the original section s page. 3. To see the new duplicate section, go to your courses list where it will be listed. You can edit it from there if need be. Please note that the duplicate section gets its own unique section number, even though the labs and due dates are identical to the original section. 5
Selecting labs Previewing labs Before you start assigning labs to sections, you might want to preview them and their corresponding assignments first. 1. Click Labs in the left-hand main menu. 2. Select a lab you d like to see and click Preview Assignment. The template assignment for this lab will pop up in a new window. 3. Click Preview Lab to launch the lab. This view will show you how a student sees the lab. To learn more about how labs work, you can watch our lab tutorials at www.latenitelabs.com/tutorials. You may decide that you d like to adapt these labs or assignments for your own course. See the Customizing Labs section of this guide to learn how to modify our templates. Assigning labs If you ve just created a section, you ll be brought to the page where you can start adding labs. If for whatever reason you ve left this page, you can get to this page by clicking the Assign/View Labs button in the sections list of the course. While you assign labs on this page, you may chose to open up a second tab or window to preview your labs. Then you can toggle back and forth between previewing a lab and assigning it. 1. Click Show Available Labs. A list of labs will appear on the right. You can filter by name or by type. The Custom type will bring up any labs you ve customized in lab builder. See the Customizing Labs section of this guide for more about building custom labs. 2. Once you ve identified the lab you want to assign, click the Assign Lab button. It will move from the right to the Assigned Labs column on the left. 6
Customizing start and due dates By default, labs will be available throughout the semester, but you can easily assign your own start and due dates. 1. Click Edit Due Date. 2. Un-check the box next to Labs Always Available. Click in the Start Date and Due Date fields to type or select dates from a calendar. Students will only be able to access the lab and lab assignment between these two dates starting and ending at midnight PST. 3. Click the blue Update button to secure these dates. You can go back and change them at any time. 4. If you decide you don t need a lab in your section anymore, just click the Unassign Lab button. It will be removed from the Assigned Labs list and again appear in the Available Labs list at the right. Once you re finished, you might want to view only the labs you ve assigned. Click the red Hide Available Labs button. You can still edit the availability dates of the labs in this view. Just click anywhere in the lab s row. You can replace the lab with another by selecting a new one, or just change the dates. 7
Editing existing courses and sections All courses and sections can be edited even after you create them. Editing existing courses 1. Go to your course list, which you can access by clicking Courses in the menu on the left. Your existing courses will be listed under the Course Builder field. 2. Once you ve identified the course you want to edit, click the Edit Course button in the Action column. You can change the title and/or active status. 3. Click the blue Update Course button. Adding new sections to an existing course 1. Identify the course you want to add a section to and click the Add/View/Edit Sections button in the Sections column. 2. Follow the Adding Sections instructions of this guide. Editing an existing section 1. Go to the section list of your course, and click the Edit button in the Labs column. You can change the title and/or active status. 2. Click the blue Update Section button. Adding new labs to an existing section 1. From the sections list for a course, identify the section you want to assign labs to, and click the Assign/View Labs button. 2. Follow the Assigning Labs instructions of this guide. 8
Assignments page When you add a lab to a section, our system automatically assigns a corresponding short answer assignment to all students within the section. However, it s also possible to manually assign a multiple choice assignment instead of or alongside the short answer. Despite the different formats, both types of assignment test the same concepts within a given lab, so you ll probably only want to assign one, depending on which grading process you prefer. To preview, assign, or edit assignments, click Assignments in the main menu. Navigation The area at the top of the Assignments page allows you to choose and narrow down the list of labs. To view a particular section, click on its title in the Section Selection drop-down. All labs assigned to this section will populate as a list below, with each row containing a Short Answer area on the left and a Multiple Choice area on the right. You can sort the lab list by alphabetical order or by due date by clicking the alpha or due date option to the right. If you already know the name of the lab assignment you want to access type its title into the Filter field. The results will narrow down as you type. 9
Previewing, assigning, and editing short answer Whenever you assign a lab to your class, its corresponding short answer assignment is automatically assigned to all students. You can access these assignments in each lab s Short Answer section, located to the left of each lab s row. Prefer multiple choice? See the Multiple Choice section on page 13 of this manual. Previewing Once you ve located a lab, click the blue Preview/Edit button. (If the button only says Preview, that means students have started the assignment, so you cannot make changes to it.) You ll be brought to a page where you ll see the assignment as the student sees it. If you ve made any edits to it, they will be reflected here. To view the answer key and lab manual, click the blue Show Answer Key and Lab Manual button. They will appear to the left as a tabbed filed, which you can toggle between to view each section. To return to the assignment-only view, click the same button, now titled titled Show Answer Key and Lab Manual. Assigning/unassigning As mentioned previously, when you assign a lab to a section, our system automatically assigns the corresponding short answer assignment. Because of this, instructors who prefer short answer don t need to worry assigning them. To unassign short answer, just click the green Assigned button. A dialog box will appear confirming your choice. When you return to the Assignments view, you ll see that the button will have changed to red, with the Not Assigned status. If you change your mind and want to re-assign it, you can click the button again. Another dialog box will appear confirming your decision. When you return to the assignments view, the button will be green with the Assigned status. 10
Editing If you wish to make edits to a short answer assignment, you re free to make any changes you d like. However, if you re happy with the original, there s no need to edit. 1. To edit, click the blue Preview/Edit button just like you did to preview it. a. If the blue button only says Preview, that means students have started the assignment, so you cannot make changes to it. 2. On the next page, you ll see the assignment. Click the gray Edit button at the top to unlock it. (If this button is inactive, it means students have started the assignment, so you cannot make changes to it.) 3. Once you re in the edit view, you can start making changes directly within the assignment. If for any reason you want to restore the assignment to the original version, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the yellow Restore to Original button. 4. Once you re done, click the blue Save button at the bottom of the page, then click the Go Back button to exit the edit view. Editing answer keys For your own benefit, you ll probably want to reflect any changes made to the assignment in the answer key as well. These are edited right alongside the assignment. Once you re editing an assignment, click the blue Show Answer Key and Lab Manual button. To directly copy the assignment content into the answer key, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Copy Text to Answer Key button. You can also view the Background and Procedures by clicking on their tabs, but these are here only for reference. To learn about editing Background or Procedures, see the Customizing Labs chapter in this manual. Just as with the assignments, remember to save your work by clicking the blue Save button on the bottom left of the page. Text editor toolbar The toolbar at the top of the Assignment and Answer Key fields looks and acts like those of most word processing programs, but there are a few functions we wanted to explain in a little more detail. 11
Insert/edit table - Allows you to specify number and dimensions of columns and rows, as well as cell padding (the space around the text within the cell), cell spacing (the border between cells), and alignment. You can also edit existing tables using the buttons to the right of the Insert/edit table button. Add graph - If you have a question in your assignment where you d like students to plot a graph, click the space in the assignment where want it inserted. Once you see that the typing cursor is in the correct place, click the graph button in the editing toolbar. A graphing button will appear in the assignment. This will allow students to create and insert graphs into this exact place. Add file - To insert an image into an assignment, click the Add File button, which looks like a paperclip. A dialog box will appear which will prompt you to upload a file. Once you choose it, click Upload, and the image will appear in the assignment. You can drag the corners of its border to resize it. 12
Previewing and assigning multiple choice Unlike short answer assignments, you must actively choose to assign multiple choice to a lab. Since multiple choice assignments are auto-graded, this is a great option if you want to save time on the grading side. The grade is generated upon completion of the assignment, which students and instructors can immediately see no manual grading necessary. However, unlike short answer, it is not possible to edit multiple choice assignments. Previewing 1. Click the blue Preview button. You will be brought to a list view of the questions, with the correct answers for each in bold 2. To go through the questions as a student would, click the blue Test Run button. Assigning Since our system defaults to assigning short answer assignments, you need to actively assign multiple choice. To do so, click the green Not Assigned button. A dialog box will appear confirming your choice. Click Yes, proceed. If for some reason you decide to unassign multiple choice, just click the red Assigned button which has replaced the green Unassigned button. Another dialog box will appear confirming your decision. 13
Customizing labs You can customize our labs and assignments to fit your unique course by using Lab Builder and modifying an existing lab as a base. Selecting a base lab 1. Click Labs in the menu on the left. Then click Lab Builder, which will appear below Labs. As with your grading dashboard, the columns can be sorted and moved. 2. Start by clicking the Prebuilt Library Labs tab along the top. This will show you the list of our labs to use as your base. You may have already previewed these labs. You can also preview prebuilt labs by clicking the button in the Test column. This will launch you into a student view of the lab. 3. Locate the lab you want to customize, then click the button in the Customize Lab column. This makes a copy of the prebuilt lab and assignment, then adds it to the Your Custom Labs list. Click the button in the Edit Lab column. 4. Modify your lab title and description. Click Save. Modifying text Click Lab Texts Editor tab to edit the Background and Procedures. You can toggle between these different documents by clicking on their respective buttons. To avoid losing work, remember to save before switching between documents and as you work on a single document. Choosing containers and instruments Click Labware Editor to add and remove containers and instruments. All of the objects included in the prebuilt lab will automatically be selected. To select or deselect an object, click the box in the Used column. Choosing materials Click Materials Editor to choose materials (chemicals, specimens, etc.). All of the materials included in the prebuilt lab will automatically be selected. To select or deselect a material, click the box in the On Shelf column. 14
Adding your own media If you have media of your own that you d like students to see when they launch the media player in the lab, you can upload your own. Please note that at this time we only support.flv,.jpg,.png, and.gif formats. 1. Click on Lab Media Editor to add your own pictures to the lab. These will show up in the student s media player in the lab. 2. Click Add New Media, then Choose File For Upload. 3. Enter the information for your file, and then click Upload File and Details. Your file will not be added to the image library until you have pressed Upload. For additional questions on how to customize the contents of your lab or format your Lab Manual, contact your LNL sales representative. 15
Gradebook Gradebook is where you come to view and assess students work. From here you ll be able to see their assignments, notes, portfolio and lab log, whether they re still in-progress or submitted. Click on Gradebook in the main menu to visit this page. You ll be brought to your gradebook s main page. Main page controls and functions Filtering The topmost field features filters, which narrow down the assignments by section, then by lab or student. 1. Select a section from the Section drop-down menu. 2. Now the Lab drop-down list will appear to the right. Once you choose a lab from this list, you ll see all of your students assignments for that particular lab, no matter the assignments status. A list of your students will appear below. 3. If you wish to view a only a particular student s assignments across all labs, click on the Choose student link underneath the lab drop-down. Now you ll see only that student s work for the whole semester. The number in parenthesis next to each section, lab or student represents the number of assignments that are awaiting grading. For instance, if you see (5), that means you have 5 assignments you still need to grade for that particular section, lab, or student. Sorting Once the list appears, you ll be able to sort in alphabetical order of students last names (or lab title in the case that you filtered by student), or by lab status. Just click the alpha or status option in the top right corner of the list. Statuses Underneath each student s name, you ll see a button that states the status of their assignments. There are four statuses: Not submitted the student hasn t submitted yet. This button is grey in color. 16
Submitted the student has submitted (on the date listed to the right), but you haven t assigned a grade. This button is turquoise in color. Graded you ve assigned a grade (listed to the right), and it has been sent to student s dashboard. This button is deep blue in color. Graded (pending redo) you ve assigned a grade, but have allowed the student to redo the lab and are waiting for a new assignment to be submitted. Exporting Gradebook to Excel If you wish to view your students data in an excel spreadsheet, click the green Export List to Excel button above the list of assignments. Grading short answer To grade a short answer assignment, click the status button. You ll be brought to the grading view, where you ll see the completed assignment to the left, and a tabbed field to the right. Please note that while you can type directly into the assignment, students will only see the feedback you provide in the Grade field. Grading tools field Below are seven tools you can access from the tabbed field on the right: Grading field where you enter your grade and any additional comments. Notes students notes. Portfolio collection of all images students captured. Please note that students may have also inserted some of these images into the assignment if they were asked to. Graph - graphs students created. To view a specific graph in the assignment, click on its thumbnail, and the full-size graph will appear in this field, along with all of the data entered by the student. Key answer key. Log time-stamped list of students actions within the lab. 17
Data data captured during a limited group of physics labs. This will not be used for any other subjects. Assigning a grade Once you ve reviewed the student s work, go to the Grading section on the bottom right of the page if you aren t already there. 4. Enter an overall number or letter grade in the Grade box. 5. Type any additional comments in the Comment field. You can also use this field as you go through an assignment to give students feedback about specific answers. 6. To save your work, click the blue Save button. 7. Once you you ve finalized your grade and/or comments, click the red Submit to Student button. The grade and comments will be sent immediately to the student s dashboard. Allowing a redo If you wish for a student to redo a lab, check the box next to Allow redo? near the top of the page. Once you click Submit, they ll be able to access the lab again and re-submit their assignment. Please note that once you allow them to redo a lab, all of their current work will be erased. You can allow a redo even if you ve already submitted a final grade. Just find the assignment in Gradebook and click on the status button, then follow the same directions above. Viewing multiple choice grades Since Multiple Choice is autograded, a grade is automatically generated when students complete these assignments no work needs to be done on your part. When a students grade is available, the Status button will show you the number of questions she answered correctly. To view a detailed summary of the student s performance, click this button. If you wish to submit any feedback, you ll be able to type it into the Comments field. Click the red Save & Submit button to send it to the students dashboard. 18
Profile View your account information by clicking Profile. You can edit your first name, last name, and phone number by entering the new information and clicking the blue Save Changes button. If you need to change your password 1. Click Profile in the menu on left. A new menu option Change Password will appear below it. 2. Click Change Password, then enter your current password and the new one you d like to switch to. 3. Click the blue Change Password button. You will receive an email confirming that it has been changed. 19