Posting Student Grades Online with OIS GradeA

Posting Student Grades Online with OIS GradeA

Thursday, January 11, 2007 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
(Kent Library Little Theatre)

Facilitator: Dr. Mike Rodgers

Description: Learn how to use OIS GradeA to enhance your class web site with an online grade book. This workshop will introduce you to GradeA and provide you with basic skills to set up an online grade book. Additional topics include both submitting grades (midterm and final) and how to customize the student view of the gradebook.

Goal

Task

Resources

A. Create an OIS class with a secure course Website

1. Download OIS software

Online Instructor Suite: OIS provides you with the software you need to manage a course Website.

OIS - Online Instructor Suite. An integrated collection of online course management tools: a gradebook, test facility, calendar, drop box, and discussion forum. Instructors control access to the tools through the Manager.

Link to CSTL manuals

2. Install OIS

Follow the wizard that runs following the download. When finished, you should see the OIS icons on your computer desktop.

3. Create a class from Template

Use OIS Manager to Create a Class http://cstl.semo.edu/cstl/resources/CourseWebDev/index.asp

Course Website using Manager's Template: follow the Wizard to put course information on the Web pages that OIS builds for you.

How can you view your new course Website?
Right-click on the class in the profile list.

Then click on "Copy url"

Finally, open a browser and paste the copied url into the address line.

Or, click on the browser tab in Manager:

At this point, we have a class and Website, but very little functionality!

4. Populate the class with students

Create a practice class using the practice roster linked here. Normally, you won't need to import a roster: you can set Manager to synchronize with the mainframe, thereby automatically sending the current course roster to your class.

Use the Manager's Import Students wizard.
When the students appear in the Manager's "Students and Groups" list, you will need to select the correct course code for each student in "Properties". Right-click on a student name to get to "Properties". When finished, save changes.

B. Set up a course gradebook

5. Open GradeA

Launch GradeA by double-clicking on its quick launch icon in Manager.

6. Create a gradebook by using a GradeA template.

Use File > New> From Template. For today, select "Five Quizzes, Two Papers and Two Exams". You will produce a gradebook that looks something like this:
If your gradebook shows no students, close Manager, reopen it, then return to GradeA, and finally repeat the template procedure.

- Break -

C. Adapt the course gradebook to the needs of the course

7. Customize the gradebook for assignments

Inserting rows and columns
Deleting rows and columns
Formulas

Modify for different number and kind of grades by inserting or deleting a column for each assignment.

To insert a New Row or Column (Columns will be inserted to the LEFT of the selected cell; new rows will be inserted ABOVE the selected cell.): right-click on the column header letter or the row header number, then select "Insert".

To delete a Row or Column: right-click on the column header letter or the row header number, then select "Delete".

To create a formula, click on a cell, type "=", followed by a formula. Finish by tapping the Enter key.

Some useful formulas:	Average(K12.m12)	averages the contents of row 12, columns k through m
	Sum(a2.a24)	totals the contents of rows 2 through 24 in column a
	100*Sum(g15.n15)/$n$9	calculates a percent by summing the contents of row 15, columns g through n, and then dividing by the contents of cell n9. Presumably, n9 is the total number of points possible for the assignments in columns g through n. The "$" signs hold this cell address fixed, meaning that any time this formula is copied to another cell, the contents of cell n9 (and only n9) are used in the formula's denominator.
	Formulas are very versatile, and thus can be quite complicated. Experience with Microsoft Excel will probably be a great help.

D. Use the gradebook to keep and post student grades

8. Record student grades

Entering Information into the gradebook: click on a cell and type the score. The scores that you enter are uploaded to the CSTL server when you save the gradebook.

9. Post grades to students

Select the Server Area
Save As ...
Check in Student View

Selecting the Server Area: this tells GradeA what parts of the gradebook to use when displaying student grades.

Highlight the area by clicking and dragging.
Select Edit > Set Server Area

Save the file as a .gda file: File > Save As > (enter a suitable file name) > OK

Note: GradeA will not save a gradebook unless the server area has been set. If you set the wrong server area, the student display will be unpredictable.

The first time you save the file, GradeA will ask you to select the sections that apply. Usually, your best choice is "Select All"

The Student View: When you have finished working with your gradebook, you should check its appearance by viewing it over the Web as a student would. Have a look! Save the gradebook, then open a browser, browse to your course, and click on the grades link. If all went well, a row in the gradebook (each row = one student) now appears as a column in the course Website.

To display grades: the relative link, /ois-bin/gradeasrv/gradeasrv.dll must be present on a page in the course Website. If the page containing the link is not within the "protected" folder of the Website, the student is required to enter his/her username & password in order to view the grade display.

Use the relative addresses listed below to add OIS functionality to an existing page:

GradeA: /ois-bin/gradeasrv/gradeasrv.dll
DropBox: /ois-bin/dropboxsrv/dropboxsrv.dll
Forum: /ois-bin/forumsrv/forumsrv.dll
UTest: /ois-bin/utestsrv/utestsrv.dll
Calendar: /ois-bin/calendarsrv/calendarsrv.dll
Chat: /ois-bin/chatsrv/chatsrv.dll

If you add the link to a page within the protected folder, the student will have access to the OIS functionality upon logging in to the course Website. A separate log-in for each module is NOT necessary.

10. Control the look and feel of the student grade display

Make changes from the gradebook
Use a template to change display table width

Changing Cell Types: Cells in the gradebook can display text, numbers, currency, dates, etc.

Changing Text, Grid, and Background Colors: What you do in the gradebook affects the appearance of the grade display that the student will see. This is important because you don't want to waste time guiding students through the grade display. You want the display to be intuitive.

You can further customize the grade display by use of a template. A template is authored in Frontpage and saved to the course Web.

E. Become aware of a few additional useful features

11. Freeze Panes

This trick is very useful if you have many columns: you will be able to see which row belongs to each student as you add new scores. GradeA Intermediate, p 16

12. Automatically translate course Averages into corresponding letter grades

The gradebook template used in this session contains an example.

See LTA #42--Determining Letter Grades from Course Averages in Excel®
(The Example Excel Worksheet)

13. Import and export grades

Import: GradeA will accept files that adhere rigorously to the GradeA gradebook format (ie., usernames in leftmost columns, auto, variables, fixed rows)
Export: GradeA will save a copy of the gradebook as an Excel workbook:

14. Use GradeA to report letter grades

Reporting Grades with GradeA This feature is not currently available, but is expected to return by the end of Spring Semester 2007.

F. Wrap up

15. Address final questions

16. Submit session evaluation