cengagenow instructor guide for webct ce

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ii CengageNOW/WebCT - CE

CENGAGENOW SYSTEM REQUIREMENTSTo run CengageNOW on WebCT - CE, your computer will need to meet the configuration requirements of both systems. You can use the links listed below to download and install browser or plug-in software you may need for CengageNOW.

For more information on browser or plug-in settings, see the CengageNOW online Help section on Setup and Troubleshooting.

Windows®

• Microsoft® Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista

• Intel® or AMD CPU at 266MHz or better

• 128 MB RAM

• Web browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 -7.0; Mozilla™ Firefox® 1.0–2.0 (download Firefox at http://www.mozilla.com/firefox)

• Java JRE 1.4.1_02–1.6/6.0(download the latest version from http://java.com)

Macintosh®

• Mac OS® X 10.3–10.5

• Power Mac® G3–G5

• 128 MB of RAM

• Web browser: Safari™ 1.3–2.0

Linux®

• Current Linux distribution (Fedora™, SuSE®, etc.)

• Intel or AMD CPU at 266MHz or better

• 128MB RAM

• Web browser: Mozilla™ Firefox® 1.0–2.0 (download Firefox from http://www.mozilla.com/firefox)

• Java JRE 1.4.1_02–1.6/6.0 (download from http://java.com)

PDF Rev 12/13/07

Additional Requirements (All Systems)

• Adobe® Flash® Player (strongly recommended; download fromhttp://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/)

• Adobe® Reader® (download from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)

• Screen resolution of 800 x 600 or higher, and color quality of 16-bit or higher

• Internet connection speed of 56k or higher

• Pop-up blocking software configured to allow http://www.*ilrn.com to display pop-up windows

• Apple® QuickTime® player, RealPlayer®, and Macromedia® Shockwave® player (These free browser plug-ins are used to display multimedia components that appear in some products.)

• Sound card for audio content

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox




http://java.com

http://java.com

http://www.ilrn.com

http://java.com

http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html



Instructor Guide iii

As a live, Web-based program, CengageNOW is regularly updatedwith new features and improvements. Please refer to the

CengageNOW online Help for the most current information.

CONTENTS

CENGAGENOW SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

GETTING STARTED: CENGAGENOW SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

USING THE CENGAGENOW LINKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Instructor Links: Instructor Tools and Gradebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Student Link: Assignments and Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

CREATING ASSIGNMENTS IN CENGAGENOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Assignments from Individual Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Assignments from Study Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Pre-built Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

ORGANIZING YOUR COURSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Linking to CengageNOW Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Managing Study Tools Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

TECHNICAL SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

1

CENGAGENOW INSTRUCTOR GUIDEFOR WEBCT — CE

This instructor guide gives a basic overview of getting started with CengageNOW™ as part of your WebCT - CE® course management system. The information here is specific to the CengageNOW and WebCT - CE products. Please refer to the CengageNOW main Help system for detailed information on gradebook and assignment management topics.

Introduction

Your WebCT - CE® teaching platform can be configured to work with the assignment- and grade-management features in CengageNOW, Cengage Higher Education’s online testing system. You can create links within WebCT - CE that use the PowerLink technology to bridge the two applications.

After the Cengage Course Cartridge and ePack are installed by your system administrator, you can assign content and assessments in CengageNOW from WebCT - CE. Your students can then access these assignments by using links embedded in your WebCT - CE course. Students’ grades are mirrored in the WebCT - CE Gradebook, allowing you to utilize the power of CengageNOW assessment management within the familiar environment of WebCT - CE.

Accessing CengageNOW does not require a separate ID or password; you are immediately logged on to CengageNOW whenever you log in to your WebCT - CE account. Your WebCT - CE account information is used for authentication when connecting to CengageNOW.

From WebCT - CE, your course contains both instructor and student links to CengageNOW. The instructor links, available from within the Control Panel, allow you to assign content in the CengageNOW system, create tests, and track detailed information about your students’ progress through CengageNOW assignments. The student link, CengageNOW Assignments and Grades, provides students with a table of all of their CengageNOW assignments, along with access to the CengageNOW Gradebook.

2 CengageNOW/WebCT - CE

Getting Started: CengageNOW Setup

Note: If you are working with an older Course Cartridge, you may see the name “iLrn” or “ThomsonNOW” in WebCT - CE’s links. These are the names of previous versions of CengageNOW.


This section describes the steps you need to follow when first configuring your WebCT - CE course to communicate with CengageNOW.

To download and install your CengageNOW course e-Pack

The CengageNOW e-Pack needs to be activated and installed before you begin setting up the integration of CengageNOW with WebCT - CE. If this has not already been done for you by your administrator, complete the following steps:

1. Download the e-Pack onto your computer’s desktop using the information provided in your adoption notice.

This download process may take from 20 minutes to up to 2 hours to complete, depending on network traffic at the time of the download.

2. Log in to WebCT - CE and click on the course name.

3. Click Control Panel at the top of the page.

4. Click Manage Course.

5. Click Upload Backup under Backup Course.

6. On the Upload Backup File page, browse to the e-Pack you downloaded in the first step and click Upload.

7. When the upload is finished the page will refresh, and you will see the name of your downloaded file listed as one of the Backup Filenames.

Your e-Pack installation is complete and you can now do the setup process.


Instructor Guide 3

To set up CengageNOW

Note: Perform the following steps regardless of who installed the CengageNOW course e-Pack.

8. Log in to WebCT - CE. From the opening page, click your course’s name.

9. Select the View tab.

10. Click the CengageNOW Instructor Tools link from the Homepage.

WebCT - CE’s Instructor Tools Page

11. Click either CengageNOW Instructor Tools or CengageNOW Gradebook.

The CengageNOW testing platform will open in a new browser window. The system check will determine your system’s compatibility and advise you of any required updates. If there is an issue that you have trouble resolving on your own, please see the section on contacting Technical Support on page 18.

Note: You need to have popup windows enabled in your browser for the CengageNOW window to open. See your browser Help for details on enabling popups, or go to the CengageNOW online Browser Setup Help at http://ilrn.com/media/help_wwh/system_requirements/index.htm.

http://ilrn.com//media/help_wwh/system_requirements/index.htm


Using the CengageNOW Links


The PowerLink provides three built-in links to CengageNOW features in your WebCT - CE course:

Two instructor links, CengageNOW Instructor Tools and CengageNOW Gradebook, are both found in the CengageNOW Instructor Tools page.

One student link, CengageNOW Assignments and Grades, is located on the course’s Homepage and is the only link accessible by students.

Note: Do not duplicate links to CengageNOW Assignments and Grades by copying them to or creating them in other areas. Any changes of this nature are not supported and may need to be reconstructed in the event of a PowerLink update. Updates may occur from time to time as we enhance the functionality of the CengageNOW PowerLink.

Instructor Links: Instructor Tools and Gradebook

The CengageNOW Instructor Tools and CengageNOW Gradebook instructor links are used primarily for assigning content and reviewing student grades for completed CengageNOW assignments. These links are available on the View tab from your course’s Homepage.

Clicking on either of these links will open the CengageNOW course management system in a separate browser window. This new page includes three tabs: Assignments/Tests, Gradebook, and Study Tools.


Instructor Guide 5

Instructor’s Assignments/Tests Page

Assignments/Tests

This tab contains the management area for all the assignments you have created with CengageNOW content. From this page you can create new assignments, edit existing assignments, or archive assignments for later use.

By clicking Show all commands on this page, you can view all functions available. Hide them by clicking Hide these commands.

Note: By altering settings on the Preferences page, you can change the display to have hidden controls always available.



Instructor’s Gradebook Page

Gradebook

This tab contains a table of the grades for all of the assignments available for your course. From this page you can view student progress, edit assignment categories, modify scores, and create reports to be printed in a variety of formats.

By clicking Show all commands on this page, you can view all functions available. Hide them by clicking Hide these commands.


Instructor Guide 7

Instructor’s Study Tools Page

Study Tools

This tab contains links to Study Tools content, such as Personalized Study products, TLE, and Tutorials. This page is an area intended to contain ungraded self-study content only and is separate from graded course assignments. For you to have a book available on this page, it has to be part of the content provided with the Course Cartridge.

You can use some of this same Study Tools content in your course assignments and tests, but there are key differences:

• Course assignments taken from the Assignments/Tests page are graded CengageNOW coursework.

• Work completed in the Study Tools area is typically ungraded practice or self-study.

Note: Detailed instructions on assigning content can be found in the Creating Assignments in CengageNOW on page 10 section of this guide



Student Link: Assignments and Grades

The student link, CengageNOW Assignments and Grades, is located on your course’s Homepage.

Clicking the link opens the student view of CengageNOW in a new browser window. This new page includes three tabs: Assignments/Tests, Grades, and Study Tools.

Student’s Assignments/Tests Page

Assignments/Tests

This tab contains links to any CengageNOW content that you have assigned using CengageNOW Instructor Tools. Assignments will appear in this table only when they have been assigned through CengageNOW.

For each assignment yet to be taken or for which multiple attempts are allowed, students can click a Take, Retake, or Resume button to launch the assignment.

Student Link: Assignments and Grades

Instructor Guide 9

Student’s Grades Page

Grades

This tab contains a table of the grades for all of the assignments that a student has completed in CengageNOW. Assignments yet to be completed are indicated by “not yet taken” in the Score column.

Note: When a student completes any assignment in the CengageNOW Assignments and Grades area, an entry is created in the WebCT - CE Gradebook with the same name as the CengageNOW Assignment. Grades will be synchronized between the two areas.

Study Tools

This tab contains links to Courseware content, such as Personalized Study products, TLE, and Tutorials, that students can access for self study.

Work that students access and complete in the Study Tools page is for ungraded self-study only and is separate from their graded course assignments.


Creating Assignments in CengageNOW


You can easily create and manage a variety of assignments in CengageNOW. Depending upon your discipline, you may have several sources available for building new assignments. For information on the three sources of assignment content, see the following sections:

Assignments from Individual Questions on page 10

Assignments from Study Tools on page 12

Pre-built Assignments on page 13

Before you start setting up your assignments, please ensure that your computer meets the System Requirements for CengageNOW.

Note: If you need detailed information on any step of this process, be sure to use the context links for online Help in CengageNOW. Click the

icon next to the page function or use the Help link at the top of the page to access the complete Help system.

Assignments from Individual Questions

This section describes the process of creating an assignment by selecting individual questions from a test bank, homework bank, or tutorial. These sources provide a wide choice of problem types.

Once you select the content source, you can limit the number of available questions to choose from by using filters for difficulty, grading method (automatic or manual), and other criteria. You can also narrow down your choices by selecting specific numbers of questions for various problem types.

To create an assignment from individual questions

1. Open CengageNOW by clicking the CengageNOW Instructor Tools link in WebCT - CE’s Control Panel.

2. Select the Assignments/Tests tab (if it is not already open) and click Create Assignment.

Assignments from Individual Questions

Instructor Guide 11

3. On the Choose content page, under “How would you like to choose your content?,” select Choose questions individually from test bank or homework bank for your assignment (e.g., tests).

4. Click Continue.

The Choose content source area opens on the right side of the page.

5. Select the test banks, homework banks, and tutorials from which you want to draw questions or other items for your assignment.

Note: Click the + button next to an item to reveal additional content you may want to select. Books, chapters, and sections marked with a - button can be closed to hide the additional content.

6. When you are finished making your selections, click Continue

7. If you want to filter the items you have chosen, click Show all commands to display the filters available for your question set.

For each filter, select the criteria you want to apply. Clear the check boxes for any criteria you don’t want to use.

8. Click the Filter button to filter the questions and update the number available.

9. Click Select All to preview all the available questions, or specify how many of each available question type you wish to see.

Note: If you enter a number smaller than the total number available for a particular question type, the questions will be drawn randomly from that type.

10. Click Continue.

11. Select individual questions, or select all the questions in the list by checking the box at the top of the list.

12. Click Continue when you are done selecting questions.

The Format and Preview page will open. Use the features on this page as desired to set your assignment’s appearance and behavior. Click Assign when you are done.



Format and Preview page

Assignments from Study Tools

This section describes the steps necessary for assigning CengageNOW self-study content, such as Tutorials, Personalized Study products, Homework, or other CengageNOW Study Tools.

To create an assignment from Course Material content

1. Open CengageNOW by clicking the CengageNOW Instructor Tools link in WebCT - CE’s Control Panel.


3. On the Choose content source page, under “How would you like to choose your content?,” select the third option, Choose content from assignable Course Material (e.g., eBook, Personalized Study, TLE, Tutorial).

4. Click Continue.


Pre-built Assignments

Instructor Guide 13

5. Find the registered CengageNOW courseware from which you want to create the assignment or series of assignments, and find the appropriate chapters. (Click on the + or - button next to an item to view or hide its contents.) Select the chapters you want to use, and then click Continue.

6. If you select just one courseware chapter, you will go directly to the Customize Content page. Depending on the chapter content, you can rename the assignment and include or exclude specific chapter sections, including the diagnostic Pre-Test and Post-Test. Once you have customized content for the assignment, click Continue.

If you select multiple courseware chapters, you will see a dialog box informing you that you have selected multiple assignments and will be setting assignment options next. Required settings include the Available and Due dates and Days between due dates. (Refer to the online Help for more information.)

7. Click OK to proceed.

8. On the Assignment options page, set the options for the assignment or series of assignments, and click the Save button.

At this point, your assignment or set of assignments is complete and assigned to the current course. However, you still have the ability to modify an assignment as you wish from the View/Edit an Assignment page.

Pre-built Assignments

In this process, you start with a complete, ready-made assignment provided with your Cengage content. You can then review, remove, or reorder its questions. Once you have selected and ordered your questions, you can set assignment options, such as due date, grading, hint availability, and other settings. When you have finished creating the assignment, you can edit all aspects of its contents and formatting.

To create a pre-built assignment

1. Open CengageNOW by clicking the CengageNOW Instructor Tools link in WebCT - CE’s Homepage.

CengageNOW will appear in a new browser window.


Organizing Your Course


3. On the Choose content page, under “How would you like to choose your content?,” select the second option, Choose from pre-built assignments (e.g., homework set).

4. Click Continue.


5. Choose the CengageNOW book or Study Tools content from which you want to select the pre-built assignment. (Pre-built assignments typically correspond to your book chapters.)

6. Click on the + or - button next to each listed item to view or hide its contents, select the assignment you want to use, and click Continue.

7. Use the Assignment Options page to set up the new assignment as you wish. (See the online Help for details on these settings.)

Note: Required assignment options include the Available and Due dates and Days between due dates.

8. When you are finished, click Save. The new assignment is now saved and assigned.


You can organize CengageNOW-integrated courses with links to CengageNOW content on WebCT - CE’s Homepage. These links provide direct access to assignments or open-ended practice instances.

In the case of Study Tools content, WebCT - CE comes with the links created in an organizer page named after the book. This organizer page is found on the course Homepage. These links usually direct students to open-ended practice, and student activity here will not be reflected in the Gradebook.

Linking to CengageNOW Assignments

Instructor Guide 15

Note: You may want to temporarily hide existing links if you decide to use “practice” Course Material content as a means of tracking student progress. See the section on To hide student Content Links on page 17 for details.

Linking to CengageNOW Assignments

You can create custom Content Links to assignments and tests you have created or to Course Material content you wish to reserve for grading. Students access these links from the Homepage in WebCT - CE. Each link provides direct access to a specific assessment in CengageNOW.

To create Content Links to CengageNOW

1. Log in to WebCT - CE and select the course that contains the assignment you want to link to.

2. Click Control Panel at the top of the page.

3. From the Basic Control Panel page, click Add Page or Tool.

4. Select CengageNOW (or iLrn) from the far right Other column.

The Add CengageNOW (iLrn) menu will appear.

WebCT - CE’s Add Page or Tool Page



5. Enter a name for your link and select a functionality from the drop-down menu in step 2.

• Instructor Gradebook. Links to CengageNOW and opens with the Gradebook tab as the default view.

• Instructor Tools. Links to CengageNOW and opens with the Assignments/Tests tab as the default view.

• Student Tools. Provides a link for students and opens to the Assignment/Tests tab in CengageNOW.

• Student Link to an Assignment. Links to a specific assignment created from a testbank or homework bank.

• Link to CengageNOW Specific course content. Links to a specific chapter from Study Tools content.

• Link to Web Quiz. Links to an external URL hosting an assignment created in CengageNOW.

6. Fill out the fields as required:

• Provide an Assignment/Content name for student links.

• Choose between displaying the link on the Course Menu or one of the Organizer Pages.

• If you have chosen an Organizer Page, then select whether to show a title, an icon, or both.

You can use a default icon or use Browse to a upload a custom icon located on your hard drive.

7. Click Add when you are done.

Managing Study Tools Links

Instructor Guide 17

Managing Study Tools Links

In most cases, CengageNOW-integrated courses will contain links to content in an organizer page named after the book. These links are on the course Homepage, and they usually link to open-ended practice based on the content. Student activity here is not reflected in the Gradebook.

If you plan on assigning some of this content with CengageNOW to track your students’ progress, you may wish to hide these “practice” links from your students.

To hide student Content Links

If you plan on assigning some of the Study Tools content in CengageNOW to track your students’ progress, you may wish to hide these “practice” links from your students. (You'll need “Designer”-level access to your course.)

Follow these steps:

1. Select the Designer Options tab.

2. Select the radio button next to the folder you wish to hide.

3. Select the Hide button from the Actions menu at the right.

Note: You can restore a link by returning to this menu, selecting the hidden folder, and clicking the Reveal button in the Actions menu.


Technical Support

Technical Support

If you have trouble accessing or using CengageNOW, you can contact Cengage Technical Support by phone, e-mail, or online chat.

Phone

1-866-267-4986 (toll free)

Monday–Friday: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, Pacific time

E-mail

[email protected]

E-mails are usually responded to within 48 hours.

Online Chat/Customer Support Site

You can find FAQs and online chat support at the CengageNOW Instructor Support page: http://academic.cengage.com/support

When contacting Technical Support, please let them know you are accessing CengageNOW through eCollege. Also be prepared to provide information about your computer and the ISBN of your textbook.

[email protected]

http://academic.cengage.com/support

cengagenow instructor guide for webct ce

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