connect composition plusacademic.luzerne.edu/shousenick/101--connect_instruc… · web...

Product Orientation Guide

OVERVIEWConnect Composition is McGraw-Hill’s premier online tool for writing and research. Delivered as a new learning management system featuring a grade book and communication tools, Connect Composition comes with enhanced capabilities to allow instructors to customize content and assignments, manage the peer review process online and easily track student progress.

Instructors can choose from two versions of the product as follows:

of 33

CONTACT INFORMATION

Technical Support

The Digital CARE team.

Technical Support contact information:

Website: www.mhhe.com/support

Toll Free: (800) 331-5094

SUN 6PM-11PMM-TH 8AM-11PM

FRI 8AM-6PM

All times are Central Time.

of 33

http://www.mhhe.com/support

Registration Go to www.mhconnectenglish.com Click First-time Registration Enter the code (instructor or administrator) Provide name, school, and email address, and create a password.

\

of 33

http://www.mhconnectenglish.com/

Details for InstructorsMy Courses TabThe Instructor My Courses page lists the instructor’s active courses and sections and allows the instructor to add a new section within a course. If an Administrator has set up a course for the instructor, that course as well as a course labeled “Independent Sections” will be available. The difference between these courses is that the Administrator-created course will have Learning Outcomes associated with assignments recommended by the Administrator. The “Independent Sections” are sections that the instructor creates and manages without being associated to Learning Outcomes.

ADD A NEW CLASSYou will now be logged into the system and taken to the instructor homepage. The next step is to create a class. Click “Add a New Class,” fill out the class information form and click “Add.”

Please note: You must create a unique code for your class. Please use the following format: Instructor last name followed by the course or section number (Ex. SMITH 101).

Instructors will need to give this code to their students so that they can join the class. of 33

JOIN A CLASSIn order to see content and assignments from the student view of the product, you will need to join your own class. To do so, click on the “View Student Edition” link in the upper right-hand corner of the interface. This will toggle you to the student view of the product.

Click on the “Settings” link in the same blue toolbar, enter the class code you created in the field shown below and click “Join Class.”

You will get a confirmation that you have successfully joined your class. Click “Proceed to Contents” to return to the instructor homepage.

Your name will now appear in the roster as a student in your own class.

Did You Know? Now you will be able to see all content and assignments that students who join this class will see. You can toggle back and forth between the instructor and student views by clicking the “View Student Edition” and “View Instructor Edition” links.

of 33

ADD ASSIGNMENTSThe next step is to set up your assignments. There are two types of assignments in Connect Composition: pre-existing assignments and custom assignments.

ADD PRE-EXISTING ASSIGNMENTSChoose the handbook content*, exercises and interactive tools* that you would like to add as assignments for students to work on. Note: *Only available in Connect Composition Plus.

Click on the link for the class that you just created to access this screen which allows you to manage all aspects of your class. Click on the “Assignments” tab and then the “ADD Assignment” sub-tab as shown

Browse assignments by clicking on the drop down menu under “Choose Chapter.” To view the assignments in a particular chapter, click on the chapter name (example: 5 Revising and Editing) to expand the list of all available assignments.

To assign something, click “Assign,” choose a start and end date and click “Save” to add the assignment for all students in your class. Click “Preview” to view each assignment before assigning it.

of 33

Did You Know? All assignments may be assigned to the entire class or to individual student(s).

of 33

STEP 5B: ADD ASSIGNMENTS (CUSTOM)Instructors can create custom assignments in Connect Composition. To add a custom assignment, click on the “Assignments” tab and then the “ADD Custom Assignment” sub-tab. Choose one of the four assignment types, fill out the assignment form and click “Add.”

Writing AssignmentWriting assignments allow the instructor to include a writing prompt, attach documents or reference a URL. Students respond using our powerful editing tool which allows them to customize the format of their response, include graphics, etc.

Peer Review Assignment (see section on Peer Review for more details)Peer Review assignments allow the instructor to manage the peer review process completely online. Instructors can include a writing prompt for the student writer and review questions for the student reviewers. Students can set up alerts via email, text message or Facebook so that they are prompted when they need to take action as part of the peer group.

Blog AssignmentBlog assignments allow a student to keep a running blog on a topic of the instructor’s choosing. Students in the class can view one another’s blogs, but can not add comments.

Discussion Board AssignmentDiscussion board assignments allow the class to collaborate on a discussion topic of the instructor’s choosing. Students can make new entries or comment on existing entries posted by their peers.

of 33

STEP 6: CONTENT SET-UPBy default, all of the content available in the version of the product that has been adopted is turned on for students. To turn any portion of this content off (i.e. hide it from the students’ view), you may do so by clicking on the “Content” tab.

To hide a particular part or chapter of the content, simply click on the green “√”. This will change it to a red “X” which indicates that the content is now hidden from the student view.

Please note: The screen shot above is for Connect Composition Plus which includes the handbook content from The McGraw-Hill Handbook, 2/e. The “Additional Resources” content (Learning, Writing, Research and Editing) is available in both Connect Composition and Connect Composition Plus.

of 33

STEP 7: EDITING SKILLS DIAGNOSTIC TEST SET-UPConnect Composition includes three diagnostic tests to assess students’ proficiency with basic editing skills:

Pre-Diagnostic Test – 50 questions (default) Master Diagnostic Test – 100 questions Post-Diagnostic Test – 50 questions

Instructors may select one diagnostic test at a time for students to work with. Instructors may now assign the diagnostic tests by setting start and due dates and choosing the threshold value that is used to determine whether the student needs to improve in each skill area.

Did You Know? Instructors may customize the topic areas contained in each diagnostic test by turning topics on/off. If topics are turned off, the total number of questions in the diagnostic test will be reduced.

of 33

Editing Skills Learning PlanOnce the student begins the diagnostic test, the system will automatically generate an individualized Editing Skills Learning Plan that covers each of the specific skill areas that the student needs to improve. Below is a screen shot of a sample Editing Skills Learning Plan:

STEP 8: VIEW CLASS AND STUDENT PROGRESSYou may view the progress of your class as a whole or view the progress of an individual student.

View Class Progress OverviewTo view the progress of your class as a whole, choose a class from the instructor homepage and click on the “Progress” tab to view the Class Progress Overview. This tab shows the students’ names, number of assignments completed and total time in the system.

of 33

View Student Assignment DetailTo view the progress of an individual student, click on the “View” link next to a student’s name on the Class Progress Overview tab. This will take you to the Assignment Detail tab for that student which will display the status of all assignments for this student.

From this page you can view this student’s diagnostic test results by clicking on the “Show Diagnostic Test Results” link. You can also grade any written assignments by clicking “Grade” or reset an assignment so that the student can re-submit it by clicking on “Reset”.

of 33

STEP 9: GRADE AN ASSIGNMENTThe Assignment Detail screen shows all of the assignments for a particular student. The “Status” column shows whether the student has completed the assignment. When an assignment shows the status “AWAITING GRADE”, you can click on the “Grade” link to view the assignment, add comments and enter a numerical grade.

of 33

STEP 10: VIEW PROGRESS REPORTSConnect Composition offers instructors three types of reporting:

Summary ReportThis report allows an instructor to save the data from the class progress overview tab as a spreadsheet. The data can then be imported into Blackboard or other course management systems.

Detail ReportThis report allows an instructor to save the data from the student progress detail tab as a spreadsheet. The data can then be imported into Blackboard or other course management systems.

All Assessment DataThis report allows an instructor to view the data from the students’ diagnostic test results. It is in PDF format and can easily be printed.

of 33

STEP 11: COPY, SHARE OR IMPORT A CLASSInstructors have the ability to copy, share (export) and import classes in Connect Composition.

Copy Class: This feature allows you to duplicate any class that you have already set up and then further customize it within your instructor account.

Share Class: This feature saves the current settings for the class to a file so that you can share them with another instructor who is also using Connect Composition.

Import Class: This feature allows you to import a file with class settings so that you may apply them to another class in your instructor account.

STEP 11A: COPY A CLASSTo copy a class, choose an existing class from the instructor homepage by clicking on the hyperlink for either the class code or class name. Then click on the “Copy/Share” tab and the “Copy Class” sub-tab.

To copy this class, click “Copy to New Class”. All of the settings including assignments, content and diagnostic test will be duplicated and a new class will appear on the instructor homepage. The new class code will be “Composition I -1” and the new class name will be “PASQ 111-1”. The instructor can edit the code and name of the new class by clicking on the “Settings” tab, editing the information and clicking “Update”.

of 33

STEP 11B: SHARE A CLASSTo share a class, choose an existing class from the instructor homepage by clicking on the hyperlink for either the class code or class name. Then click on the “Copy/Share” tab and the “Share Class” sub-tab.

To share this class, the instructor needs to export the class settings to an XML file that can then be emailed as an attachment to any instructor who is a registered user of Connect Composition.

To export this class to an XML file, click “Export Class”. All of the settings including assignments, content and diagnostic test will be copied to the XML file. Give the file a name and choose a location on your computer where you want to save the file. If a name is not chosen, the file will be named “ClassExport” by default.

The instructor can now email this XML file as an attachment to any instructor who is a registered user of Connect Composition. The instructor receiving the email will then need to import this file into an existing class (see next section).

of 33

STEP 11C: IMPORT A CLASSTo import a class, choose an existing class from the instructor homepage by clicking on the hyperlink for either the class code or class name. Then click on the “Copy/Share” tab and the “Import Class” sub-tab.

Please note: Importing a class will overwrite the existing class with the code and title of the imported class and will add the assignments from the imported class to those that already exist. We recommend that an instructor set up a new class prior to using the import feature if they do not want the settings of the current class overwritten.

To import the class, click on the “Browse” button and navigate to the place on your hard drive where the XML file (that another instructor emailed to you) was saved. Choose the file, click “Open” and you will see the path of this file displayed in the window next to the “Browse” button. Click “Import Class” to import the file.

of 33

STEP 12: SEARCH FEATUREConnect Composition includes a powerful keyword search feature. This feature is especially valuable for instructors and students using Connect Composition Plus which includes the web-optimized version of The McGraw-Hill Handbook, 2/e.

Because a handbook is a reference tool, the search feature allows students and instructors to easily find the information they are looking for.

Search for keywordsThe search field is located in the blue bar along the top right-hand side of the interface. It is accessible from all pages within Connect Composition.

To conduct a search, type one or two words into the search box. A limited results list will immediately begin to populate on the screen. Choose one of the items in the list or click “View All” to view all of the results for your search.

Click on the blue hyperlink for a result to go to that page of the handbook content.

BEST EXAMPLE: Type in “Comma Splice”

Please note: The “Index Results” box will not display if the search term you entered is not indexed in the The McGraw-Hill Handbook, 2/e.

of 33

STEP 13: PEER REVIEW – INSTRUCTOR VIEWPeer review is a collaboration tool that allows students to learn to give their peers constructive feedback about their writing and to receive similar feedback about their own writing.

This section will show you step-by-step how to create a peer review assignment, how to view student writer and reviewer responses and how to add comments to students’ papers.

STEP 13A: CREATE A PEER REVIEW ASSIGNMENTTo add a Peer Review assignment, choose a class from the instructor homepage and click on the “Assignments” tab. Then click on the “ADD Custom Assignment” sub-tab. Choose Peer Review Assignment. You will be presented with the Peer Review Assignment Set-Up Wizard which will walk you through the settings that you can customize for the assignment.

Peer Review Wizard – Review AssignmentBegin by (1) giving the assignment a name and (2) adding a writing prompt. (3) You have the option of specifying the number of drafts that you would like students to submit or allowing them to submit as many drafts as they like (up to a maximum of five).

Note: By default this setting is “No, allow students to submit up to 5 drafts.”

When you are finished with the settings on this screen, click “Next” to save your work and move to the next screen in the wizard.

of 33

Peer Review Wizard – Due DatesNow you will be prompted to choose a start date and due date for the overall assignment. You also have the option of allowing students to post drafts and peer reviews at any time during the assignment (i.e. to allow them to work at their own pace) or to set due dates for each draft and peer review.

Note: By default this setting is “No, allow students to post drafts and reviews as any time during the assignment.”


of 33

Peer Review Wizard – Peer GroupsNext you need to assign the students in your class to peer review groups. There are two ways to do this:

Manually Assign Students: Assign students to peer groups by manually dragging and dropping the names from the class roster to the various groups. Click “Add Group” if you need to add additional groups.

Randomly Assign Students: Randomly assign students to peer groups by clicking on the hyperlink labeled “Click here to Randomize Students”. The system will automatically assign your students to peer groups randomly. If you would like to make changes to these groups you may manually drag and drop them from one group to another. Click “Add Group” to additional groups. The system will automatically remove any blank groups.


Please note: Student names will not show up in the class roster in peer review until they have joined your class (see Step 3 for a discussion about the class code which your students will need in order to join your class).

of 33

Did You Know? An instructor can add, delete or move students as necessary during the semester. If a student is moved or deleted, the student’s work will remain with the original peer group so that the assignment can continue for the remaining students in that group. Peer Review Wizard – Peer Group SettingsThe next screen allows you to choose whether to display the student writers’ and reviewers’ names throughout the peer review process or to make them anonymous.

Note: By default this setting is set to “Do Not Display Writers’/Reviewers’ Names”.

of 33

Peer Review Wizard – Peer Group SettingsThe final screen in the wizard allows the instructor to add review questions to the peer review assignment. These questions are grouped by category (argument, informative report, personal, interpretive analyses and multimedia) and give the student reviewers specific questions to respond to when commenting on the peer’s writing.

Did You Know? Instructors can choose from pre-existing questions by category, custom existing questions or create their own custom review questions. They can also add questions to a “Favorites” area so that they can easily find and use them again.

When finished choosing the review questions, click “Done” to save your work.

The peer review assignment will now appear as a custom assignment within the class.

of 33

STEP 13B: COMMENT/GRADE A PEER REVIEW ASSIGNMENTTo view a student writer’s draft paper with peers’ comments, choose a class from the instructor homepage and click on the “Assignments” tab. You will see the “View Current Assignments” list showing all assignments for the class.

Locate the peer review assignment and click on the “COMMENT/GRADE” link.

You will see a listing of the students by peer group along with a status of the assignment.

of 33

Did You Know? The average reviewer rating is a rating process that allows the student writer to evaluate how useful he has found the peer comments to be.

Click on “View/Comment” to view a particular student writer’s paper with peers’ comments.

You will now see the student writer’s draft paper along with comments made by the student reviewers. The Peer Review Team box displays a key illustrating which color coded boxes correspond to which peer group team member.

You may add comments to the paper as well. There are 4 types of comments that can be posted:

Review Question Comment: A review comment is in response to one of the review questions that you added to the assignment. To add a review comment, highlight a portion of the text in the paper and click “Add Comment”.

Editing Comment: An editing comment allows you to place a reference to a basic editing error within the context of the paper. To add an editing comment, highlight a portion of the text in the paper and click “Add Editing Comment”. Type your comment, choose an editing content reference from the drop down list and click “Submit Comment”.

Custom Comment: A custom comment differs from the previous two types in that it is not tied to a particular question or editing issue but does pertain to a specific section of the paper. To add a custom comment, highlight a portion of the text in the paper and click “Add Custom Comment”. Type your comment and click “Submit Comment”.

of 33

Overall Comment: An overall is broader in scope and pertains to the paper as a whole. To add an overall comment, highlight a portion of the text in the paper and click “Add Overall Comment”. Type your comment and click “Submit Comment”.

For all types of comments, be sure to click “Post Comments” when you are finished so that they are visible to the student writer.

Please note: You must click “Post Comments” to make your comments visible to the student writer. You may also choose to save your work (so that you can log out and continue later) by clicking “Save Comments” but this will not display your comments to the student writer.

STEP 14: PEER REVIEW – STUDENT VIEWNow let’s take a look at peer review from the student side – both as a student writer and as a student reviewer.

STEP 14A: VIEW PEER REVIEW ASSIGNMENTOn the student homepage choose a Peer Review assignment with the task “Draft Your Paper” in the “Chapter/Task” column.

To begin drafting your paper, click on the link for the assignment.

of 33

STEP 14B: DRAFT A PAPERThe student can type the paper directly into the text editing tool or copy and paste text from another document or source. The toolbar allows the student to format the paper as desired.

Word Count: In order to see the word count for the draft, a student places his cursor in the composing area and clicks the “Update” button under “Word Count”. The current word count for the document will display.

Save this Draft: If the student needs to save his work to continue writing later, he clicks on the “Save this Draft” button underneath the text box. This will save the draft paper with a time and date stamp so that the student can log out without losing his work. Next time he logs into the system, he follows the same steps described above to navigate back to the assignment.

Publish for Review: When the student writer is ready to submit the paper to the peer group for review and commenting, he clicks “Publish for Review”.

Please note: A student can only submit each draft of the paper for review by the peer group one time; therefore, the student should not click the “Publish for Review” button until he is completely finished with the draft.

of 33

STEP 14C: VIEW A PEER’S PAPERAs the peers in the group publish their papers for review, each of the student reviewers will notice that a new entry shows up in the “Current Assignments” list with the task “Add Comments for…” as shown in the screen shot below:

To view a peer’s paper, the student clicks on the link for the assignment:

of 33

STEP 14D: ADD COMMENTS TO A PEER’S PAPERTo add a comment to a peer’s paper, highlight a portion of the text and click “Add Comment” under the relevant review question. Enter the comment in the text box provided and click “Submit Comment” to save.

of 33

Save Comments: A student can save his work to continue adding comments later by clicking on the “Save Comments” button at the bottom of the paper. This will save the comments and allow the student to log out without losing any work. Next time the student logs into the system he would follow the same steps above to navigate to the homepage and click on the assignment from the “Current Assignments” list.

Post Comments: “Post Comments” allows the student to post the comments that he has added to the peer’s paper so that the other members of the group can see them. When the student is finished adding comments and is ready to post them for the peer group, he clicks on the “Post Comments” button at the bottom of the paper.

STEP 14E: VIEW COMMENTS ADDED TO YOUR PAPERAs the peers in the group add comments to the paper that a student has written, that student will notice that a new entry will show up in the “Current Assignments” list with the “Read Comments by…” as shown in the screen shot below:

of 33

To view the paper with comments, click on the link for the assignment. The comments made by the peers will be placed within the context of the essay and differentiated using color coded boxes. The “Peer Review Team” key identifies which color is associated with each of the peer group team members.

To view a comment, click on the colored box within the text of the document.

STEP 14F: RATE OR RESPOND TO A COMMENTOne the student writer opens the comment box, he can take several actions:

Respond to comment: Respond to the comment by typing a response in the “Respond to Comment” area. This response will be visible the student who made the original comment as well as to the instructor.

Rate the comment: Rate the usefulness of the comment on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.

Add to Revision Plan: Add this comment to the Revision Plan.

of 33

My Revision PlanThe Revision Plan is a “holding area” for the student writer to gather peer and instructor comments and personal notes on his writing. Useful peer or instructor comments can be added to the revision plan so that the student can refer to it later when revising the next draft of the paper. The student can view all comments and print them as well.

of 33

connect composition plusacademic.luzerne.edu/shousenick/101--connect_instruc… · web...

Documents