Top Elite Fall 2015

Group TRIBE

Parham, Kane, Spencer, and Brown

STUDYMATE: BASIC DESCRIPTION

• An easy-to-use authoring tool that

facilitates creation of learning

activities and games

• Standard Upload provides great

flexibility. Most modern desktop,

laptop, and hand-held devices

can access via web browser

(Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari,

Google Chrome).

• language options include Dutch,

English, Finnish, French, German,

and Spanish.

• provides English Dictionaries for

American, Canadian, and British

• Choice of Automatic Selection

OR Manual Selection

• Look in “Available to Select” column

• Manual Selection option allows the items for each file to be viewed

before making a selection.

• With Automatic Selection, the available number of questions for

each type of item is 13.

• Automatic Selection and Manual

Selection options may be combined

STUDYMATE: CAPABILITIES

• About a dozen different activities can be created…

• Four types of creation templates

• 1 Facts - basic facts and statements

• 2 Terms / Definitions - flash cards, matching and crossword

• 3 Multiple Choice - quiz and challenge activities

• 4 Calculated - applying a formula using quiz and challenge activities

• Audio files, web links and images can be incorporated

• Works with leading learning systems - Blackboard, Angel, Canvas, Moodle, Desire2Learn…

• Choice of Delivery methods: Give students URL or publish items directly to course

STUDYMATE: HOW TO USE ITOPENING AND CREATING

• Open• Choose existing file

• Create• Name and setup new file

• Quick Copy (from existing StudyMate files)• Follow wizard

walkthrough

• Import items• Follow wizard

walkthrough

Publisher test bank questions can also be used

Note: One of these options must be selected before accessing the “Edit” tab

From the “Start” tab, you can:

STUDYMATE: HOW TO USE IT EDITING

• Item types include: • Fact, Term/Definition, Multiple

Choice and Calculated.

• Up to ten activities can be created from these items.

• Select the desired item type from the menu on the left. • The form on the right will

change accordingly

• The difficulty and topic can also be adjusted

New items can be added to a file or

current items can be edited HERE

STUDYMATE: HOW TO USE IT SETTINGS

• This menu allows you to tailor each activity type to your needs• Number of items

displayed

• Answer choices

• Random selection

• Crosswords, etc.

• “Other settings”• Color settings

• Accessibility

• Language

STUDYMATE: HOW TO USE IT PREVIEW & PUBLISH

• The preview wizard and publish wizard allow you to check and complete the activities created• Review all activities

• Publish or export final product• To a Learning Management

System (e.g. Blackboard)• To StudyMate.com• Export as Learning Object for

manual upload

The file should be

previewed before

publishing to

ensure a

satisfactory

product.

STUDYMATE: HOW TO USE ITSTUDYMATE.COM TAB

• Projects already uploaded to StudyMate.com can be managed here

• Account settings for StudyMate.com can be edited

• Add, delete, or modify account information

STUDYMATE: TOOLS

• Creating Server Settings

• A user account MUST be created before the first time StudyMate is used to publish into a course.

• Your specific Learning management System server information must be entered to create an account.

• Context menu offers access to Preview, Edit, or Delete.

• -EDIT

• Two optional organizing features available: Difficulty level and Topic

• Four edit buttons appear: Add to end of list, insert into list, clear form, and preview

• Overview of Settings Menu thisMenu allows you to specify settings for each activity.

• NOTE: Preview this is similar to preview option in the Edit menu (except all items in a file can be seen in Preview this).

STUDYMATE: TOOLS

• Advanced Editing: Adding Bold, Italics, Underline, and Super/Subscript

• Power Edit: (Edit menu) provides table editor and larger workspace for large text blocs

• Copy Items from another File Selected Items can be copied from another StudyMate file into the current file

• Properties: displays window that summarizes item properties

• Expanded View: (top right of Question List) Enables viewing of multiple items and displays full screen pop-up of question list.

• Adding Images: Images can be added to most text fields

• Equation Editor: The process of adding equations is similar to

adding images

• Inserting Audio: tool allows for audio to be embedded directly

into activities.

• Tables: StudyMate makes it possible

to insert and edit simple tables.

• Web Links : (on toolbar) used to

add a link to any file or website

located on another server

STUDYMATE: TOOLS

• Spell Check: located on the toolbar for the Edit menu

• Keyword Searches where the [Advanced Search] or [Keyboard Search] button appears, such as at the bottom of the Edit menu, at the top of the Expanded View and in the Quick Copy Wizard,

• Modifying, Rearranging, and Deleting Items is fairly easy and self-explanatory

• A Rapid Authoring Technique for Creating Items if you want to use the same basic content across the Multiple Choice, Term/Definition, and Fact templates.

• Move to # - question can be moved to new location in list

• Use as Basis for New Item- Open item in edit template and use for new item. Original title will be modified slightly – for example, the number “used” will be added

• Publish Wizard- available from the Preview & Publish menu and will guide you through the steps of publishing or exporting the final activities.

STUDYMATE: TIPS AND BEST PRACTICES

• Formative assessments are necessary because engaging learners actively is paramount to successful online courses

• Formative assessments: “that is, low- or no-stakes practice activities with feedback that lets students know if they are on track for summative assessments, such as final exams.”

• But creating and implementing such activities consumes so much time

An advantage of StudyMate: feedback is built into the game—

so once created, no additional time is required for facilitation.

STUDYMATE: TIPS AND BEST PRACTICES

• StudyMate games are built using one of three

types of questions:

• Single answer (term and possible definitions)

• Multiple choice

• Calculated (math problems)

• created material can become:

• flash cards for vocabulary practice

• matching exercises for concepts and

definitions

• crossword puzzles for many different purposes

• and a challenge game similar to Jeopardy! –

that could easily serve as practice for

summative assessments

StudyMate is probably best described and most appropriately used as an

asynchronous component of the eLearning environment

StudyMate can be used to create

a glossary of vocabulary terms

STUDYMATE PROS

• Mobile features are popular with students

• Supports mobile learning across multiple platforms

• Supports multiple learning and teaching styles

• Promotes collaborative learning

• Ideal for learning facts, core concepts and terminology

• Activities are easy to create

• Publishing Wizard provides easy learning –system access OR allows access thru URL to StudyMate.com

• Respondus Test Bank Network integrates with StudyMate and provides access to questions from leading publishers

• Publisher test banks integrate with StudyMate

• TCC site license

• Easy roll-out with support

CON’S OF STUDYMATE

• StudyMate Author is a Windows authoring tool - not

especially compatible with Apple

• Requires some practice to design realistically useful

materials—there is definitely a learning curve

• Does not go beyond factual knowledge OR help

promote knowledge construction of a higher order

• Licensing information changes once a year – call

the help desk!

RESOURCES

• Sources:

• http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/inspire/?tag=studymate

• https://experts.missouristate.edu/display/bb9/StudyMate+Author

• http://www.hawaii.edu/talent/downloads/StudyMate.pdf

• https://www.itap.purdue.edu/learning/docs/studymate/StudyMateUserGuide2.pdf

• Official product support from respondus.com

• http://respondus.com/products/studymate/smc-training.shtml

• http://respondus.com/products/studymate/guides.shtml

• http://www.respondus.com/products/10reasons-studymate.pdf

• http://www.respondus.com/products/studymate/demos.shtml

Top Elite Fall 2015

Group TRIBE

Parham, Kane, Spencer, and Brown