Course Groups and Coordinator Courses MyLab and Mastering for Blackboard Learn MyAnthroLab MyArtsLab MyDevelopmentLab MyHistoryLab MyMusicLab MyPoliSciLab MyPsychLab MyReligionLab MySociologyLab MyThinkingLab December 11, 2012
Copyright Notice Copyright 2012 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Trademarks Blackboard Learning System is a trademark of Blackboard, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective holders. Published in the United States of America.
Contents Using course groups... 4 Course types... 4 Instructor types... 5 Creating a course group... 5 Coordinator creates the coordinator course... 5 Create the coordinator course in MyLab and Mastering... 6 Create the coordinator course in Blackboard Learn... 7 Coordinator prepares the coordinator course for copying... 14 Coordinator creates the section courses... 15 Coordinator gives permissions to section instructors... 19 iii
Using course groups Course groups allow a senior instructor, department head, course coordinator, or administrator to create and manage multiple sections of a single course that will be taught by one or more other instructors. Using course groups lets you: Modify a single course template and make multiple copies of it Create and analyze reports that display data for one, some, or all course sections at once Note: Contact your Pearson sales representative for information on the availability of coordinator courses and course groups in your MyLab product. Course types A course group comprises a coordinator course and two or more sections: A coordinator course (or primary course) is the template for all courses in a course group. Students are not allowed to enroll in coordinator courses. A section (or member course) is a copy of the coordinator course that remains linked to it for reporting purposes. Students are enrolled in the member courses. 4
Instructor types To maintain alignment between the courses in a course group, instructors play one of two roles: coordinator or section instructor. The coordinator creates the coordinator course and is the primary instructor for all section courses. The coordinator uses the coordinator course to set up the course features and content, and then copies the course to create the section courses. Only the coordinator can change the coordinator course. The coordinator can add, remove, or modify assets; assign course materials; change course and activity preferences; and so on. The coordinator also controls whether section instructors can access the course roster in their sections. The section instructor teaches one or more section courses but has only the access specified by the coordinator. The coordinator can assign the section instructor role to either a student or another instructor. Creating a course group Creating a course group with a coordinator course and multiple sections involves the following basic steps, which are described in detail in the following sections: 1. The coordinator creates the coordinator course. This course is created in either directly in MyLab and Mastering or in Blackboard Learn. When the course is created in Blackboard Learn, the coordinator links the Blackboard Learn course to a MyLab and Mastering product and course components. 2. The coordinator makes additions, modifications, and deletions to the coordinator course to prepare it to be copied. The coordinator also makes sure the course's administrative tools are hidden. (The instructor can redisplay the tools in the coordinator course after the section courses are created.) 3. The coordinator has the section courses created in Blackboard Learn. The coordinator then links each section to the same MyLab and Mastering course that is linked to the coordinator course. 4. Each section instructor enrolls in his or her section as a student. The coordinator enters the section course and changes the status of the enrolled instructor from "student" to "section instructor" and gives the instructor access to the course roster for the section. Coordinator creates the coordinator course The first step in creating a course group is to create the coordinator course. You can create this course in either Blackboard Learn or in MyLab and Mastering. It is easier to create the course in MyLab and Mastering, but you must first obtain a Pearson account and login. To create the coordinator course in MyLab and Mastering, you need to: 1. Obtain a Pearson account and login if you don't already have one. 2. Create the course. To create the course in Blackboard Learn, you need to: 1. Have the course created. 2. Select a MyLab and Mastering product for the coordinator course and section courses. 3. Select the MyLab and Mastering course components you want in the coordinator and section courses. The next two sections describe each set of procedures in detail. 5
Create the coordinator course in MyLab and Mastering To perform this procedure you must have access to the Courses page in MyLab and Mastering. To create the coordinator course in MyLab and Mastering: 1. Do one of the following to display the MyLab and Mastering Courses page. Sign in to www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com using your Pearson instructor account. If you don't yet have an account, first ask your sales representative for an access code. Then go to www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com and click the Educator button under Register. Then follow the screen instructions to set up an account. Enter a MyLab and Mastering course you have already created using Blackboard Learn, and click the Courses link in the upper left of the course window. 2. Click Create/Copy Course at the top of your courses list. 3. Search or browse for a coordinator course. You must select a coordinator course. These course have "Coordinator" in the course title. You may need to contact your Pearson sales representative for a course ID and for information on coordinator courses in your MyLab product. 4. Click Create Coordinator Course to the right of the course title. Note: If you see Select Course Materials instead, the course is a standard course; it is not a coordinator course. Not all courses have coordinator versions available. The Enter Course Information page is displayed. 5. Enter the requested course information and click Create Coordinator Course Now. The Confirmation page is displayed. 6. Choose whether to return to the Courses page, create or copy another course, or log out. 7. Wait until you receive the email confirming that the course has been created before going on to prepare the coordinator course for copying. Preparing the course for copying is described on page 14. 6
Create the coordinator course in Blackboard Learn Have a course created as you normally would using your institution's process/procedures. Then perform the following procedures: 1. Select the Pearson MyLab and Mastering product, as described in the following procedure. 2. Select the MyLab and Mastering product's course components; see page 11. To select the Pearson MyLab and Mastering product: 1. Log in to Blackboard Learn and enter the coordinator course. 2. Click Tools in the left menu. 3. Click Pearson's MyLab / Mastering on the Tools page. 4. Click Select a MyLab / Mastering product to use with this course on the Pearson's MyLab and Mastering Tools page. 5. Accept the Pearson License Agreement and Privacy Policy. 7
The Select MyLab and Mastering page is displayed. 6. Find the coordinator course you want to use. You must select a coordinator course. These course have "Coordinator" in the course title. You may need to contact your Pearson sales representative for a course ID and for information on coordinator courses in your MyLab product. 7. From the search results, click Select Course Materials for the textbook/product you want to use. The Enter MyLab and Mastering Information page is displayed. 8. Enter the name of your course, click the calendar icon to select the course's start and end dates, and choose to let other instructors copy your course. 8
9. Click Continue. 9
The Request Received page informs you that your course is being created. Your MyLab course is not available until you get a confirmation email from support@pearsonmylabandmastering.com. If you do not receive the email within 24 hours, check your spam filter. When this email arrives, your MyLab product has been linked to the Blackboard Learn coordinator course and you can continue with selecting the course components. 10
To select the MyLab and Mastering course components: 1. Enter the coordinator course in Blackboard Learn. 2. Click Content in the left menu. 3. Point to Build Content and click Pearson's MyLab / Mastering in the drop-down list. In later versions of Blackboard Learn, this link may be under the Publisher Content button. 11
The Add Pearson's MyLab and Mastering Links page is displayed. The options listed on this page depend on the MyLab product that you selected. 12
4. Select the course components you want in the coordinator course. The components you select will also appear in the section courses when you create them. Notes You can click a component name to preview it. The Course Home component opens a home page that includes all the course navigation tools. Other components, when available, do not let students to navigate to other areas of the course. When the MyLab product has only one component, that component is automatically selected for the course. 5. Click Submit when you have finished selecting components. The selected components appear as links on the coordinator course's Content page. 13
6. Continue with the next section, "Coordinator prepares the coordinator course for copying." Coordinator prepares the coordinator course for copying Section courses are copies of the coordinator course. Make all changes and customizations to the coordinator course before you create the section courses. Because section courses are copies of the coordinator course, the coordinator must open the coordinator course in MyLab and Mastering and make all modifications that must appear in all sections. Such modifications might include adding or deleting assets, changing assignments, organizing questions into sections, and so on. The modifications also include setting permissions for the section instructors. Depending on the course, the coordinator may be able to control whether section instructors can copy their sections and/or modify the section information. The coordinator should also hide the administrative tools before creating the section courses. After creating the sections, the coordinator can redisplay the administrative tools for his or her use in the coordinator course. The procedures for setting section instructor permissions and hiding the administrative tools follow. For information on other course features, click the Help & Support link at the top of the course window, and then click the instructor Help link. To enter the coordinator course on the MyLab and Mastering Courses page: If the coordinator course was created in Blackboard Learn, do the following: 1. Enter the course in Blackboard Learn. 2. Click Tools in the left menu. 3. Click Pearson's MyLab / Mastering. 14
4. Click the Course Home component link. If the coordinator course was created in MyLab and Mastering, do the following: 1. Log in to http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com/ to display the MyLab and Mastering Courses page. 2. Click the coordinator course's title. To give permissions to section instructors: This procedure is course-dependent; your course may not have the section instructor options. 1. Enter the coordinator course in MyLab and Mastering. 2. Do one of the following: Expand Instructor Grades & Assignments and click Manage Course Materials. Expand Instructor Tools and click Access Course Materials. 3. Click Preferences toward the top of the window. 4. Click Permissions, if available. 5. Click the appropriate check boxes to give section instructors the ability to copy their section and/or edit their section s information. 6. Click Save Preferences. 7. Click Close Window in the upper-right corner to close the window. To hide the administrative tools: 1. Enter the coordinator course in MyLab and Mastering. 2. Locate Reporting Tool, Admin Tool, PADMN Tool, Coordinator Reports, or a similar item on the course menu and click it. (You may need to expand a menu item to find it.) 3. Click modify above the course menu. 4. On the Settings tab, click the check box to the right of the administrative tool's name to hide the menu item. Note: If the tool appears as a sub-category of another menu item that is already hidden, the tool will also be hidden so you don't need to change the settings. 5. Click close to exit the window. Now you can go into Blackboard Learn and add sections to the course group. Coordinator creates the section courses Once all the changes that should appear in the sections have been made in the coordinator course, the coordinator can create the sections. Important: Do not create the sections until you have made all your changes to the coordinator course. Once the sections are created, any further changes you make to the section course will not appear in the section courses. Section courses must be created in Blackboard Learn, even if you created the coordinator course in MyLab and Mastering. 15
First, have the number of courses you need as section courses created using your institution's process/procedures for creating new courses. Then do the following: Edit each course's name to identify it as a section course. This is an optional procedure, but renaming these courses can make it easier to find section courses in your Blackboard Learn course lists. Link each section course to the same MyLab and Mastering course that is linked to the coordinator course. The following sections describe these two procedures in detail. To edit a Blackboard Learn course's name: To do this procedure, you must have the server permission necessary to rename a Blackboard Learn course. 1. Enter the section course in Blackboard Learn. 2. Under Control Panel in the left menu, expand Customization and click Properties. 3. Edit the Course Name and click Submit. To link a section course to the coordinator course's MyLab course: 1. Enter the section course in Blackboard Learn. 2. Click Tools in the left menu. 16
3. Click Pearson's MyLab / Mastering on the Tools page. 4. Click Select a MyLab / Mastering product to use with this course on the Pearson's MyLab and Mastering Tools page. 5. Accept the License Agreement and Privacy Policy. The Select MyLab and Mastering page is displayed. 6. Select your coordinator course from the Copy Existing MyLab / Mastering drop-down and click Go. The Enter MyLab / Mastering Information page is displayed. 7. Enter the section course's name and click the calendar icons to select the course's start and end dates. You can choose to allow other instructors to copy the section course. However, the resulting copies will be standard MyLab and Mastering courses; they will not be section courses. 17
8. Click Continue. The Request Received page informs you that your course is being created. The section course is not available in MyLab and Mastering until you get a confirmation email from support@pearsonmylabandmastering.com. If you do not receive the email within 24 hours, check your spam filter. When this email arrives, the MyLab section course has been linked to the Blackboard Learn course and you can set up the permissions for the section instructors, as described in the next section. 18
Coordinator gives permissions to section instructors Before an instructor can teach a section, he or she must enroll as a student in that section. The instructor can enroll in the course from Blackboard Learn or MyLab and Mastering. The instructor can enroll using either his or her instructor account login or a student account. However, it must be a student account with an access code; you cannot promote a student with temporary access to section instructor. After the instructor who will teach a section has enrolled in it, the coordinator must change that instructor's role from "student" to "section instructor." This permission is set from within the section course and affects the section instructor's role only in that course. To promote a student to section instructor: 1. Do the following to enter a section course in MyLab and Mastering. a. Enter the course in Blackboard Learn. b. Click Tools in the left menu. c. Click Pearson's MyLab / Mastering. d. Click the Course Home component link. 2. Click course settings under the title of the course at the top of the window, and then click Course Roster. Note: Alternatively, you can click Course Roster if it appears on the course menu. 3. Locate the name of the person who will teach the section. 4. Click the section instructor's current role in the Role column. 5. Select Section Instructor. 6. Select On if you want to let the section instructor manage the roster for his or her section. When you give a section instructor access to the course roster, the instructor can make various changes to it, including changing the status of a student and adding student IDs to the course roster. 7. Click close to close the pop-up window. 8. Click Save. 9. Click Close in the confirmation window. 19