1 MathXL for School Program Overview Introduction In this tutorial, we ll explore MathXL for School and learn how it supports meaningful learning opportunities for your students. We ll provide an overview of how to create assignments with the Homework and Test Manager, individualize your assignments with personalized study plans, and save time with the Gradebook tool. MathXL for School has many great features for us to explore, so let s get started! 1
2 Logging in To access MathXL for School, go to MathXLforSchool.com. On the home page, click the SIGN IN button and enter your username and password. If you haven t created a username and password, you ll need to register as a first-time user. Your students will also need to register for accounts. To learn how to register for MathXL for School, review the Getting Started tutorial on this website. There is also a tutorial for students. If this is your first time logging into MathXL for School, you'll be prompted to create your first course. If you ve already created courses in your account, you ll arrive at the Course Home page of the last course you were working in. 2
3 Navigation Buttons Use the buttons on the left side of the screen to navigate through the features of the program. Notice both the Student and Instructor buttons on the navigation panel. Use the Instructor buttons to manage your courses and access your resources. You can view your course as a student by using the Student buttons. As would be expected, students can t see or access the Instructor buttons. Now we ll use these Student and Instructor buttons to navigate our way through MathXL for School. 3
4 Course Manager We ll start with the Course Manager that you saw immediately after logging in. Once you have created your courses, this page will show you all of your courses in one place, just like you see here. You choose initial settings for each course when you create it. You can then edit course settings by clicking the Actions drop-down menu. The Course Manager allows you to change these settings at any time. 4
5 Course Home Page Now we ll go back to the Course Home page of an Algebra class that s been created and is ready for students to be enrolled. We ll use this course as our walkthrough example, but these same features apply to any course you set up in MathXL for School. This page shows the students view of their Course Home page. Here, students can see a calendar to remind them of due dates, as well as a graphical display of their performance. Simple bar charts show their current status in your course. Students earn badges that help motivate them for their performance in many categories. In addition, they can also see which assignments are due. 5
6 Home Page Manager While the Course Home page is designed as a starting point for students, the Home Page Manager is a tool for you to manage what your students view on their Course Home page. Use the Home Page Manager to set up announcements and display options. 6
7 Homework and Test Manager Next we ll look at the Homework and Test Manager. Click the Create Assignment drop-down menu. Here you ll find the tools to create homework, quizzes, and tests. Let s take a closer look at your options for choosing assignments. 7
8 Assigning Homework, Tests, and Quizzes MathXL for School allows you to select pre-populated sample tests, quizzes, and homework assignments. These are already created and ready to assign by using the Copy option in the Actions drop-down menu. If you prefer to create your own assignments, click the Create Assignment button and choose the type of assignment from the drop-down menu. Name your assignment and then customize it with objectives and selected questions. You can even add media tools to your assignment as a resource for students. There are additional tools and options available for you to customize your assignments. For example, you can individualize your homework assignments, create your own questions, and create companion study plans as study guides for a test. To learn more, visit MathXLforSchool.com. 8
9 Study Plan Manager Next we ll look at how the Study Plan Manager helps you manage the content students see in their study plans. In the Mastery tab, you can choose which kinds of assignments and scores are required for mastery. Use the Coverage and Scoring tab to choose which objectives and questions will be available to students at any given time. 9
10 Student Study Plan Students benefit from a study plan because they can work independently. They simply choose a chapter, section, and objective in their study plan and start practicing the assigned problems. The study plan will display the next five objectives that the student should be working on. However, you can customize what the study plan shows for any student. Study plans are automatically generated using the results of homework, quizzes, and tests. This creates individualized learning opportunities for all of your students. You and your students can use the Chapter View to see which assignments and scores led to the recommendations made in the study plan. You have the flexibility to customize these as well. 10
11 Gradebook There s one last button for us to explore on the navigation panel - the Gradebook. This is a great time-saving tool that shows you how your students are performing. MathXL for School automatically grades all homework and assignments, and records the results in the Gradebook. Students receive immediate feedback on their work through the Results tab. Some of the more advanced tools in the Gradebook allow you to export your data. Use the reporting dashboard, found in the additional tools, to analyze student data in more depth or share with others. 11
12 Review So let s review! In this tutorial, we talked about the features of MathXL for School that make teaching your courses easier. We pointed out how you can use the Homework and Test Manager to create and assign homework, tests, and quizzes. We discussed how individualized study plans support targeted instruction. And finally, we looked at the Gradebook, which automatically records student data and provides both student and class-level reporting based on auto-graded assignments. Closing To help you get started in a few easy steps, check out the Getting Started tutorial on MathXLforSchool.com. For additional training and support, select the Videos tab. Thank you for viewing the MathXL for School Program Overview tutorial. 12