Week #4 Evaluation

Introduction

This week I am continuing my evaluation of each learning management system. As instructors, we must create quality assignments to help us quickly assess our online students. Online courses are unique because students can access content outside the traditional classroom. Because students have access to the information at all times, it can make it easier for them to plagiarize or cheat. Therefore, I evaluated tools that help ensure the course is organized and that students cannot plagiarize/cheat on their assignments.

The five tools I chose to evaluate were the following:

1. Change “Gradebook” Settings. Create electronic Gradebook Categories & Items (Integrated with Dropbox, Quiz, and Rubric)

2. Create Dropbox Assignments, Turnitin.com, and Grading RUbric

3. Create Quiz Questions in the Question Library

4. Create Electronic Grades for Quizzes, Create Quizzes, Modify Quiz Settings, and Add Randomizing

5. Conduct Quality Check (Demo Student Drop Off Assignment and Instructor Grade Assignments)

"How To" Tutorials for D2L Brightspace

Create Electronic Gradebook Categories & Items (Integrated with Dropbox, Quiz, and Rubric)

Create Dropbox Assignments, Turnitin.com, and Grading Rubric

Create Quiz Questions in Question Library

Create Quiz Questions in Question Library Information:

Step 1: Select “Assessment” in the navigation bar.

Step 2: In the drop-down menu, click on “Quizzes & Exams.”

Step 3: Click on the “Question Library” tab.

Step 4: Click on “New.”

Step 5: Select the question type. (For this step-by-step, I chose to make a “Multiple Choice Question”)

Step 6: Verify the question type.

Step 7: Type in your question

Step 8: Type in all multiple-choice answers and click in the circle next to the correct answer.

Step 9: Click on the “Save” drop-down menu.

Step 10: Select “Save and New” to keep adding your quiz questions to the Quiz Library. (Repeat steps 5-10)

Step 11: After entering all your quiz questions, select “Save.”

Step 12: Verify your questions have been saved from the Question Library page.

Step 13: Verify your question types have been entered correctly.

Step 14: Click on “Done Editing Questions.”

Create Electronic Grades for Quizzes/Creating Quizzes

Creating A Quiz Information:

Step 1: Select “Assessment” in the navigation bar.

Step 2: In the drop-down menu, click on “Quizzes & Exams.”

Step 3: Click on “New Quiz.”

Step 4: Give your quiz a “Name.”

Step 5: Click the “Not in Grade Book” drop-down menu.

Step 6: Select “Add to Grade Book.” (This set allows you to add your quiz to the grade book)

Step 7: Type in “Grade Out Of” points for how much your quiz is worth.

Step 8: Click on the “Add Existing” drop-down menu.

Step 9: Select “Browse Question Library.”

Step 10: Click on each question you would like to add to your quiz from the quiz question library.

Step 11: Click on “Import.”

Step 12: Click on “Save and Close.”

Modify Quiz Setting

Modifying Quiz Settings Information:

Step 1: Select the drop-down next to “Availability Dates & Conditions.”

Step 2: Select a “Start Date.”

Step 3: Select an “End Date.”

Step 4: Select the drop-down menu next to “Timing & Display.”

Step 5: Click on “Paging” to decide how the questions will appear on the page for students.

Step 6: Click on “Shuffle Quiz” to shuffle quiz questions.

Step 7: Click “Disable Email, Instant Messages, and Alerts within Brightspace.”

Step 8: Select the “Recommended Time Limit” and type in the time limit for the quiz.

Step 9: Click “OK” to save your timing settings.

Step 10: Select the drop-down menu next to “Attempts & Completion.”

Step 11: Click “Manage Attempts.”

Step 12: From the Attempts page, select “Attempts Allowed.”

Step 13: Select the “Overall Grade Calculation.”

Step 14: Click “OK.”

Step 15: Select the drop-down menu next to “Evaluation & Feedback.”

Step 16: Select “Auto-publish attempt results immediately upon completion.”

Step 17: Select “Synchronize to grade book to publish.”

Step 18: Select “Attempt Grade.”

Step 19: Select “Save and Close” to save your quiz settings.

Conduct Quality Check (Dropbox Assignment and Grading)

Quality Check of Demo Student’s Dropbox Assignment Information:

Step 1: Click “Classlist.”

Step 2: From the drop-down menu, select “Classlist.”

Step 3: Select the “ZZStudent, ZZDemo” student drop-down menu.

Step 4: Select “Impersonate.”

Step 5: Select “Yes.”

You are now impersonating a student.

Step 1: Select “Assignment.”

Step 2: From the drop-down, select “Dropbox.”

Step 3: Select “Week 1 Dropbox.”

Step 4: Click “Add a File.”

Step 5: Click “My Computer.”

Step 6: Click “Upload.”

Step 7: Select the file you want to upload.

Step 8: Click “Open.”

Step 9: Click “Add.”

Step 10: Click “Submit.”

Step 11: Select “Done.”

Step 12: Verify your file was submitted.

Step 13: Select the “Impersonate Student” icon and select logout.

Grading Dropbox Assignment Information:

Step 1: Select “Assignment.”

Step 2: Click “Dropbox.”

Step 3: Click the assignment from the drop box you want to

Step 4: Read the assignment.

Step 5: Input the “Rubric” grade.

Step 6: Type in “Overall Grade”

Step 7: Type in “Overall Feedback.”

Step 8: Click “Publish.”

Grading Quiz Assignment Information:

Step 1: Select “Grades.”

Step 2: Select the “Enter Grades” tab.

Step 3: Click the drop-down menu next to the quiz you want to grade.

Step 4: Select “Enter Grade.”

Step 5: Type in the grade the student received.

Step 6: Click “Save and Close.”

"How To" Tutorials for Canvas

Create Electronic Gradebook Categories & Items (Integrated with Dropbox, Quiz, and Rubric)

Create Dropbox Assignments, Turnitin.com, and Grading Rubric

Create Quiz Questions in Question Library

Create Quiz Questions in Question Bank Information:

Step 1: Select “Quizzes” in the global navigation bar.

Step 2: Click the “three ellipses.”

Step 3: Select “Manage Question Banks.”

Step 4: Click “+ Add Question Bank.”

Step 5: Type in the name of your question bank.

Step 6: Once you have given the question bank a name, you can select the underlined name and begin adding questions.

Step 7: Select “+ Add a Question.”

Step 8: Type in the name of your question.

Step 9: Next to the question type, select the drop-down menu.

Step 10: Select the question type from the drop-down menu. (For this step-by-step, I chose to make a “Multiple Choice Question”)

Step 11: Type in your question using the HTML editor.

Step 12: Type in all multiple-choice answers and put the correct answer in the box labeled “Correct Answer.”

Step 13: Click “Update Question.”

Create Electronic Grades for Quizzes/Creating Quizzes

Creating A Quiz Information:

Step 1: Select “Quizzes” in the global navigation bar.

Step 2: Click “+ Quiz.”

Step 3: Select the “Details” tab.

Step 4: Give your quiz a name.

Step 5: Type in quiz instructions for students.

Step 6: Select “Quiz Type.”

Step 7: Select “Shuffle Answers.”

Step 8: Select “Time Limit.”

Step 9: Type in “Minutes.”

Step 10: Select the “Questions” tab.

Step 11: Click “Find Questions.”

Step 12: Select the quiz bank you created to add your questions.

Step 13: Select all questions you want to add to your quiz.

Step 14: Click “Add Question.”

Conduct Quality Check (Dropbox Assignment and Grading)

Quality Check of Demo Student’s Dropbox Assignment Information:

Step 1: Select "Student View."

Step 2: Click "Modules."

Step 3: Select the "Dropbox Assignment."

Step 4: Click "Start Assignment."

Step 5: Click "Upload File."

Step 6: Click "Choose File."

Step 7: Select the file you want to add.

Step 8: Click "Open."

Step 9: Click "Submit Assignment."

Step 10: Verify the assignment has been added.

Step 11: Click "Leave Student View."

Grading Dropbox Assignment Information:

Step 1: Select “Grades” from the admin bar.

Step 2: Find the “Test Student.”

Step 3: Click on the “Dropbox Assignment.”

Step 4: Click the “Arrow.”

Step 5: From the student info window, select “Speed Grader.”

Step 6: Read the assignment.

Step 7: Type in a grade for the assignment.

Step 8: Type in an “Assignment Comments.”

Step 9: Click “Submit.”

Step 10: Select the “Grade Book” icon.

Step 11: Verify the student's grade has been added.

Grading Quiz Assignment Information:

Step 1: Select "Grades."

Step 2: Find the "Test Student."

Step 3: Click on the "Volcano Quiz."

Step 4: Click the "Arrow."

Step 5: From the student info window, select "Speed Grader."

Step 6: Read the short answer question information to verify what students wrote.

Step 7: Adjust the grades manually by adding positive or negative points in the box.

Step 8: Click "Update Scores."

Weekly Recommendation

My Recommendation is... D2L Brightspace

This week I evaluated five tools in each learning management system. I viewed each learning management system from a student's and instructor's perspectives. Each tool evaluated needed to address if students could track their progress through the course, check their work for plagiarism, and make navigating through the system smooth. Additionally, instructors needed functionality tools that allowed them to build quizzes and content that challenged students to use their critical thinking skills. Canvas was the front runner because it is set up so that the admin toolbar allows you to navigate from tool to tool quickly compared to Brightspace. However, Canvas had fewer options for the type of quiz questions you could create outside of multiple choice, and adding a plagiarism tracker was difficult. Although Canvas, compared to Brightspace, has 3 more efficient tools, I still choose Brightspace over Canvas because Brightspace was superior in quiz creation and plagiarism detection. As instructors, it is essential to have these tools to help us assess students' work and ensure that it is their original work. In online courses, this can be difficult. Brightspace won out this week because it can disable features to keep students from communicating with one another via the LMS during quizzes/exams.

Below I will provide my rationale for choosing D2L Brightspace by providing a brief evaluation explanation for each tool. My findings are as follows:

1. Change "Gradebook" Settings. Create electronic Gradebook Categories & Items (Integrated with Dropbox, Quiz, and Rubric)

Making changes in the setting for each grade book was user-friendly. Canvas of the two systems was easier to navigate because the admin toolbar makes navigating between pages more manageable. For this reason, Canvas had a slight edge in integrating drop box, quizzes, and rubrics for assignments.

2. Create Dropbox Assignments, Turnitin.com, and Grading Rubric

Each system is comparable in creating drop box assignments as both are quick and easy. Canvas instantly connects the assignments created to the grade book, whereas Brightspace has you connect them manually. Creating rubrics in each system was relatively simple and easy to connect to assignments. As for plagiarism detection, Brightspace was more efficient because the feature was already built into the drop box area and allowed you to check for plagiarism throughout all of the students' submissions. Canvas could add plagiarism detection, but you had to connect with a third-party app to activate the feature. For this reason, Brightspace had a slight edge because everything was in one system.

3. Create Quiz Questions in the Question Library

Creating quiz questions and adding them to a question library was simple for both systems. Once you made your questions, they were easy to connect to a quiz. Additionally, each system allowed you to have the option to create different types of questions (i.e., multiple choice, short answer, and matching). Although Brightspace has a few more options on the types of questions you can create, Canvas has a slight edge with the question library because entering your question information has more functionality. For example, when creating a matching question, they randomize things for you automatically. When typing in your choices, the items are next to each other, so as an instructor, you can ensure that how the matching items connect is correct. In Brightspace, it is more difficult because you have to scroll back and forth.

4. Create Electronic Grades for Quizzes, Create Quizzes, Modify Quiz Settings, and Add Randomizing

This tool for LMS was very similar. To create your quiz, you had to access the question library. Canvas makes it easier for instructors by allowing the quiz to connect to the grade book immediately once it is created. In Brightspace you have to tell it to connect to the grade book. Although there is an additional step you need to take in Brightspace to make it connect to the grade book, they allow you to have more quiz settings options.

For this reason, I am choosing Brightspace to have a slight edge. When designing courses, we need students to ensure they are doing their own work and not cheating. In Brightspace, under the display options, instructors can "Disable Email, Instant Messages, and Alerts within Brightspace."

5. Conduct Quality Check (Demo Student Drop Off Assignment and Instructor Grade Assignments)

Being able to quality check is essential as an instructor because it allows us to ensure that our courses are easy to navigate. Checking our work is necessary. Brightspace's student view is relatively easy to navigate but requires more steps to access than Canvas. Canvas makes checking students' work and grading it so much easier than Brightspace because they have features such as speed grading, and student view can be accessed from almost every page listed in the admin bar. For this reason, Canvas has a slight edge over Brightspace.

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