Supporting Documentation for H - LSUMath



R2R

Teacher’s Manual

for

Math 1021 College Algebra

Math 1022 Trigonometry

Math 1023 Precalculus

Revised April 30, 2012

Louisiana State University

Department of Mathematics

Table of Contents

History of “R2R” Classes at LSU 3

Pre-Semester Checklist 5

Setting Up Courses in MyMathLab 6

Setting Up Moodle 7

Posting Materials in Moodle 10

Using Moodle Email 12

Preparing for Class 13

Online Sections 16

1st Day Add and Drop Procedures 17

Managing Adds and Drops 18

Tutoring Procedures in the Pleasant Hall Math Lab 20

Time Clock Procedures in the Pleasant Hall Math Lab 23

Entering Grades in the Moodle Gradebook 26

Testing Procedures 30

Graphing and “Textbook” Form Calculators Not Allowed in Math Lab or Testing Center 32

Managing Students with Special Accommodations 33

Make-up Policies 34

Request for Make-up Test for Math 1021/1022/1023 36

Posting Mid-Term Grades, Final Exam Grades, and Final Grades using Moodle 37

The History of “R2R” Classes at LSU

The LSU Department of Mathematics is now delivering Math 1021 College Algebra, Math 1022 Trigonometry, and Math 1023 Precalculus using a model that it developed as a selected member of the 2004-2007 FIPSE-funded Roadmap to Redesign (R2R) program developed by the National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT). The goal of this program was to spread redesign practices that resulted from an earlier 1999-2002 NCAT program funded by the Pew Charitable Trust entitled Program in Course Redesign (PCR). These practices involved redesign of large-enrollment courses through effective use of technology to reduce costs and increase student learning. Additional NCAT programs, such as Colleagues Committed to Redesign (C2R) and Changing the Equation (CTE), are continuing to spread these redesign practices. In addition, interest has grown to include State and System Course Redesign programs, and a membership organization named the Redesign Alliance has been formed by NCAT.

The institutions in the PCR using mathematics redesigns were Virginia Tech, the University of Alabama, and the University of Idaho. Other institutions now using similar designs for mathematics are UNC at Chapel Hill and Greensboro, Georgia State University, Ole Miss, Wayne State University, the University of Arkansas, the University of Nebraska, Oklahoma State University, the University of Central Florida, Auburn University, and Southeastern Louisiana University. Mathematics is not the only discipline involved in NCAT redesign programs; Spanish, English, biology, chemistry, statistics, and psychology are also included.

The LSU model features a combination teacher-directed classroom setting and student-centered learning lab design that requires much more active participation from students than passive lecture-only formats of the past required. At LSU, students in the 3-credit hour courses (Math 1021 College Algebra and Math 1022 Trigonometry) spend one hour a week at a fixed time in a classroom with their teacher and then spend a minimum of 3 flexible hours a week in the teacher- and tutor-staffed learning lab. For the 5-credit hour course (Math 1023 Precalculus), students spend two fixed hours a week in a classroom with their teacher and then spend a minimum of 5 flexible hours a week in the teacher- and tutor-staffed learning lab.

In the classroom, teachers connect topics and concepts, work examples pointing out common student errors and misconceptions, and help to guide students through their semester responsibilities. In the Pleasant Hall Math Lab, help is available 60 hours a week. There teachers and tutors give students immediate, personalized help with math concepts and skills. In addition, they are also available to help students with computer-use questions that may arise.

This holistic design for learning mathematics promotes an active approach to learning that addresses a myriad of student learning styles. It emphasizes students “doing” mathematics, not just “watching” someone else do mathematics. The repeated opportunities for practice exercises accompanied by specific, individualized feedback promote learning each new concept to mastery level.

All assessments are delivered using specialized software called MyMathLab. Homework, quizzes, and tests are taken using exercises algorithmically generated by the software. Help and Example buttons guide students through the homework, and the textbook and streaming videos can be accessed through the software as well. Individual videos for each section in all three courses, taped at LSU using experienced instructors and professors, are available on the math website for those students who want additional classroom instruction. Most homework can be attempted an unlimited number of times, and quizzes can be attempted up to ten times before the due date. The proctored, password protected tests are taken in the LSU Center for Assessment and Evaluation Himes Hall Testing Center following a flexible, student-friendly schedule.

Prior to the development of this program, the fall A-B-C success rate for Math 1021 College Algebra averaged about 64%. After running a semester pilot and several semesters of combinations of delivery methods while constructing the 275-seat learning lab and making improvements on the LSU course design, the Fall 2006 results for Math 1021 College Algebra showed the success that the program has achieved. The record low drop rate of 6% combined with the final exam median of 78% and the highest-ever A-B-C success rate of 75% was exceptional, not only in LSU history but also in national comparisons. In subsequent years, the success rates for Math 1021, 1022, and 1023 have continued to match or exceed success rates prior to redesign.

Pre-Semester Checklist

_____Email your schedule and requested lab tutoring times to the Tutor Supervisor on the appropriate form that will be emailed to you by the Tutor Supervisor.

_____ Read the entire R2R Teacher’s Manual and make notes about any questions you may have. Ask about these to clear up any misunderstanding before they turn into problems.

_____ Attend the pre-semester teacher workshop(s).

_____ In MyMathLab, copy the coordinator course for each section you teach and name the course appropriately using the prescribed standard form.

_____ In MyMathLab, set the Due Dates for all homework, quizzes, and tests as established by the daily schedule for each section you teach. Set the Start Date for your tests. Do not change anything else. This entire task is VERY important. Have someone check this for each section when you have finished the task. See page 6 for directions.

_____ In MyMathLab, choose the color for your menu buttons. Access this feature by selecting the course by name from your home page, selecting modify just above and to the right of the button labeled Dashboard, choosing the Style tab, selecting the radio button in front of the color you wish to select, and then closing the window.

_____ In Moodle, if one or more of your sections of a course meet on a different day of the week, you must split your original course shell into individual shells each containing those sections taught on the same day. See page 7-8 for directions.

_____ In Moodle, import the appropriate master course into each individual shell of Math 1021, 1022, and 1023 you are teaching. This process sets up your gradebook structure entirely and creates links to the course website, syllabus, and daily schedules. See page 8 for directions.

_____ In Moodle, adjust the appropriate Administration settings in each individual shell. Follow the instructions on page 9.

_____ In Moodle, send students the course welcome email letter prior to the beginning of the semester. It will include an explanation of the first day drop policy. You may include any other information in the course email letter that you feel is appropriate for your students.

_____Prepare the Syllabus Handout for each section you teach. Copy one for each student. Also, make a copy of the appropriate Daily Schedule for each student. Hand these two documents out to the students on the first day of class.

_____ Prepare class notes and choose examples to be presented. Ask for guidance from experienced teachers if you have any questions about the number of examples you can cover in the time available. Remember that you are presenting an overview of examples and pointing out common errors. You are not expected to show proofs or extended theory, but you should discuss concepts. In particular, as the semester progresses, use class time to connect concepts that students are not likely to connect themselves doing work in MyMathLab.

Setting Up Courses in MyMathLab

At the R2R Teacher’s Workshop, you will be given the course id number for the MyMathLab coordinator course representing the R2R math course you are teaching. You may be teaching more than one of the three R2R math courses (Math 1021, 1022, and 1023), and therefore you will need to repeat the following process for each of those courses.

In your MyMathLab account (accessed using ) you will use the given course id number to copy the coordinator course once for each day of the week in which you teach a section of that course. Use the established naming convention each time you copy. For example, if Mr. Smith teaches two sections (6 and 7) of Math 1022 on Friday, he would copy the course only once for those two sections and name the course F11 Math 1021 Sec 6 and 7 Smith in MyMathLab.

Next, you will need to set the start and due dates that are specific to your sections depending on the day of the week the class meets. If these dates are incorrect, it will cause much trouble during the semester. Take this task very seriously. Follow the instructions carefully. See the table below for a summary.

Set the Due Dates for ALL homework and quizzes as established by the daily schedule for each section you teach. All of these assignments are due at 9 PM.

Set the Start Date and End Date for each of your tests. Use your daily schedule for this information. The start time should be 8:00 AM. The end time should be 10:00 PM.

Do not change any other dates. The course coordinator will handle the final exam and makeup tests.

|Assignment |Start Date |Due Date |

|Homework |Before semester begins |Set according to daily schedule |

|Quizzes |Before semester begins |Set according to daily schedule |

|Tests |Set according to daily schedule |Set according to daily schedule |

|Final Exam |Coordinator will manage |Coordinator will manage |

|Practice Homework |Before semester begins |None |

|Practice Tests |Before semester begins |None |

|Practice Final Exam |Before semester begins |None |

|Make-up Tests |Coordinator will manage |Coordinator will manage |

|Make-up Final Exam |Coordinator will manage |Coordinator will manage |

Do not change any of the assignment settings under Edit, Step 3, or under Settings for Class in the drop-down Action menu.

Setting Up Moodle

Go to Moodle at and login with your myLSU ID and password, or login to myLSU and click on the Moodle link under Instructional Support.

This takes you to the OVERVIEW OF MY COURSES page. Your current courses will be listed in the middle of this page.

SPLITTING COURSES IN MOODLE

Should you split your course shell?

Moodle courses initially come in “shells” containing all of your sections of a single course in one shell. There are three possible cases.

A. If you have just one section of a course, then the original course shell will contain just that section. In this case, do nothing.

B. If all of your sections of a course meet on the same day of the week, do not split your original course shell into separate shells. Leave the sections in the single shell. You will be able to post material to the shell and have it available to students in all sections, thus eliminating the necessity of posting the same materials multiple times. You will be able to post grades for sections in the same MyMathLab course at the same time, rather than separately for each section. You will still be able to view the section gradebooks separately and email your sections individually.**

C. If one or more of your sections of a course meet on a different day of the week, you must split your original course shell into individual shells each containing those sections taught on the same day. This is because sections taught on different days of the week do not necessarily have the same number of grade items in each category. Sections meeting on the same day of the week must remain together in one shell. You will still be able to view the section gradebooks separately and email your sections individually.** Have in front of you a list of the sections you are teaching and the day of the week each meets. Be certain you know how you want them organized and how many shells you will need. This process is irrevocable once you add materials or grades or change the gradebook in a shell. Note that original course shell will be lost once you split it.

How to split your original course shell

Choose Splitting Courses in the Course Preferences box on the upper left of the Overview of My Courses page.

Choose the original course shell you wish to split and click Next.

Choose the number of shells you need and click Next.

If you split into the max # of shells possible (i.e, one shell per section), the new shells come named by section.

If you are splitting into less than the max # shells possible, you will have to tell Moodle which sections to put into which new shell. You must also customize the name of each new shell.

The first shell should be selected. On the left, highlight each section you want to be in the first shell and move the section name to right by clicking on the arrow. Click Customize Name and type Section # and # Day-of-week (for example, Math 1022 Sec 6 and 7 Friday).

Select the button in front of the second shell. On the left, highlight each section you want to be in the second shell and move the section name to the right by clicking on the arrow. Repeat the Customize Name process above.

Click Submit.

Check the New Settings for accuracy.

If everything is correct, click Home (at the bottom) .

If not, click Next and start over.

It takes up to one hour and fourteen minutes for your split shell to show on your Overview of My Courses page.

**The procedure to view the sections separately in the gradebook is to choose the appropriate section from the Visible groups dropdown menu at the top of the gradebook page.  Note that when uploading grades from MyMathLab, you will not have to select a specific section within the shell.  Moodle will upload grades to the students in that section and ignore the students in other sections within the shell.

IMPORTING THE MASTER COURSE STRUCTURE INTO YOUR INDIVIDUAL MOODLE COURSES

Choose one of your Moodle sections for the current semester from the list in the middle of this page by clicking on the course name. Find the Simplified Restore box on the lower right and click Import All Materials into Current Course. Scroll down until you find the name of the course you wish to copy (mastercourse_Math_1021_skurtz1, mastercourse_Math_1022_skurtz1, or mastercourse_Math_1023_skurtz1). Choose the file with the most recent date by clicking on the file name. Wait for it to process. When you see the list of actions that have been carried out, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Continue. Repeat for each of your Moodle courses.

Note: This process sets up your gradebook structure entirely and creates links to the course website, syllabus and daily schedules.

SETTING UP YOUR INDIVIDUAL MOODLE COURSES

To set up your individual Moodle courses for the semester, choose one of your Moodle courses from the list in the middle of this page by clicking on the course name. Find the Administration box on the left.

1. Click on Settings in the Administration box to get to the Edit course settings page. Change only the following:

General: By default, the format is set to Topics. This is preferred.

Set the number of weeks/topics to 5, allowing room to post materials.

Groups: Set the group mode to Visible groups.

Availability: Set to This course is available to students. (This makes the course show up on students’ desktops.)

Save Changes.

2. Click on Assign roles in the Administration box. This is where you give access to your Moodle course to the course coordinators and timeclock manager.

Click on TA.

Type phmathlab in the search box on the lower right and click Search.

Highlight “Pleasant Hall Mathlab; phmathlab@lsu.edu” in the Search results box on the right, then click Add to move the name to the left.

To return to the course home page, click on the course title in the breadcrumb trail at the top.

3.  Click on Grades in the Administration box.

A.  The master course you copied created the maximum possible number of class and lab participation grades (15 class participation grades for 1021 and 1022 and 28 for 1023; 14 lab participation grades for each course). The actual number of each type of grade depends on the day of the week the section meets. Check the daily schedule for each section you teach to determine the correct number of class and lab participation grades for each section. If you need to delete any grade items, do the following:  in the Choose an action… drop-down menu, scroll down and click Categories and Items under Edit. Find the grade item you wish to delete, and click the red X icon to the right of the item name. Click Yes on the next screen. Repeat for any other grade items that must be deleted.

B.  In the Choose an action... drop-down menu, scroll down and click Course settings under Edit.  Scroll down until you see the phrase Must Make Enabled under Projected Final Grade.  Select No from the drop-down menu and then click Save changes.  This is required to make the Projected Final Grade feature work properly for R2R courses.

Repeat all of the above to set up each of your Moodle courses.

Posting Materials in Moodle

POSTING MATERIALS IN MOODLE

Login to Moodle at and login with your LSU login name and password, or login to myLSU and click on the name of one of your courses.

Click Turn editing on in the top right corner of the course home page.

In one of the numbered boxes in the middle of the page, choose Link to a file or web site from the Add a resource… drop down menu.

Give the link a name meaningful to students (such as Syllabus for Math 1022-13 or Class Notes).

Scroll down to the section Link to a file or website.

If you wish to link to an external website, type the url in the box. (For example, the url for the Math 1021 Class Notes is .)

If you wish to link to a file, click Choose or upload a file…In the window that opens, click Upload a file on the bottom right. Browse to find your file and click Upload this file. Click Choose on the right side of your file name. The window will close and you will return to the original page.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page, click the Save and return to course button.

Repeat for any other files or external links you wish to make available for students.

Click Turn editing off in the top right corner of the course home page when you are finished.

ACTION SYMBOLS found on the course home page when EDITING IS TURNED ON:

If you find that a link is out of order or in the wrong numbered box, the link can be moved. Click the black arrows icon next to the name of the link that is in the wrong location. Then click in the box where this link should be.

A link can also be deleted by clicking the red X icon next to its name.

Use the blue notebook icon to edit a link that has already been created.

Notes:

You may put multiple files in the same numbered box. For example, you may wish to put the syllabus and daily schedule in box 1, and then use box 2 to post notes or other examples. If you find that you do not have enough boxes, you may add more: Go to your course home page. In the Administration box on the lower left, click on Settings to get to the Edit Course Settings page. Under General, set the number of weeks/topics to be the number of boxes you wish to have available.

You may also upload a compressed zip folder with multiple files and link to this folder of files. This is particularly helpful if you wish to upload class notes for each section to be covered for the entire semester at the beginning of the semester. Be aware it is difficult to remove or change a file in this compressed zip folder if you later find a mistake.

VIEWING STUDENT ACTIVITY ON MOODLE

On the course home page, you will find a People box in the middle left. If you click on Students/Users, you get a list of currently enrolled students. Please note: students are listed according to the last time he/she logged into Moodle (which is why you are almost always at the top of the list).

If you wish to know more specific details on what files students access, how often, or when, click on Reports in the Administration box on the bottom left of the course home page. Using the drop-down menus, choose the section(s), the days (all days is at the very top of the drop-down), and either all activities or specific activities. Then click Get these logs to display report.

Using Moodle Email

USING MOODLE EMAIL

Go to Moodle at and login with your LSU login name and password, or login to myLSU and click on the Moodle link under Instructional Support.

This takes you to the OVERVIEW OF MY COURSES page. Your current courses will be listed in the middle of this page. Click on the name of a course to go to the course home page.

On the right hand side, click Compose Email in the Quickmail v2.5 box on the right side of the page.

If you wish to email an entire section, highlight the section number in the second box on the right and then click Add. Repeat if you wish to send the same email to another section within the same Moodle course.

If you wish to email individual students, highlight the student’s name in the third box on the right and then click Add. Repeat if you wish to send this email to other students in the same Moodle course.

If you need to send an attachment, click Browse, find the file and click Open.

Type a subject for your message.

Type your message.

If you are emailing all sections in a Moodle course, you will automatically get a copy of the email because you are enrolled as a student in at least one section.

If you are emailing only selected students and want to receive a copy of the email, check Yes on Receipts at the bottom of the page.

Click Send Email.

Preparing for Class

General Information:

• It is extremely important to be well prepared for class since you will only meet with students for 50 minutes each week in Math 1021 and Math 1022 or twice a week for 50 minutes in Math 1023.

• During those 50 minutes, your goal should be 1) to review with students their responsibilities for the upcoming week and 2) give them an overview of the material.

• Plan the announcements you want to make in class to review the students’ responsibilities for the week, such as due dates for upcoming homework and quizzes. Write these where you can leave them in clear view throughout the class period, or show these again at the end of the class period. This will allow any students who enter class late to see them.

• Plan your overview of the material VERY carefully. Use the Daily Schedule to determine the sections to be covered that week. Plan your use of the time available to be certain you allocate the class time appropriately for each section. Some days you will cover only one section, but on other days you may need to cover two or even three sections.

• For most topics, you will need to give a short summary of the main concepts related to the topic followed by examples of the important skills and techniques. Work the Homework assigned in MyMathLab first and then select your class examples from these exercises. Be sure to select examples that illustrate the most important concepts and the most common errors students usually make.

• Use the chalkboard or the document camera or both, but be sure to move about the room throughout the class period engaging students in discussion. Notice that the word “lecture” has not been used here. These classes are often called “focus groups” because they are intended to be more interactive than the traditional lecture.

Taking Attendance at the First Class Meeting:

• Just before going to class for the first time, print the class roster from the Class Roster link in the left menu in myLSU (NOT from within Moodle).

• Call roll in class. (Do this every week. You need it for attendance and it helps you learn the students’ names.)

• Highlight the names of students who did not attend the first class. As soon as possible after the class ends, make a copy for your records and give the list to the assistant to the ACI. The students highlighted will be dropped from the course and will receive an email notification to that effect.

Do NOT wait until the next day.

• Students who do not attend class the first day will be dropped from the course. If a student contacts you before class with a legitimate excuse for missing the first day, you may choose not to drop the student. If that happens, you must tell the student to be certain to watch the section lectures that are available within MyMathLab and also on the course website.

• For more information on this topic, see the section on 1st Day Drop and Add Procedures.

Announcements at the First Class Meeting:

• Give your name, e-mail address, office number, and office hours to students on the information form provided to you by the Course Coordinator at the workshop.

• Give students the Course ID number (which you will generate at the Teacher’s Workshop the week before classes start) for the section they are enrolled in. Explain that they must use this exact course ID number to register in MyMathLab.

• Tell students they must use their LSU email address when they enroll in your course in MML in order to have their grades post properly. (Note: It is ultimately your responsibility as the teacher-of-record to be certain that you post their grades correctly in Moodle.)

• Discuss the appropriate daily schedule and the course syllabus. Hand out a copy of the appropriate daily schedule and the information sheet with your information inserted. Impress upon students that they are bound by the information on the syllabus so they should print it out and read it carefully. In addition, they must refer to their daily schedule constantly to keep up with assignments.

• Discuss the class format and lab procedures. Explain CAREFULLY how the “lab week” starts on the day of class and ends the night before the next class period for Math 1021 and Math 1022. The “lab week” for Math 1023 starts on Tuesday and ends on Monday night of the next week.

• Encourage students to go to the lab right away. Tell them not to wait. When students go to the lab the first time, they should bring with them the following items: 1) LSU ID, 2) Trigsted MyMathLab access code (unless they took Math 1021 or Math 1022 at LSU in Su11), 3) course number and section number, and 4) their MyMathLab course ID number. Be sure to mention peak lab times (usually Monday and Tuesday afternoons between 1:40 and 4 PM) and encourage students to avoid going to the lab at those times.

• MyMathLab accounts remain active for at least one calendar year from the first use of the access code but only for courses that are in the same edition of the same textbook. Therefore, students who have an existing MyMathLab account from the previous semester using the same edition of the same textbook will not need a new access code. In addition, some accounts remain active for more than one calendar year if the student still is enrolled in a course that has not reached its course end date. The best thing for a student to do who already has a MyMathLab account is to try logging in and see if it works.

• Discuss grading procedures. Students must check their grades in Moodle, not MyMathLab. Tell students if there are any discrepancies in the posted grades, they should contact you immediately. Remind them to keep track of their lab hours each week for their own records.

• Discuss required course materials.

Announcements at the Second Class Meeting:

• Call the roll and be sure all students attending class are registered in your class. If a student is not on your roll but insists that he/she should be, tell the student to see a counselor immediately after class. Do not let students continue to attend class after the second class meeting that are not on your roll.

• Remind students that they must be doing ONLY math work related to their math course while in lab. Tell them if they are caught not doing math, they will be asked to leave and will lose their lab participation credit for that week. If one of your students is asked to leave the lab, you will receive an e-mail from the tutor who asks them to leave the lab. You must then give them zero credit for lab participation that week regardless of the hours earned.

Online Sections

Math 1021 and Math 1022

| |R2R Model |Online Model |

|Class Meetings |One 50-minute class per week required |No class meetings are held, and students who opt for this |

| | |cannot change to a regular section in the same semester |

| | |after the last day to add. |

|Pleasant Hall Lab Hours |Minimum of 3 hours per week required |No required hours but lab use is allowed |

|Participation Grade |5% of final grade based on class participation; 5%|No participation grade |

| |of final grade based on lab hour requirement | |

|Homework Weighting |10% of final grade |15% of final grade |

|Quiz Weighting |10% of final grade |15% of final grade |

|First Day Attendance |Attendance at first class period is required. |There is no attendance policy. |

| |Students not attending the first day will be | |

| |dropped and must make-up the class in Pleasant | |

| |Hall before being allowed to re-add. | |

|Homework, Quizzes, Tests, and Final Exam |Fixed based on the day of the week the class |Assignments can be completed earlier but no later* than |

|due dates |meets. |the date listed on the Online schedule. |

Profile of a potentially successful Online student:

• Student has a MACT score of 24, wants to move quickly and independently through the Math 1021 material, and has no interest in the guidance and motivation provided by the classroom and lab environment.

• Student transferred into LSU within the last two years, has a MACT score > 24, and must take Math 1021 for credit.

• Student has a MACT score of greater than 24, wants to move quickly and independently through the Math 1022 material, and has no interest in the socialization provided by the classroom and lab environment.

• Student was enrolled in Math 1021/22 in the previous semester, was being successful, and dropped for personal reasons.

• Student made a D in Math 1021/22, is repeating, and is confident that classroom instruction is not necessary for success.

• Student is non-traditional, cannot meet time requirements for Math 1021/22 due to work or family commitments, and has mature study skills and work habits.

*Students in Online have a longer testing window for proctored tests and a different procedure for scheduling tests. See the Online syllabus for specific details.

1st Day Drop and Add Procedures

• Print out a class roster in myLSU from the Class Roster section under Instructional Support (NOT from Moodle) immediately before going to class.

• Call roll in class. Highlight the names of students that miss the first day of class. As soon as possible after the class ends, make a copy for your records and give the list to the Associate Chair for Instruction (ACI) in Lockett 301A or put it in his mailbox. Do not wait until the next day.

• These students will be dropped and sent an email informing them they have been dropped and explaining the procedure to add.

• Any students who miss the first day and are dropped, any students who want to add/transfer to a class that has already met, or any students who want to add/transfer to an Online section must go to the Pleasant Hall Math Lab. In the lab, the students will be given a syllabus and instructions. Students adding sections other than the online sections must also watch videos of the first day’s content.

• After completing the above requirements, a tutor will fill out a form for the student to take to the math department office to add. If the student wants to add an online section, the section number for this online section must be entered on the add form and the student must be given the handout for that section, in addition to the syllabus.

• If a student has added a section after a homework assignment and/or quiz is due, you will have to reopen that assignment for the newly added student. To do this, login to MyMathLab. Choose the correct section of your course. Go to Gradebook under Course Tools at the bottom of the left menu and select the student’s name. Under Actions, choose Settings Per Student, and then adjust the date to allow an appropriate amount of time.

• For a student who misses the first day of class or the student who wants to add after the first class meeting time has passed, watching the video in the lab in order to be allowed to add will earn the student credit for the first class. The student should receive a “1.”

• For a student who adds after the second class period has ended, watching the first day video in the lab will earn a credit of “1” for the first class participation grade. For the second class missed, give the student a “0”. Then, exclude this grade by clicking QE next to the student’s name in your Moodle gradebook and then checking the exclude box on the far right of the grade item.

• For a student who adds after the first week of required lab hours has ended, give the student a “0”. Then, exclude this grade by clicking QE next to the student’s name in your Moodle gradebook and then checking the exclude box on the far right of the grade item.

• For a student who adds during the second week of required lab hours, give the student a “0” for the first week. Then, exclude this grade by clicking QE next to the student’s name in your Moodle gradebook and then checking the exclude box on the far right of the grade item. For the second week of lab hours, no accommodation will be made for that week and lab hours must be completed in order for the student to earn credit.

Managing Adds and Drops

MYMATHLAB

• Each student who drops your class or enrolls in another section must be made inactive in MyMathLab to be certain he/she does not continue to work in the wrong section of the course. To do this, login to MyMathLab. Choose the correct section of your course. Go to Gradebook under Course Tools at the bottom of the left menu. An alphabetical list of all students enrolled in your MML course appears in a pop-up window. Use the drop down menus on the far right to set the Status to Inactive for each student who has dropped. Click Save at the bottom of the page. Once confirmation of your changes appears in the pop-up window click on Close.

• Do not delete the student from your Gradebook, because it may be important to have a record of the student’s activity in the original section. An inactive student’s name will appear in your Gradebook at the bottom of the list and will be printed in grey rather than black.

• Each student who adds your class will need to register in MyMathLab using your course ID #. If a student has done work in another section before adding your section, you will need to import the student’s grades into your section in MyMathLab. To do this, login to MyMathLab. Choose the correct section of your course. Go to Gradebook under Course Tools at the bottom of the left menu. In the More Gradebook Tools drop down menu on the upper right, choose Import Previous Results. Find the student’s name and click Import Results. Select the course you wish to import results from. Click Import Results. Select the assignments you wish to import. Click Submit. If a student has opened an assignment in the new section, the grade for that assignment from the old section will not import. These assignments will be listed in the window that opens. In this case, those grades must be retrieved from the teacher of the original section in which the student was enrolled and did the work, and then these grades must be manually added into the Moodle gradebook.

MOODLE

• Any student who adds your course will automatically be placed in your Moodle gradebook. If you need to go back and enter the student’s grades manually, see the instructions on editing a student’s individual grades in the section on Entering Grades in the Moodle Gradebook.

• At this time, if a student drops your class, his/her name simply disappears from your Moodle gradebook.

• If you wish to see a list of students who have dropped or added one of your sections, click on Student Add/Drop on the lower right of your course home page. Choose Add or Drop or Both in the Action drop-down menu. Choose the appropriate section. You may also choose to sort by surname or time.

• If you need to access the student’s Moodle records after this, you can re-enroll the student in your Moodle course. Here is the procedure:

Click on Assign Roles in the Administration box (lower left of course home page).

Click on Manual Student at the very bottom of the list.

Type the student’s LSU ID into the search box on the lower right and click Search. You may also enter the student’s name in the search box. However, this is not unique and may not get you the correct student.

Highlight the LSU ID/name in the list on the right, then click Add to move the name to the left.

To return to the course home page, click on the course title in the breadcrumb trail at the top of the page.

Click on Grades in the Administration box. Then View Gradebook to see the student’s records for the class before he/she dropped.

When you are finished, remember to remove the student from your Moodle course. Click on Assign Roles in the Administration box. Click on Manual Student at the bottom.

Highlight the student’s name you wish to remove. Click Remove. To return to your course home page, click the course name in the breadcrumb trail at the top of the page.

Tutoring Procedures in the Pleasant Hall Math Lab

General Information:

• Think of the Math Lab as a working classroom.

• Students should work quietly, and tutors in the lab should speak softly but clearly to students.

• The atmosphere should be business-like but warm and friendly.

• Students get course credit for being in the lab doing their math, and that is all they should be doing there.

• In order to maintain the lab, there are some basic rules that must be followed. These rules must be enforced by everyone in the lab.

Lab Rules and Procedures:

• No disruptive behavior is allowed in the lab.

• Students should silence their cell phones while working in the lab. Students must swipe out and leave the lab to use their cell phones.

• Students may leave the lab to go to the restroom or get water, but they must swipe out.

• No food, drinks, water, candy, gum, etc. are allowed in the lab. Constantly be on the look-out for students using any of these items. If you find any, ask the student to take them out of the lab and throw them away or put them in his/her bag.

• If a student is not doing math, then that student must be asked to leave the lab and should be told he/she loses his/her lab participation for that week. Get the student’s name and the instructor’s name. Email that instructor giving the student’s name, day and time, and what they were caught doing (ex. studying biology or being on a non-math website). It is imperative to impress upon the students in class that they are getting a grade for participating in the lab because they are doing math for their math course.

• Laptops may be allowed in designated areas in each lab when all desktop computers are occupied. These students must be watched carefully. Students’ laptops are not restricted to certain websites like the lab computers are, so it is important for the tutors in the lab to always keep a careful eye on these students.

• Headphones are available for loan to students. They can be found in the drawers of the administration area in both labs. Students can “check out” headphones by leaving their student ID as collateral at the time clock.

• Required lab hours for weeks that include holidays may be adjusted, so keep up with the changes.

• Be on time for your tutoring assignment and get a substitute if you know you will have to miss a day. Contact the Tutor Supervisor in an emergency.

• Tutors must be proactive rather than reactive, especially if there are just a few students asking questions. If a student seems to be struggling on an exercise, gently ask the student if he or she needs help.

Handicap Access:

• If a student in a Math 1021, 1022, or 1023 class is in a wheelchair and is coming to the lab, he/she will need to either call the lab upon arrival (578-9382) and ask the person at the front desk to bring out the key to the lift or ask a student walking into the lab to alert the person at the front desk in the lab to bring out the key to the lift. The person working the front desk will need to get the wheelchair key from the administrative drawer next to the timeclock computer, go down the steps and around to the wheelchair ramp, have the student in the wheelchair get in the ramp, put the key in and turn the key, and push the up button to raise the wheelchair to the platform. Once the student is at the top, go around to let the student out and help the student enter the lab. Repeat the process when the student leaves the lab.

MyMathLab Tips:

• If is not working, try bypassing the MyMathLab course management portion of MyMathLab and logging directly into the MathXL player using . A link to this site is available on the lab home page. Be sure to click on the link on the right that says MyMathLab Login (backdoor).

• If a student is registered in the wrong section in MyMathLab, he/she can change sections by going to the Enroll in Another Course button on the Announcement Page and putting in the correct course ID number for the correct section. The student is responsible for notifying the teacher of the first section that he/she is no longer working in that section in MyMathLab.

• If a student wants to see a section of homework after the due date has passed, have the student go to the Gradebook menu button in MyMathLab to see ALL work submitted. Tests can be reviewed in Gradebook immediately after submission and any time thereafter.

• If a student wants to see a section of homework after the due date has passed and the student has never opened that homework assignment, there will be no results to view. An option would be to suggest that the student access the homework in the assignment titled Practice Homework for Section x, where x is the section number of homework exercise.

• If a student tells you that he/she has nothing to do in the lab and has done all of his/her work, suggest watching the LSU videos using the link on the MyMathLab left menu. Another option would be to suggest that the student begin working on the Practice Homework or Practice Test for the current unit or for the Final Exam.

Managing Fire Alarms:

• If a student in the lab opens one of the doors in the back or side of the labs, the fire alarm will go off. If this happens, get the fire alarm key from the administrative drawer next to the timeclock computer, go to the door opened, insert the key into the alarm, and turn the key to disable the alarm. Then, reset the alarm by turning the key the opposite direction.

• If the fire alarm does go off without a fire door being opened, quickly guide all of the students out of the closest door. Do not panic. Do not allow students to spend time swiping out of the timeclock before leaving, but do encourage them to take their personal belongings with them. When students are allowed back in, first let in those students that are already swiped in. Then, allow just-arriving students to enter and swipe in. Some students may need to leave the area before the all-clear signal to re-enter the building is given by the building coordinator, and they will still be clocked in to the timeclock. Leave a note on the timeclock computer to the Time Clock Manager stating the time that the alarm sounded. The Time Clock Manager will then clock out the students still remaining logged in at the end of the day using the time stated in the note. Since it is impossible to foresee all possible scenarios, use good judgment in handling the situation.

Time Clock Procedures

This fall, we will be piloting a new system, Tiger Tracker, in addition to Accutrack.  Students must be swiped in and out of both systems at every visit.  Further instructions on using Tiger Tracker in the lab and handling reports through Tiger Tracker will be posted in the lab and emailed to you as needed.

 

General Information:

• Do not use either of the main time clock computers in either lab for any purpose other than to check-in students, tutors or teachers.

• For a card swipe to register in Accutrack, you must be on the Welcome (sign-in) screen with the cursor blinking.

• Any student entering or leaving the lab (for any reason) must have his/her ID card swiped in both systems.

• Any student who leaves the lab without signing out will receive credit for zero hours on that visit.

• If a student does not have his or her LSU ID but knows his or her LSU ID #, that student can present a valid picture ID in order to enter the lab. Inform the student that this will not be allowed on a regular basis, so tell the student to bring his or her LSU ID on the next lab visit. The student’s LSU ID #can also be entered into Tiger Tracker.

• Use the Time Clock Log binder to record anything unusual that happens while you are working the desk, as well as anything that requires the attention of the Time Clock Manager.

To start Accutrack when opening the lab:

• Log on to the main time clock computer, PC 115, in the first floor lab and the left-hand administrative computer in the basement lab.

user name: timeclock

password: tiger

• Double click the Accutrack icon.

• Click in the box for the ID number so that the cursor blinks.

To start Tiger Tracker when opening the lab:

• Log on to PC 108 in the first floor lab and the right-hand administrative computer in the basement lab.

user name: timeclock

password: tiger

• Double click the Tiger Tracker icon.

When a student enters the lab:

• Take his/her ID and look at the picture to verify identity.

• Swipe the student into Tiger Tracker first. The black stripe should be down and to the left. Alternately, you may type in the ID number or login name. If the student is enrolled in only one course/section, you need only swipe the card. The rest is automatic. If the student is enrolled in two courses/sections, Tiger Tracker will blink and you must choose the correct course/section from the drop-down menu and then click continue.

• Next, swipe the student into Accutrack with the black stripe down and to the left. Be sure that you are on the Accutrack Welcome screen and that the cursor is blinking. Alternately, the LSU ID number may be typed in manually. Hit Enter if you type in the number.

• On the next screen, if it is the student’s first visit to the lab, you will need to highlight the course and then the section number. Then click Continue. On subsequent visits, this will already be highlighted. If more than one course or section shows on this screen, ask the student for the correct one and be sure it is highlighted before clicking Continue.

• Look for the green box in the upper left corner for verification the swipe was recorded.

When a student leaves the lab:

• Swipe the student out of Tiger Tracker first. The student’s TOTAL time for his/her cycle is displayed on the screen. Read this time to the student.

• Next, swipe the student out of Accutrack. Be sure you are on the Welcome screen and the cursor is blinking. The time displayed in the yellow sign-out box in the upper left corner will represent ONLY the time for THAT visit. Give the student the time for that visit. Note that you cannot see any other information; it is kept internally and reported to teachers weekly.

• Students should be encouraged to keep track (for their personal records) of their total hours each week to be certain they meet or exceed the minimum requirement for their course.

Students not doing math:

Get the student’s name and course/section number. Be sure the student is swiped out upon leaving. You must email the teacher of record for that student’s section so that he/she will know to give the student a zero for that week’s participation grade. If you do not know the student’s section, send the student’s name to the Time Clock Manager along with details of the incident. In addition, record the details of the incident in the Time Clock Log, found at the front desk in both labs. Be sure to fill out the log entry completely.

Closing the lab:

• Check the lab for obvious problems. Throw away trash, push chairs under tables, check for unplugged computers, make note of any computers that are not working, and straighten up the administrative area.

• Exit Tiger Tracker by closing the browser window. Exit Accutrack using the Exit button and log off both administrative computers.

• If you are upstairs, bring in the sign. If you are downstairs, check the Time Clock Log binder for student sign-ins. If there are any, take the binder upstairs and leave it on the upstairs administrative desk for the Time Clock Manager.

• Turn out the lights.

• Be sure all doors are securely closed when leaving the lab.

If Accutrack or Tiger Tracker does not work:

• Notify the Time Clock Manager.

• Have the students sign-in on paper in the Time Clock Log binder. There is one in each lab. Use the sign-in sheets in the back of the Time Clock Log which allow for quick entries when many students are unable to sign-in due to a time clock issue. To receive credit for the visit, the student must PRINT his/her first, middle, and last name, list his/her LSU ID # (printed on the ID card; no Social Security numbers), the course, the section number, the date, and the time in/out. The section number is critical; therefore, you must help them find the section number if they don’t know it. The middle name is essential because some students have the same first and last names. These pages must be left in the binder for the Time Clock Manager to enter manually. Make sure that this sign-in is legible; otherwise, the student will not be able to get credit for the time.

Beginning of Semester Issues:

For about the first month of the semester as rosters are updated with adds and drops, there will be students who come to the lab who are not registered in the time clock. Allow these students (enrolled in Math 1021, 1022, or 1023 only) to sign-in on paper in the Time Clock Log binder. There is one in each lab. Use the sheets in the front of the binder and enter all information. To receive credit for the visit, the student must print his/her name, list his/her LSU ID number (printed on the ID card; no Social Security numbers), the course, the section number, the date, and the time in/out. The section number is critical; therefore, you must help them find the section number if they don’t know it. The middle name is essential because some students have the same first and last names. These pages must be left in the binder for the Time Clock Manager to enter manually.

Quarter-Hour Attendance

• This count must be taken every 15 minutes in the upstairs lab and recorded in the Quarter-Hour Attendance binder.

• Accutrack tells us how many students are signed in at any moment. Click the Who’s In button and then look at the bottom left of the screen. Note: This number represents the total number of students in both labs combined.

• Do not forget to take the quarter-hour attendance. This data is used for staffing the lab and other planning purposes.

Improper Student Sign-ins

Occasionally when you swipe the card of a student who is leaving the lab, it appears that the student is just arriving. This is because the student’s card swipe into Accutrack upon entry into the lab was not completed properly. Use the Time Clock Log binder to record the necessary information for the student to receive credit for the visit, including student’s full name, LSU ID #, course and section, time in and out (ask the student for his/her approximate time in), date, and your name. The log pages must be left in the binder for the Time Clock Manager to enter manually.

Entering Grades in the Moodle Gradebook

PARTICIPATION GRADES

Class Participation:

• Take attendance at each class meeting. Print your roster from the Class Roster link under Instructional Support on your myLSU desktop, not within Moodle.

• Give a 100% for participation for the entire class period and a zero otherwise. Enter these grades as soon after each class meeting as possible, but no later than one week after the class meets. Students that are sleeping, reading the paper, or otherwise not following the lesson should get a grade of zero.

• Immediately after the first class meeting, give the assistant to the ACI a copy of your roster from the first class, highlighting anyone who was absent so that he/she can be dropped from the class.

Lab Participation:

• You will be emailed a report from phmathlab late on the night before your class meets or sometime early the next morning. The email attachment is a pdf file containing your students’ names and total hours for the week just ending. Do not reply to the phmathlab address. Questions should be sent to the Time Clock Manager directly.

• Give a 100% to those students with 3.00 (5.00 for 1023) hours or more and a zero to all others. Enter these grades on a weekly basis into Moodle.

• There is no partial credit and there is no rollover of minutes for lab participation hours.

• Students who have a question about their lab participation grade should be directed to contact the Time Clock Manager.

• If any of your students are asked to leave the lab because they are not doing math, you will be notified of this by email. You must give the students a zero for that week’s lab participation grade. Note that the report from the lab may still show some hours for those students during the week. You must remember to give them a zero participation grade for the week.

• At the end of the second lab week and after the add/drop period is complete, two reports are sent – one for the first lab week and one for the second lab week of the semester. After that, reports are sent weekly.

• Be sure to notify the Time Clock Manager a) if there is a student on your class roster whose name is missing from the lab report or b) if a student is listed on your report but is not on your class roster.

• Lab reports are sent to your LSU email address unless you arrange with the Time Clock Manager to have them sent to your math department address.

ENTERING A CLASS OR LAB PARTICIPATION GRADE MANUALLY INTO MOODLE

Login to Moodle and click the appropriate course name.

Click on Grades in the Administration box on the left on the course home page.

In the drop down menu that says Choose an action…, choose Gradebook under View.

If you have more than one section in the same Moodle shell, choose the proper section from the Visible groups drop-down menu.

Scroll to the right and find the column for the grade item you are entering. Click QE (quick edit) at the top of the column. Enter either a 0 or 1 for each student’s grade. Do NOT leave a grade blank. Note that the max grade for participation grades is set to 1, so enter a 1 for 100% and a 0 otherwise. Click Update.

Repeat for other sections as needed.

TRANSFERRING GRADES FROM MYMATHLAB TO MOODLE

• For grades to transfer from MyMathLab to Moodle, the student must have registered in MyMathLab using their LSU email address. As students begin to register in your course, check periodically for this using the Course Roster under Course Tools in MML. Email the student who used a non-LSU email address. Have the student change his/her email address in MyMathLab immediately. To change this email address, the student must login to MyMathLab and click Account on the top right. In the pop-up window, the student must enter his/her password, click login, and then choose Edit Account Information. Now, he/she must enter the correct LSU email address and click Save. Remember that ultimately it is the responsibility of the teacher-of-record to enter the correct grades in Moodle. Sometimes this is not sufficient to change the email address. In that case, you will have to call MML Instructor Tech Support at (888) 695- 6577 to facilitate the change.

• Within a week after an assignment is due, transfer student grades into Moodle using the procedure outlined below.

Step 1: Export grades from MyMathLab.

Within your MyMathLab account, select the appropriate course, click on Course Tools, and then on Gradebook.

In the drop-down menu for Export Data, choose Quick Export.

Choose the type of assessment from the drop-down menu. Click All Assignments, then Choose, and then check the box for the correct assignment(s). Click OK. Note: Moodle will allow you to upload multiple grades at once. Get all of the assignments of a particular type (homework, quizzes, or tests) out of MyMathLab in one file.

For tests and quizzes, keep the default “…Best Score…”.

For all assignments, keep the default “Export percentage scores formatted as decimals.”

Now click Download Data.

Right-click on the link that pops up. Choose Save Target (link) As…. Leave the file extension as .csv, but change the file name to something appropriate. (For example, if you are getting homework grades for the course Math 1021 Section 25, you could name the file hwsec25.csv.) Do not use periods or spaces in the file name.

If you have another type of assessment to export, repeat this process.

Repeat the above for each section of your course for which you are transferring grades.

Step 2: Import grades into Moodle.

Login to Moodle and select the appropriate course and section.

Click on Grades in the Administration box on the left on your course home page.

Choose “Import from…MyMathLab File Importer” from the drop down menu that says Choose an action…

Browse to find your file.

Click Upload File.

Map the grades by choosing the appropriate Moodle grade item name from the drop down menu for each grade item in the MyMathLab file. A list of students’ grades that cannot be transferred (usually due to incorrect email address***) will then show on this screen. You will also be told that the grades were converted to percents. WARNING: Map the grades very carefully. If you map to the incorrect grade item, Moodle will overwrite the grades without warning you.

Click Map Grades.

Wait for the files to import. Then click on Continue or choose an action from the drop down menu.

Repeat this process as needed for other Moodle courses.

It is not necessary to enter zeros for blank grades that come out of MyMathLab.

You may delete the saved MyMathLab files once you have uploaded them to Moodle.

Students who are on your Moodle roll but have not registered in MyMathLab will get blanks instead of zeros when grades are transferred from MyMathLab into Moodle. You must manually give these students zeros for the assignments.

Case 1: You have more than one student on your Moodle roll that is not enrolled in MyMathLab. Use QE at the top of the grade item column to open the grade item in Moodle, check the box at the bottom to Insert zeros for empty grades, and click Update. Repeat for each grade item you have transferred.

Case 2: You have only one student on your Moodle roll that is not enrolled in MyMathLab. Click QE next to the student’s name to open that student’s grade report. Enter zeros for the grade items you have just transferred and click update.

Students who have used the incorrect email address when registering in MyMathLab will get blanks instead of the correct grade when grades are transferred from MyMathLab into Moodle. Once the student has entered the correct email address, you must enter the correct grades into Moodle.

Case 1: You have only one or two such students whose email addresses were corrected relatively quickly. Login to MyMathLab, make a list of these students’ grades and follow the instructions on the next page to edit the individual students’ grades in Moodle.

Case 2: You have many of these students, and their email addresses were corrected well into the semester. Re-transfer all of the assignments for which these students’ grades did not transfer using the instructions at the beginning of this section.

Note: Before posting final grades, you MUST be sure the correct grades are entered into Moodle. The grades must be entered before posting final grades, if you have not already done so. Therefore, you will want to get the students’ email addresses corrected as soon as possible.

ACTION SYMBOLS FOUND ON THE CATEGORIES AND ITEMS GRADEBOOK PAGE

If you find that a grade item is out of order or in the wrong parent category, the grade item can be moved. Click the black arrow icon next to the name of the grade item that is in the wrong location. Then click in the box where this item should be.

A grade item can also be deleted by clicking the red X icon next to its name.

Use the blue notebook icon to edit a grade item or category that has already been created.

EDITING AN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT’S GRADE(S) IN MOODLE

Click on Grades in the Administration box (bottom left of the course home page).

Choose Gradebook under View in the Choose an action… drop down menu.

Next to the student’s name, click QE (quick edit).

Change or enter any grades that need to be edited.

Click update.

Notes:

1. Moodle has a feature called User Report that displays all of an individual student’s grades along with the category totals and course total (so, it is different from the QE page described above). To view this page, click Grades in the Administration box (bottom left of the course home page).

Choose Gradebook under View in the Choose an action… drop down menu. Then click on the student’s name.

2. The User Report includes the student’s rank on each grade item and in the course by default. If you wish to hide the rank, choose Course settings under Edit from the drop down menu that says Choose an action…. (You may have to scroll down to find this.)

Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and under User Report change Show rank to Hide.

Save changes.

EXPORTING YOUR GRADEBOOK TO EXCEL

Login to Moodle and click the appropriate course name.

Choose Grades in the Administration box on the lower left of the course home page.

If you have multiple sections in the same Moodle shell, choose the proper section from the Visible groups drop-down menu.

In the drop down menu that says Choose an action…, choose Export to Excel spreadsheet.

Set the Grade export display type to percentage and under Visible Groups select appropriate section.

Uncheck any grade items you do not wish to include.

Click Submit, and then Download.

Open or Save the file as desired.

Repeat for other sections as needed.

Testing Procedures

• Most students take their tests in the Center for Assessment and Evaluation (CAE) Testing Center located in Himes Hall. Students must schedule their tests via the CAE web site, which is cae.lsu.edu. They should select Assessment & Evaluation and then Computer Based Test Scheduling. For their first log in, students will have to use their LSU student number for a password and then will be prompted to change it.

• The confirmation email that students get after they register for each test will tell them where their specific test will be given. Tell students they should not delete this email as it provides proof of scheduling, and they are to check the date and time carefully.

• Tests will not be available to be scheduled until a few days after the final date to add a class. Usually, only part of the semester scheduling will be available at that time, and the remainder will appear later in the semester.

• If a student is not on the roster that is uploaded into the scheduler after the last day to add, he/she will have to be added to the roster on the testing site. If a student contacts you after trying to schedule and not being able to, contact the course coordinator to have the student added to the roster. Send the coordinator the following information:

Section #, Student ID #, myLSU login name, First Name, Last Name, Email address.

• The Himes Testing Center has strict policies that students must follow. These policies are available to the students on each course web site.

• Students MUST schedule their tests BEFORE 9AM on the first day of the testing period for their section. Any student who fails to do so will not be guaranteed a seat. This does not apply to Online students. See the Online syllabus for specific details.

• Students must bring a picture ID with them to the testing facility, preferably their LSU ID card. They will not be allowed to take a test without a picture ID.

• Cell phones, other electronic devices, graphing calculators, calculators with any capability to give answers in symbolic notation, calculator covers, books, and notes are not allowed at individual student computers in the testing center. Space at the testing center is provided for these personal items but the area is not secure. The testing center will not provide calculators for students.

• Students will be provided with scratch paper which will be collected and discarded after their test is completed. Make your students aware that nothing can be written on their scratch paper until the actual test is open and time begins counting down.

• It is a good policy to remind your students before each test that any type of violation of the Code of Student Conduct could have a severe penalty. In addition, it is a betrayal of the teacher’s individual trust in the student and the student’s abilities. These violations include but are not limited to such things as cheat sheets, disallowed calculators, phones, class notes, or personal notes.

• Though the use of computer-based testing has reduced the number of cheating incidences regarding math tests, a few cases still come up each semester.  When a proctor in either the Himes Testing Center or ODS identifies that a student has committed a violation, the testing center supervisor will send an email with the description of the incident to the Course Coordinator.  The Course Coordinator will then consult with the Teacher of Record (TOR) and will submit a referral form online to the Student Advocacy and Accountability (SAA) division of the Office of the Dean of Students.  Any relevant supporting documentation will also be sent to SAA.  When SAA makes a determination about the case, the Course Coordinator will be notified and will in turn notify the TOR.  At any time during or after this process, the Course Coordinator and the TOR should refer any student inquiries about the issue to SAA.

• Some students have an accommodation that allows them to test in the Office of Disability Services in Johnston Hall. Those students must familiarize themselves with the registration and testing procedures there and abide by them.

Graphing and “Textbook” Form Calculators NOT Allowed

in the Math Lab or in the Testing Center

Graphing calculators are not allowed in the Math Lab or in the Testing Center. In addition, calculators which can give answers in what can be called “textbook” form are also not allowed. Both of these kinds of calculators can give students answers without the student knowing how to do the work we are assessing. Below are some examples of the current “textbook” form calculators available today that are not acceptable along with the names that specific companies use to identify them.

Casio uses the description Natural Display. HP uses the term SmartCalc.

FX-115ES FX-300E

Sharp uses the word WriteView. TI sometimes uses the term MultiView.

Managing Students with Special Accommodations

Verification for Students with Special Accommodations:

• Students needing special accommodations for testing MUST give you a letter of accommodation from the Office of Disability Services (ODS).

• Be sure to get the student’s course and section number because it is not listed on the letter. Write this information on the form. Keep these forms in a binder for this course.

• This letter will list the accommodations required by law for the student. The most common accommodation is extended time, such as time-and-a-half or double-time, but there may be other accommodations as well.

Procedure to Change MyMathLab Settings for Students with Extended Time:

• If extended time is an accommodation listed on the letter, the time for testing MUST be reset in MyMathLab. You should do this for all tests, including the final, as soon as you receive the letter.

• Follow these steps to reset the time for an individual student.

Step 1. Go to Course Tools and select Assignment Manager.

Step 2. From the More Assignment Tools dropdown on the upper right, select Individual Student Settings.

Step 3. The yellow tab default is Per Student. This is the most efficient way.

Step 4. From the dropdown, select the student’s name then click on GO.

Step 5. First select the Quizzes and Tests button to filter just for those items, then select Add/Remove Assignments.

Step 6. Hold down the CTRL key, select the tests and the final exam, and click on ADD.

Step 7. On the grid that opens, change the time for the appropriate accommodation. For a 90-minute test, time-and-a-half will be given 135 minutes and double-time will be given 180 minutes. For the final exam, time-and-a-half will be given 180 minutes and double-time will be given 240 minutes. DO NOT CHANGE anything else. When the changes are made, click Update. You will receive a message saying that your updates have been saved.

Note: If you want to check this, be sure to use the Quizzes and Test filter. The default is Homework, so that is where the page will open if you do not set the filter.

Test Taking Procedures for Students with Accommodations:

• Students who will be taking their tests in the CAE Testing Center MUST present their letter of accommodation when they arrive at the Testing Center to take a test.

• Students with accommodations may choose to take their tests in ODS in Johnston Hall. If so, they will need verification from you. These students will schedule their test on the ODS web site. A form will then be emailed to you for completion. If you do not respond to this email, the student’s test will not be scheduled. Under “Would you like to pick up the examination or have it delivered” choose Computer Based. Check the dates, complete the form, and submit it. Record on each student’s letter each test that you have verified.

• You will receive one of these emails for every test. MAKE SURE that you have received a letter of accommodation from the student whose name appears on the form. Do not fill out the form if the letter has not been presented to you.

Make-up Policies

Entering Settings for Individual Students in MyMathLab:

• In order to make an individual setting for a student for any assignment, go to the Gradebook under Course Tools and select the student’s name. For the particular assignment, choose Settings per Student from the drop down Action menu on the right. Select the radio button that says Use Individual Student Settings and enter the correct dates and times.

• You will have to do this for extensions on homework and quizzes as well as for make-up tests.

For Class Participation:

For a student who has an excused absence (a documented illness, a documented death in the immediate family or of a close personal friend, a documented court appearance, a documented military obligation, or a documented university trip) to miss a class after the first one, give the student a “0”. Then, exclude this grade by clicking QE next to the student’s name in your Moodle gradebook and then checking the exclude box on the far right of the grade item. There may be some unique, unusual circumstance where a student might be allowed to make up a class, but this would have to be addressed on a case-by-case basis with the course coordinator.

For Lab Participation:

For a student who has an extended excused absence (a documented illness, a documented death in the immediate family or of a close personal friend, a documented court appearance, a documented military obligation, or a documented university trip) for several days that makes it unreasonable for the student to complete lab hours for a week, give the student a “0”. Then, exclude this grade by clicking QE next to the student’s name in your Moodle gradebook and then checking the exclude box on the far right of the grade item. There may be some unique, unusual circumstance where a student might be allowed to make-up lab hours, but this would have to be addressed on a case-by-case basis with the course coordinator.

For Homework and Quizzes:

• The general rule is that make-ups are not allowed for homework and quizzes.

• Sometimes there are exceptions to this rule. If a student has an extended excused absence (a documented illness, a documented death in the immediate family or of a close personal friend, a documented court appearance, a documented military obligation, or a documented university trip) that lasts for several days, you can extend the deadline for that student or reopen an assignment. As always, make this decision carefully.

For Tests:

• Students miss tests for a variety of reasons. Some are valid and warrant a make-up test. Others are not valid and do not.

• Students who miss a test must submit a Request for Makeup Test for Math 1021/1022/1023 form to you. Students can find this form (a sample follows this page) in Moodle and on their course website. Follow the guidelines for resolution on the form. If you are not certain how to handle the situation that does not fit any of the stated guidelines, have the student meet with the appropriate course coordinator during announced office hours.

For the Final Exam:

• If you know in advance that the student will miss the final exam, have the student fill out the make-up request form. You should submit this form to the course coordinator.

• If a student missed the final exam while the final exam testing window is still open, have the student contact the course coordinator IMMEDIATELY.

• If a student misses the final exam and contacts you after the final exam testing window has closed, again have the student contact the course coordinator IMMEDIATELY.

Request for Make-up Test for Math 1021/22/23

Name: ____________________________ Course: ______ Sec: _____Teacher:_____________

Test #: ____ Day, date, and time your test was scheduled: _____________________________

Student’s Signature: _________________________ ID #: 89-___________ Date: __________

Email address:______________________________ Phone #:___________________________

|Case # |Reason for missing test |Resolution |

|1 |You did not schedule the test on the CAE site prior to 9 AM on the day |There will be no make-up allowed under any |

| |the testing window opened. |circumstances. |

|2 |You had a documented illness, a documented death in the immediate family |Fill in the information below. Write a brief |

| |or of a close personal friend, a documented court appearance, a |explanation of your circumstances. |

| |documented military obligation, or a documented university trip that |Attach any documentation to this form. |

| |prevented you from testing at your scheduled time. |Give this form to your teacher. |

|3 |A. You had extenuating circumstances of a very serious nature totally |Fill in the information below. Write a brief |

| |beyond your control that prevented you from taking the test at your |explanation of your circumstances. |

| |scheduled time. |Attach any documentation to this form. |

| |B. You reported to take your test on the incorrect day or time for which |Meet with the course coordinator during scheduled |

| |it was scheduled. |office hours. Bring this form |

| | |with you. |

Explanation:___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Makeup: Approved _____ Denied _____

Teacher’s/Coordinator’s Signature: __________________________________ Date: ________

All make-ups will be given during the last two days of the last week of classes of the semester. You must schedule this make-up test on the CAE site on the Wednesday of the last week of classes of the semester starting at 2 PM. The deadline to schedule is 9 AM on the morning the testing window opens, which is the Thursday of the last week of classes of the semester.

The original of this form must be kept on file by the teacher-of-record of the section.

Mid-Term Grades, Final Exam Grades, and Final Grades Using Moodle

POSTING MID-TERM GRADES

Mid-term grades can be submitted directly through Moodle. Be certain you are ready to post grades from Moodle, because you can only do this once. After that, adjustments must be made directly on the myLSU gradesheet.

Look for the Post Grades box in the middle left of your course home page in Moodle. (Note: This box will be blank until the midterm or final grade sheets have been published by the Registrar’s Office.) Click on the link for each course/section for which you wish to post grades. A window pops up with the grade sheet for that course with a red Warning at the top. Scroll to the bottom and click Submit. This transfers the grades to the myLSU gradesheet.

On your myLSU desktop, go to the Post Grades application under Instructional Support. Open the appropriate Pending file. Students that have recently dropped may have no grade, so type an F for that grade. You cannot enter a grade of W, but the F you enter will automatically be changed to a W in the LSU mainframe computer. Click Submit.

FINAL EXAM GRADES

• Enter Final Exam grades for each section, using the same procedure as for other MyMathLab grades, as soon as possible after the Final Exam window ends.

• The final exam grade can be used to replace the lowest test grade. To do this, the final exam grades are entered as Test ‘(n + 1)’ in Moodle where n is the number of semester tests for that course.

FINAL COURSE GRADING SCALE

• During the last week of the semester, the coordinator will email the final grading scale to teachers of each course.

• Do not make any adjustments to the grading scale for individual students.

• To set the Final Course Grading Scale in Moodle

Login to Moodle and click the appropriate course name.

Choose Grades in the Administration box on the lower left of the course home page.

In the drop down menu on the upper left that says Choose an action…, choose Letters in the Edit section.

Click the Edit tab.

Check the box that says Override site defaults.

Enter the lowest grade for each letter A-F and Save Changes.

Repeat for other courses as needed.

POSTING FINAL GRADES

Final Grades can be submitted directly through Moodle. Be certain you are ready to post grades from Moodle, because you can only do this once. After that, adjustments must be made directly on the myLSU gradesheet.

Look for the Post Grades box in the middle left of your course home page in Moodle. (Note: This box will be blank until the midterm or final grade sheets have been published by the Registrar’s Office.) Click on the link for each course/section for which you wish to post grades. A window pops up with the grade sheet for that course with a red Warning at the top. Scroll to the bottom and click Submit. This transfers the grades to the myLSU gradesheet.

On your myLSU desktop, go to the Post Grades application under Instructional Support. Open the appropriate Pending file. Students that have recently dropped may have no grade, so type an F for that grade. You cannot enter a grade of W, but the F you enter will automatically be changed to a W in the LSU mainframe computer. Click Submit.

When assigning a grade of F, the date of last contact MUST be supplied on the gradesheet. This can be the date of last attendance, last test taken, last work submitted, last conference held, etc.  DO NOT leave this date field blank on the grade sheet. The student’s financial aid status depends on accurate information here, and he/she will contact you after the semester ends to supply this information if you do not supply it on the gradesheet. An easy way to find this date is to login to MML and click on Gradebook under Course Tools. Click the student’s name and check the date of the last assignment worked.

FINAL GRADE OF “I” (INCOMPLETE)

• Work which is of passing quality but which, because of circumstances beyond the student’s control, is incomplete may be marked “I.”

• An “I” grade may be assigned for undergraduates only if the instructor receives appropriate authorization from the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled. If authorization is not received, the instructor is to consider the delinquent work to be of failing quality and an “I” grade may not be assigned. Note that it is the student’s responsibility to initiate the request for the academic dean’s authorization.

• An “I” grade will be converted to “F” unless it is removed prior to the Academic Calendar deadline for adding courses for credit during the next regular semester in which the student is in residence in the LSU System. In extraordinary cases, the dean of the student’s college may authorize that the “I” grade become permanent or that an extension of time for removing the “I” grade be allowed.

• In a situation where an “I” grade is authorized, you must make arrangements with the student as to how the incomplete work will be completed. It is important to have a plan or schedule and have the student follow it.

• When allowing a student to make up homework, a quiz, a test, or the final exam, you must set the appropriate due dates in MyMathLab. You must make the course coordinator aware of the situation in advance, since problems may arise with counselors, testing schedules, dates, or times.

• After the student has completed the work and you have calculated the final grade, you will need to submit a Grade Correction Form (found in the math department office) signed by the department ACI or Chairman.

PROJECTED FINAL COURSE GRADE FEATURE IN MOODLE

• This feature works only if you have imported the gradebook structure from the template course at the beginning of the semester.

• This feature will not correctly calculate the grade of any student with blanks for excused lab or class participation grades.

• The last test grade in the Moodle gradebook is a copy of the final exam grade and is used to replace the lowest test grade with the final exam grade. Therefore, the student must enter exactly the same estimate for the last test as for the final exam. (Students must ignore any pop-up window that states what they need for an A, B, C, etc, because this window does not account for the fact that the last test grade is exactly the same as the final exam grade.)

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