Dear TLT
Dear TLT

Dear TLT: How Do I Release Final Grades in OAKS?

Dear TLT,

This is my first semester at CofC, and a few of my students have told me that they cannot see their final grades in OAKS. How do I release their final grades? Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

“The Professor” Roy Hinkley
Botany


Dear Professor Hinkley,

To release final calculated/adjusted grades in OAKS, follow these eight steps:

1.  Open your course homepage and click the down arrow next to Grades.

2.  Click Grades.

output_fra8JO

3.  From the Manage Grades page, click Enter Grades.

Grades_List_-_10_3_ChrisMeshanko_-_College_of_Charleston

4.  Under Final Grades, click the down arrow next to Final Calculated Grade and select Grade All.

output_AUQZpZ

5.  Click the empty checkbox, next to Grade (upper left), to select all students.

6.  Click Release/Unrelease, next to Email, to allow final grades to be released to all students. (Note: If you selected release Final Adjusted Grade in the Setup Wizard, the column will display Final Adjusted Grade, not Final Calculated Grade. The default setting is Final Calculated Grade.)

7.  Click Save.

8.  Click Yes to confirm the changes and exit.

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have additional questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

Have a question for Dear TLT?  

Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog: http://goo.gl/n1N2tq. And, don’t worry, we’ll change your name to a fictional professor in our response!

Professor Hinkley is from what 60’s television series? The first faculty member to email tlt@cofc.edu, with the correct answer, will receive a TLT (BPA-free) water bottle!

Dear TLT
Dear TLT

Dear TLT: What Happens to a Student’s Work in OAKS if She Drops and Later Re-Enrolls?

Dear TLT,

Two weeks ago, a student dropped one of my courses, and as expected, she was removed from my OAKS course–including all of her Dropbox submissions. Yesterday, I was notified that she would be re-enrolling in my course. Were her work and grades permanently deleted or will they be restored when she is re-enrolled in my OAKS course? Thanks for your help!

Sincerely,

Professor Ross Geller
Paleontology

Dear Professor Geller,

This is a great question! OAKS archives all students’ work and grades, even if they drop or withdraw, so in a situation like yours, both will be fully restored.

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have additional questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

Have a question for Dear TLT?  

Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog: http://goo.gl/n1N2tq. And, don’t worry, we’ll change your name to a fictional professor in our response!

Professor Geller is from what 90’s television series? The first faculty member to email tlt@cofc.edu, with the correct answer, will receive a TLT (BPA-free) water bottle!

Dear TLT
Dear TLT, Productivity

Dear TLT: How do I Save a Webpage as a PDF?

Dear TLT,

A student told me that it’s possible to save a webpage as a PDF in Google Chrome; is that true?  I don’t have Adobe Acrobat on my personal computer, and this would be extremely useful.  Thanks for your help!

Sincerely,

Professor Vivian Banks
African American Studies

Dear Professor Banks,

Your student is right!  It is possible to save a webpage as a PDF using Google Chrome’s Print… option.  To do this, go to the webpage that you want to save and press CTRL + P (Windows) or ⌘ + P (Mac) to open Chrome’s print dialog.  Next, under Destination, click Change and select Save as PDF.  To save the page, as it appears on your screen*, make sure you select Background graphics under Options and click Save.

*Please note that this works for most HTML webpages.  If the print preview doesn’t look right, try adjusting the layout, paper size and/or margins.

ChrometoPDF

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have additional questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

Have a question for Dear TLT?  

Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog: http://goo.gl/n1N2tq.  And, don’t worry, we’ll change your name to a fictional professor in our response!

Professor Banks is from what 90’s television series? The first faculty member to email tlt@cofc.edu, with the correct answer, will receive a TLT (BPA-free) water bottle!

Dear TLT
Dear TLT, Web 2.0

Dear TLT: How do I Capture a Long Distance Recording of a Guest Speaker?

Dear TLT,

I would like my colleague, in Ohio, to speak to my class about his research on wormholes. Unfortunately, he’s not very tech savvy. Is there a way to record him without him having to use a computer or camcorder–perhaps over the phone? Thanks in advance.

Sincerely,

Professor Richard “Dick” Solomon
Physics

Dear Professor Solomon,

Welcome to CofC! Rumor has it that you and your family traveled a great distance to join us 🙂 To record your colleague, over the phone, we recommend VoiceThread–a web-based, content delivery application that allows users to assemble and narrate media-rich presentations that can be easily shared with others. What sets VoiceThread apart, from other online content delivery tools, is that it permits viewers to comment on the content being shared–perfect for confirming understanding and encouraging discussion. And, not only do we have a site license for faculty and students, but VoiceThread is also integrated into OAKS.

To get started, view our detailed tutorial and contact your colleague to arrange a date and time to record him, preferably on his office landline. Next, Create a new VoiceThread presentation–be sure to add a Title and upload an image via Add Media (e.g., a wormhole). To initiate the call, Edit the VoiceThread and click on Comment. Open the commenting options (above the timeline) and click on Phone Comment (see image below).

Enter your colleague’s ten-digit phone number and click Call Me (see image below). VoiceThread will call him, within thirty seconds, and invite him to comment. When your colleague hangs up, his comments will be processed and automatically added to the slide.

Add a few discussion slides/prompts after your colleague’s comments and share the VoiceThread with your students.

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have additional questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

Have a question for Dear TLT?  

Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog: http://goo.gl/n1N2tq.

Professor Solomon is from what late 90’s television series? The first faculty member to email tlt@cofc.edu, with the correct answer, will receive a TLT (BPA-free) water bottle!

Dear TLT
3D Printing, Dear TLT

Dear TLT: How do I Print a 3D Model for Class?

Dear TLT,

I found an amazing model of the Taung Child’s skull, on Thingiverse.com, and I heard you have a 3D printer for faculty use. How do I request a print?

Sincerely,

Professor Henry Jones, Jr.
Anthropology

[hr]

Dear Professor Jones,

We would love to help you print your model for class! Please take a look at the steps below to get started. For more information on our printer, policy, and additional resources, visit our 3D Printing for Instruction page. We look forward to receiving your 3D Print Request Form!

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have additional questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

 

Have a question for Dear TLT?  

Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog: http://goo.gl/n1N2tq.

Professor Henry Jones, Jr. is from what action movie franchise? The first faculty member to email tlt@cofc.edu, with the correct answer, will receive a TLT tumbler!

Dear TLT
Dear TLT

Dear TLT: How do I Normalize the Volume of an Audio Recording?

Dear TLT,

I recently recorded an (audio) interview and noticed that my voice is much louder than my subject’s. Is there any way to amplify his voice so the volume levels are consistent?

Sincerely,

Professor J. Barnhardt
Physics

[hr]

Dear Professor Barnhardt,

Excellent question! It sounds like you need to apply Dynamic Range Compression which will increase the volume of your subject’s voice without distorting yours. To do this, you will first need to download the free audio editing program, Audacity. Audacity is a powerful tool, and may be intimating for new users, but they provide several great tutorials on their Wiki.

Audacity__Free_Audio_Editor_and_Recorder

Next, you will need to download and install Chris Capel’s dynamic compressor plug-in. If you have any trouble with installation, please contact your instructional technologist. Once you restart Audacity, open your audio file and click Effect > Compress Dynamics 1.2.6.

Effect_and_Menubar

We recommend that you enter Daniel J. Lewis’ “best” settings (see image below) as detailed in his (The Audacity to Podcast) blog post.

Compress__dynamics_1_2_6____and_702_0039

After you apply the dynamic compression, click File > Export to save the changes to a new file.

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have additional questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

 

Have a question for Dear TLT?  

Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog: http://goo.gl/n1N2tq.

Professor Jacob Barnhardt is from what 1951 sci-fi movie? The first faculty member to email tlt@cofc.edu, with the correct answer, will receive a TLT tumbler!

Dear TLT
Best Practices, Dear TLT, TLT

Dear TLT: Can I Embed a VoiceThread Lecture in OAKS Content?

Dear TLT,

Is it possible to embed a VoiceThread lecture in OAKS content? I know my students access VoiceThread via the Multimedia Resources widget, to make comments, but what if my lecture is view only?

Sincerely,

Professor C. Connors
Genetic Biology

[hr]

Dear Professor Connors,

Great question! Yes, you can. To embed view-only VoiceThread lectures in OAKS content, follow these eight steps:

1.  Log into OAKS and open your course homepage. Click Access VoiceThread for this Course under the Multimedia Resources widget (on the right).

Homepage_-_10_3_ChrisMeshanko

2.  Hover over the VoiceThread that you want to embed and click Share.

3.  Click on the Basic tab and select Embed.

4.  Uncheck the Comment box, leaving and allow anyone to: View checked. Click Copy Embed Code.

5. Go back to OAKS, open Contentand select a module to store your lecture. Click Create a File.

6.  Enter a Title to name the file and click on the Insert Stuff icon.

7.  Click Enter Embed Code. Paste the embed code from VoiceThread and click Next.

8.  Make sure your VoiceThread displays properly and click Insert. Click Publish and exit.

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have additional questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

 

Have a question for Dear TLT?  

Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog: http://goo.gl/n1N2tq.

Professor Curtis “Curt” Connors is from what comic book series? The first faculty member to email tlt@cofc.edu, with the correct answer, will receive a TLT tumbler!

DEAR TLT
Dear TLT, TLT

Dear TLT: Why can’t my students post to my discussion board?

Dear TLT,

I have created a discussion board in OAKS but none of my students can post to it?  What’s going on?

Sincerely,

Professor A. Van Helsing
Vampiric Studies


Dear Professor Van Helsing,

This is a common problem, especially for those who are new to the OAKS Discussion tool.  More than likely you have created a discussion FORUM but not a discussion TOPIC within that Forum.  Just like in the Content tool where you have to have at least one Module before you can add content, you have to have at least one Forum before you can add discussion topics.  A FORUM is just an organizational folder that holds the actual discussions.  The TOPIC is where the actual discussion takes place.  To fix this issue, just navigate to the Discussions area in your OAKS course and choose New > Topic.  Select the Forum in which the topic will reside and then place your instructions or discussion prompt in the Description area.

Once you’ve done this you will notice that the Topic is clickable whereas the Forum is not.  Your students can now post to your discussion.  Remember, you can add multiple Topics to one Forum so don’t think you have to create a new Forum every time.

If this does not resolve your problem then contact your TLT Instructional Technologist for assistance.

Sincerely,

TLT

Dear TLT, Video, Web 2.0

Dear TLT: Are There Any Note-Taking Apps That Sync With Videos?

Dear TLT,

I am currently in the process of designing my first online course. Do any apps exist that would allow my students to take notes that automatically sync with my lecture videos?

Sincerely,

Professor R. Hinkley
Physics

[hr]

Dear Professor Hinkley,

Congrats on designing your first online course! If we understand you correctly, you are looking for a note-taking app that links a note to a specific point on a video’s timeline. So when the note is clicked, the video automatically jumps to the relevant part. There is indeed an online app, called VideoNot.es, that does just that!

VideoNot.es is not only perfect for taking notes on lecture videos, it can also be used to create transcripts for students needing accommodations. Because VideoNot.es is integrated with Google Drive, students can easily create and share notes. Notes can even be exported to Evernote.

For more information, visit the VideoNot.es knowledge base at: https://videonotes.uservoice.com/knowledgebase.

VideoNot_es__The_easiest_way_to_take_notes_synchronized_with_videos_
VideoNot.es

 

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have additional questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

 

Have a question for Dear TLT?  

Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog: http://goo.gl/n1N2tq.

 

Professor Hinkley is from what television show? The first faculty member to email tlt@cofc.edu, with the correct answer, will receive a TLT stylus!

Dear TLT
Dear TLT

Dear TLT: What’s the Best Way to Access VoiceThread?

Dear TLT,

I just discovered VoiceThread, and I love it!  What is the best way to access VoiceThread and share my presentations (with my students)?

Sincerely,

Professor S. Snape
Chemistry 

[hr]

Dear Professor Snape,

We love VoiceThread too!  With our site license, you no longer have to log on to VoiceThread.com.  Instead, you can go through the Multimedia Resources widget on your “course” homepage (in OAKS).

Screenshot_092214_112533_AM

This will take you directly to your MyVoice page.  It will also create a course folder under College of Charleston (on the left).  Please encourage your students to access VoiceThread in the same manner.

Screenshot_092214_115240_AM

To share a VoiceThread with your students, simply left-click (and hold) on it and drag it over to the appropriate course folder.  The folder will turn yellow when selected.

share

A message will appear once the VoiceThread has been successfully copied to the folder.

Screenshot_092214_015136_PM

Don’t forget to let your students know when you post a new VoiceThread to the course folder via an OAKS News Item or email.

Please contact your instructional technologist, if you have any questions or concerns, and check out our upcoming VoiceThread training sessions at http://tlt.eventbrite.com.

Best regards,

TLT

 

Have a question for Dear TLT?  Submit the following form to see it featured on our blog:  http://goo.gl/n1N2tq.