Category Archives: New Semester

Tips and Tricks: Preparing for the Next Term

by Annie McQuaid

WebAssign has streamlined the copy course process so you can easily get started on preparing for your upcoming term by copying sections from one course into a new or existing course. Now you can quickly create a new course based on one that you taught previously or a course that has been shared with you by following the simple steps below.

To Create a Course

  • From the toolbar, click Create > Course. 
  • When you create a new course you will be presented with the choices of creating a course from scratch or copying assignments and settings from an existing course into a new course.

Copycourse1

  • Choosing the first option of “create a new course with no assignments” will open up our Course Create module that will walk you through the process of setting up a new single section course.  You can follow step-by-step instructions of this method in our Instructor Online Help.
  • Choosing the second option of “copying from an existing course” will automatically schedule all of your assignments and settings into the new course based on the same order and pacing used in the previous course.  For example an assignment scheduled in week 2 in your previous course will be scheduled to week 2 in your new course.  You can then modify anything you want to in your newly created course. Again, more instructions can be found in our Instructor Online Help.
    • Tip: If you have different class meeting patterns, such as a MWF class and a TuTh class, it may be best for you to set up a “master” section for each of these to copy from to keep in line with your different schedules.
  • After your new course is created you will land back on the Classview page. From here you can upload a roster, adjust your assignment schedule, or create additional sections for a multisection course.

Want to Create a Multisection Course?

To you so you will want to take advantage of our Copy to New Sections feature, available under the Class Tools.

  • You can copy the section’s assignment schedule for the current term into additional sections for the new term using the Copy to New Section link.
  • This will pop open a step-by-step module to walk you through the Copy Course process and lets you add as many sections as needed. The section being copied is not changed.

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Note: If you want to copy the entire section of one course into an existing course, use the Copy to Existing Course link under Class Tools. Choosing Copy to Existing Course opens a window that lets you chose the course that you wish to copy your selected section into.copy3

We realize that instructors may have different methods for scheduling and setting up courses, and WebAssign has been built to respond to that flexibility.  To learn more about Creating and Copying Courses please see our Instructor Online Help, and don’t hesitate to contact our customer support if you need extra guidance walking through a method that works best for you.

 

Preparing for a New Semester with WebAssign

by Annie McQuaid

A new school year has begun for many of you and with that comes new students who may also be new to WebAssign. An important part of getting your classroom set up for the new semester is making sure your students are as prepared as you!  In order to help get your students up and running with WebAssign we have created a Student Quick Start Guide in the form of a printable handout that you can access here.

We recommend making this guide available to students at the start of the semester so they have a handy reference on common WebAssign tasks such as logging in and submitting assignments.  We also have an Instructor Quick Start Guide for step by step guidelines on basic WebAssign set up as well as additional First Day of Class Resources to use in your classroom.

For more  WebAssign help please refer to our blog posts on Creating a New Course, Copying Assignments, Student Self-Enrollment, and our WebAssign 101 Workshops.

WebAssign 101 Virtual Workshop

by Annie McQuaid

New to WebAssign and looking for a crash course in our online homework system?  Or perhaps you want to brush up on our best practice tips to get the new semester started off on the right foot?

We have the perfect solution for you!  You’re invited to a live 60 minute virtual training workshop about all things WebAssign.  Sessions start June 7th and run through August 9th with many dates and times in between.

In these sessions we will focus on:

  • Creating Courses, Assignments (including Tests & Quizzes), and Questions
  • Rostering your classes
  • Setting up the GradeBook
  • Utilizing supplementary materials
  • Other tips and tricks to help your students and save you time!

Visit our WebAssign 101 page and sign up today for a time that works best for you!  Looking forward to seeing you there!

Preparing for a New Semester: Student Self-Enrollment

by Annie McQuaid

To self-enroll your students follow one of these two methods.

  • If you are creating your course now, select students will self-enroll, and then click OK.
  • If you have already created your course, complete the following steps.
    1. Click Roster.
    2. Click Student Self-Enroll.
    3. Click I want my students to self-enroll.

    WebAssign generates the class keys for your students to use in each section of your course. Your student will then go to the WebAssign login page (www.webassign.net), and click I Have a Class Key. The class key is a series of numbers that will allow them access to your class. You must give your students your specialized class key is so they can access the course. With this method, your students can create their own usernames and passwords.

  • Tip: You can view a class key at any time. From the toolbar, click ClassView. Select your class and click Roster. Then, click Student Self-Enroll. Or select Edit Class Settings  under Class Tools and the class key will be displayed under Section Information -> Self Enrollment.
Please refer your students to the online student help section on Class Keys if they have any questions.

Preparing for a New Semester: Creating a New Course

by Annie McQuaid

Creating a course is the first step toward using WebAssign to manage your class assignments. You will want to create a new course for each term.  Please note, do not change the end times of an old course to use it for next semester.  Instead, create a new course and propagate assignments over.

To create a course:

1) From the toolbar, click Create > Course.

2) Complete the Course Information section. Be sure to set Date Visible to Students to the first day of class.

3)  Complete the Textbooks section. When selecting your textbook, choose the correct title and edition, and select the check box to certify that you are using the textbook in your class.

4) Complete the Communication section. Select Enabled for each of the communication types you want to allow.

5) Click Next.

6) Label and identify meeting days and times for the course sections you created.

7) Click Save. You can add sections to a course during the course creation process, or after you create the course by clicking Edit Class Info and then Add Section.

For a more detailed description of setting up your course please refer to our online help guide.