Objective: By using this job aid you will be able to create and maintain your online course that is unique for your course and reflects your needs and those of your students.

Step 1: Click the Author tab to make sure you're in Author mode.

Step 2: Click the Course Admin tab near the top of the screen and make sure the General Course Info button is selected.

Step 3: Enter or modify the appropriate information in the following fields. Click Save Changes when you're finished.

* = May be set by educational institution.
Course Start Date* Enter the date your course will be available to students online

Course End Date* Enter the last day students will be able to access your online course

Course Title Enter a name for your course

Unit Heading Decide how your course will be divided (i.e., Week 1, Unit 1, Session 1).

Instructor Title Enter your title as you would like it to appear on your course

TA Title Enter a title or name for your teaching assistant as you would like it to appear in your course (i.e., Teaching Assistant, Graduate Instructor, etc.). You will only see this title throughout the course if you have a teaching assistant.

Course Description Enter a brief description of your course. This description will appear in the course catalog.

Course Level* Select a level for your course (i.e., graduate, undergraduate, continuing education, etc.)

The Course Admin tab in your online course includes a Preferences feature. You can use this feature to set global, course-wide preferences.

To set course preferences:

Step 1: Click the Course Admin tab at the top of your screen.

Step 2: Click the Preferences button.

Step 3: Set course-level preferences using the options presented.

Your Course Home Page is the first thing you and your students see when you log in to your course. This is the "hub" or starting point for your course--it displays things like Course Announcements, an Introduction to the course, a list of coursework currently assigned to students, and a list of new postings or student activity since you last logged in to your course.

To customize your Course Home Page:

Step 1: Click the Course Home button on the left side of your course.

Step 2: Click the Author tab to switch to Author mode.

Step 3: Make sure the Edit Course Home button in the top left corner is active. top of page

Step 1: Click Add new announcement . The Edit announcement dialog appears.

Step 2: Enter a subject for your announcement. This is the text students will see and click to view the announcement.

Step 3: If the announcement is text only, enter the text in the Announcement text box. You can format your announcement text using the toolbar above the Announcement text box.

If you'd like your announcement to link to a file, click Add Link and refer to the Help topic Adding links, images, and files .

Step 4: Click Post Updated Announcement to post your announcement. top of page

Step 1: Enter or edit your Course Introduction text in the Course Introduction text box. You can format your course introduction text using the toolbar above the Course Introduction text box.

Step 2: Add an audio or video file by entering the file's URL in the appropriate field.

Step 3: Specify the actual text that students will click on to launch the audio or video file by entering the text in the Audio/Video Link Text field.

Step 4: Click Save Changes . top of page

Your online syllabus should include the same features you would include in a traditional syllabus--features such as a Course Description, Course Objectives, General Course Policies and Procedures, Grading Policies, Course Textbooks, and anything else you want to include. In Author mode, you can easily add these and other items to your online syllabus; or, you can also upload an existing offline Microsoft Word document into your course syllabus. If you choose to upload an existing document, a link to your Word document will appear in the Syllabus section of your course. Students can click the link to open the Word document and view the Syllabus. If you choose to create a custom Syllabus within the Author mode, your Syllabus information will display directly in the Syllabus area of your course.

To upload an existing syllabus:

Step 1: In the upper left corner of your screen, click Course Home and then click Syllabus .

Step 2: Click Author to switch to Author mode.

Step 3: From the Type drop-down list, select Upload MS Word Syllabus . Click Add This Item.

If you choose to upload a Word document into your online Syllabus, the Word document will permanently overwrite any information currently in your Syllabus.

Step 4: In the screen that displays, use the Browse button to locate the Word document you want to upload into your Syllabus.

Step 5: When you're ready to upload, click Save Changes . A link to your Word document appears in the Syllabus section of your course. Students can click the link to open the Word document and view the Syllabus.

If you'd rather have all the elements of your Syllabus display onscreen when students click the Syllabus link (as opposed to having to click a link and open a Word document), you can use the eCS Syllabus builder to customize an online Syllabus.

To create a customized online syllabus:

Step 1: In the upper left corner of your screen, click Course Home and then click Syllabus .

Step 2: Click Author to switch to Author mode. From this screen, you can add new items to the syllabus or you can edit existing items. Items that are currently in your syllabus are listed under Syllabus Sections . (A sample syllabus is included at the bottom of the syllabus page in Author mode.)

Step 3: To add a new syllabus item, select the type of item you wish to add from the Type drop-down list and then click Add This Item . You can create your own syllabus items by selecting Custom Items from this list. Fill out the fields that appear for the item you select and then click Save .

Step 4: To edit an existing item, click on the item you wish to edit, make any corrections or changes, and click Save Changes .

Step 5: To reorder your syllabus items, change the numbers to the left of each item, and click Save . You cannot re-order the "Instructor Information" content. top of page

Many professors see instructional value in creating groups or teams within their courses. Just like in a physical classroom, online groups can be useful for holding private team discussions, having specialized readings, assignments, and group emails, and using other tools to complete final team projects or papers.

To create a group:

Step 1: In the Author mode, click the Course Admin tab.

Step 2: Click Group Management . The Groups screen opens and displays a list of any groups you've already created.

Step 3: Click Add New Group .

Step 4: In the page that opens, you'll see a Group ID letter at the top of the page. This ID is automatically generated and assigned to each new group.

Step 5: Enter a Group Name for the new group.

Step 6: Select the members to include in the group by clicking on their names. To include all class members in a group, click All Class Members . The members you select appear in the Group Members list.

Step 7: Remove a member from a group by clicking the name in the Group Members list. Click Clear all names to clear all members from the group.

Step 8: Click Add Group to add the group to your course.

You can edit or delete a group from the Course Admin tab, Group Management page.

To assign a content item to a group:

Step 1: In Author mode, click the content item you'd like to assign to a group.

Step 2: In the screen that displays, click the Toolbox button.

Step 3: Use the Assigned To drop-down list at the bottom of the page to assign the content item to a particular group.

The Assigned To drop-down list only appears if you've already created groups in your course.

Step 4: Click Save Changes . top of page

When you set up your Gradebook, you decide which items in your course will be "gradeable." This is important because not all content items in your course will be assigned grades. Note: Before you can set up your Gradebook, you'll need to determine your course content. Otherwise, no content items will appear in the Setup Gradebook page.

To add items to your Gradebook:

Step 1: From any page in your course, click on the Gradebook tab at the top of the screen.

Step 2: Click Setup Gradebook .

Step 3: Check the Course Content Items, Course Tools, and Custom Items you want to be "gradeable." When you "check" an item, it means that the item will be visible to you (and to your students) when you view the Gradebook and you will be able to enter a grade for that particular item. Content items are grouped by type in this screen (i.e., all content items first, then course tools, then custom content items). The numbers across the top of your screen represent units within your course.

Step 4: Enter a new or custom gradeable item in the New field at the bottom of the screen and then click Add to Gradebook .

Step 5: To set a specific total point value for each of the items you identified as "gradeable," see the instructions below. Remember, you MUST assign points possible to content items if you want course averages (percentages) to display in the Gradebook.

Step 6: When you're finished adding items to your Gradebook, click Save Changes .

To assign points to your Gradebook items:

Step 1: Click the Assign points to gradeable items link in the Setup Gradebook screen.

Step 2: In the screen that appears, enter the points possible for each content item. Unit numbers appear across the top of the screen, and content items are grouped by type (i.e., Exams, Threaded Discussions, custom content items, etc.) on the left side of the screen. The Gradebook will total and calculate student percentages based on the Total Points assigned to each of the gradeable content items.

If you've created an exam in your course, the exam will already have a total point value assigned to it (since you assigned points to the exam questions when you created the exam). To see the "actual" points already assigned to an exam, click the Actual button for that particular exam. You can change the points possible for the exam by entering a new point value in the text box.

Step 3: Make sure you click Save Changes on this page to return to the main Setup Gradebook screen. top of page

It's likely that your online course will include numerous files—audio files, video files, images, etc. The Manage Files option helps you organize and keep track of your course files.

To access the File Manager:

Step 1: Click the Course Home button and then click the Author tab.

Step 2: Click File Manager . Your current course folders and files display on the left. If you haven't created any folders for your course or uploaded any files, the folder structure on the left contains the main course folder and a Streaming Media folder. You'll only use the Streaming Media folder if you choose to upload streaming media files to your course.

Use the options in the Select an Action drop-down list to add and delete files and folders from your course file structure.

Avoid using special characters (like "*," "-," "%," etc.) in the folders and file names you create or upload into the file manager. Folders and files that include special characters will be inaccessible from the link wizard in other areas of your course.  

To upload a file:

Step 1: Select Upload a file from the drop-down list. Note: If you're uploading a streaming media file, you need to click the Streaming Media folder on the left before selecting an action, as you'll have different options available to you.

Step 2: Click a folder in the tree structure on the left to determine where the file will be uploaded.

Step 3: Select the file you want to upload using the Browse button. The following file types can be uploaded: .avi, .bmp, .c, .cbl, .cob, .cpp, .csv, .dat, .dcr, .doc, .dot, .dwg, .fla, .gif, .hqx, .htm, .html, .imp, .ins, .inv, .java, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, .js, .jsp, .mdb, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mpp, .pct, .pcxm, .pdd, .pdf, .pic, .png, .ppt, .pqi, .psd, .ra, .ram, .rm, .rp, .rt, .rtf, .sav, .smi, .sql, .swf, .swi, .tga, .tif, .tiff, .txt, .wav, .wpd, .wxp, .xls, .zip.

Step 4: If you're uploading a zipped file, the eCS system can "unzip" the file for you once it's uploaded to your course. Check or uncheck this option.

Step 5: Click Upload File to upload the file to the selected course folder.

If you want to make changes to a file you've already uploaded to your course, you need to download the file, make your changes, and then re-upload the file.

To download a file:

Step 1: Select Download a file from the drop-down list.

Step 2: Select the file you want to download from the files and folders on the left. A download file wizard appears.

Step 3: Follow the wizard instructions to download the file. Remember, you'll need to re-upload the modified file if you want to use it in your course.

To create a new folder:

Step 1: Select Create a new folder from the drop-down list.

Step 2: Select a parent folder for your new folder by clicking a folder from the tree on the left. Your new folder will be created as a subfolder within the folder you select.

Step 3: Enter a name for the new folder.

Step 4: Click Create Folder . The new folder appears in the folder structure on the left.

To delete a file or folder:

Step 1: Select Delete Files and Folders from the drop-down list.

Step 2: Select the file or folder you want to delete from the existing files and folders on the left. If you choose to delete a folder, all files in that folder will be deleted as well. Note: You cannot delete the main course folder or the Streaming Media main folder.

Step 3: Click Delete to delete the file or folder. top of page

As you create your course, you'll divide it into units or sections, which will themselves, contain individual content items.

To add a unit to your course:

Step 1: Click the Course Home button and then the Author tab in the left-hand toolbar.

Step 2: Click Add New Unit at the top of the screen.

Step 3: Enter a title for the unit next to Title . The unit title appears in the top-right corner of the course when the student clicks that particular unit and also in the Coursework section of the Course Home Page. This can be something like "Unit 1" or something like "Homework" or "Glossary."

If you'd like this title to also appear in the course navigation (on the left side of your students' screen), check the checkbox below the Title field. If you do not check this box, the default unit heading that you set in the General Course Info tab will display in the navigation tree.

Step 4: Enter an introduction for your new unit in the Introduction text field. The unit introduction displays when students click the individual unit. The unit introduction can include text, multimedia, or other content elements. To link to a content item, click the link button in the toolbar above the Introduction text.

Step 5: Click Add Unit at the top or bottom of the screen to add the unit to your course.

To assign unit dates:

Step 1: From the Add New Unit screen, click the Edit Schedule link. The Unit Scheduler opens.

Step 2: Select whether you want unit dates to appear on the course calendar.

• If you don't want unit dates to appear on your students' course calendar, select Do not assign dates to this unit and then click Save Changes . The Unit Scheduler closes.

• If you do want unit dates to appear, select Use dates below to schedule this unit . Then enter a Unit Start Date and a Unit End Date in the appropriate fields. You can choose whether to allow student's access to the unit before and after these dates by checking the Restrict access before/after this date checkboxes.

Step 3: Click Save Changes to close the Unit Scheduler screen.

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Adding Course Content

To add a content item:

Step 1: Click the Author tab in the upper left corner of your screen.

Step 2: In the left toolbar, click the unit to which you want to add a content item.

Step 3: Click Add Content Item at the top of the screen.

At this point, you can add an existing content item (either a default content item or an item you created previously), create a new content item, or edit an existing content item.

Note: If the content item you'd like to add already exists in your course (either as a default content item or because you created the content item previously), simply locate the item in the Add Existing Content Item section of the screen and add it to your course. If you'd like to create and add a NEW content item that does not already exist in your course, complete the Add New Content Item section of the screen.

To add an existing content item:

Step 1: Select an existing content item from the Add Existing Content Item(s) list.

Step 2: Assign the content item to the entire class or to a group of students.

As an instructor, you can also "hide" the content item from the student view. This feature is useful for creating pop quizzes, for example, or for creating a content repository that you want only available to you. If you choose to hide the content item here, you can "show" or display the item from the Author mode-->Toolbox screen for the individual content item.

Step 3: At this point, you can either:

• Click Add to Course Home or Add to Unit (depending on where you're adding the content item) to add the content item to the Course Home Page or to the unit you selected.

• Click Add...and Create Dropbox Basket to add the content item to the Course Home Page or to the unit you selected AND create a Dropbox basket for the content item. If you create a Dropbox basket for the item, students will be able to submit assignments related to the content item directly to the Dropbox basket for the item.

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To add a new content item:

Step 1: Enter a name for your new content item in the Add New field near the center of your screen. This could be something like "Readings" or "Extra Credit."

Step 2: From the Type drop-down list, select the type of content item you want to add (Text/Multimedia, Exam, Threaded Discussion, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, or Third-party CoursePack).

Step 3: Click the Create button to the right of the Type drop-down list. Your new content item will appear in the Content Item list at the top of the screen. Add this content item to a unit just as you would add an existing content item.

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To rename or delete a content item:

Step 1: Locate the Edit/Delete Existing Content Items field near the middle or bottom of your screen.

Step 2: Change the name of a content item by clicking in the item's field and entering a new name. Then click Save Name Changes .

Step 3: If you want to delete a content item completely from the course, click the Delete from Course button to the right of the content item.

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To assign dates to a content item:

Step 1: In Author mode, click the content item you want to assign dates or deadlines to in the navigation tree on the left side of your screen.

Step 2: In the page that appears, click the Toolbox button.

Step 3: Click the Edit Schedule link. The Scheduler window opens.

Step 4: Select whether you want the content item's start and end dates to appear on the course calendar.

• If you don't want these dates to appear on your students' course calendar, select Do not assign dates to this content item and then click Save Changes . The Scheduler closes.

• If you do want the dates to appear, select Use dates below to schedule this content item . Then enter a Start Date and an End Date in the appropriate fields. You can choose whether to allow students access to the content item before and after these dates by checking the Restrict access before/after this date checkboxes. You can also assign a Due Date to the content item. If you choose to assign a Due Date, the Due Date will display on students' Course Checklist on their Course Home page.

Step 5: Click Save Change to close the Scheduler screen.

Note: You can set start and end dates for ALL your course units and course content items at one time from the Course Scheduler . See the help topic Scheduling Course Content for more information.

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Moving Content

Once you've added content items to your course, you may decide that you want them in a different order or that you want to move them to another unit. You can rearrange content items within a unit or between units.

To rearrange content items within a unit:

Step 1: Click the Author tab.

Step 2: Click the unit in which you want to rearrange the content items.

Step 3: Click Reorder Content Items .

Step 4: Change the numbers in the Order column to reflect the new content order.

Step 5: Click Save Changes .

To move content items to another unit:

Step 1: Click the Author tab.

Step 2: Click the unit that contains the content item you'd like to move.

Step 3: Click the individual content item you want to move.

Step 4: Click the Toolbox button at the top of the screen.

Step 5: In the Move/Reorder section of the Toolbox, click Move [content item name] . At this point, you can move the content item to another unit, or you can rearrange all the content items within the unit.

Step 6: Move the content item to another unit by selecting the new unit from the drop-down list. Click Move Item .

Step 7: You can reorder the content items within the unit by changing the numbers in the Order column to reflect the new content order. Make sure you click Save Changes .

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MS Office Tools

You can upload Microsoft Office files (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) to your online course and use them just like any other course content items. When you upload these types of files, the eCS system automatically converts the files to a Web-ready HTML format.

To add a MS Office content item to your course:

Step 1: Click the unit you want to add the MS Office item to and then click the Author tab.

Step 2: Add a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint content item to your course just as you would add any other content item.

To assign a MS Office file to a content item:

Step 1: Click the content item to which you want to add content and then click the Author tab.

Step 2: In the page that displays, use the Browse button to locate an existing Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file you want to include in your course. The file name will appear in the New File to Publish field.

Step 3: Click Save Changes . It may take several minutes for your file to be converted to HTML format, so please be patient.

To edit a MS Office content item:

Step 1: Click the content item you want to edit and then click the Author tab.

Step 2: Click Download a copy of this file . A download window opens in which you will be asked to save the file to your computer (or other location).

Step 3: Once you've saved the file to a local location, make any changes or corrections to the file.

Step 4: Re-upload the file to your course using the same procedure you followed to upload the file originally. As long as you did not rename the new file, the new file will replace the old file.

To delete an MS Office content item in a unit:

Step 1: Click the content item you want to delete.

Step 2: Click the Author tab in the upper left corner of the screen.

Step 3: Click the Toolbox button in the upper right corner of the screen.

Step 4: Click Delete [name of content item]. This will only delete the item from the current unit. If you've used the content item elsewhere in the course, those instances will not be deleted.

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The Exam item helps you evaluate student performance.

To create an exam:

Step 1: Click the Author tab in the upper left corner of your screen.

Step 2: In the left toolbar, click the unit to which you want to add an exam.

Step 3: Click Add Content Item at the top of the screen.

Step 4: From the Select Item(s) drop-down list, choose Exam . Note: If you've renamed the Exam Content Item, look for the new name in the drop-down list.

Step 5: Click Add to Unit . The exam appears in the current unit.

To determine general exam information:

Step 1: Click the specific exam content item you want to set up using the toolbar on the left side of your course.

Step 2: Click the Author tab.

Step 3: Click the Edit Exam Info button.

Step 4: Enter a title for the exam. You can also add introductory text that students will see before they start the exam. See the Help topic Formatting Content for information about formatting this text.

Step 5: Determine whether students can access the exam more than once, or one time only:

Click Students may only take the exam once for single access; click Students may re-take the exam for repeated access to the Exam.

Step 6: Set a time limit for the Exam. This will determine how long students have to complete the exam. If you want to automatically remove students from the exam after the time limit expires, check the appropriate check box. Note: The time limit option only applies if you selected Students may only take the exam once above.

Step 7: (Optional) Schedule a specific day and/or time during which students can access the exam using the Start and End Time drop-down boxes. If you select this option, students will only be able to access the exam on the date and time you specify.

Step 8: Click Use Auto-Grading to score questions if you want all objective questions in the exam to be automatically graded by the Teaching Solutions system. If you select this option, you can also choose to automatically display the auto-graded score to students in the Gradebook, and/or to display an auto-graded summary to students at the time they submit their exam. This summary immediately tells students how many questions they got right (by question type).

Step 9: Select how the results of the graded exam will be displayed to students in the Gradebook.

Step 10: (Optional) Set a password for the exam. Students will not be able to access the exam unless they enter the correct password. You are responsible for notifying students of the password.

Step 11: Assign the exam to a specific group of students, or assign the exam to all students using the drop-down list.

Step 12: Click Save Changes . top of page

As an instructor, you can post, edit, or delete course announcements on the Course Home Page. Your students can only view announcements.

To add an announcement:

Step 1: Click the Course Home button on the left side of your course.

Step 2: Click the Author tab to switch to Author mode.

Step 3: Make sure the Edit Course Home button in the top left corner is pressed.

Step 4: Click Add new announcement . The Edit announcement dialog appears.

Step 5: Enter a short subject for your announcement. This is the text students will see and click on to read the announcement.

Step 6: If the announcement is text only, enter the text in the Announcement field. For information on formatting the announcement text with the Visual Editor, see the Help topic Formatting Content . If you'd like your announcement to link to a file, click the Link button on the toolbar and refer to the Help topic Adding links, images, and files .

Step 7: Select Display Dates for your announcement. You can enter a date directly into the text box (mm/dd/yyyy), or you can click the 'calendar' icon to select a date from the calendar.

Step 8: Click Post Announcement .

To edit or delete an announcement:

Step 1: Click the Author tab from your Course Home Page.

Step 2: Click the announcement you wish to edit. This "expands" the announcement so you can see the entire announcement.

Step 3: Click the Edit button below the text of the announcement to edit the announcement. Make any changes to the announcement. When you're done editing, click Post Updated Announcement .

Step 4: Click the Delete button below the text of the announcement to delete the announcement.

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The Email tool is a convenient and effective way for you and your students to communicate with each other. When a user is enrolled in an eCollege course, his/her email address is uploaded into that course.

To send an email:

Step 1: From any page in your course, click the Email course tool at the top of the screen.

Step 2: Select who your email should go to in the Select Recipients box. You can send your email to All Class Members, groups of students that you have set up within the course, a single class member, or multiple class members. To add a recipient, highlight the name and then click Add.

Step 3: The names you select appear in the Recipients box. You can remove a single recipient from this box by selecting the recipient's name and then clicking Remove . You can remove all recipients by clicking Remove All .

Step 4: Enter a Subject for your message, and type your message in the space provided.

Step 5: To attach a document to your email, use the Browse button to locate the file you want to attach. Select the file in the dialog that appears and click Open . The file path appears in the email Attachment field.

Step 6: Check the Blind Copy These Recipients box if you want the email recipients on the list to be unable to see the other recipients of the email. For example, if you send an email to a group of students who did poorly on a quiz, you don't want these students to see the other students who also did poorly.

Step 7: Click Send Message . A copy of any email you send will be sent to your personal email account as well. top of page

Organizing Webliography entries by category makes it easy for you and your students to sort and view individual entries. Only instructors can create Webliography categories.

To create and edit categories:

Step 1: Click the Webliography course tool at the top of your screen.

Step 2: Click Add/Edit Categories .

Step 3: To add a new category, enter a title for the category and click Add Category .

Step 4: To edit an existing category, select the category from the Select Category drop-down list. Rename the category, and click Save Changes .

Step 5: To delete an existing category, select the category from the Select Category drop-down list. Click Delete . top of page