Using the Learn-Maple T.A. Integration Tool

Before you start

The Learn-Maple T.A. integration tool allows instructors to make links in Learn to their MapleTA assignments. Students can log into their LEARN course to do their MapleTA assignments without entering through the MapleTA home page. In addition, MapleTA assignment grades are passed back into the LEARN course gradebook automatically. Instructors can also push MapleTA marks for a whole course directly into LEARN through an action in the MapleTA gradebook called "Export by CMS".

The Learn-Maple T.A. integration tool connects one LEARN course with one MapleTA course. The LEARN roster is shared with the MapleTA system. And, while MapleTA cannot duplicate LEARN groups, like lecture or lab sections, i.e. there is no roster group structure available in MapleTA, the instructor can attach LEARN group and date access conditions to MapleTA quiz links and so restrict access to MapleTA quizzes by group and by date (the usual LEARN Start, End and Due dates (see FAQ below)). To achieve this kind of access restriction to MapleTA quizzes from LEARN, and not allow students to take the quiz directly through the MapleTA home page (which has no group access control), the quizzes on the MapleTA system should be made hidden from general student access. Thus, access control will reside solely on the LEARN system.

Instructors also retain the option of not using the LEARN-MapleTA integration tool. Then the traditional manual MapleTA tools to add a roster to a MapleTA course and to export MapleTA marks to a CSV file for import into LEARN will be used. And, students will enter through the MapleTA home page to take their MapleTA assignments.

Another possibility is to create an individual LEARN course for each of the lecture sections in order to preserve the one-to-one relationship between MapleTA and LEARN courses required by the integration tool. This is the most amount of work, as multiple LEARN and MapleTA courses will be maintained.

To discuss your needs, please contact either mapleta@uwaterloo.ca or the Mathematics Faculty CTE Liaison Paul Kates (pkates@uwaterloo.ca).

Getting Started - connecting your MapleTA and LEARN courses

  1. Request a Maple T.A. course from mapleta@uwaterloo.ca or Paul Kates (pkates@uwaterloo.ca).

    Provide the course name and your name and user login name (from LEARN). Your user login name will become the instructor of the MapleTA course.

    Once your MapleTA course is created, a link to MapleTA will be added on your LEARN course home page in a box (i.e. LEARN widget) titled MapleTA. You can add this link yourself if you are familiar with adding LEARN System widgets to LEARN home pages (follow Edit Course > Homepages and add the MapleTA widget to the course home page). Otherwise, we will add the MapleTA widget to your home page at your request once given access to your LEARN course.

    If you wish a MapleTA course but not the LEARN-MapleTA integration tool, just mention this in your request. The rest of this page is about using the LEARN-MapleTA integration tool.

  2. Map your Learn course to a Maple T.A. course. In the MapleTA box now on your LEARN course home page is a link titled "Course mapping". Click this link to open a new page with a list of all the MapleTA courses created in your name as MapleTA instructor. This list appears under the "Select ..." line. Select the appropriate course title and click the button titled "Map to Existing Class" to establish a connection between your MapleTA course and your LEARN course. Ignore the other two buttons.

    If you see a message appear and disappear before you have a chance to read it, all it says is "Mapping successfully created/updated for current org unit."

    Returning to the course home page in LEARN, the MapleTA widget box now includes an additional link "Go to MapleTA", which will open a new browser page to your MapleTA course, automatically logging you or your students into MapleTA using your/their LEARN user id.

    MapleTA assignments that are not hidden in MapleTA are available to your students through this link. In the next section, links to individual MapleTA assignments, if desired, can be placed in your LEARN course.

Setting an Assignment Link in LEARN

  1. Assignments must first be made in Maple T.A.
  2. Once some MapleTA assignments are created go to the LEARN Content page (under Course Materials) and create or enter the module (i.e. heading or folder) area e.g. MapleTA assignments, where you wish to place links to your MapleTA assignments.
  3. Open the Add Activities dropdown menu, and select Maple T.A. Assignment.
  4. On the subsequent popup screen use the Select a Maple T.A. Assignment dropdown menu to choose your assignment (one at a time). Note: you will see and be able to select any MapleTA assignment, even the ones hidden from students in MapleTA.

    As of Fall 2015, hidden MapleTA quizzes cannot be linked to from LEARN. We hope that this feature is restored in the future.

    Your selection creates a link in the current LEARN module directly to the MapleTA assignment. By default, the title of the link is the title of the MapleTA assignment. You can change this title through the pull-down menu next to the link title, selecting Edit Properties In-Place.

    Students can reach the same MapleTA assignment indirectly by using the Go To MapleTA link located on your LEARN homepage.

    The MapleTA assignment link in LEARN takes you to a page framed inside the LEARN page with a short description of the MapleTA assignment (point value, type of assignment) and a "Begin" button to start the MapleTA assignment.

    To start the assignment a student will click "Begin", complete as much of the assignment as they wish, click the Grade link to have the assignment automatically marked, and then click Save & Quit to close the MapleTA page and return to the LEARN page showing the "Begin" button. You can navigate away from this LEARN page at any time. Student grades are placed in the LEARN gradebook, but not instructor grades. An instructor can impersonate the LEARN course Test Student account. This account can complete MapleTA assignments and the MapleTA grade does appear in the LEARN gradebook under Test Student.

    When the first student or instructor clicks on a LEARN link to a MapleTA assignment and grades the assignment, a new item in the LEARN gradebook is made using the MapleTA assignment name. The new item in the LEARN gradebook has the same point value as the MapleTA assignment. It is also given a default weight value of 10, a value which can be adjusted in the LEARN gradebook. The new gradebook item is not in any gradebook category, but can be moved into one.

    The LEARN gradebook item title can be changed but do so after all the marks have been moved from MapleTA otherwise the re-named gradebook item will not be updated with newer marks. Instead newer marks will be placed in the original gradebook item title. In addition, changing the LEARN gradebook item point value will not change the MapleTA gradebook mark value sent to and recorded in the LEARN gradebook item.

Using the Integrated Product (Student)

  1. When a student clicks on the MapleTA assignment link a Learn "summary" page appears with the assignment's point value and type. The "Begin" button on the page will take the student to the assignment in MapleTA.
  2. If the student wishes to complete the MapleTA assignment later, they can click Save & Quit and then return to their LEARN page. Clicking the "Begin" button again will take the student back into MapleTA to complete more of their assignment.
  3. If the student wishes to finish the MapleTA assignment, they can click "Grade" and the assignment will be automatically marked. Their grade will be copied to the student's MapleTA and LEARN Gradebooks immediately.

FAQ

  1. Why is my student missing a MapleTA mark in the LEARN gradebook?

    The student didn't grade their MapleTA assignment. Let the class know that they have to use the "Grade" button in the MapleTA assignment to have their MapleTA grades appear in the LEARN gradebook.

  2. Why is my student not seeing the "Best" (i.e. highest) mark show up in the LEARN gradebook from their several attempts at a MapleTA assignment?

    MapleTA assignment quiz marks are automatically sent to the LEARN course gradebook. When a MapleTA assignment is completed several times, the "Best" mark for the quiz will be placed in the LEARN gradebook. Before the Fall of 2015, only the most recent assignment mark flowed automatically into the LEARN gradebook.

    Instructors can still manually push marks in a MapleTA course gradebook into a LEARN course gradebook. To do this, on the MapleTA course Gradebook page choose the "Best" setting for the "Show Results:" field, and then use the "Export CMS" button on the MapleTA Gradebook page to push every student's "Best" mark into the LEARN gradebook. There is a similar "Average" setting for moving the average mark of several assignment completions.
  1. By hand, I changed a MapleTA assignment mark in the LEARN gradebook, but the mark has changed back to its original value. Why?

    MapleTA marks moved into the LEARN gradebook from a student completing a MapleTA assignment or through an instructor using the MapleTA "Export CMS" button on the MapleTA gradebook page will overwrite existing MapleTA assignment marks in the LEARN gradebook. To make permanent changes by hand to MapleTA assignment marks, make changes in the MapleTA gradebook. This gradebook keeps all MapleTA assignment marks.

  2. I have MapleTA assignments for student practice, but not for any grade. Can these MapleTA assignments not appear in the LEARN gradebook?

    No. Every MapleTA assignment that students take appears in the LEARN gradebook. But, in the LEARN gradebook, you can change the weight of each of the assignments to 0, or place all the practice assignments in their own LEARN gradebook category (i.e. section) and give the whole category a weight of 0.

  3. What are LEARN Start, End and Due dates?

    The dates when students can access the LEARN item. Start date is when an item is first visible to access. End date is when an item is last visible to access. Due date is when an item is still visible to access but will be recorded as accessed late, assuming it is before the End date. All three dates are optional and can be mixed together.

Contacts

mapleta@uwaterloo.ca or,

Paul Kates
Mathematics Faculty CTE Liaison
pkates@uwaterloo.ca, x37047
Last modification date: Tue Jan 3 11:28:56 2017.
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