#LyX 1.1 created this file. For more info see http://www.lyx.org/ \lyxformat 218 \textclass article \begin_preamble \usepackage{floatflt} \end_preamble \language english \inputencoding auto \fontscheme newcent \graphics default \paperfontsize default \spacing single \papersize Default \paperpackage a4 \use_geometry 1 \use_amsmath 0 \paperorientation portrait \leftmargin 0.5in \topmargin 1.25in \rightmargin 0.5in \bottommargin 0.5in \secnumdepth 3 \tocdepth 3 \paragraph_separation indent \defskip medskip \quotes_language english \quotes_times 2 \papercolumns 1 \papersides 1 \paperpagestyle fancy \layout Title Introduction to the Learning \emph on Online \emph default Network with CAPA \layout Standard \added_space_top vfill \pagebreak_bottom \align center Laboratory for Instructional Technology in Education \newline and the \newline Office of Medical Education Research and Development \newline Michigan State University \newline \layout Standard \pagebreak_bottom \begin_inset LatexCommand \tableofcontents{} \end_inset \layout Section Introduction to LON-CAPA \layout Comment This is a comment which will not show in any other rendering of this document. I will use them to document my observations as I work through this tutorial. \layout Comment Imagine a big \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset IMHO \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset on all of these comments; I'm just going to give you my comments straight out. I'm not attached to them and won't be offended by anything you say or do about them. \layout Standard LON-CAPA is a web-based interface that helps to organize and present your course website, deliver and manage problem problems, and manage student enrollment. All author functions are done using a web browser (Netscape 4.x or higher is recommended) and the LON-CAPA Author Interface. The URL for LON-CAPA is \family typewriter http://s10.lite.msu.edu \family default . \layout Standard At this time, you should have: \layout Itemize developed your objectives for your course. \layout Itemize developed your problems for testing and identified the question formats. The Template for Mapping Website to LON-CAPA that you filled in will assist you in the process of creating your course website structure in LON-CAPA. \layout Standard This tutorial describes how to use the various author functions available in LON-CAPA. \layout Section The LON-CAPA Author Interface \layout Subsection Login as Course Author \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Course Author} \end_inset \layout Standard To begin using LON-CAPA, you first need to log in to your account on LON-CAPA. Open your web browser and navigate to the LON-CAPA URL: \family typewriter http://s10.lite.msu.edu/ \family default . You will be presented with a log in screen as in figure \begin_inset LatexCommand \ref{LON-CAPA Log in screen} \end_inset . \begin_float fig \layout Caption \begin_inset LatexCommand \label{LON-CAPA Log in screen} \end_inset LON-CAPA Log in screen \layout Standard \align center \begin_inset Figure size 297 234 file login.eps width 3 50 flags 11 \end_inset \end_float \layout Standard Fill in the Username and Password boxes with your information. Then press the Login button. This will take you to your LON-CAPA User Roles menu. \layout Description Note: Your Username is your PILOT ID, which is the part of your PILOT email address to the left of the @. Your password is your PILOT email password. Both the PILOT ID and the password are case sensitive, so make sure you type upper- and lower-case letters correctly. \layout Subsection \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Author Remote Control} \end_inset Author Remote Control \layout Comment Comment on the remote controls: I'll only mention this once, but imagine this comment exists everywhere a remote control image is used. The whole \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset remote control \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset metaphor is fundamentally flawed and probably can't be salvaged. Why is it flawed? \layout Comment \SpecialChar ~ \layout Comment 1. The remote control invokes a metaphor, that of remote controls. However, remote controls are useful in the real world, despite the overwhelming complexity of modern remotes, for three major reasons: One, they never, ever, ever change. Two, they provide immense amounts of tactile feedback, allowing one to overcome the complexity of using one by putting the knowlege into motor memory. (There are equivalent usability principles in usability, as well; look up Fitt's Law, for instance.) Three, they all basically do the same thing; pick up an unfamiliar TV control and you at least know in advance there will be numbers for channel changing, vol up and down, chan up and down, mute, etc. The remotes used in this system do not have any of these properties. Remotes are actually horrid UI, because they are very, very difficult to learn; they make up for it by being useful and persistent. \layout Comment Further, remotes should *do* things. This remote is like a remote that no matter what button you push, it invokes a menu. Most remotes have \series bold one \series default explicit \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset menu \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset button to invoke a menu that has all the feature that aren't worth valuable remote control space. \layout Comment In fact, the metaphor is so unsuccessful that any moderately savvy internet user will almost immediately come to conceptualize the remote as just another list of links, albiet a clumsy and inconvenient one. Why not give them that in the first place? \layout Comment \SpecialChar ~ \layout Comment 2. Even the simplest \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset remote \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset I see in the tutorial has eight buttons, which nearly immediately becomes seventeen (!) buttons, all incomprehensible, and I didn't get a chance to count during the interview, but I saw a remote flash by (student remote? admin remote? that wouldn't matter as much) that had at least twenty, probably 24 buttons, again, all or nearly all incomprehensible. This is needlessly intimidating. \layout Comment \SpecialChar ~ \layout Comment 3. By commiting to this \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset remote control \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset layout, you commit to a remote control's layout limitations, except that an actual remote control can get away with a 6pt or smaller font, or wierd specialized symbols, or whatnot. I'm looking at a (real) remote control right now that manages to get \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset channel return \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset onto one button. That whole phrase fits *twice* into the space the \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset ROLES \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset button takes up on my printout! So in actuality, you're commiting to something no sane remote control designer could deal with. Moreover, I observe that on a real remote, the vast majority of buttons are labelled with one conceptual entity (i.e., \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset 1 \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset , \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset 5 \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset , \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset FF \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset , \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset [the pause symbol] \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset , etc)., not \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset Change User \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset which is two entities by my count, at least for an initial user. \layout Comment \SpecialChar ~ \layout Comment 4. Requiring the user to mouse over something to see what it does is not a solution. Limiting yourself to an 8 by 2 array of characters to explain yourself compounds the problem even more. (Another over-literal extension of the remote control metaphor.) Also, as you may have observed, the accessibility of this is nil. \layout Comment \SpecialChar ~ \layout Comment The upshot is that the only upside to the remote control is a moderately pleasing graphic; the downsides are pretty much everything, up to and including possible illegality under accessability laws. Unfortunately, I do not see any way to salvage any aspect of the remote control; it's going to suck until it's replaced. Pleasing graphics are relatively easy to come by nowadays; it should not drive the design. I'll admit (freely!) I'm not a graphics designer... graphics designers aren't web developers (designers), either. \layout Comment \SpecialChar ~ \layout Comment Also, based on my relatively little info, I think you're data-mining the web logs to see what people actually use. This is good. We may need to do some really simple stuff before he finishes. Raw statistics on what buttons are pressed most often can probably be interpret ed easily enough for our purposes. No matter what the final design is, it should emphasize the two or three commands used day in and day out, as determined by empirical analysis, and shuffle the other commands onto another sub menu or sub menus. Then, use the additional space you'll have (even if you keep the same size window) and actually *spell out* the options. \layout Standard The Author Remote Control, show in figure \begin_inset LatexCommand \ref{Author Remote Control Figure} \end_inset , will automatically load whenever you log in to LON-CAPA as the course instructor. The Author Remote Control is a separate window in your browser, so you may position it on the screen where you can make the best use of it. The Remote Control is a tool that allows you to switch between functions and roles within LON-CAPA. \begin_float fig \layout Caption Author Remote Control \begin_inset LatexCommand \label{Author Remote Control Figure} \end_inset \layout Standard \begin_inset Figure size 164 387 file authorRemote.eps flags 8 \end_inset \end_float Of the eight choices on this menu, only two (ROLES and LOGOUT) make *any* sort of sense on a first glance. Abbreviations are evil in this sort of application and should be used as a truly last resort. \layout Standard When you move your mouse over the buttons in the remote, the sixteen gray boxes will show a reminder of what that button does. \layout Itemize \series bold ROLES (CHOOSE ROLE) \series default allows you to select which user role to assume for this session. \layout Itemize \series bold COM (COMMUNICATION) \series default allows you to access the communication functions in the system. \layout Itemize \series bold CUSR (USER ROLES) \series default brings up a page that allows you to create new users and change user privileges. \layout Itemize \series bold CSTR (CONSTRUCT) \series default displays the construction space for your account. \layout Itemize \series bold RES (RESOURCE SPACE) \series default allows you to browse the LON-CAPA network directory. \layout Itemize \series bold EGRD (ENTER GRADES) \series default is used to enter grades for students enrolled in your course. \layout Itemize \series bold SRC (SEARCH LIBRARY) \series default brings up a screen that lets you search the LON-CAPA resources using multiple criteria. \layout Itemize \series bold LOGOUT (LOGOUT) \series default will log you out of the LON-CAPA system. \layout Section Creating Content Using LON-CAPA \layout Standard LON-CAPA provides three types of resources for organizing your course website. LON-CAPA refers to these resources as Content Pages, Problems, and Maps. Maps may be either of two types: Sequences or Pages. You will use these LON-CAPA resources to build the outline, or structure, for the presentation of your course to your students. \layout Itemize A \series bold Content Page \series default \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Content Page} \end_inset displays course content. It is mostly a conventional HTML page. \layout Comment Check this; is it exactly like HTML pages? \layout Itemize A \series bold Problem \series default \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Problem} \end_inset resource represents problems for the students to solve, with answers stored in the system. These resources are stored in files that must use the extension \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset .problem \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset . \layout Itemize A \series bold Map \series default \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Map} \end_inset resource of the \series bold Sequence \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Sequence} \end_inset \series default type represents a programmed series of events. The users of this resource can use array keys or NAV buttons to follow the sequence. These resources are stored in files that must use the extension \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset .sequence \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset . \layout Comment What \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset arrow keys \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset ? Surely not the ones on the keyboard\SpecialChar \ldots{} \layout Itemize A \series bold Map \series default \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Map} \end_inset resource of the \series bold Page \series default \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Page} \end_inset type display multiple resources together. For example, a page of problems will appears as a problem set. These resources are stored in files that must use the extension \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset .page \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset . \layout Subsection Description of the Construction Space \layout Standard \begin_float fig \layout Caption Construction Space \begin_inset LatexCommand \label{Construction Space Figure} \end_inset \end_float The Construction Space, as seen in figure \begin_inset LatexCommand \ref{Construction Space Figure} \end_inset , is the section of LON-CAPA where you create and manage your course resources. The Construction Space consists of a green tool bar at the top of the page and a list of all directories and resources below. \layout Standard \begin_inset Tabular \begin_inset Text \layout Standard \series bold Button Name \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard \series bold Description \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Publish this Resource \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Publishes the current resource. This presents a publishing window where you can provide information for metadata, keywords, language, etc. \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard List Directory \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Lists the contents of the current working directory \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Copy \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Type a new name in the entry box to make a copy the current resource \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Browse \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Opens a file/directory browser for your local computer. Use this to select a file to upload. \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Upload File \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Uploads the selected file to your Construction Space \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Retrieve Old Version \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Load an older version of a resource if you have multiple versions \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Delete \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Deletes the current resource \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Rename \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Type a new name in the associated entry box to rename a resource \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard New Subdirectory \end_inset \begin_inset Text \layout Standard Type a name in the entry box to create a new directory \end_inset \end_inset \layout Subsection How to Create New Content Pages \layout Standard \series bold Content Pages \series default are HTML documents that display the course information you are presenting. These documents can be created in any order. \layout Comment Is this worth mentioning? \layout Standard To create new Content Pages, do the following: \layout Comment Is step one necessary? I don't see how it could be. \layout Enumerate Click the \series bold CSTR \series default button on the LON-CAPA remote. You web page will change to your Construction Space. \layout Enumerate In Location bar of your browser, type in full URL of the new Content Page. Make sure the last part of the URL ends with \begin_inset Quotes eld \end_inset .html \begin_inset Quotes erd \end_inset , for example, \emph on http://www.s10.lite.msu.edu/priv/directory/new_resource.html \emph default . Press the Return or Enter key. \layout Enumerate You should see something like the following message: \series bold File not found: /home/wmsonj/priv/directory/new_resource.html \series default , and an Edit button. An HTML editor opens with a simple page template. \layout Enumerate Type the content into the editor, \series bold OR \series default copy and paste HTML source code into the editor. \layout Enumerate Optionally, click the \series bold View \series default button to preview your Content Page. \layout Enumerate Finally, click the \series bold Save this \series default button \series bold OR \series default click the \series bold Save and then attempt to clean HTML \series default button. \layout Standard Repeat this process as many times as necessary to create your Content Pages. \layout Subsection How to Edit Existing Content Pages \layout Standard You may edit any any Content Pages that have been created. \layout Standard To edit Content Pages: \layout Enumerate Click the \series bold CSTR \series default button on the LON-CAPA Remote. Your web page will change to your Construction Space. \layout Enumerate Click on the link for the name of the Content Page to edit. The Content Page editor will load and display the current edition of the Content Page. \layout Enumerate Press the Edit button. Edit the HTML code, or copy and paste HTML source code into the editor. \layout Enumerate Optionally, click the \series bold View \series default button to preview your Content Page. \layout Enumerate Finally, click the \series bold Save this \series default button \series bold OR \series default click the \series bold Save and then attempt to clean HTML \series default button. If you do not do this, your work will not be saved. \layout Subsection Creating Online Problems Using LON-CAPA \layout Subsubsection Problems Types \layout Standard There are five types of problems that can be created with the LON-CAPA system: Radio Response, Option Response, String Response, Numerical Response, and Formula Response. You will need to identify which types of problem you want to use and create appropriate questions for your course. \layout Subsubsection Radio Response \begin_inset LatexCommand \index{Radio Response} \end_inset Problems \layout Standard Radio Response problems represent multiple choice questions. \layout Standard True/False problems present the student with one question that can be answered true or false. \layout Standard Multiple choice problems are created almost identically to True/False problems. Multiple choice problems contain 3-10 foils. You may display 3-5 foils for each problem and the system randomly picks the choices that are presented to the student. \layout Standard Option Response Problems \layout Standard Option Response problems present foils to the student with drop-down boxes. Option response questions may be presented as a collection of True/False type questions or as a matching type question. The student must choose the correct answer for each part of the question. \layout Standard String Response Problems \layout Standard String Response problems are problems in which the student submits a string of characters for the answer. Examples of string response questions are vocabulary tests, short answer and entering chemical formulas. \layout Standard Numerical Response Problems \layout Standard Numerical Response problems are answered by entering a number and (optionally) a unit, such as 2.5 m/s^2. Tolerance and significant digits can be specified as well. \layout Standard Formula Response Problems \layout Standard Formula Response problems are questions in which the student types in a math formula for the answer. If the answer is "x^2 - 11", the student can enter "x^2 - 11", "x*x - 11", "x^2 + 21 - 10", etc. Functions such as cos, sin, and exp are accepted as well as the operators (), +, -, *, and /. \layout Section Appendix A: Student Interface \layout Standard \begin_float fig \layout Caption Student Remote Control \begin_inset LatexCommand \label{Student Remote Control} \end_inset \end_float The Student Remote Control will automatically load whenever you log in to a LON-CAPA course as a student. The Student Remote Control contains most of the functions of the Author Remote Control and the following additional functions. \layout Itemize \series bold NAV (NAVIGATE CONTENTS) \series default allows you to directly access resources from the course outline. \layout Itemize \series bold ARROWS (LEFT and RIGHT) \series default allows you to move to the backward or forward through the course. \layout Itemize \series bold GRDS (MY GRADES) \series default allows you to check your grades in the courses you are taking. \layout Itemize \series bold SBKM (SET BOOKMARK) \series default allows you to bookmark pages for easy access. \layout Itemize \series bold VBKM (VIEW BOOKMARK) \series default displays your bookmarks for easy access to bookmarked resources. \layout Itemize \series bold ANOT (ANOTATE) \series default allows you to create personal notes. \layout Itemize \series bold LOGOUT (LOGOUT) \series default will log you out of the LON-CAPA system. \the_end