Arch-Techs - Plato in 3P Implementation Phase

7/28/2019 Arch-Techs - Plato in 3P Implementation Phase

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Arch-Techs: Israel Butler, Reginald China, Marvin McClean, Jean Pesce

Implementation

The implementation of Arch-Techs training materials consists of onsite training by a live trainer, written

guides through each key stage, and short videos that model the correct usage of the Plato Learning

Environment (PLE). In addition to the main training options and materials, one or more member can

provide follow up training sessions remotely via the Logmein.com service, or remote desktop assistance

procedures. This format ideally will be individual or smaller group sessions. The entire package provides

a comprehensive training regimen designed to be live, distance supported or asynchronous in nature to

fit the needs of busy professionals and diverse trainees.

The live training session supports a recommended maximum of 12 trainees to manage questions, allow

for individualized attention when necessary without losing too much overall instructional time, and

supports computer lab sizes that are smaller in nature at the institution. Wherein remote small group

sessions are practical, the 4 member Arch-Techs team can manage trainee groups of 3 effectively.

Onsite training covers the same material that will be provided in the written documents below. Written

versions of the training material are provided to serve as refreshers but are designed to be robust

enough to direct a new and unfamiliar user of the system. The training targets course instructors and

assumes there is, or will be, a separate PLE site administrator that can set up instructor accounts (unless

provided directly by Plato).

The onsite trainer collects the following data to keep log of trainee instructors, provide official

professional development acknowledgment (if required), and provide access to follow-up trainingmaterials including electronic versions of the document guide, how-to video links and support web

references

Name (First and Last) Institutional email Function at institution Description of primary intended use of the PLE

It is also advised to poll the trainee group or representative approximately a week or more before the

actual training date to ensure materials cover expectations and that user IDs are generated beforehand.

Running time of training is designed to not exceed 3 hours


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Guide

The Plato Learning Environment found athttps://ple.platoweb.comis primarily a web portal where

instructors will direct students to complete coursework in or out of class settings. It allows students to

work at their own pace and access their work from virtually anywhere provided there is internet access,

so its biggest attraction is its functionality as a supplement to class work. Each instructor and studentwill be receiving their own log in from a trainer or local system administrator [in the case of instructors]

and from the instructors themselves [in the case of students]. The first stages we will cover then are

familiarizing ourselves with the PLE interface and screens, and learn the steps to enrolling fellow

instructors and students.

The interface

When visitingple.platoweb.comthe first screen we should encounter is:

Once here we will enter the necessary information to proceed. A naming scheme has been determined

for instructor accounts and student accounts to help streamline and manage the log in process. All

accounts under the Claflin University domain will use claflinu as the Account Login entry. Instructor
https://ple.platoweb.com/https://ple.platoweb.com/https://ple.platoweb.com/https://ple.platoweb.com/https://ple.platoweb.com/https://ple.platoweb.com/https://ple.platoweb.com/https://ple.platoweb.com/


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accounts will carry a PLATO Name starting with the users last name then their first names first three

letters to increase the tendency for there to be unique usernames amongst instructional staff, while

student usernames will be their first name + last name + ID number. In both instances, these will be

together all as one word. Instructor passwords will be generic as teacherand changeable once logged

in, while student accounts will have passwords based on their first and last initial then the ID number.

They too may be allowed to change their password once logged in; however, to minimize loss of

instructional time due to student inability to access their account if a password is misplaced, the format

may be best to allow them to easily remember such a password based on information known to them.

So, for instructor Dr. Jonathan Doe, his access information will be

Account Login: claflinu

PLATO Name: doejon

Password: teacher

And for student Janet Public, her access information will be

Account Login: claflinu

PLATO Name: janetpublic12345

Password: jp12345

The first screen encountered by an instructor will be a prompt for security settings like

which allows users to set up the ability to retrieve passwords on their own in the event it is forgotten.

After that step, the interface is open for students to be added, classes to be created and assignments to


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be added. This should be seen after that and anytime following regular log on unless setup is skipped:

Before continuing to the Create a Class link, trainees should be familiarized with the buttons and

sections on the interface

Home button takes users back to the above interface

Classes button takes users to a view of their created classes or options to set them up

Assignments button allows the creation of assignments

Content button allows a browse-through of all course resources

Reports button allows individual and class performance and more to be generated

Communication button allows group and individual email, or discussions platforms
http://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Communications/MessageBoard.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Reports/Reports.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Resources/BrowseContent.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Assignments/Assignment.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Communications/MessageBoard.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Reports/Reports.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Resources/BrowseContent.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Assignments/Assignment.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Communications/MessageBoard.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Reports/Reports.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Resources/BrowseContent.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Assignments/Assignment.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Communications/MessageBoard.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Reports/Reports.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Resources/BrowseContent.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Assignments/Assignment.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Communications/MessageBoard.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Reports/Reports.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Resources/BrowseContent.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Assignments/Assignment.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Communications/MessageBoard.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Reports/Reports.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Resources/BrowseContent.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Assignments/Assignment.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Communications/MessageBoard.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Reports/Reports.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Resources/BrowseContent.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/Assignments/Assignment.aspx


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A: Create a Class

The first step to creating a class is to click the Create a Class button

on the home page (Create a class can also be found under the Classes

page following clicking the Classes button ).

Instructors will then be asked to describe the class, and must provide

a class name1

and location2. For easier management and reporting, it

is important to follow this naming scheme while creating classes:

2012-13 Fall ENGL111-01 Doe, J

For this exercise, the location will be Training; however, all active

classes where progress and results are desired will be placed in

Claflin U.

There are also optional fields such as Grade3, Class Description

4and

Self Enrolling5. The standard grade level will be Post-Secondary; class

descriptions are recommended for instructor and student benefit but

are at the discretion of the instructor; but for control purposes we

shall forego allowing self-enrollment for these specific classes by

leaving that box unchecked.

Now that the class is described, the next step is to enroll users by

either adding existing users6

or creating new ones7. See B. Enrolling

Users.

Academic

YearSemester

Course

IDSection Professor

1

2

34

5

6 7


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B. Enrolling Users Into Classes

Students are typically given user accounts in one of three ways that enable them to be enrolled into

classes: 1) individually via the class enroll options, 2) individually into a bank of institution user accounts,

or 3) in bulk by uploading a data file (admins). For this step, the individual via class options will be

followed, of which there are two approaches depending on whether this is a students first Plato use ornot. We will begin with individual first time student users:

1. Click Create a Learner on the home page

2. At the prompt for New Class or Existing Classchoose Existing

3. Click continue

4. Expand the Claflin University subgroups untilyou locate the [English] course you set up in

Part A: Create A Class

5. After clicking done the class management pagefor the desired class will be accessed, choose

Create New Learners

6. An input page shall appear to enter the necessary student information including: Last Name,First Name, PLATO Name, Password, an optional Student Information System ID, and the Grade

level for intended content coursework

7. Each row becomes fillable after the previous row has all required fields filled, and upon movingto a new row credentials are compared to the internal database and the form completer will be

alerted if the student user PLATO Name (or other credential combinations) already exist. This is


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useful for minimizing unnecessary duplication of accounts. Correct naming schema is essential

for all instructors/input completers to prevent duplication. The naming scheme is as follows:

Last Name First Name PLATO Name Password SIS ID

Public Jane JanePublic12345 jp12345 CU12345

8. ClickingDonewill populate the class with students. A number of learners drop down list canexpand options from 10 to 40 for individual entries


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C. Enrollment of Existing Users

Follow steps 1 to 4 of Section B then continue with:

C.5. After locating and selecting the desired class

created in Section A, chooseAdd Existing Users

C.6. The Add Existing Users dialog box will appear with

a location selector on the left. Expand the groups

to narrow your search if known

To ensure the user is not missed, enter a last

name or other identifier in the enter search item

field and click the arrow

C.7. When users are filtered matching the criteria (e.g.

Public in name) select the correct user bychecking the box next to the name (e.g. Janet

Public)

C.8. Click theAdd Users to class button at bottom to

complete the enrollment process

Note that if assignments are already added to classes, options may have been set to automatically

assign coursework to newly added users. This prompts the following information box. More on adding

and configuring assignments follows in D.

Adding Assignments to Classes. Users

can also be removed from classes,forced to logout (useful for managing

limited licenses) or have passwords

reset by checking the corresponding

box and clicking the appropriate button

in the Manage Class page that results

after adding users.


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D. Adding Assignments to Classes

1. Under the main Assignments page click CreateAssignmentto begin. On the Create an

Assignment page there will be requirements for

5 sections; Set Up Assignment, Select Learners,Select Content, Set Assignment Policies and Set

Dates

2. To complete the Set Up Assignment section a Title is required and it is recommended to providesome instructions for Learners

3. Within the Select Learners section afterexpanding the sub groups, an entire class,

multiple classes, or individual learners within a

class can be singled out by checking the

appropriate box

4. In the Select Content section, new instructorsshould select the PLATO Contentsubsection

since no other category will have content as yet

(with a possible exception that previous

courseware instructors created custom

courseware this would be found under Other

Content) proceed and select the appropriate

course, - OR - units within that course - OR -

topics within a Unit.

Subsections

Courses

Units

Topics

5. To Set Assignment Policies, simply click thedesired radio button to choose whether to

automatically have new users receive

assignments after being enrolled into that class

and/or bring credit from previous classes


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6. In the Set Dates section, decide if the start date will be immediate or delayed, whether to leavethe due date open ended or set a date where the system automatically closes out access to the

work (can be adjusted), and if you wish to have varying dates for individual students

7. Clicking Done will indicate if all fields were filled and, if so, that your assignment was createdsuccessfully

8. The resulting page or under the Assignments section can take instructors back to their total listof assignments where they can choose to manage it and alter group/individual activities


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E. Checking Learner Progress

Under the Reports tab, several options exist to check the status of user coursework. Reports can be

generated to find individual performance, usage statistics, and log in dates; overall class performance on

individual assignments, entire courses, mastery levels and more; assignment statistics to determine

overall performance on an individual module or course packet; . For individual learner progress

1. Choosing the Learner Progress by Learnerlink on the reports page generates the followingscreen with options to

a. Search for a learner by nameb. Filter from grade k to adultc. Check box(es) of a specific classd. Select the learner narrowed by A-Ce. Check the assignment(s) to report on

2. Information on the specific unit will be generated indicating whether all or subcomponents werecompleted, if any parts of the unit module were exempted (likely based on other courses work

where previous progress was awarded to this course), if mastery was achieved, and time in the

system (first/last use, duration, etc.), and a scores

a

b

c

d

e


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F. Running A Report On A Class

From the reports page there are 26 types of reports that can be run falling under Curriculum,

Assessment and System categories. Some of the most common are Learner Progress by Class and

Assignment, Daily Usage by Class and Assignment, Assignment Module Mastery and Class Usage

Summary. These reports can be generated as PDF, CSV, or XLSX files depending on the complexity of thecolumn structures. The Learner Progress by Class and Assignment report allows multiple assignments

per user, multiple users per class and multiple classes within the portal to be generated in one report.

This is especially useful for instructors that may have multiple sections of a class and need to track and

compare for similar assignments.

1. Select the desired assignment(s), student(s) and class(es) by expanding where necessary andchecking the corresponding boxes

2. Choose your preferred format (in this case the options are PDF and CSV3. Click Generate4. Your report will display columns including Completion, Exemption, Mastery, Tries, etc. with rows

dedicated to each assignment chosen, separating each learners data by page.

Most other reports follow the selection/check process used here. Those that differ have built in dialog

to guide through each step. Explore one or more before leaving the reports page.


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Remote Assistance Sessions

Training or follow up sessions conducted remotely can be initiated by the trainer or a computer

proficient prospective trainee, but assistance and pre-checks are recommended where onsite

Information Technology Specialists can ensure requirements are met. For the best results,

a conference phone may be set up close to the 1-3 stations for users to interact with the trainer IT should double check that no firewalls will prevent transmission of shared screen sessions Permissions on the local computers may have to be updated for users to allow screen sharing

software or plug-ins to function (particularly where LogMeIn.com is the most effective option)

A microphone should be available to each station if conference phones are unavailable orimpractical. In the event of a shared lab, headsets may be required to minimize noise

disturbances

The Claflin University onsite PlatoWeb Administrator can be contacted via email at

[email protected]

PlatoWeb help pages can be found athttps://support.plato.com/and

http://educator.ple.platoweb.com/HelpPages/HelpMain.aspx#

Enroll and Assign Overview.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://support.plato.com/https://support.plato.com/https://support.plato.com/http://educator.ple.platoweb.com/HelpPages/HelpMain.aspxhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/HelpPages/HelpMain.aspxhttps://mcclean746.wikispaces.com/file/view/Plato_In_3P_Creating_Assignments.swfhttps://mcclean746.wikispaces.com/file/view/Plato_In_3P_Creating_Assignments.swfhttps://mcclean746.wikispaces.com/file/view/Plato_In_3P_Creating_Assignments.swfhttp://educator.ple.platoweb.com/HelpPages/HelpMain.aspxhttps://support.plato.com/mailto:[email protected]

Arch-Techs - Plato in 3P Implementation Phase

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Transcript of Arch-Techs - Plato in 3P Implementation Phase