Semester Transitions for Your Online Course

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In Your TEMPLATE Before the Semester Starts
In your SECTION Before the Semester Starts
When the Semester Ends

In your template, before the semester starts:
Assignments:

  1. In the “Build” view, click on the Content Inventory tab (top bar)
  2. Click on Assignments
  3. Click on the title of each assignment you want to edit
  4. Modify the due dates and cut off dates
  5. Check the corresponding calendar event if you would like the information automatically placed on the calendar
  6. Click “save”
Assessments:

  1. In the “Build” view, click on the Content Inventory tab (top bar)
  2. Click on Assessments
  3. Click on each individual assessment
  4. Click on the “Edit Settings” icon
  5. Modify the dates the assessment will be available by clicking on “dates available” at the bottom of the screen
  6. Click “save”

OR Click on the Manage Course tool, then click the Date rollover link. From here you will be able to make changes to all assignments, assessments, and discussions, or to each one individually.
Content Pages:
  1. Check all content pages for date changes (syllabus, course schedule etc…)
  2. Access individual content pages in your file manager
  3. Click the pencil icon to edit the file
  4. Use the HTML Creator to make minor changes.
    Note: It is a good idea, if you have files which you want to change significantly, to download them to your computer, make the changes. and then upload them back into MUOnline
Update your template:
If you made any significant changes in your last semester section (new Learning Modules, Assessments, Assignments etc . . .) make sure you duplicate those actions in your template. Remember you will assign a template to next semester's section.
Release grade book columns to the students:
IMPORTANT!
  1. In the “Teach” view, click on the Grade Book
  2. Click “column settings” – upper right corner
  3. Check the box “select all” – upper left
  4. Click “release” in bottom blue bar (if you don’t want to release them all at once, select only those you want the students to see)
    Note: If you don’t release the grade book columns, students won’t see any of their grades
Calculated Columns for Total Points/Letter Grade:Note: This can also be done in the semester section under the Teach tab. To make it available for all subsequent sections, create the total point and letter grade columns in the template.
Total Points:
  1. In the “Build” view (in the template) click on the Grade Book (bottom left)
  2. Click on the drop down menu “create column” at the top of the screen
  3. Select “calculated” and click green arrow
  4. Fill in the title and maximum value. Click “save.”
  5. Scroll over to the column you just created
  6. Right above the title, click the “edit column formula” icon ( )
  7. Click “sum” – left side
  8. Go to the menu “select a column. . .”
  9. Click on the first item you want to add to the formula
  10. Click the “+” sign
  11. Select the next column title you want to add to the formula, click the "+" sign etc.
  12. Last – click the “end function” button to close off the equation
    (Note: You should not have a plus sign right before you end the function.)

Is it working? (Can be done in the semester section only)
  1. Go into the “Student” view
  2. Submit all assignments as the Demo Student
  3. Go into the “Teach” view
  4. Grade all of the “Demo Student” assignments
  5. Check in the grade book and see if your “Total Points” column has the correct total for the Demo Student.

Letter Grade Column:
  1. In the “Teach” view click on the Grade book
  2. Click on “create column” at the top of the screen
  3. Select “Letter Grade” and click the green arrow
  4. Fill in the title. Make sure you base the column on the “Total Points” column. Click “save.”
  5. Scroll over to the column you just created
  6. Click on the icon ( ) above the column title. (Edit column letter grade scheme)
  7. At the top click the drop down menu “Base letter grade on column” and select “Total Points.”
  8. Enter your grade breakdown. If there aren’t enough slots, you can click on the “add grade” button. The right side will automatically adjust as you change the range
  9. Click save
Assigning your template to the current semester section:The first time you log into your new section, you are prompted with four choices:
  1. Set up a blank course.
  2. Copy content from another course section.
  3. Assign a template to this course.
  4. Import content from file.

If you would like to use content from a previous semester's section, then you would choose Option 2. If you would like to apply content from a template, then you would choose Option 3.
Template Tips: Once you assign your template to your section, if you make changes to the template, some of those changes will be copied to the section and some will not.

Items that you change in the template which WILL copy down to the section:
  1. Any file you can see in the file manager
  2. Click on the filing cabinet icon in the upper right hand corner to view files
    (Ex. If you change a date on your syllabus in the template – the change will be copied to the section.)

Items that you change in the template which WILL NOT copy down to the section:
  1. New files added to the file manager after the template is assigned to a section
  2. Anything you don’t see in the file manager
  3. Assignments
  4. Assessments
  5. Discussion Questions
  6. Calendar Entries
  7. Selective Release settings
  8. E-mail
  9. Announcements
  10. Grade Book

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