LMS and Quality Matters Evaluation

The problems: 1. A need to figure out a way to develop quality assessments for our online students. 2. A need to deter cheating and to have a "paper trail" for student assignments. and 3. The need to develop assessments that are more robust than four choice multiple choice questions. 

LMS Evaluation Introduction

The task this week is to compare two learning management systems (LMS): D2L Brightspace and Canvas to see which of the two is more efficient, more intuitive and more functional for both faculty and students. For each of the learning management systems this week, the following tasks will be completed and compared:
1. changing grade book settings and creating grade book categories and items.
2. creating dropbox assignments, using Turnitin.com and creating a grade book rubric.
3. creating quiz questions in a question library.
4. creating electronic grades for quizzes, creating quizzes, modifying quiz settings and randomizing question sets in quizzes.
5. performing a quality check as a demo student.

D2L Brightspace LMS Evaluation
Create Electronic Grade book Categories/Items and Change Settings
The first step to setting up your grade book in D2L Brightspace is to click on grades in the navigation bar. A second option is to select course admin and then grades (1. in diagram) under the assessment section.  In the upper right click on change settings and you will get a window with three tabs. Click on Personal Display Option (2) and you will get the screen to the right. Check the boxes next to points grade, grade scheme symbol and grade scheme color (3). In the repeat final grades section check both repeat calculated final grades and repeat adjusted final grades (bottom arrow). Change the Start page to manage grades (4) and then click save (teal button).
​
Next click on the tab labeled Calculation options. In the grading system section click on points (1). In the final grade released section select calculated final grade (2). In the grade calculations section select drop ungraded items (3). This choice will prevent students from seeing failing grades for assignments not completed. Finally in the auto update section check the box in front of automatically keep final grades updated (4). Click save when you have finished your selections (5).
Next click on the tab labeled Org Unit Display Options. In the section labeled student view display options check the three boxes labeled: points grades, grade scheme symbol and grade scheme color (top arrow). Click save at the bottom of the screen to save your changes (bottom arrow). 
To keep your grade book organized and to set up individual graded items it is important to set up categories and then grades. First click on grades in the navigation bar and then open Manage grades and select the down arrow next to add and choose add a category. Next you will name your new category folder (see arrow). Click the down arrow next to new a second time and select item instead of category this time. You will first choose the grade item type such as numeric or pass/fail. Name your item grade, select the category the item will be placed under, ​select the point value for this item and then click save and close.
Creating Dropbox Assignments, Use Turnitin.com and a Grading Rubric
The next step is to set up grading rubrics. Rubrics allow instructors to maintain consistency and transparency when grading assignments. They also allow for a greater level of feedback in a more efficient format. There are two types of rubrics- holistic and analytic. Holistic rubrics have a single criterion and multiple levels of achievement. Analytic rubrics allow for assessment of multiple criterion and levels of achievement. To verify that rubrics are enabled in your Brightspace class, click on course admin and then tools. Look for rubrics and verify that there is a green check next to it. Next go to assessments and click on rubrics. Click new rubric and name it. Choose analytical rubric since multiple criterion and levels are required. Click on levels and criteria tab. Enter the names for the levels, criteria and descriptions for each level. 
​
A completed rubric.
The next assignment was to set up drop boxes. These allow students to upload documents for grading. By using a plagiarism detector such as Turnitin.com these student documents can be checked for originality as well as spelling and grammar. A grading rubric makes the grading schema clear to students as well as allowing more consistency and feedback from the instructor. To set this up, click on assessment and then drop box. Click on new folder in order to name and set up a new folder. Clicking the box next to originality check will activate the Turnitin.com add on. Select the number of points the assignment will be valued. Next select the option to allow students to see the results of the originality reports. Save and close to end the process.
First Step to creating a new rubric.
The final step is to apply the rubric to the correct assignment in the grade book. Only rubrics that have been created and published will be available to add to the grade book assignments. First click on grades in the navigation bar and then click on rubrics from the drop down menu. 
Adding the rubric to the grade book item.
Create Quiz Questions in a Question Library
The first step in writing quizzes and setting their conditions is to develop a quiz question library. To do this click on assessment and then quizzes and exams. Once you complete these steps you will get the screen to the right. Click on question library.
The initial screen when writing a question.
The final screen showing the presence of all five questions.
Creating the Quiz
The next step is to is to create a quiz. First click on new quiz and give it a name.(Make sure you use the same name as the one in the grade book) You will be given the option of adding questions one at a time to that particular quiz or the option to import quiz questions from your question library. To import the questions:
1. Click on import questions from an existing collection.
2. Select the source as the question library.
​3. Choose the collection root to have access to all of the questions. (see image below)

You then select all of the questions that you want to import and then hit save. You will now have the shell of your quiz populated with the questions that you have imported from the question library. 
Importing questions from the question library.
Developing questions in the question library instead of writing individual quiz questions allows the questions to be reused in any assessment instead of assigned to a single assessment. Choose new question and then select the type of question you would like to write. All questions are stored in the question library.

When writing the question; input the question title, the number of points it is valued at, the difficulty level, the question text and the question answer. You will have the option of inserting an image and randomizing the answers. (see below)
Quiz with the questions imported from the question library.
Create Electronic Grades for Quizzes, Create, Modify and Randomize Questions on a Quiz
Now that the quiz has been created and questions have been added the next step is to set the restrictions for the quiz, allow for grading and for syncing the quiz to the grade book. Click on assessments and then quizzes and exams. The default manage quizzes screen will come up. Click on the quiz you are working on to manage the settings and restrictions. There are six tabs at the top of the screen. (see screenshot below) The first one, properties, has already been taken care of. In that tab, the instructor would name the quiz, choose the category of the grade book where the quiz is to be housed, choose the number of questions per page view, and add or edit questions. All of these steps were completed in the section above. 
 Restrictions Tab
1. Set the status to active.
2. Choose your availability dates.
3. Determine whether you want to require a lock down browser and/or a password..
4. Set your time restriction parameters.
Assessments Tab
1. Select to allow the attempts to be graded as soon as they are completed.
2. Match the question item to the grade book item with the grade item pull down menu.
3. Allow auto export of grades to allow grades to be sent directly to the grade book.
4. The option to attach a grading rubric is available.
5. The option to set the number of attempts allowed.
6. Whether the grade will be determined by averaging attempts, taking the highest, lowest, first or last attempt.
Grade Book Properties
The final step is to go to the grade book and set the properties for your quiz and to check that it is set up correctly.
1. Click on the properties tab: You will see the name of your quiz, the category it is associated with, the maximum points and that it is being graded as a percentage.
2. Click on the restrictions tab to verify that the grade item is always visible and any release conditions.
Preview the Quiz and Viewing the Results
1. Click on Assessments and then Quizzes and Exams. Click on preview and review the quiz to make sure there are no errors. 
2. To view the results click on assessments and then quizzes and exams. Click on grade and this will show you all of the students who have completed the quiz. 
Perform a Quality Check as a Student
In order to verify that your class is correctly set up, you would want to see the class as a student would. To perform this quality check as a student click on class list on the navigation bar. Find the demo student in the list. Click on the arrow next to the demo student name. The pull down menu will give you the option to impersonate the student. A confirmation window will pop up to make sure that this is your intent. Now your class will mimic the appearance for a student. You can return to your account by clicking on the pull down menu next to the demo student's name in the upper right hand corner and selecting  the "X" next to the demo student's name. 
Impersonating a student.
Returning back to instructor view.
15 minute video reviewing all of the steps described above.

Canvas by Instructure Evaluation

Create Electronic Grade book Categories/Items and Change Settings
In Canvas, the grade book is not specifically set up, instead assignments are set up and they self populate the grade book. In addition you have the options to import and export grade books as CSV files. 

When an assignment is created there are columns for student names, secondary IDs, individual assignment scores and totals for the assignments. These columns can be easily rearranged, resized and renamed.
In order to set up the grade categories click on the +group in the upper right hand corner of the assignments page. This will give you a pop up to allow you to name the group. You can then add the assignments by clicking on +assignment and then using the drop down menu to choose which category you want the assignment to be located in or you can create the assignment and drag and drop it to the correct category. 
In the setting section of the grade book, there are options to select individual students and/or individual assignments. There are also options to treat ungraded assignments as zeros, hide student names, show concluded enrollments, show notes in student information, and to show totals as points on student grade page. The gradebook can also show statistics such as low, high and average on each assignment. 
Grade book showing drop box and quizzes.

​Creating Dropbox Assignments, Use Turnitin.com and a Grading Rubric

There is no specific drop box, but instead an item called assignment. It serves the same function and allows the learner to upload required documents or assignments into the Canvas LMS. ​
Creating an Assignment
If you want to assign an assignment, click on + assignment and the above page will  open. Name your assignment and provide a description. Choose how the grade will be recorded and the point value. Determine which category the grade will be housed in. Decide whether you will assign the assignment to the whole class or to specific groups. Provide any date restrictions and save. 
Menu of options for Canvas grade book
Turnitin.com is a third party LTI in Canvas. In the assignment screen shot to the left right below the grades section you will see a choice for submission type. Choose external tool and you can select from the available third party LTI selections or you can enter the web link for one that it not listed. Turnitin.com is not available for the trial version of Canvas, but is clearly available as a third party add on. 
Using Turnitin.com
Creating a rubric in Canvas is very straight forward. Click on the assignment of interest and at the bottom of the screen is the option to create a rubric. You can create a new rubric or you can search for a previously created rubric. You have the option of choosing to write free-form comments for the students or using the rubric exclusively for grading. The rubric form allows the creator to click on +criterion to add as many criteria as needs and to click on + rating to add additional ratings. Points can be easily assigned for each rating.
Creating a Rubric
Create Quiz Questions in a Question Library
To create a question bank in Canvas, first click on quizzes on the left navigation panel. Next click on the gear in the upper left hand corner and an option to manage question banks will appear. Current question banks in the class will be listed. It is also a straight forward process to import question banks from other LMSs. Clicking on the question bank will give the instructor the options of adding a question, editing the question bank details, moving multiple questions, deleting the bank and bookmarking it. The is also the option to create outcomes for learning in Canvas and to align them to the question bank. 
Create Electronic Grades for Quizzes, Create, Modify and Randomize Questions on a Quiz
Creating a quiz in Canvas is very intuitive. Click on quizzes and click on the +quiz in the upper left hand corner of the screen. You will get the screen to the right. Name your quiz and provide instructions to the students. Choose whether you are assigning a quiz or a survey and whether it is graded or ungraded. Choose the assignment group where the quiz will be located. Set whether the answers will be shuffled, whether there is a time limit, whether multiple attempts are allowed, whether students can see the answers and whether the quiz is assigned to the whole class or to a particular group.
Since the quiz questions had already been created in the D2L Brightspace LMS it was a simple process to export all of the questions from the LMS and then import it into the Canvas LMS. The instructor can choose to add all of the questions from the question library or to select individual questions. 
After the quiz options have been determined the next step is to add questions. Canvas provides the option to select from a number of question types. See the screenshot to the left. The instructor also has the option to upload or find questions from another source such as a textbook test bank.
Perform a Quality Check as a Demo Student
In order to do a quality check in Canvas, the instructor needs to go to the Settings tab at the bottom of the navigation button. This will bring up a series of options on the left hand side of the screen. Click on the one labeled student view. The course will now be in student view and the instructor can click around to do a quality check. Once the instructor is done they can click on the leave student view at the bottom of the screen found within the pink border.
8 minute video explaining all of the steps described above.

LMS Weekly Recommendation

1. Change Grade book settings, create Gradebook Categories and Items
The grade book in Canvas was very simple and functional. It was very easy to add assignments and quizzes and to organize them by categories.
2. Create Drop box Assignments, Turnitin and Grading Rubric
Creating Drop box assignments were equally straight forward in both LMSs, Turnitin was actively functional in D2L, but was available in Canvas. Grading rubrics were the same in both.
3. Create Quiz Questions in Question Library
Creating a question library is very easy in Canvas. It seems intuitive and it is clearly labeled. I have been evaluating D2L before Canvas each week so the ease of use may be due to familiarity.
4. Create Electronic Grades for Quizzes
Creating a quiz in Canvas is also much easier than it is in D2L for the same reasons as the quiz library.
5. Do a Quality Check as a Demo Student
Doing a quality check seemed easier with D2L Brightspace. After selecting impersonating a student, the instructor could explore the whole site as a student and then click out of it when they are done.

Recommendation for the week: Canvas

References
Carlson, A. (2014) Atomic learning tutorials Canvas from http://www.atomiclearning.com/highed/canvas-student.

Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric Workbook. 5th ed. MarylandOnline,Inc., 2014. Print.

Richard, B (2014) atomic learning tutorials Desire2Learn 10 instructor training http://www.atomiclearning.com/highed/d2l10_instruct.

Richard, B (2014) atomic learning tutorials Desire2Learn 10 student training http://www.atomiclearning.com/highed/d2l10student.