Below are a number of support resources and training opportunities for using the UCSF Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) provided by the Learning Tech Group.

Search the Knowledge Base

Need a quick answer to your CLE question? It is most likely here in the Learning Tech Knowledge Base.

Attend CLE Basics Training and Tech Clinic

Held bi-monthly at the UCSF Library, attend a Tech Clinic to work with the Learning Tech Group on CLE and multimedia projects. The 90-minute CLE Basics training is held at the start of every Tech Clinic.

Register

Foundations in the CLE

A self-paced online training that includes a basic overview of the CLE, an introduction to the interface, and information about adding activities and resources to your courses.

Self-Enroll

CLE FAQ

Visit the CLE FAQ page for quick answers to frequently asked questions.

Read

CLE Help Videos

We invite you to peek over our shoulders, so to speak, and watch our tips and tricks videos that show you how to perform basic functions in the CLE.

Watch

Visit Moodle.org

Moodle, the learning platform that powers the UCSF CLE, provides useful documentation and guides for Moodle users.

Visit Moodle.org

Contact a Learning Tech Specialist

Still have CLE questions?

Contact Us

CLE Frequently Asked Questions

Follow the instructions below to log in to the CLE and access a list of your courses.

1. Navigate to the UCSF CLE (cle.ucsf.edu) in your web browser.
2. Click the Login button from the top-right corner of the page.
3. Enter your MyAccess credentials.
4. After successfully logging in to the UCSF CLE, you will be directed to your My Home page.
5. From the Navigation block, click on the My Courses link to expand and display all of your CLE courses. Courses that are open to students appear in blue font and are listed first. Courses that are not open to students are listed towards the bottom and appear in grey font.
6. Click a course name and the course page will open.
7. If you do not see a CLE course that you expect to have access to, contact the faculty or course manager to check your enrollment status and course availability.

Want to quickly navigate to current CLE courses? Because CLE courses are rarely deleted, you may accumulate a long list of CLE courses. Learn to Customize the My Home Page to quickly access your current courses.

Watch the video below to learn how to find a CLE course:

This document outlines the basic of the My Home page, including:

1. Customize the My Home Page
2. Configure Course Overview Block
3. Configure the Favorite Courses Block
4. Configure the Recent Courses Block
5. Add/Remove a Block
6. Turn off Customize the My Home Page
7. Additional Help

 1. Customize the My Home Page

Do you want to reorder the courses displayed in the middle of the My Home page? Are there new courses that are hidden below old courses? You will always have access and see courses from previous quarters, but you can personalize the My Home page to quickly access current courses and minimize confusion. Watch a video on Customizing the My Home page.

To begin customizing the My Home page:

1. Login to the CLE.
2. Click the My Home link in the Navigation block, or click the Home icon in the breadcrumb navigation.
3. To begin customizing the page, click the Customize this page button in the top-right corner.
4. You can now follow the instructions below to customize the My Home page based on your preferences (this only effects your My Home page, not other users).

2. Configure the Course Overview Block

The Course Overview block is located in the center of the My Home page and displays a list of all courses in which a user is enrolled/has an assigned role. To configure or move the Course Overview block and content:

1. Choose to increase or decrease the Number of Courses to display from the drop-down menu at the top of the page (you can select “Always show all”).
2. Using the cross-hair icons next to each course, click and drag to reorder to courses to your preference.
3. You may notice a cross-hair icon in the top-right corner of the Course Overview block. This is used to move the entire Course Overview block, which can confusion as it displays best in the middle column. If you did move the Course Overview block to an area other than the middle column, use the cross-hair icon to move the block back to the center column.
4. If you chose to hide courses in the Course Overview, you can see all courses by scrolling to the bottom of the Course Overview block and select Show all courses.

3. Configure the Favorite Courses Block

The Favorite Courses block is another great way to quickly access CLE courses. To configure or move the Favorite block and content:

1. Click Select courses to add courses to the block – no courses will display until you have selected courses.
2. When configuring the Favorite Courses block, you will see every course in the CLE that you have access to. Courses which have been added to your Favorite Courses block will appear at the top of this list, with yellow highlighting; courses which have not been added to your Favorite Courses block will be displayed alphabetically, without highlighting.
3. To add a course to your Favorite Courses block, click the thumbs-down icon next to its name; yellow highlighting will then display behind the course title to indicate that it has been selected. To change the order that selected courses are displayed in, drag and drop using the arrows icon.
4. To remove a course from your favorite courses, click the thumbs-up icon to the right of the course name. A course has been removed from your Favorite Courses block when the course is no longer highlighted.
5. Return to the My Home page by pressing the Click here to return to your course button.

 4. Configure the Recent Courses Block

The Recent Courses block is another great way to quickly access a CLE course. The Recent Courses block has only one setting – a drop-down menu allowing you to choose how many of the courses you have most recently viewed will be displayed. This number can be set to as few as one course, or as many as ten.

After making your selection, click the Save changes button to return to the CLE Home Page.

5. Add/Remove a Block

• If you need to add a block to the My Home page, select the appropriate block from the Add a Block drop-down menu.
• To remove a block from the My Home page, click the gear icon in the block and choose Delete block.

6. Turn off Customize the My Home Page

Click the Stop customizing this page button to turn off customizing. This helps prevent blocks and content from being moved or hidden accidentally.

7. Need Help?

• Click for more information on Block Management in the CLE.
• Contact the Learning Tech Group or stop by CL-240 in the UCSF Library’s Tech Commons.

Watch the video below to see how to customize the My Home page:

Edit CLE Profile

Follow the instructions below to view and edit your CLE profile.

1. Log in to the CLE.
2. To access your profile, click My Profile from the Navigation block and select View profile, or just click your name in the top-right corner when logged in to the CLE.
3. While on the View Profile page, navigate to the Administration block, expand My Profile Settings and click Edit Profile.
4. Edit your profile and remember to click the Update Profile button to save your changes (click on the image below to view full screen).

Coming soon!

TinyMCE HTML Text Editor

Why would you want to use the TinyMCE text editor? Maybe you are accustom to the functionality of this editor and prefer specific workflows for adding content to your course. The TinyMCE editor is a favorite with course designers and those who prefer to have more control over the sizing and placement of images when using the editor.

The TinyMCE text editor is the default text editor in the CLE. Follow the steps below to select your CLE text editor:

1. Log in to the CLE
2. From the Navigation block, click My Profile > View Profile
3. From Administration block, click Edit Profile
4. From the Text editor drop-down, choose TinyMCE HTML editor
5. Click Update Profile button

See the screenshots below highlighting TinyMCE text editor functionality:

1. Keyboard Shortcuts

Use keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste text into the text editor. Using the right-click menu to copy/paste in the text editor is no longer supported by web browsers. Here are keyboard shortcuts that are particularly useful when using the collapsed editor:

2. Expand the Editor

3. Full Screen Window

If you are working with a large amount of text and would prefer to see the window full screen, the Toggle full screen mode button is the one for you.

4. Enlarge Window

5. Formatting Text

6. Undo and Redo

7. Copy and Paste

When you copy and paste something into the CLE, there are a few things to be aware of:

• Copy/Paste from a Website into the CLE: When you highlight text from a website and choose to copy, often times you are copying more than the eye can see. Copying and pasting can carry over some unwanted coding that can have the potential to cause havoc in the CLE. If you copy and paste text from a website, then you should always paste this text into a text editor to strip the text of any additional HTML coding it might have. Keep in mind that to the naked eye, it may appear to be doing absolutely nothing. However, it is getting rid of problematic code. Then, highlight and copy the text from Notepad and paste it into the CLE and format from there.
• Copy/Paste inside of CLE: If you are copying and pasting text from one CLE resource/activity to another, it is important to copy from the edit page and not directly from the CLE course page.
• Copy/Paste from Microsoft Word: If you copy and paste text from a Word document, you can use the Paste from Word button located in the text editor to get rid of the extra HTML coding (see screenshot below).

8. Hyperlink Text

First copy the URL you would like to link to. Next, highlight text in the editor, click the Insert hyperlink button, and the Insert/edit link window will pop up.

Generally, the only settings that you will want to edit are located in the General tab. Paste the Link URL in the appropriate space and change the Target to Open in new window (_blank). This will ensure that the URL will open in a new window and your course participants will remain in the CLE course. Lastly, click the Insert button to close the window.

To insert a link to a file such as a pdf in the text editor, click the Browse button from the Insert/Edit Link pop-up. This is helpful when adding links to documents in CLE Labels, Pages, Books and more. Select how the file should display (e.g. Open in a new window) from the Target drop-down to have the file open in a new window, preventing students from exiting the CLE course.

You can now upload the file you want to link to from your computer or other repository from the file picker.

9. Add an Image

10. Add Bullets and Numbering

11. Justify Text

12. Add a Horizontal Rule

13. Embed Media@UCSF Content

Read more about the Media@UCSF Plug-in.

14. Add a Table

You can insert a table into the document, as well as use the icons highlight below to edit the table, such as editing the table properties, editing the cell properties, adding/deleting rows and columns, and splitting/merging table cells.

15. Add an Anchor

16. Toggle to HTML Mode

17. Special Functions

Use the DragMath Equation Editor to insert complex or specific math equations and symbols into your text. Note: You will need to have JavaScript installed on your machine to use this Editor.

Use the Special Characters button to add in characters from other languages or from mathematical sciences.

Use the Find button, if you want to quickly find a word in your text. Use the Replace button, if you want to quickly have all of the instances of one word changed to a different word, such as a different spelling or spelling out an acronym.

Atto HTML Text Editor

Why would you want to use the Atto editor? Because the Atto editor improves usability and accessibility, and is also mobile-friendly. You can read more about the Atto text editor on the Convergence blog.

The Atto text editor is an alternate text editor in the CLE. Follow the steps below to select your CLE text editor:

1. Log in to the CLE
2. From the Navigation block, click My Profile > View Profile
3. From Administration block, click Edit Profile
4. From the Text editor drop-down, choose Atto HTML editor
5. Click Update Profile button

See the screenshots below highlighting Atto text editor functionality:

1. Mobile-Friendly

The Atto text editor is designed to be mobile-friendly and respond to the device you are using. Try out Atto using your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smart phone and let us know what you think!

2. Add an Image using Drag and Drop (only in Atto)

Add an image to resources and activities by clicking the Image button or just drag and drop an image from your computer into the Atto text editor. The ability to drag and drop images on the front page of a CLE course was a very popular feature when it was released in 2012, and we are excited to see this functionality extended for adding images in the Atto editor. Avoid using Internet Explorer as some functionality may not work with the IE browser, such as drag and drop.

Need to edit an image size or description? Just double click on image to edit image properties.

3. Accessibility Checker (only in Atto)

Check to make sure that your course is accessible for participants using screenreaders with a click of a button. The Accessibility Checker reviews the text entered in the editor and congratulates you when “no accessibility problems found!” If the content is not accessible you will get a warning message and you can then correct the issue(s).

4. Screenreader Help (only in Atto)

Confirm that all links, images, and other media are accessible for course participants using screenreaders.

5. Keyboard Shortcuts

Here are keyboard shortcuts that are particularly useful when using the collapsed editor:

6. Expand the Editor

7. Full Screen Window

If you are working with a lot of text and would prefer to see the window full screen, the Toggle Full Screen button is the one for you.

8. Enlarge Window

9. Formatting Text

10. Undo and Redo

11. Copy and Paste

When you copy and paste something into the CLE, there are a few things to be aware of:

• Copy/Paste from a Website into the CLE: When you copy text from a website such as Gmail, often times you are copying more than the eye can see. Copying and pasting can carry over some unwanted code that can have the potential to cause havoc in a CLE course. If you copy and paste text from a website, then you should always paste this text into a text editor (such as Notepad or TextEdit) to strip the text of any additional HTML coding it might have before pasting into the CLE.

• Copy/Paste inside of CLE: If you are copying and pasting text from one CLE resource/activity to another, it is important to copy from the edit page and not directly from the CLE course page.

Use keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste text into the text editor. Using the right-click menu to copy/paste in the text editor is no longer supported by web browsers.

See information in the screenshot below for using the Clear Formatting button.

12. Hyperlink Text

First copy the URL you would like to link to. Next, click the Insert hyperlink button, and the Insert/edit link window pops up.

From the Create Link window, paste the Link URL in the appropriate space and check Open in a new window. Students will remain in the CLE course and the URL will open in a new window. Lastly, click the Create Link button to save and close the window.

To insert a link to a file such as a pdf in the text editor, click the Browse Repository button from the Create Link window. This is helpful when adding links to documents from CLE Labels, Pages, Books and more. Check the Open in a New Window box to have the file open in a new window, and avoid the student from being directed out of the CLE course.

You can then upload the file you want to link to from your computer or other repository from the file picker.

 13. Add Bullets and Numbering

14. Justify Text

15. Add a Horizontal Rule

16. Embed Media@UCSF Content

Read more about the Media@UCSF Plug-in.

17. Add a Table

You can insert a table into the document, as well as use the icons highlighted below to edit the table, such as editing the table properties, editing the cell properties, adding/deleting rows and columns, and splitting/merging table cells.

18. Toggle to HTML Mode

19. Special Functions

Use the DragMath Equation Editor to insert complex or specific math equations and symbols into your text. Note: You will need to have JavaScript installed on your machine to use this Editor.

Use the Special Characters button to add in characters from other languages or from mathematical sciences.

Course-Based Roles

The following roles are used in CLE courses and see below for detailed role descriptions.

click image to view full screen

Manager

• Managers can access courses and modify them (essentially can do anything)
• Usually do not typically participate in courses
• Only Category Managers can assign the Manager role at the course level
• Managers can “log in as” other users in the courses they manage
• Managers can assign the following roles: Instructor, Content Assistant, Grading Assistant, Student, Participant
• Managers do not receive email notifications from CLE course forums

Instructor

• Instructors can do anything within a course, including adding and modifying the activities and resources, and grading students
• Instructors can assign the following roles: Content Assistant, Grading Assistant, Student, Participant.

Course Assistant

• Can add and modify resources and activities
• Add/edit questions and quizzes
• Add/edit questionnaires
• Edit course settings
• Can grade student work (quizzes, assignments)
• Can access the gradebook
• Can modify blocks
• Course Assistants can assign the following roles: Student, Participant

Content Assistant

• Can add and modify resources and activities
• Add/edit questions and quizzes
• Add/edit questionnaires
• Edit course settings
• Can modify blocks
• Cannot grade quizzes or assignments, or access the gradebook
• Content Assistants can assign the following roles: Student, Participant

Grading Assistant

• Can grade student work (quizzes, assignments)
• Can access the gradebook
• Cannot edit course settings
• Cannot add or modify resources or activities
• Cannot assign editing roles

Student

• Students generally have fewer privileges within a course
• Can access resources and activities
• Cannot modify resources or activities

Participant

• Participants have less privileges than students
• Do not appear in the gradebook
• Cannot access quizzes or assignments
• Can participate in forums (e.g., post, reply)
• Can unenroll themselves from courses (for self-enrolled and manually enrolled courses only)

Guest

• Guests have minimal privileges and cannot enter text anywhere
• Note: This is not a role you assign – you can enable guest access on the Edit settings page for your course (click the Guest Tab on the Enrollment Methods document for instructions)

Collaboration Roles

These roles are used in collaboration spaces (i.e., not regular courses).

Leader

• The Leader of a collaboration space has the highest level of capabilities within a space
• This role is analogous to the Instructor role
• Leaders can assign the following roles: Member

Member

• A Member of a collaboration space has the lower level of capabilities within a space
• This role is analogous to the Student role

Course logs allow instructors to see which resources or activities have been accessed and when. You can check to see if an individual student has viewed a specific resource or participated in a particular activity. You can limit your search to a specific day, or get results for a specified period of time. Logs are particularly helpful to view an individual student’s forum posts over the course of the semester.

To run a Log Report:

1. Go to the Administration block, click Reports, and then Logs.
2. You will see an array of drop-down menus. Choose one or more options to narrow the search:

• Course filter. The default is the current course.
• Group filter. The default is All groups. Pull down the list to select a specific group.
• Participant filter. The default is All participants. Pull down the list to select a particular participant.
• Day filter. The default is All days. Pull down the list to select a specific date.
• Activity filter. The default is All activities. Pull down the list to narrow the filter to one activity.
• Action filter. The default is All actions. Pull down the list to limit the action to Create, View, Update, Delete or All actions.
• Education level. Filters include Teaching,Participating and Other. Selecting Teaching filters results based on actions a teacher might take (e.g. grading a student or creating an activity or resource). Selecting Participating filters results based on actions a student or participant might take (e.g. posting to a course or making a submission to a Moodle Assignment).

3.  Click Get these logs. The page will refresh displaying logs based on your chosen filters.
4.  To download the report as a file, use the Download table data as drop-down menu to select a file type.
5.  Click Download (at the bottom of the report) to download the report file to your computer.

Log Report Example

Live logs

Displays a log of activity over the past hour.

Activity reports generates a simple unfiltered report showing all activity in the course that you can sort by column header.

1. On your course page, in the Administration block,
2. click Reports and then Activity report.
3. A new page will open listing course activities.
   • Items are listed in order of appearance in the course sections.
   • The Activity column shows the icon for the activity type and the name of the activity.
   • The Views column tells how many times each item has been viewed.
   • The Last access column tells the date the item was last viewed, and elapsed time since it was last viewed.

Activity Report Example

A Course participation report provides an easy way to monitor general participation in your course, and is particularly useful for monitoring activity in forums. You can see if students have viewed readings or forums, and if (and how many times) they have posted in the forum or activity.

1. From the Administration block, click Reports and then Course participation. A new page will open showing an array of drop-down menus.
2. Choose your options from the drop-down menus:
   • • Activity module – Select the Activity type on which you wish to report (e.g., Chat, Forum, Quiz, etc.).
       Note: only the activity and resource types used in the course will be listed in this drop-down menu.
     • Look back – Select the period on which you wish to report (you can only go back to the number of days when the first activity occurred).
     • Show only – Choose what course role to filter by.
     • Show actions – Choose whether to report on Views, Posts, or both (All Actions).
     • Groups – Choose which groups to filter by.
3. Once you have entered values for the above parameters, click Go. Users matching the criteria you selected will be listed in a table sorted by Name. Under All actions you can see whether (and how many times) they have completed the action.

Course Participation Report Example

Activity completion generates a list of all participants and displays whether they have completed activities.

Note: Activity Completion reports are only available:

• if the Enable completion tracking is set to Yes in your course (in the Settings block under Course Administration > Edit) and your course contains activities.
• and if Activities have Completion tracking enabled (on the activity’s Settings page).

Activity Completion Report Example

To access the CLE course settings, locate the Administration block in the course and click the Edit Settings link.

CLE Course Settings are organized in the following sections:

• General: Course name, category, availability to student, etc.
• Description: Information displayed when searching for a course in the CLE
• Course Format: How the course is organized and displays to students
• Appearance: Language preferences and configure what students see in the course
• Files and Uploads: Set maximum upload size for course
• Completion Tracking: Turn completion tracking on at the course level to apply activity completion to activities and resources in the course
• Guest Access: Allow guests to access course content, without being enrolled in the course
• Groups: Set a default Group Mode for all activities
• Role Renaming: Change the role names in a course

Want to see all the sections on the Edit Setting page expanded so you do not miss something? Click the Expand All link in the top-right of the Edit Settings page to quickly expand all sections.

See below for more information on each course setting:

General

Description

Course Format

Appearance

Files and Uploads

Completion Tracking

Guest Access

Groups

Role Renaming

Watch the video below to see how to add edit CLE course Settings:

Student Information System (SIS) Enrollment

SIS enrollment provides a simple way for student enrollment to be automatically synchronized between the UCSF Registrar’s office and a CLE course. SIS is the preferred enrollment method for academic courses where students register by filing a study list. SIS enrollment cannot be configured for collaboration or non-academic spaces. SIS enrollment is setup by Category Managers. If your course does not have a Category Manager or you don’t know who your Category Manager is, please contact Learning Tech Support.

SIS enrollment instructions:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to set up SIS enrollment.
3. Go to Administration block > Users > Enrollment methods
4. Select UCSF Student Information System enrollments from Add methods (screenshot)
5. Select the term/quarter then choose the subject and the course (screenshot)
6. Select the role that these news users should have (mostly likely the Student role)
7. Click the Add method button.

After SIS Enrollment has been configured, students will automatically be added to the CLE course. Every hour, the CLE synchronizes with the Registrar’s Office. At that time, any students who have been added to the course through the Registrar’s office will automatically be placed in the CLE course, and any students who have been dropped from the course through the Registrar’s office will be removed from the CLE course.

Users who are enrolled with the SIS enrollment method cannot be manually removed from the CLE course. Instead, the student must update their study list through the Registrar’s Office, and then the CLE will reflect that change automatically within the hour.

Suspended users:

When a student drops a course, or is otherwise un-enrolled via the Registrar’s Office, they are not completely removed from the corresponding CLE course(s). Instead, their enrollment status is tagged as “suspended.” The student loses access to the course, but course editors can still view that student’s grade history.

To view suspended users in a course:

• To view suspended students on the Grader report page of the gradebook, you must first change the following setting:
  1. In the Administration block, click Grades. 
  2. Click My Preferences tab. (screenshot)
  3. Scroll down to General group, then set Show only active enrollments to No. (screenshot)

• To view suspended students on the Enrolled users page, filter the page accordingly:
  1. From the Administration block, click Users and then Enrolled Users. (screenshot)
  2. From the Status filter, select All or Inactive. (screenshot)
  3. Click Filter.

Manual Enrollment

Another way to add users to a CLE course is using manual enrollment. Manual enrollment is commonly used to provide faculty and/or staff members with editing access to academic courses, and to provide access to leaders and members of collaboration spaces. It is not frequently used for student enrollment in academic courses, as SIS enrollment is the preferred enrollment method for academic courses.

To manually enroll a user in a CLE course:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to enroll users.
3. From the Administration block, click Users and then Enrolled Users.
4. On the Enrolled Users page, click the Enroll users button in the top-right of the page.
5. On the Enroll users pop-up window, first select the role you would like to assign to the user from the Assign role drop-down menu. Click to learn more about CLE Roles.
6. Type the person’s first and last name or email address into the Search box and click Search.
7. Find the user you want to enroll in the list that appears, and click the Enroll button next to their name.
8. To manually enroll more users, repeat these steps again, once for each person you want to manually enroll.
9. When you are finished manually enrolling users, click the Finish enrolling users button to save the enrollment changes and return to the Enroll users page.

Watch the short video below showing the manual enrollment process in a CLE course.

Self Enrollment

Enabling self enrollment in a course allows users who are logged into the CLE with a UCSF MyAccess account to enroll in a course without the intervention of an Instructor or Manager. If you enable self enrollment in a course, you may also choose to set an enrollment key (i.e. a password) that must be entered before self enrolling in the course.

When a student or participant first visits a CLE course with self enrollment configured, they will see the name of the course, the instructor and an Enroll me button. Clicking the Enroll me button will automatically add the student to the course based on how the Self Enrollment has been configured (see information below).

This method is frequently used for collaboration spaces, and for academic courses where students need access to course materials before they have officially enrolled via the Registrar’s office. By default, self enrollment is disabled in CLE courses.

To enable self enrollment in a CLE course:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Navigate to your course and find the Administration block.
3. Under Course administration, click Users link to expand and then click Enrollment methods.
4. Next, click the Edit icon (gear symbol) to configure self enrollment settings for the course.
5. From the Self Enrollment page, configure enrollment settings (click images to enlarge).
6. After configuring the self enrollment settings, make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save changes.
7. On the Enrollment methods page, click the Enable icon in the Self Enrollment row. The link will change from grey to black, indicating self enrollment has been enabled.

Guest Access

Instructors and Managers who wish to make their CLE course available to users who are NOT currently logged in to the CLE with a MyAccess account can enable Guest Access.

Guest Access allows public guests to view your course/space in a very limited way. Guest Access is disabled by default in CLE courses. If you do not wish to allow Guest Access, you do not need to take any action.

A guest is anyone who is not currently logged into the CLE with a MyAccess account. This includes members of the general public who do not have MyAccess accounts, as well as UCSF faculty, staff, or students who do have MyAccess accounts but are not currently logged in.

* Please note you may also request a Guest MyAccess account for guests that are not affiliated with UCSF, which will allow them to access the CLE. Guest MyAccess accounts are fee based and can be requested through the account sponsor in your department. If you are not sure who your account sponsor is, please email your request to iam-admin@ucsf.edu or call the IT Service Desk at 415-514-4100.

Guests CAN:

• See the front page of your course/space
• Read wikis and Forum postings
• View all documents, links, and calendar postings (unless restricted by Groupings)

Guests CANNOT:

• View user profiles
• Receive email from the CLE
• Submit assignments, forum posts, take quizzes or otherwise participate in activities

What should I consider before turning on Guest Access?

• If you enable Guest Access, consider placing a notification on the front page of your course and/or in your forum descriptions.
• Guest Access may be enabled or disabled by the Instructor/manager at any time.
• Enabling Guest Access without an enrollment key may allow your course materials to appear in internet searches.
• Be careful about enabling Guest Access in courses/spaces that contain copyrighted content, private student information, or other protected materials. Providing unrestricted access in these cases may make you, the instructor, liable for copyright infringement or other legal claims.
• Under no circumstances should PHI, or any information that could lead to the identification of a patient/client, be uploaded or posted in the CLE.

To enable Guest Access in a course:

1. Log in to the CLE.
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to enable guest access.
3. From the Administration block, click the Edit Settings link.
4. On the Edit Settings page, scroll down to the Guest Access section.
5. Set the Allow guest access drop-down menu to Yes. This opens the course to members of the general public (i.e. those who are not logged in).
6. Optionally, you can enter a password, and only those members of the general public who have been given the password will be able to access your course materials. Note passwords are case-sensitive.
   
7. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page when you are finished.

Cohort Enrollment

What Are Cohorts?

Cohorts are a collection of users, or a group, that are created and maintained at the category level. These cohorts can be enrolled in any number of courses within that category. This makes bulk-enrollment easy, especially if you’re trying to enroll (for example) the entire SOM Class of 2017 into multiple courses.
It should be noted that SIS enrollment should always be your first choice for enrollment, and that cohorts or other methods are only used when SIS cannot work (non-academic courses, collaborative spaces, etc). Only users with the Category Manager and Cohort Manager role can manage cohorts.

Note: Cohort enrollment replaces the old CSV enrollment process, which is no longer available.

Creating a Cohort

1. Navigate to the top-level of your group’s Category in the CLE (i.e. Courses > School of Dentistry).
2. Click Cohorts from the Administration block. (screenshot)
3. Click the Add button. (screenshot)
4. Name the cohort and the click the Save changes button. (screenshot)
5. In the Edit column, click the people icon to proceed to Assign cohort members page.  (screenshot)
6. Using the Potential users group (right side), Search for the participants and then click the Add button to include them in the cohort. (screenshot)
7. If you need to remove a user, select them from the Current users group (left side), and then click the Remove button.
8. Click the Back to cohorts button to finish.

Enrolling a Cohort in a Course (Syncing)

This method will enroll all users from the cohort into a CLE course, and keep them in sync.

1. Navigate to the home page of a CLE course.
2. Go to Administration block > User > Enrollment Methods (screenshot)
3. Custom instance name can be left blank if you don’t need to name this specific enrollment instance.
4. Select Cohort Sync from Add Method menu (screenshot)
5. From the Cohort menu, select your cohort (the cohort must have already been created on your category page).
6. Select from the Assign role menu (typically Student).
7. Click Add method to enroll the cohort. (screenshot)

Note: To remove a user from a course that was enrolled with a cohort, you must edit the cohort at the category level. You cannot manually remove them inside the course. Thus, cohort sync is an all-or-nothing proposition. Meaning, if you enroll a cohort in more than one course, and then edit that cohort, that change will appear in all of the courses automatically.

Enrolling a Cohort in a Course (without Syncing)

This method will enroll users from a cohort into a CLE course, but no sync will be created or maintained with the original cohort. Therefore, updates to the cohort at the category level will not affect enrollment in the current course, and enrolled users can be added or removed manually on the course’s Enrolled users page.

1. Navigate to the home page of a CLE course.
2. Go to Administration block > User > Enrolled Users (screenshot).
3. Click Enroll cohort.
4. Select Enroll users. (screenshot)
5. Click Finish enrolling users to complete enrollment.

Below is an overview of the six different formats that can be applied to a CLE course.

Click on the images to view full-screen or click the tabs above to read more about course formats.

Topics Course Format

The course is organized in to topic sections and the instructor can edit individual topic names. Each topic section contains activities and resources.

Use Case

This is a great format to use if your course is objective based and each objective may take different amounts of time to complete, such as an asynchronous course. An example of this would be when using scaffolding, where students are building upon the knowledge from earlier topics.

To use the Topics course format:

1. While in the CLE course, navigate to the Administration block and click Edit Settings
2. Scroll down and expand the Course Format section
3. From the Format drop down menu, select Topics Format
   
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Changes button

The Topics course format will now be used in the course.

Show Only One Section Per Page

With the Weekly and Topics formats it is possible to show only one topic per page. The course home page shows just the section names and any text in the section description along with the number of activities and resources inside of the section, with the names being click-able. This is what students see the first time they access the course. Once the students have selected a topic by clicking on its name, they then see only one section at a time.

There is a Jump to… menu at the bottom of each single section page for navigation. Students can also use the Navigation block to access course topics.

Use Case

This is great to use for courses with a large amount of content, where students are expected to work in only one topic at any given time.

To enable one topic per page in a course:

1. While in the course, navigate to the Administration block > Course administration > Edit settings > Course Format > Course Layout and select Show one section per page.
2. Click the Save Changes button.
3. If editing is turned ON in the course, then only those with an editing role will see all the content in all the sections while on the main course page. To view the course from the student perspective, make sure to turn editing OFF in your course, navigate to the Administration block > Switch role to > Student.
4. Remember to click Return to my normal role from the Administration block or top-right corner of the course when you are done.

Weekly Course Format

The course is organized week by week, with a clear start date and finish date. The CLE will create a section for each week of your course depending on the number of sections selected on the Edit Settings page.

Use Case

If you want all students to work on the same materials at the same time, this is a good format to choose. Many academic courses use the Weekly course format.

NOTE: Make sure your course start date is entered in Edit Settings > Course Start Date. If a start date is not entered, the weeks will use the incorrect dates. This is especially important if you have imported content in to a course to use for a new quarter.

To use the Weekly course format:

1. While in the CLE course, navigate to the Administration block and click Edit Settings
2. Scroll down and expand the Course Format section
3. From the Format drop down menu, select Weekly Format
   
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Changes button

The Weekly course format will now be used in the course.

Show Only One Section Per Page

With the Weekly and Topics formats it is possible to show only one topic per page. The course home page shows just the section dates and any text in the section description along with the number of activities and resources inside of the section, with the names being click-able. This is what students see the first time they access the course. Once students have selected a week by clicking on its name, they then see one week at a time.

There is a Jump to… menu at the bottom of each single section page for navigation. Students can also use the Navigation block to access course topics.

Use Case

This is great to use for courses with a large amount of content, where students are expected to work in only one week at any given time.

To enable one week per page in a course:

1. While in the course, navigate to the Administration block > Course administration > Edit settings > Course Format > Course Layout and select Show one section per page.
2. Click the Save Changes button.
3. If editing is turned ON in the course, then only those with an editing role will see all the content in all the sections while on the main course page. To view the course from the student perspective, make sure to turn editing OFF in your course, navigate to the Administration block > Switch role to > Student.
4. Remember to click Return to my normal role from the Administration block or top-right corner of the course when you are done.

Collapsed Topics Course Format

Streamline the look of your CLE course! The Collapsed Topics format helps to organize your course to eliminate the scroll of death. The course format allows students to keep course content tucked away within sections. Topics can be expanded and collapsed with a single click and the state of the toggles is remembered on a per course per user basis.

Use Case

The Collapsed Topics course format is one of the newest course formats in the CLE. It is great for both academic or collaboration courses with a large number of resources and activities.

To use the Collapsed Topics course format:

1. While in the CLE course, navigate to the Administration block and click Edit Settings
2. Scroll down and expand the Course Format section
3. From the Format drop down menu, select Collapsed Topics
4. Configure Collapsed Topics settings to meet your course needs
5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Changes button

The Collapsed Topics course format will now be used in the course.

Other Course Formats

Flexible Sections Course Format

This powerful course format was designed to help organize large amounts of activities and resources. Using Flexible Sections gives your course topics a hierarchical and flexible structure. Now you have the ability to create sections within your topics that allow you to organize your content into subsections. Sections can be collapsed or expanded to provide a more streamlined course home page.

Use Case

The Flexible Sections course format is great for department or collaboration pages used as a hub for resources.

This course format looks very similar to Topics format except:

• Sections can also be added inside another section
• Each section (regardless of its nesting level) can be shown expanded or collapsed
• If a section is displayed collapsed, it’s name is displayed as a link to the separate page and on this separate page the link Back to … is displayed
• If teacher hides a section all nested sections and activities become hidden as wel
• If section has both activities and subsections activities are displayed first.

To use the Flexible Sections course format:

1. While in the CLE course, navigate to the Administration block and click Edit Settings
2. Scroll down and expand the Course Format section
3. From the Format drop down menu, select Flexible Sections Format
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Changes button

The Flexible Sections course format will now be used in the course.

Social Course Format

This course format is focused around one main forum, the social forum, which appears listed on the main page.

Use Case

Great course format for student groups, organizations and department collaboration. It is useful for situations that are more free form and may not even be courses.

To use the Social course format:

1. While in the CLE course, navigate to the Administration block and click Edit Settings
2. Scroll down and expand the Course Format section
3. From the Format drop down menu, select Social Format
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Changes button

The Social course format will now be used in the course.

The course forum can be edited by clicking the Update this forum button on the social forum page. The forum introduction is displayed at the top of the course page. Activities and resources can be added to the side of the course utilizing the Social activities block.

Single Activity Course Format

The Single Activity course format only has one section and allows the instructor to add only one activity to the course. When the single activity format is selected, a drop down menu appears for the instructor to choose the activity to use in the course. Students are taken directly to this activity upon entering the course.

Use Case

Where the focus of a course is on a single activity, such as a Forum or Quiz.

To use the Single Activity course format:

1. While in the CLE course, navigate to the Administration block and click Edit Settings
2. Scroll down and expand the Course Format section
3. From the Format drop down menu, select Single Activity Format
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save Changes button

The Single Activity course format will now be used in the course.

The Single Activity course format displays additional resources and activities as “orphaned” and for instructors only; while the Social format displays additional activities and resources in an activities block and are available to students.

Follow the instructions below to import, or “roll over” content from one CLE course to another:

1. Navigate to the new CLE course you want to import content into.
2. From the Administration block, click Import.
3. Search for and select the course you wish to copy content from (use a simple search, like the course short name), select the radio button next to the course name, and then click Continue.
4. Check the boxes next to the type of content you wish to copy (you can leave all boxes checked, though filters are rarely used in CLE courses) and click Next.
5. Check/un-check boxes next to the specific activities and resources you want to import – just leave all boxes checked if you are importing the whole course. Click Next when done.
6. Follow the continue/next prompts, and that’s it! You will see the progress of the course import and this can take a few moments, depending on the size of the course. You should see the “Import complete” message when the process is done.
7. Click Continue to return to the course.

Coming soon!

On the grader report you will see a grid containing a row for each enrolled student, and a column for each grade item, as well as columns displaying category point totals. The tabs across the top of the report represent other functional areas of the gradebook, used for setting up the gradebook, and adjusting gradebook settings.

• View / Grader report – Display of all students and grade items, including calculated totals.
• Categories and items – Manage categories, calculation methods, and add manual grade items here.
• Scales – Setup and manage scales, such as Pass/Fail/Incomplete or 5-star scale (more info on scales can be found here).
• Outcomes – A sub-set of grades, outcomes are used to assess specific levels of knowledge that are linked to specific learning goals established by the instructor, and often displayed as a series of statements. This is an advanced gradebook function.
• Letters – Edit letter grades assignments. For example, set 90% to as an A, and 80% and above as a B.
• Import – Merge the data from an external spreadsheet into the course gradebook.
• Export – Export data from the course gradebook into a format that can be read by external applications, such as Microsoft Excel.
• Settings – Control how the gradebook appears to all participants in the course.
• My preferences – Control how the gradebook appears to you only. Settings here apply to all gradebooks that you have access to in the CLE.

You will spend much of your course setup time creating the activities that students will interact with on the course home page. You may also need to add manual grade items to fill in certain gaps, for those items that don’t have an online component. It is very important to understand the difference between activities and manual grade items, because they are added to the gradebook, and graded, in different ways.

Adding manual grade items

1. Open the grader report and click the Categories and items tab.
2. Click the Add grade item button.
3. Name the item.
4. Set the total point value for this item in the Maximum grade box.
5. Select a category from the Grade category drop-down menu.
6. Click the Save changes button.
7. Repeat this process for each manual grade item in the course.

Adding activity-based grade items

1. Navigate to the course home page.
2. Click the Turn Editing On button (top right of page).
3. Click the Add an activity or resource link from within a topic area.
4. Choose an activity from the list provided. (Resources are not associated with the gradebook.)
5. Click the Add button.
6. You will be taken to the Adding a new…. page, which is different for each type of activity. Provide a name and description for the activity.
7. Set up the grading values and select the containing category from the gradebook.
8. Each activity has a unique setup process! Refer to other articles in this knowledgebase, or contact us for assistance.
9. Click the Save and display button.
10. Repeat this process for each activity-based grade item in the course.

After you have populated your course home page with activities and resources, and you have added any necessary manual grade items to the gradebook, you are ready to use the Categories and items page to setup categories and aggregations methods. Categories are folders in the gradebook that help you visually organize your grade items. They can also have a functional purpose, allowing you to group grade items for certain grade calculations.

For example, if you want to weight all of the course’s assignments to be 40% of a student’s grade, and all of the exams to be 60%, you’ll want to group those grades items into two separate categories, respectively, and then apply the weighting.

Aggregation methods are the calculations used to determine student grade totals. Aggregation methods can be set for the entire gradebook, and for each sub-category.

• Mean of grades – The sum of all grades, divided by the total number of grades. Or, in simple terms, the average of all grades.
• Weighted mean of grades – Categories and individual grade items can be assigned a weight value, which determines their overall influence on the final grade.
• Simple weighted mean of grades – A way to convert a points-based gradebook into a percentage-based gradebook, this method calculates the weight for you as the max grade minus the minimum grade. Or, in simple terms, this method allows you to edit the category totals field (often used to change total from a random sum of points, to an even 100).
• Median of grades – The middle grade when grades are arranged in order of size.
• Lowest grade – Only the lowest grade is used.
• Highest grade – Only the highest grade is used.
• Mode of grades – The grade that occurs the most frequently.
• Sum of grades – A simple sum of all grade values.

Setting up categories:

1. In the gradebook, click the Categories and items tab.
2. Click the Add category button.
3. Name the category.
4. Click the Save changes button.
5. To position the category, click the move icon (two up/down arrows) from the Actions column.
6. Then, click the empty box that represents the location that you want to move the selected category to.

Moving grade items into the categories:

1. In the Select column, check the boxes to select the grade items.
2. You can also use the All or None links to select or deselect all items in one location.
3. From the Move selected items to drop-down menu, select a category.

Setting aggregation methods:

1. Click the Aggregation drop-down menu on the first row of the table, and select a method.
2. Select an aggregation method for each sub-category, as well.

Note: There are additional options available in the Actions column for each category and grade item. This includes the ability to hide, lock and access a settings page for each item. More details are provided on page 7 of the gradebook handout.

There are two pages in the gradebook module that allow you to adjust the gradebook display; Settings, and My preferences. Settings and preferences do not affect how grades are calculated. Just remember to click the Save changes button anytime you make a change to a default setting.

Settings tab notes:

• Changes affect all course participants’ view of the gradebook, including course editors and students.
• General and Grade item settings affect the overall gradebook. Overview report settings affect the grader report that course editors see. User report settings affect the report that students see.
• Grade display type  – Choose the format of the grade totals. For example A/B/C (letter), points, or a percentage.
• Overall decimal points – Set how many decimal points display on the grader report. Does not affect calculations, which use up to 5 decimal points.
• Hide totals if they contain hidden items – Hides category totals from students, if a grade item within that category is hidden. This prevents students from figuring out what grade they may have received on a hidden item, before course editors release it to the class.

My preferences tab notes:

• Changes affect only your view of the gradebook. Also note that preferences apply to all of your course gradebooks across the CLE.
• Show show/hide icons – Visible by default, the show/hide icon (look like an eyeball) allow a course editor to show or hide an entire grade item from all students’ user reports.
• Show locks – One handy feature of the gradebook is the ability to lock a grade item, preventing it from being updated manually or by the activity it’s contained within. Locks are hidden by default.
• Show quick feedback – Adds a feedback box to the grader report, allowing a course editor to quickly add a short comment for the student about a specific grade item.
• Students per page – Tired of all the vertical scrolling? Lessen the number of students per page on the grader report. 15 is a good number to try!

__Not sure what a setting or preference does, exactly? Click its adjacent help icon!

Some activities, like assignments, allow instructors to provide detailed feedback to students within the activity, as their work is being reviewed and scored. For the activities and grade items that do not have this functionality, feedback can be provided from within the gradebook module.

Feedback that is provided to students from within the gradebook is visible to students on their User report (click on the User Report tab above for more info).

Edit Grade Feedback:

1. From the Administration block, click Grades.
2. Click the Turn editing on button.
3. Click the settings icon next to the grade item you wish to comment on.
4. On the Edit grade page, enter your comments in the Feedback text field.
5. Click the Save changes button.

Quick Feedback:

If you only need to type a few words of feedback, you can type directly into the grader report. This is called “quick feedback,” but by default the quick feedback boxes are not visible on the grader report. To use this feature:

1. From the Administration block, click Grades.
2. Click the My Preferences tab.
3. From the General group, set the Show quick feedback drop-down menu to Yes.
4. Click the Save changes button.
5. On the Grader report, click the Turning editing on button.
6. You will see small, dotted-lined boxes appear in each grade item cell. Type your feedback there.
7. Click the Update button.

Note: Feedback provided from within the gradebook should be kept short and sweet. The students only see this text on their User report, where it is condensed into a small box next to the grade item (see below). More elaborate feedback should be provided to students in other forms, such as email, or in-person.

Navigating the grader report can be challenging. Here a few tips to help you move around more efficiently in the grid:

Side scrolling devices: Often there is need to scroll up and down in the gradebook, and also sideways, to view specific student’s grade items. A mouse with a dual-scrolling wheel, or a laptop with a touch pad can allow you to scroll both ways, without having to click and drag on the scroll bars!

Tool tips: Do you ever scroll back and forth in the grader report so much so, that you lose your place? It happens to all of us? A simple tip to reorient yourself is simply to pause, and hover your mouse over a cell in the grid. After a short delay, a small tool tip box will appear, telling you exactly which column and row you are in!

Highlighting columns and rows: If you click the empty space within a column header (grade item title) or row header (student name), the entire column or row will become highlighted with color. This is a great way to keep your place, visually, as you scroll around in the grading grid.

Sorting and filtering: Within each column header you will see small, blue, up/down arrow icons. Clicking an arrow will sort the grading report in ascending or descending order by that column. For example, you could sort the lowest course totals scores to the top to see which students are potentially failing the course.

Clicking the First name or Last name text links in the first column, to sort by student’s names.

Clicking a letter from the First name: and Last name: rows above the grading grading will filter out all students except those who’s names start with the letter you clicked. For example, to only see students who’s last names start with M, click the M link under Last Name:. To refresh the view, click the All link.

Users per page: If you have a large class and/or a small computer screen, you may find yourself scrolling up and down the grader report quite a bit. This is a pain! Newer versions of the Moodle gradebook promise a streamlined interface. But for now, there is something you can do – change the number of students per page.

1. Open the My preferences tab within the gradebook.
2. Change the General > Students per page setting to something like 12, or 15.
3. Click the Save changes button.

Group view:

If the course contains groups, you can filter the grader report by group, to reduce the number of students visible at one time. This is a useful feature in large courses that have multiple instructors, when each instructor is only responsible for grading their sub-group of students.

This group select menu will only appear if groups are already setup in the course. This is a two-step process. First, you must select a Group mode on the course’s main Edit settings page, and then create the actual groups and assign students to those groups (Administration block > Course administration > Users > Groups). For more information on groups and groups, refer to this document.

Once that is complete, you will see a groups drop-down menu appear at the top of the grader report. Select a group from that menu to apply the filter.

One of the most useful and yet unknown areas of the gradebook is the User report. Ever wonder what students see when they look at their grades in the CLE? Well, this is it! You can view a generic User report, or one for a specific student.

Simply select User report from the drop-down menu on the grader report. You will see the generic report. To drill-down into a specific student’s report, select their name from the Select all or one user drop-down menu.

Grades link moved to Navigation block

Previously, the “Grades” link was found in the Administration Block. This link has been moved to the Navigation block. This change cleans up the interface for students, who will no longer see the Admin block on the course home page. When a student clicks this link, they’ll be taken to a page displaying their personal User Report and earned grades. When an instructor clicks this link, they’ll be taken to the Grader Report page, displaying all student grades.

Note: There is a new user menu in the top-right corner of the CLE interface, and within that menu is a second “Grades” link. This link takes the user to a page displaying all of the courses they are enrolled in, their total grade for each, and provides links to each course’s User Report for more details.

Gradebook Setup link added to Administration block

The Categories and Items area in the gradebook has been updated (see the Aggregation Methods tab for details), and it has a new, more concise name: Gradebook Setup. Furthermore, you can now jump directly to this Gradebook Setup page from your course home page by clicking its link in the Administration block.

Scrolling is easier in Grader Report

In the past, one of biggest challenges of working with the gradebook was simply scrolling through the Grader Report. It was clunky, for sure! The scrolling mechanics have now been completely overhauled. Row and column headers remain visible at all times, and the process of scrolling vertically and horizontally is smooth and seamless.

Single View (pencil icons in grader report)

This is a new feature that allows graders to completely isolate a single column or row in the Grader Report, and allowing the grader to focus on one piece a time. This allows graders to see all students scores for one particular grade item on a single page, or view one student’s scores for all assignments.

Just look for the new pencil icons located in column and row header cells of the Grader Report. Click one and give it a try!

Sum of Grades replaced by Natural Grading

There is a new aggregation method in the gradebook called Natural grading. It incorporates the functionality of a number of other grading methods, and may eventually replace them. As of the July 1, 2017 update, all existing aggregation methods are still available, with the exception of Sum of Grades. The first time a course editor opens a gradebook that had used the Sum of Grades aggregation method, they will see a message indicating that the gradebook is automatically recalculating grades. Don’t worry, though, student scores will remain unchanged!

Here are a few additional notes about this change:

• After the recalculation, you’ll notice a new Weights column in the setup area of the gradebook. The weights will be greyed out by default, and will not affect grade calculations unless you check the adjacent boxes to activate weighting.
• “Drop the lowest” and “Keep the highest” functionality is retained.
• The User Report main contain an additional column labeled “Calculated Weight,” which could confuse students if you aren’t using weights in your gradebook. We recommend reviewing the user report, and then if necessary, hide this column from students in the Setup > Course Grade Settings > User Report options area.

Using Natural Grading:

You are welcome (and encouraged) to use the new Natural aggregation method if you are starting a new course, because it provides functionality for both “sum” and “weighted” grading schemes. This allows academic programs to standardize and simplify grading methods across their curriculum, as well as making it easier for support staff to troubleshoot. Here is the basic idea:

1. From Admin block, click “Gradebook setup.”
2. From the Actions column, click the top-most Edit link, and choose “Edit settings.”
3. From the Aggregation drop-down menu, choose Natural.
4. Optional: Click the “Show more…” link to access additional settings, including the option to “Exclude empty grades” (basically, this setting tells the gradebook to ignore empty cells in the gradebook, instead of counting them as zeros and lowering student overall course totals).
5. Click the Save Changes button.
6. At this point, your gradebook is just adding everything up. If you want to change the weight of certain grade items, click the corresponding box in the Weights column, and provide a weight value.
7. If necessary, you may also click the “Add category” button to create new sub-sections for your gradebook, which can utilize other grading methods and rules.

For additional basic information on setting up a gradebook, check out our original Grades help document.

IMPORTANT Recommendations:

• We do not recommend changing an active gradebook to the Natural aggregation method from Weighted Mean of grades. Doing so will reset all weight values, and there is no undo button. Furthermore, the Weighted method allows you to edit the category total field, but the Natural method does not. This means, if you were using Weighted Mean of Grades and had also edited category totals, changing to Natural grading will cause student grades to calculate incorrectly!
• If your gradebook fits any of these criteria, we recommend that you review grades for accuracy after the update:
  • the gradebook is very complex
  • the gradebook uses a combination of grading methods that included Sum of Grades and Weighted Mean of Grades methods
  • the gradebook uses extra credit

And finally, if you have any questions, please contact us for assistance BEFORE making changes to your gradebook!

Grade History

There is a new report in the gradebook that allows graders to quickly see details about particular student grades, including who the grader was, when they updated the grade, and if the grades are locked or overridden. If there are any issues with a student’s grades, and especially if there are multiple graders working on the course, this report can help to clear up confusion.

1. Click Gradebook Setup from the Administration block.
2. Click the View tab.
3. Click the Grade history tab.
4. If necessary, you can adjust the filters, then click the Submit button to run the report. You can filter by student, grader, grade item, date graded, and whether or not the grade was changed after it was initially awarded.
5. Optional: To download the report and open it with Excel, select Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) from the drop-down menu provided, then click Download.

Import via Paste from Spreadsheet

If your courses uses a complex grading scheme, or if it incorporates offline elements, you may need to manage grades in Excel, and then import scores into the CLE gradebook later, for student viewing. In the past, this process was rather complex and unforgiving, and involved the conversion of Excel files into .csv files. You still need to adhere to the same rules for syncing grades between Excel and the CLE (using the “ID number” field), but with this new “Paste from Spreadsheet” feature, the import process is greatly simplified!

If you are new to importing/exporting grades, review the general process on page 11 of this gradebook handout. It’s best to start by exporting the gradebook after students are enrolled, because that will generated the structure for you, including student names, grade items, and the all-important ID number field to match things up during import. When you’re ready to import, follow the steps below:

1. In Excel, hide or delete all columns in your spreadsheet except for the “ID number” column, and the column(s) that represents the grade item(s) you wish to import.
2. Highlight and then copy those columns (right-click or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd/Ctrl-C).
3. Open the gradebook in your CLE course.
4. Click the Import tab, and then the “Paste from spreadsheet” sub-tab.
5. Click into the Data box, and paste (right-click, or user the keyboard shortcut Cmd/Ctrl-V).
6. Click the Upload Grades button.

If you receive an error message, make sure that your column headers in the spreadsheet match EXACTLY with the grade item names in the CLE gradebook, including the first column, which should be “ID number.” If you get stuck, just drop us a line and we’re happy to help troubleshoot.

Individuals must be part of a Group before they can be assigned to a Grouping. The graphic below will explain a few different ways to use Groups and Groupings.

A Grouping can be used on two levels:

• Course level – The Group mode defined at the course level is the default mode for all activities within the course. To use Groups you need first to set a Group mode in the Administration block > Course administration > Edit settings.
• Activity level – Each activity that supports Groups can also have its own Group mode defined. If the course setting Force Group mode is set to Yes then the option to define the Group mode for individual activities is not available. If it is set to No, then the teacher may change the Group mode.

Use cases for Groupings:

• Divide students into separate Groups or cohorts
• Create Groupings and change the amounts of students in Groups depending on the activities.
• Assign a specific activity to a Grouping, such as an extra credit activity or quiz to a certain subset of students.

Example for using a Grouping

Use Groupings when you have multiple cohorts using the same CLE course. For example, if you have a single course with two cohorts that will receive either 1 or 2 units of credit. The activities and resources are mostly the same and will be used by both Groups. However, the students that are taking the course for 2 units will complete higher level activities that will be worth a different amount of points.  Groupings would allow you to keep both cohorts in one course and direct activities to a specific cohort so that each Group only views course work relevant to them.

Add Groups to a Grouping

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to add a Group.
3. From the Administration block under Course administration, click Users, then Groups. The Groups page will open.
   
4. Click the Groupings tab.
5. Create a new Grouping by clicking the Create Grouping button.
   
6. Add a Grouping name and an optional description. Click save changes, the Groupings page will open.
   
7. Click the Show Groups in Grouping people icon in the edit column.
   
8. Select the Group(s) you want to add to the Grouping from the Potential members list.
9. Click the arrow button that points towards the Existing members list.
10. Click the Back to Groupings button – Group(s) you added to the grouping will now be listed in the table on the Groupings page.
    

Existing Groupings can be edited and/or deleted using the appropriate icons in the edit column of the table on the Groupings page.

Apply Groupings to a particular activity

To assign a specific activity to a Grouping, you must first set up the Grouping:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to add a Grouping
3. Once in the course, go to the activity and turn editing on, click edit > edit settings for the activity.
   
4. Expand the common module settings section.
5. Ensure that the group mode is set to Separate or Visible Groups.
6. Select the Grouping from the Grouping drop down menu.
7. Check the Available for group members only box.
8. Click the Save changes button at the bottom of the page.
   

Students will only see the activities they have been assigned to. Teachers will see the name of the Grouping in brackets after the activity name on the course page. A count of activities assigned to each Grouping is kept on the Groupings page.

Resources: Click the appropriate tab above or use the buttons below to learn more about Groups and Groupings.

Moodle Docs What is a Group?

Watch the video below to learn how to use and apply Groupings to your course:

Add the Remote News Feed Block to a CLE Course

Follow the instructions below to:

1. Add the Remote News Feed Block to a CLE Course 

2. Remove the Block 

1. Add the Remote News Feed Block to a CLE Course 

The Remote News Feed block must be added to a CLE course before you can configure the block to display Class Capture or other RSS feeds. Only the Manager, Instructor, and Content Assistant roles can add the Remote News Feed block to a CLE course. To add the Remote RSS Feed block to a CLE course:

1. Navigate to the CLE course where you would like to add the Remote News Feed block.
2. From the Administration block, click Turn editing on (or use the Turn editing on button located in the top-right corner).
3. Near the bottom-portion of the course, find the Add a Block drop-down menu.
4. From the “Add a Block” drop-down menu, scroll down the list, and choose Remote RSS Feed.
5. After a moment, the window will refresh, and the Remote News Feed block will be located near the bottom-left corner of the CLE course page. To move the block to a new location, use the move icon located in the top-right portion of the block (with editing is turned on). Moving this block will affect all visitors in your course.
   After the Remote News Feed block has been added to the CLE course, continue to the Setup Class Capture tab above for detailed instructions on configuring the Remote News Feed block to display Class Capture content in a CLE course.

2. Remove the Block 

Want to remove the Remote News Feed block from a CLE course? Follow the instructions below:

1. Turn editing on in the CLE course where the Remote News Feed block has been added.
2. Navigate to the RSS Remote Feed block and click the gear icon.
3. Click Delete Remote News Feed block.

Setup Class Capture in Remote News Feed Block

Recorder Class Capture lectures can be shared in three different ways:

1. Share a direct link to the Course Catalog page. Simply share the link that ETS provided to you, with your audience.
2. Share a link to a single session. You can copy a link to a single session and share that with your audience.
3. Share a syndicated feed of your Class Capture content. You can copy an RSS feed link for your Catalog, and use that to display a dynamic list of past, live, and future lectures in the Remote News Feed block.

The Remote News Feed block sharing method is most common, because it only needs to be setup once per course. After that, new Class Capture recordings will appear automatically for students.  To complete the steps below, you must have the role of Content Assistant, Instructor, or Manager in the course.

Follow the instructions below to:

1. Locate Class Capture RSS Feed 

2. Add Class Capture RSS Feed to Remote News Feed Block 

3. Confirm Working 

1. Locate Class Capture RSS Feed 

When you complete your request with ETS to use the Class Capture system, they will email you with a link and information about sharing the live and recorded sessions. If you did not receive this information, please contact ETS.

Class Capture lectures are available in audio or video format. The instructions below provides steps for setting up Class Capture video content in the Remote News Feed block. Please follow the same instructions for setting up a separate Remote News Feed block for audio (mp3) versions of the lectures using the unique audio catalog page.

To find your Class Capture RSS feed:

1. Locate and open the Class Capture catalog page using the URL that was emailed to you from ETS.
2. You should see the RSS link in the top-right corner.
3. Right-click on the RSS link and select Copy Link Location from the pop-up menu. Note: Some browsers will use different phrasing in their pop-up menu, but they all provide a mechanism for copying the link address. This screenshot shows Firefox’s context menu. Internet Explorer uses the phrase “Copy Shortcut.” Safari uses the phrase “Copy Link.” Chrome uses the phrase “Copy Link Address.”

2. Add Class Capture RSS Feed to Remote News Feed Block 

After adding the Remote News Feed block to a course and locating your Class Capture RSS feed, you are ready to configure the block to display Class Capture recordings. Follow the instructions below to add the Class Capture RSS feed to the Remote News Feed block:

1. Turn editing on in the CLE course where the Remote News Feed block has been added.
2. In the Remote News Feed block, click the gear icon and select Configure Remote News Feed block.
3. The “Configuring a Remote News Feed block” page will appear. Click the Add/edit feeds link to setup the Class Capture RSS feed.
4. Click the Add a new feed button.
5. Paste the Class Capture RSS feed that you copied earlier into the “Feed URL” field.
6. It is not necessary to check the Enable auto-discovery of feeds? box, because we are copying/pasting a direct link to the RSS feed from your Class Catalog. If you were linking to something else, like a news website, you may need to check this box because you may not have access to the actual RSS feed. In that case, the CLE will attempt to find a feed on that page for you.
7. Enter a Custom title to override the default title from Class Capture. The title will be supplied by the feed and can be edited later. For this example we will enter NURSING Spring Lectures as a custom title for the feed.
8. Please DO NOT change the “Shared feed” option to Yes. Doing so will cause your Class Catalog RSS feed to appear as an option to display in everyone’s Remote News Feed block!
9. Click the Add button when complete.

Once the Class Capture feed has been added, return to the front page of the CLE course to finish configuring the Remote News Feed block.

1. In the Remote News Feed block, click the gear icon and select Configure Remote News Feed block (with editing turned on in the course). This will take you to the “Configuring a Remote News Feed block” page.
2. Choose to display the each link’s description in the block. This includes any descriptive information provided by the Class Capture system.
3. Select the max number of entries (or lecture recordings) to show per block.
4. Choose the feed to display in the block. For this example, choose the feed created above, titled NURSING Spring Lectures.
5. Enter a custom title for the block. For this example, we will again use NURSING Spring Lectures.
6. Choose to display the link to the original website (if you would like students to be able to add the RSS feed to a podcatcher on a mobile device, choose Yes).
7. Choose to Show the channel image in the block if one is available.
8. Configure where and how the block displays on the course page.
9. Click the Save changes button.

3. Confirm Working 

The Remote News Feed block is now setup in your course. New lectures that are recorded using Class Capture will automatically appear in the block 30-60 minutes after the lecture has ended and students can click the links to view individual lectures.

Here are a few quick tips for managing the Remote News Feed block has been added to a course:

• To make changes to the block configuration, click on the gear icon and select Configure block. You can update settings such as the maximum number of lectures that appear, or change the title that appears in the block.
• You can move the block to any location on the left or right of your course. Turn editing on, then click the cross icon to drag the block to the location you prefer.
• To hide the block form students, turn editing on, click on the gear icon, then select Hide. Course instructors will still be able to see the block.
• If a Class Capture catalog is set to private, only UCSF community members logged into MyAccess will be able to watch the Class Capture content. If you would like to allow others outside of UCSF to be able to review the Class Capture content, please contact ETS to request that the catalog be made public.
• Want to use Class Capture for your UCSF class? Contact Educational Technology Services.
  

Add and Configure the Quickmail block in a CLE Course

Follow the instructions below to:

1. Add the Quickmail Block to a CLE Course
2. Configure the Quickmail Block (Optional)
3. Create a Quickmail Signature (Optional)
4. Setup an Alternate Email for Sending Quickmail Messages (Optional)
5. Remove the Quickmail Block from a CLE Course (Optional)

1. Add the Quickmail Block to a CLE Course

The Quickmail block must be added to a CLE course before you can begin to send Quickmail messages. Only the Manager, Instructor, and Content Assistant roles can add the Quickmail block to a CLE course. To add the Quickmail block to a CLE course:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to add the Quickmail block.
3. From the Administration block, click Turn editing on (or use the Turn editing on button located in the top-right corner).
4. Near the bottom-portion of the course, find the Add a Block drop-down menu.
5. From the “Add a Block” drop-down menu, scroll down the list, and choose Quickmail.
6. After a moment, the window will refresh, and the Quickmail block will be located near the bottom-left corner of the CLE course page. To move the block to a new location, use the move icon located in the top-right portion of the Quickmail block (with editing is turned on). Moving this block will affect all visitors to your course.

2. Configure Quickmail (Optional)

Configuration settings allows you to change the default behavior of the Quickmail block. For example, the default setting for the Quickmail block prevents students from sending Quickmail messages in a CLE course. Follow the instructions below to allow students to send Quickmail messages:

1. Navigate to the CLE course where the Quickmail block has been added.
2. Inside of the Quickmail block, click Configuration.
3. Choose to allow students to use Quickmail by changing the default from No to Yes. Using default setting (No), students can only receive Quickmail messages, and cannot send.
4. From the Filter by Role box, choose the roles you would like to filter by when sending a Quickmail message to quickly communicate in large classes.
5. From the Prepend drop-down menu, choose to prepend the CLE course short name or the CLE course ID to the title of the Quickmail message.
   
6. Select No from the “Receive a copy” drop-down menu if you do not want to copy the sender on Quickmail messages by default. This can be changed later when sending individual Quickmail messages.
7. Click the Save Changes button to return to the CLE course.

3. Create a Quickmail Signature (Optional)

Want to create a signature to use in Quickmail messages? Follow the instructions below to create a signature before sending a Quickmail message:

1. From the Quickmail block, click Signatures.
2. On the Signature page, enter a Title for your signature. The title is used to identify and select your signatures from the Signature drop-down menu when composing a message.
3. In the Signature Field, compose your signature.
4. To make this your default Quickmail signature, check the Default checkbox.
5. Click the Save Changes button to save the Quickmail signature.
6. When composing Quickmail messages, you will now be able to select and include this signature – even from other CLE courses that use the Quickmail block.

4. Setup an Alternate Email (Optional)

Managers, Instructors, Content and Grading Assistants can setup an alternate email address to send Quickmail messages. When an alternate email is used in a Quickmail message, such as a Gmail account, it will appear as the “reply-to” address in the message. Using a valid UCSF email address is always recommended to help simplify support requests.

Follow the instructions below to setup an alternate email account before sending a Quickmail message:

1. From the Quickmail block, click Alternate Emails.
2. If you have not previously set up an alternate email, click Continue.
3. Enter an alternate email in the Email Address field.
4. Click Save Changes.
5. The following message will display “Alternate address [email address] has been saved. An email to verify that the address is valid has been sent to [email address]. Instructions on how to activate the address is contained in its contents.”
6. In a separate browser window, navigate to the inbox for the alternate email address.
7. Find the following email from Moodle: Quickmail, with the subject link “Alternate email address verification.”
8. Verify that you would like to use the alternate email address by clicking the link provided in the email.
9. Once you have verified the alternate address, it can be used in Quickmail messages.
10. You will return to the Alternate Email page, where you can view, edit, or add additional alternate emails.
11. When composing a Quickmail message, you will now be able to send the message from this alternate email address.

Please note: Use of an alternate email address only affects the “Reply-to” for emails sent from Quickmail. The email used in instructor’s CLE Profiles will be used for all other CLE-generated emails and messages. If the Quickmail block is configured to allow student use, Quickmail messages sent to the instructor will go to the email address associated with their CLE profile, and not the alternate email address.

5. Remove the Quickmail Block (Optional)

Want to remove the Quickmail block from a CLE course? Follow the instructions below to remove the block from the CLE course:

1. Make sure editing is turned on in the CLE course that contains the Quickmail block.
2. Click the gear icon in the Quickmail block.
3. Click Delete Quickmail block.

Use the Quickmail block

After adding the Quickmail block to your CLE course, follow the instructions below to:

1. Send a Quickmail Message
2. Receive a Quickmail Message
3. View Quickmail Draft Messages
4. View Quickmail History

1. Send a Quickmail Message

Quickmail messages can be sent to individual course participants or groups. This includes manually created groups from the course, or groups divided by roles (i.e. all students or all instructors). After the Quickmail block has been added to a CLE course, you can begin to send Quickmail messages to students and other participants in the course following the instructions below:

1. Inside of the Quickmail block, click Compose New Email.
2. On the Quickmail page, choose to filter recipients by Role or Sections (Groups) or choose to no filter.
3. Highlight the users name from the “Potential Recipients” box and click the Add button to add users to the “Selected Recipients” for the Quickmail message.
4. To include more than one section, group or participant at a time, hold down Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) and click additional names in the “Potential Section” list.
5. To include all course members as recipients, click the Add All button.
6. Enter the email address for anyone who is not enrolled in the course, but should be included on the Quickmail message.
7. Choose to add an Attachment(s) to the Quickmail message.
8. Enter a Subject for the Quickmail message (required).
9. Compose your message (remember you can include video, audio, images, tables, etc.) in the text editor.
10. Choose a Signature from the drop-down menu (see “Setup a Signature” in the “Add/Configure” tab above for instructions on creating a Quickmail signature).
11. From the “Receive a copy of the message” drop-down menu, select Yes to receive a copy of the message in your own mailbox. The default setting is No and you must select Yes each time you wish to receive a copy of a message.
12. Click Send Email to send the Quickmail message.
13. Click Save Draft button if you would like to save and return to the message at a later time to make additional edits before sending.
14. Click Cancel to delete the Quickmail message.
15. After clicking Send Email, you will be directed to the “Quickmail View History” page. Please note, messages sent using the Quickmail block are sent immediately.

2. Receive a Quickmail Message

• Quickmail is used to send email, but not to receive. Quickmail messages are viewed in the email mailbox of the recipient and not inside of the CLE. Students can view Quickmail messages using their ucsf.edu email accounts if the Quickmail block is configured for student use.
• Faculty and staff can view messages using their ucsf.edu email account or using an alternate email address.
• Quickmail messages override course members’ individual profile settings for receiving CLE emails as daily digests.

3. View Drafts Messages

Want to view a Quickmail draft message before sending? Follow the instructions below to view Quickmail draft messages:

1. From the Quickmail block, click View Drafts.
2. The “View Drafts” screen opens, displaying a list of your draft messages.
3. To open a draft message to edit and send, click the Magnifying Glass from the Action column.
4. To delete a draft, click the red X icon from the Action column.

4. View Quickmail History

Want to view a Quickmail message you have sent? Follow the instructions below to view Quickmail history:

1. From the Quickmail block, click View History.
2. The “View History” screen will open, displaying a list of messages you have sent.
3. Click the Magnify Glass icon to open and read the sent message.

Quickmail Resources

Below are additional, great Quickmail resources from the Moodle community:

Moodle Quickmail Doc

UMass Amherst Quickmail Documentation

To add the Recent Courses block to a CLE course:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to add the Recent Courses block.
3. From the Administration block or from the top-right of the CLE, select Turn editing on.
4. Near the bottom-portion of the course, find Add a Block drop-down menu.
5. Click the Add a Block drop-down menu, scroll down the list, and click on Recent Courses.
6. After a moment, your window will refresh, and the Recent Courses block will be located near the bottom-left corner of the CLE course page. To move the block to a new location, use the move icon located in the top-right portion of the Recent Course block, when editing is turned on. Moving this block will affect all visitors to your course.
7. To customize the block, click the User settings link located at the bottom of the block.
8. The Recent Courses block has only one setting – a drop-down menu allowing you to choose how many of the courses you have most recently viewed will be displayed. This number can be set to as few as one course, or as many as ten.
9. After making your selection, click Save changes button to return to the front page.

To upload multiple files to your CLE course:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to upload a file.
3. From the Administration block or from the top-right corner of the CLE, select Turn editing on.
4. Locate the files you would like to upload on your computer.
5. If you have several files that should each be displayed on the front page of your course, highlight these files on your computer, and drag them from your computer as a batch into the correct topic section.
6. A dashed-line box will appear when you are in an area that your files can be dropped. Once this box appears, drop your files onto the course page. A progress bar will be visible while the files are uploading, and will disappear when the uploads have finished.
7. The files will each be displayed as multiple links on the front page of the course.
8. Rename the files. By default, the CLE will make the names of the links to the files the same as the file names. To change the name that displays on the course page, click the pencil icon next to a file and enter the correct name.
9. To enter a description, display options, assign groupings or restrict access, select Edit Settings from the drop-down menu next to the file.
10. Clicks the Save and return to course button

Alternatively, if you have several files that should be displayed within a folder on the front page of your course, combine any files you want to upload into a ZIP archive, and then drag and drop the ZIP archive onto your course page. In the box that appears, select either Unzip files and create folder if you want students to be able to access each of the files in the ZIP archive individually, or Create file resource if you want students to download the ZIP archive itself.

To create a book:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu) and go to the CLE course where you would like to add the book.
2. From the Administration block or from the top-right of the CLE, select Turn editing on.
3. Inside the course section where the Book should be displayed, click the Add an activity or resource link.
4. In the window that appears, scroll to the bottom to find the Resources section. Select the Book resource type, then click Add. This will take you to your new book’s settings page.
5. First, enter a Name for your book. Whatever you enter into this box will be the link students will click on to view the information contained within.
6. You may also enter an optional Description to provide additional information to students about the book. If you do enter a Description, you can choose to display that description on the front page of your course by checking the box.
7. Click the Expand all link to expand all settings.
8. You may also choose the way this book handles Chapter formatting; for information about the available options, click the Help icon  next to the Chapter formatting drop-down menu.
9. To being populating content into your book, click the Save and display button at the bottom of the page.
10. To begin building your book, enter your first Chapter title, and put the information you want to present to students into the Content box. This content can include text, images, links — anything that you can enter into in a word processor can be entered here. NOTE: LTG staff recommend not copying and pasting directly from word processors (especially Microsoft Word) into the Content window, or any other area in the CLE where the HTML toolbar is present. If you have too much content to type it directly into the browser window, click the Paste from Word icon and paste your text into the window that appears. This tool will attempt to strip hidden formatting that could cause your book to display improperly, or could break other functionality within the CLE. You may need to re-apply formatting to your content using the HTML toolbar after using the Paste from Word tool.
11. When you are done entering content, click Save changes to proceed.
12. After you have added the first chapter to your book, you will see the title and content from that chapter on the right side of the book window. Navigation buttons will automatically appear that help users move forward and backward through your content. Users can also use the Table of contents to move freely throughout the Book’s content. Other actions you can perform using the book’s table of contents include Moving a chapter up or down in the list, editing the Settings (A) for a chapter or subchapter, deleting (B) a chapter or subchapter, hiding (C) a chapter or subchapter, or adding a new chapter/subchapter (D).
13. To add chapters or subchapters to a book, click the Add (plus sign) icon. A new chapter will be added directly below the Add icon, and you will be taken once again to the Editing chapter screen. To make a subchapter instead of a chapter, simply click the Subchapter box on that screen.
14. When you are finished making changes to the book, you can more accurately preview the way your book will look to others by Turning off editing. To do this, make sure you are still inside the book, find the Administration block, and click Turn editing off. The editing icons in the Table of contents will disappear, and you will be seeing the book in the same way other users in your course will.

Chapters and subchapters are used to present a visual heirarchy for users who are navigating the book, but there is no difference in what kind of content can be contained within a chapter or subchapter. The only difference between the two is that subchapters are slightly indented in the Table of contents. The presentation of chapters and subchapters will vary slightly, based on which Chapter formatting selection you made on the Edit settings page of the book.

Watch the video below to see how to add a Book to a CLE course:

There are many ways to share Media@UCSF videos in a CLE course, but the upload process is virtually the same no matter how the videos are displayed to course participants. Media can be uploaded directly onto a course home page, into a forum, a quiz, and more. Media can also be uploaded to one’s My Media repository for sharing later.

Media@UCSF accepts all common video formats including MP4, MOV, WMV, AVI… and even MP3 audio files or images!

Please click the button below to learn more about the upload process.

Uploading media

There are three basic methods for sharing media in a CLE course using Media@UCSF. This includes (a) the Media Resource, (b) the Embed Media button, which is available on the HTML toolbar from within many resources and activities in a course, and (c) the Media Gallery (see the Media Gallery tab). Which method you choose will depend on how you want course participants to discover and interact with that media.

For example, if you want the media to appear right on the course home page, you would use a Label and the Embed Media button, but if you want to display the video on a separate page, you may choose the Media Resource option. Each media file can also be shared multiple times across multiple courses!

Please click the button below to learn more about the sharing process.

Sharing media

Media@UCSF includes a new activity that can be added to any course, called the Media Assignment. Using the Media Assignment activity, instructors can require that student submissions be in the form of a media file. Just like in the standard Assignment activity, instructors can score the student submissions, provide feedback, and then those scores will appear in the course gradebook.

Please click the button below to learn more about the Media Assignment activity.

Media Assignment

The Media Gallery is a searchable gallery of media content for a specific course. The Media Gallery is different from other methods of adding media to a course, like the Media Assignment or Media Resource, because (a) its media is presented as a separate repository, and not within the center column of the course, and (b) students are able to add media to the repository and share it with the class.

The Media Gallery is easy to access by all members of a course, making it a great place to quickly post media for discussion, or to facilitate student collaboration.

Please click the button below to learn more about the Media Gallery.

Media Gallery

The webcam recorder feature allows users to record webcam video within the CLE, and then display it immediately to other users. This feature is available anywhere you find the Media@UCSF “Add New” button. Instructors and students have access to this feature.

This simplifies the process of recording short demonstrations, course introductions, or even providing assignment feedback in the form of a video. All you need is Flash Player installed in your browser, and a webcam!

Please click the button below to learn more about the webcam recorder.

Webcam recording

To create a Forum in a CLE course:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to add the Forum.
3. From the Administration block or from the top-right of the CLE, select Turn editing on (or use the Turn editing on button located in the top-right corner).
4. Inside the course section where the Forum should be displayed, click the Add an activity or resource link.
5. In the window that appears, find the Activities section. Select the Forum activity type, then scroll to the bottom of the list and click Add. This will take you to your new Forum’s settings page.
6. First, enter a Name for your Forum. Whatever you enter into this box will be the link students will click on to enter the Forum. Also, select a Forum type from the drop-down menu; most courses will use the default option (Standard forum for general use), but additional options are available. For a brief description of each option, click the Help icon.
7. You will also need to enter a Description; this is a good place to enter information about which topics you would like students to discuss in this particular forum. The description will be displayed to students after they click to enter the activity; you can also choose to display it on the front page of your course by checking the box.
8. By default, users within a course are given the option to subscribe to a forum, and receive all posts made to that forum by email. Instructors can change this behavior using the Subscription mode drop-down menu. For a brief description of the other options available, click the Help icon next to Subscription Mode. Read-tracking allows a user to quickly see whether there are new posts inside a Forum that they have not yet read.
   • By default, this is set to Optional, which means the system will respect the preferences in each user’s Moodle profile. Instructors can use this option to force read-tracking on or off for all users in a course, regardless of how their individual preferences are configured.
9. Additionally, an Instructor can adjust the maximum attachment size and the maximum number of attachments allowed on an individual post within a forum. The 500KB default attachment limit will accommodate most file types; however, if users are attaching large files (such as video files) to their forum posts, this limit can be increased up to the current file upload limit. Alternatively, an Instructor can use this drop down to prevent students from attaching files to their forum posts.
10. To continue, scroll down to the Ratings area of the settings page. By turning on the Forum Ratings feature, an instructor can also provide grades to students based on the quality or quantity of their participation in the forums.
    • By default, only those with elevated privileges in a course can provide ratings to student postings; if you would like to use the ratings system for a peer-evaluation activity, in which students can rate other students’ postings, please contact the Learning Tech Group for information.
    • First, select an aggregation method from the Aggregate type drop-down menu. This controls how ratings are translated into a grade for each student. Next, select the Scale you would like to use for this forum; this determines what options you’ll see when giving a rating to a student’s post.
11. To continue, scroll down to the Restrict access area of the settings page.
12. To finish creating your forum, click Save and display. This will save the forum and bring you into the forum’s front page. Review your forum’s description to make sure it reflects the information your students need to participate in the forum.

Create a Quiz

Creating a quiz in the CLE is a two-part process. The instructions below cover the first part – adding a quiz to a CLE course and configuring the quiz settings. The second part of the quiz-making process is adding questions to the quiz, which is covered in the Add Questions tab above. Visit Moodle Docs to view an abbreviated quick guide for managing the Quiz activity.

Let’s create a final exam in our CLE course using the Quiz activity. Here is the criterion for the final exam:

• Students can start the final exam on October 12 at 8am and must finish by October 12 at 5pm
• Students have a 120-minute time limit to complete the final exam and are allowed only one attempt
• Students will be able to see their final exam score after the exam closes on October 12 at 5pm and can review their attempt for 24 hours after the close time

To add a quiz to a CLE course:

12. Appearance Section

Configure display settings for the quiz. Click the Show more… link to expand the section as shown below.

User Overrides

Add a Quiz

Watch this video to learn how to add a Quiz to your CLE course.

Add Questions to a Quiz

Watch this video to learn how to create and add questions to your CLE Quiz.

Grade a Quiz

Watch this video to learn how to grade a CLE Quiz.

Quiz FAQ

View More CLE Help Videos

To add the certificate activity to a CLE course:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to add the certificate.
3. From the Administration block or from the top-right of the CLE, select Turn editing on.
4. Inside the section where the certificate should be displayed, click the Add an activity or resource link.
5. From the list of Activities, select the Certificate activity, then scroll to the bottom of the window and click Add. This will take you to your new certificate settings page.
6. Enter the following information on the Adding a new Certifcate page (for more information about a particular setting, click the grey Help icon next to the setting):
   • Certificate Name:  This is the text that will appear on the CLE course page.
   • Introduction: Any text, images, videos or hyperlinks will display here after a student clicks the certificate link on the main course page. This is a good place to put requirements and instructions for receiving a certificate.
   • Issue Options: Configure email options and whether or not to save certificates in the CLE after distributing to students (by default this is set to no). You can also set a required number of minutes students must spend in the course before receiving a certificate.
   • Text Options: Configure options related to how text displays on the certificate.
   • Design Options: Choose from different certificate types, orientations, borders, watermarks, and seals or logos to add to the certificate. Do not see a logo or watermark that you would like to use on your certificate? Contact the Learning Tech Group to request a new graphic for the certificate.
   • Common Module Settings: Configure Groups and Groupings as well as visibility settings.
   • Restrict Access: If you require that students complete the course or individual activity with a minimum grade before receiving a certificate, use Restrict Access to prevent student from receiving the certificate before competing the required work. Access to the certificate can be restricted to any one, or combination of the following settings:
     1. Time: Access from/to dates determine when students can access the activity via a link on the course page.
     2. Grade Condition: This setting determines any grade conditions which must be met in order to access the activity. Multiple grade conditions may be set if desired. If so, the activity will only allow access when ALL grade conditions are met.
     3. User Field: You can restrict access based on any field from the users profile.

Access restrictions (also known as Conditional release) can be applied to a new resource or activity to a course page, or to a resource or activity that has already been added to your course.

To restrict access to an activity or resource:

1. Turn editing on in the CLE course
2. Click Add a new activity or resource, or click Edit Settings for an activity or resource that was previously added to the course
3. From the Edit Settings page, scroll down to the Restrict Access section and expand
4. Click the Add restriction… button to setup a restriction
5. After clicking the Add Restriction button, a choice of conditions appear
6. Restrictions can be based upon date, grade, or user profile fields (see below for more information)

Below is more information on the conditions available for access restrictions:

• Date: Prevent access until (or from) a specified date and time
• Grade: Require students to achieve a specified grade on an activity
• User Profile: Control access based on fields within the student’s profile
• Restriction Set: Add a set of nested restrictions to apply complex logic
• Activity Completion: Require students to complete (or not complete) another activity (Note this button only appears if you have Activity completion enabled in your CLE course)

After selecting an initial release condition, further restrictions may be added by clicking the Add Restriction button again. It is possible to specify that ALL the conditions or ANY of the conditions are required before the activity is made available. Thus, it is possible to use Or as well as And conditions.

The example below shows an access restriction using a Date condition, preventing students from accessing the activity outside of the designated times (February 17 at 8am until February 17 at 10:25pm).

The example below shows an access restriction using a Grade condition, preventing students from accessing the activity until they have completed the previous activity, Week 1 Quiz, with a score of 75% or better:

The example below shows an access restriction using a User Profile condition, preventing students from accessing the activity unless their first name is Dylan.

Choose how the resource or activity displays on the course page for student both before and after the access restrictions.

Coming soon!

Follow the instructions below to log in to the CLE and access a list of your courses.

1. Navigate to the UCSF CLE (courses.ucsf.edu) in your web browser.
2. Click the Log in button from the top-right corner of the page.
3. Enter your MyAccess credentials.
4. After successfully logging in to the UCSF CLE, you will be directed to your My Home page.
5. From the Navigation block, click on the My Courses link to expand and display all of your CLE courses.
6. Click a course name and the course page will open.
7. If you do not see a CLE course that you expect to be enrolled in, contact the faculty or course manager to check your enrollment status and course availability.

Want to quickly navigate to current CLE courses? Because CLE courses are rarely deleted, you may accumulate a long list of CLE courses. Learn to Customize the My Home Page to quickly access your current courses.

Watch the video below to learn how to find a CLE course:

Edit CLE Profile

Follow the instructions below to view and edit your CLE profile.

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. To access your profile, click My Profile from the Navigation block and select View profile, or just click your name in the top-right corner when logged in to the CLE.
3. While on the View Profile page, navigate to the Administration block, expand My Profile Settings and click Edit Profile.
4. Edit your profile and remember to click the Update Profile button to save your changes (click on the image below to view full screen).

Watch the video below to learn how edit your CLE profile:

This document outlines the basic of the My Home page, including:

1. Customize the My Home Page
2. Configure Course Overview Block
3. Configure the Favorite Courses Block
4. Configure the Recent Courses Block
5. Add/Remove a Block
6. Turn off Customize the My Home Page
7. Additional Help

 1. Customize the My Home Page

Do you want to reorder the courses displayed in the middle of the My Home page? Are there new courses that are hidden below old courses? You will always have access and see courses from previous quarters, but you can personalize the My Home page to quickly access current courses and minimize confusion. Watch a video on Customizing the My Home page.

To begin customizing the My Home page:

1. Login to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Click the My Home link in the Navigation block, or click the Home icon in the breadcrumb navigation.
3. To begin customizing the page, click the Customize this page button in the top-right corner.
4. You can now follow the instructions below to customize the My Home page based on your preferences (this only effects your My Home page, not other users).

2. Configure the Course Overview Block

The Course Overview block is located in the center of the My Home page and displays a list of all the courses a user is enrolled/has an assigned role. To configure or move the Course Overview block and content:

1. Choose to increase or decrease the Number of Courses to display from the drop-down menu at the top of the page (you can select “Always show all”).
2. Using the cross-hair icons next to each course, click and drag to reorder the courses to your preference.
3. You may notice a cross-hair icon in the top-right corner of the Course Overview block. This is used to move the entire Course Overview block, which can confusion as it displays best in the middle column. If you did move the Course Overview block to an area other than the middle column, use the cross-hair icon to move the block back to the center column.
4. If you chose to hide courses in the Course Overview, you can see all courses by scrolling to the bottom of the Course Overview block and select Show all courses.

3. Configure the Favorite Courses Block

The Favorite Courses block is another great way to quickly access CLE courses. To configure or move the Favorite block and content:

1. Click Select courses to add courses to the block – no courses will display until you have selected courses.
2. When configuring the Favorite Courses block, you will see every course in the CLE that you have access to. Courses which have been added to your Favorite Courses block will appear at the top of this list, with yellow highlighting; courses which have not been added to your Favorite Courses block will be displayed alphabetically, without highlighting.
3. To add a course to your Favorite Courses block, click the thumbs-down icon next to its name; yellow highlighting will then display behind the course title to indicate that it has been selected. To change the order that selected courses are displayed in, drag and drop using the arrows icon.
4. To remove a course from your favorite courses, click the thumbs-up icon to the right of the course name. A course has been removed from your Favorite Courses block when the course is no longer highlighted.
5. Return to the My Home page by pressing the Click here to return to your course button.

 4. Configure the Recent Courses Block

The Recent Courses block is another great way to quickly access a CLE course. The Recent Courses block has only one setting – a drop-down menu allowing you to choose how many of the courses you have most recently viewed will be displayed. This number can be set to as few as one course, or as many as ten.

After making your selection, click the Save changes button to return to the CLE Home Page.

5. Add/Remove a Block

• If you need to add a block to the My Home page, turn on customizing, and select the appropriate block from the Add a Block drop-down menu.
• To remove a block from the My Home page, click the gear icon in the block and choose Delete block.

6. Turn off Customize the My Home Page

Click the Stop customizing this page button to turn off customizing. This helps prevent blocks and content from being moved or hidden accidentally.

7. Need Help?

• Click for more information on Block Management in the CLE.
• Contact the Learning Tech Group or stop by CL-240 in the UCSF Library’s Tech Commons.

Watch the video below to see how to customize the My Home page:

Dock and Undock Blocks

All CLE users have the ability to customize courses by docking blocks. Any docked blocks appear as vertical tabs along the left margin of the CLE. Blocks remained docked as you move from course to course in the CLE and is user specific.

To dock a block in the CLE:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu)
2. While in a CLE course or on the My Home page, navigate to the block that you would like to dock
3. From the top of the block, click the Dock Navigation block icon
4. The block moves to the dock on the left side of the page
5. Access content in the block by hovering over the dock

To undock a block in the CLE:

1. While in a CLE course or on the My Home page, navigate to the dock on the left-side of the course
2. Hover over the docked block and click the Undock Navigation block icon
3. Undock all blocks with a click of a button using the Undock All Blocks icon in the bottom-left of the course page

Collapse and Expand Blocks

To collapse and expand a block:

• While in a CLE course or on the My Home page, navigate to the block that you would like to collapse
• From the top of the block, click the Collapse block icon
• The block will collapse to hide content inside of the block
• Access content in the block by clicking the Expand icon

Video coming soon!

Follow the instructions below to post to a forum:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu) and navigate to a course.
2. Click the forum link in a CLE course.
3. Click on the Add a new discussion topic button to add a new thread inside of the forum or click the Discussion title link and click the Reply link to reply to a previous post.
4. Compose the forum post.
   • Type in a subject and content of the message – these are both required and it makes sense to keep the subject brief (like in an email) and to word it so that other people know what your discussion topic is about.
   • Choose to receive or not receive notifications for new posts to the forum, unless the subscription mode has been forced by the faculty and everyone will receive notification for new posts. If you have questions about forum subscriptions, contact the course faculty to inquire about forum subscription settings.
   • Add a file as an attachment to the post if you choose or required.
   • Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Post to forum button.
5. You will now see a message giving you 30 minutes* in which you can edit or delete your posting. After that time, the post will appear automatically in the form and is emailed to everybody subscribed to the forum.

*You can bypass the 30 minute email window by checking the box to Mail now.

Forum Notifications

Depending on how the faculty has configured the forum, you may be forcibly subscribed to the forum. This means you will be unable to unsubscribe yourself from forum notifications and will receive an email every time someone posts to the forum. If you have questions about forum subscriptions, contact the course faculty to inquire about forum subscription settings.

Depending on the subscription mode used for the forum, you may be able to unsubscribe from the forum by clicking the Unsubscribe me from this forum link located in the Administration block on the left side of the page.

If you are unable to unsubscribe to a forum, but want to receive fewer forum notification emails from the CLE, you can update your CLE email digest settings. Email digest settings are configured in your CLE profile (see instructions below).

To update how many emails you receive from CLE forums:

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. To access your profile, click your name from the top-right corner of CLE or click My Profile from the Navigation block and select View profile.
3. While on the View Profile page, navigate to the Administration block, and click Edit Profile.
4. In the General section, you can configure how often you receive emails from the CLE using the Email Digest Type drop-down menu.
5. Choose from the following:
   • No Digest: You will receive one e-mail per forum post
   • Complete: You will receive one digest e-mail per day containing the complete contents of each forum post
   • Subjects: You will receive one digest e-mail per day containing just the subject of each forum post
6. From the Forum auto-subscribe drop-down, configure whether or not to automatically subscribe to forums that you post to.
7. Click the Update profile button to save the changes.

Searching Forums

Students, faculty, and staff can search forum posts inside of CLE courses using keywords. This search includes all forums in a specific course and is helpful for finding forum content quickly.

To search a CLE forum:

1. Click the forum link in a CLE course.
2. From the top-right corner, enter a keyword in the Search field and click the Search Forums button.
3. For advanced searching, press the search button without typing anything in the search box to access the advanced search form and narrow your search by dates, keywords, author, and more.
4. All relevant posts will display. Click See this post in context to view the entire forum discussion.

Watch the video below to learn how to post to a forum in the CLE:

Watch the video below to learn how to view your grade in a CLE course:

Watch the video below for a brief overview on Articulate and the tools located in the Articulate ribbon:

Click the links below to view examples of courses that were developed with the Articulate software and are focused on healthcare topics:

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation: Great use of a timed simulation activity. Well done animations and video.

HealthStartIQ: Managing Diabetes: Contains video, animation, Engage interactions, and branching. Please note this course has a custom player skin not native to the software.

Cardiac Life Support Algorithms: Great example of scenario-based learning and branching with remediation in the feedback.

These courses are from the Articulate community showcase website.

File management is very important when using Articulate Studio. A few key practices in file management can mean all the difference between a pleasant experience working with Articulate Studio ’13 and pulling your hair out. Potential issues include performance problems, lost narration, missing links, application crashing, and more.

Working directly off of a USB drive or other external device can cause data loss in your Articulate presentations. It’s a good idea to always save files to your local hard drive to avoid any unexpected behavior. We recommend copying your files onto the local workstation while you work on them, then copying them back onto your external device when you are finished.

Check out this document for more file management tips:

Watch this brief course for an introduction to recording narration:

Quick Starting Tip!

The record narration screen defaults to sitting in the lower right hand side of the screen. To make your recording experience better, you may want to change a setting before you begin.

• Click the Options button on the Articulate button.
• When the “Presenter Options” window appears, navigate to the Other tab.
• Check the option for Launch Record Narration in full screen mode on large monitors.
• Click OK to go back to your presentation.

Step by Step Instructions

1. From the Articulate ribbon, click the Record Narration button.

2. After a moment, the PowerPoint window will be replaced by the Articulate recording interface.

This pop up window also shows the “Slide Notes” for that slide. The text that appears in the Slide Notes is the same exact text that is shown in PowerPoint’s Speaker Notes below a slide.

3. When you are ready to begin speaking, click Start Recording.

You will notice the triangle play button changes to a pause button and the text on the large gray button will have changed to “Stop Recording”. However, if you have animations on your slide, this gray button text will change to “Next Animation”. Click the Next Animation to trigger your next animation to play. Once all of the animations on the slide are complete, the button will change to “Stop Recording”. You may pause your recording at anytime by clicking the pause button and then, resume by clicking the button a second time.

4. When you are done recording narration for the slide, click Stop Recording.

• If you would like to hear the playback of what you have just recorded, click the Play button.

• If you are satisfied and ready to record the next slide, click the blue arrow to move to the next slide. If there is a particular slide to which you would like to navigate, click the drop down arrow under “Slide #” and scroll to the slide that you would like to skip to.

• If you would like to re-record this slide’s narration, click Start Recording to overwrite your previous audio and begin again. Note: Once you click the Start Recording button, the previous narration is removed, and you must re-record the narration for that slide. Unfortunately, there is no undo option.

To be able to view and share an Articulate presentation, it must be published to a Flash (.swf) or HTML5 (.html5) output. There are a few options for publishing a presentation. In this handout, we will be focusing on publishing for the Web, the most common means of publishing an Articulate presentation.

1. Click the Publish button from the Articulate ribbon.
2. Choose a location for the published version of your presentation using the “…” button.From the Publish window, choose the Web option from the left column, if it is not already selected.

3. Click the checkbox to Include HTML5 output
4. Select the correct presenter from the drop-down list in the Properties group.
5. Click Publish. Depending on how many slides and how much narration your presentation contains, this may take a little while.

When the publishing process is complete, a “Publish Successful” window will appear. In this window, you will have the opportunity to:

• View your presentation
• Create a ZIP file containing your presentation, or
• Open the folder that contains your published presentation.

If you are preparing to upload your presentation into the CLE, click ZIP and select the location to save the ZIP file. This location should be the folder that you created at the beginning of your project.

Publishing for SCORM

1. Log in to the CLE (cle.ucsf.edu).
2. Go to the CLE course where you would like to add the presentation.
3. From the Administration block or from the top-right of the CLE, select Turn editing on.
4. Find the location that you would like to place your Articulate presentation on your course. Then, click the Add an activity or resource link.
5. Select the “File” type located under the Resources section and click Add.
6. When the Adding a new File page opens, enter a Name for your presentation. This is the text link that learners will click to view your Articulate presentation. Here you also have the option of providing a Description for your presentation. Learners will see this Description on the page before they view the presentation or you can select the option to have the Description appear on the main course page.
7. In the Content section, click the Add hyperlink. This will open the File Picker window. Alternatively, you may drag your Zip file into the dashed File Picker box.
8. When the File Picker window opens, click the Upload a File link. Then, click the button to Choose File and navigate to the ZIP file you created and saved.
9. Click Upload this file. After a moment, the screen will refresh and your ZIP archive will appear within the File Picker box.
10. You need to unpack the contents, so click the icon and a new window will open. Click the Unzip button.
11. Once again the page will refresh and the contents of the zip archive will appear. Open the unzipped folder and locate the file type that ends with the “.html5” extension (or .html) and click on this file.
12. In the window that appears, click the Set main file button. This will set that player file as the main file and allow learners to launch the presentation. The main file text will be bold to indicate it has been set as the main file.
13. Scroll down to the Options section of the Adding a file page and select New window from the options section. This will allow your learners to keep your CLE course open in the background while they view the Articulate presentation.
14. When you are finished, click the Save and return to course button at the bottom of the page. Your Articulate presentation will now be displayed on the front page of your CLE course. Make sure to click the link on the course page to confirm the presentation opens and plays as expected.

Click play below to watch a screencast demonstrating how to upload an exported Articulate presentation to the CLE.

To place a reservation, follow the steps demonstrated in the video.

1. Visit tiny.ucsf.edu/equiploan
2. Click to select a device.
3. Click to select a start time (available time blocks are green).
4. Select a return date.
5. Click the Add to Cart button to continue browsing for additional devices, or click the Add to Cart and Checkout button to finalize your reservation.
6. You will be prompted to log in to MyAccess, if you have not already done so.
7. Review the reservation policies.
8. Provide your contact information and a short description of your project.
9. Click the Submit My Booking button.

Canceling a reservation: After you submit your reservation, you will receive an email notification with the details. There is a cancellation link in the body of that email.

Changing a reservation: Unfortunately, there is no way (yet!) for you to change the items or dates/times of a reservation once it has been submitted. You can either cancel your reservation and create a new one, or contact a Tech Commons staff member, and we can make the changes on your behalf.

Our equipment is available free of charge to UCSF students, faculty and staff, with respect to the following policies:

General – Devices may only be used for UCSF-related projects, and cannot be used in weather conditions or environments that could potentially damage the equipment.

Check-Out and Return – Equipment may only be checked out by the user who originally made the reservation. All items in the kit will be inventoried and missing items will be noted. Check-outs can only occur during our normal hours of operation, in CL240, by Tech Commons staff. Returns can be dropped off by any user, including colleagues of the user who originally made the reservation. However, the user who originally made the reservation will be held responsible for any items that are damaged or lost.

Damaged/Lost Equipment – Users are responsible for replacing any items that are lost or damaged. Replaced items must be delivered to CL240 within 14 days of when they are discovered lost or damaged. Failure to do so will resort in a report being sent to the user’s department or manager, and additional action may be taken as necessary. Make sure that any missing items are noted during check-out, or else you could be held responsible!

Demos and File Transfer Assistance – A basic demonstration of the equipment’s functions can be provided upon request. If you are new to media production and would like a more detailed demonstration, or if you need assistance transferring recorded data to your external hard drive, please schedule time with our staff prior to your arrival.

Late Returns – If you are unable to return equipment by your schedule time, please call us ASAP (476-9426 or 476-4309) so that we can adjust other reservations as necessary. Repeat offenders will be denied service.

Time limits – To ensure that everyone has a chance to use our equipment, the following time limits apply:

• • 4 Days – video cameras, tripods, lights, audio recorders, microphones, backdrops
  • 7 Days – Articulate laptop
  • 14 Days – external hard drives (for multimedia projects only)

Lease Agreement – When you complete the online reservation process, you will be have the opportunity to review these policies. By completing your reservation, you agree to follow these policies.

To use the Azden Shotgun Microphone follow these basics steps.

1. Install battery – Twist to unscrew the bottom of the mic barrel, and then gently pull it apart. Install one AAA battery, and then screw the barrel back into place.
2. Mount mic – If mounting the mic on the shoe mount of a camera, slide th e mic in to the shock mount holder. If mounting the mic on a boom pole, slide the mic into the boom pole’s mic holder. The back of the mic should protrude just slightly from the back of the mount.
3. Connect cables – Connect the male end of the XLR cable into the back of the mic, lining up the grooved notch, and pushing in until it clicks into place. Repeat and and connect the female end to your camera or recording device.
4. Windscreen – Two windscreens are included in the kit. The small, foam windscreen is for general use, and can be used indoors or out. The larger, fluffy windscreen is for outdoor use, and lessens the noise caused by wind. Gently slide the windscreen of your choice onto the barrel of the mic.
5. Turn on – Flip the power switch on the mic to the ON position.
6. Record – Using your recording device, adjust levels and record!

These additional notes will help you use the H5 smarter and avoid common pitfalls.

• What is “XLR?” – XLR is an electrical connector style commonly used for professional microphones. XLR mics are well protected from interference, and produce consistent, high quality, balanced sound. They generally produce higher quality sound than mics that use a standard 3.5mm connection.

• Mic pickup pattern – The SGM-1X is a super-cardioid mic. This means it is very sensitive sound in the front of the mic element, and rejects most of the sound coming from the sides. It also picks up some sound coming from the rear. Super-cardiod shotgun mics are best suited for focusing in on sound sources from a distance, but can also be used up close. For more information an graphics illustrating the pattern, check out this helpful document, as well as this one.

• Mic positioning – This shotgun mic can be placed at varying distances from your subject, anywhere from a few inches to many feet, depending on the loudness of your subject. It is very directional, though, so be sure to always aim the front of the mic directly at your subject.

• Ruggedness – The SGM-1X is a sensitive device and should be protected in its padded case when not in use. Also, do not expose the microphone to rain or adverse weather conditions!

• Battery life – One fully-charged AAA battery can last up to 1000 hours!

• SGM-1X product page – http://www.azden.com/products/microphones/shotgun-microphones/sgm-1x/

The maximum loan time for this device is 4 days. We are available Monday – Friday, from 8:30am to 6pm, in CL240 of the Parnassus Library. Equipment can only be used for UCSF related activities, by UCSF students, staff and faculty.

The approximate value of this kit is $325. If anything is lost or damaged during your loan, you are responsible for replacing those items.

Reservations can be made using our online reservation calendar.

To make a new reservation, follow the steps demonstrated in the video below. More details about the reservation process, and our policies, can be found here: How to Reserve Equipment.

To operate the Azden devices, follow these basics steps.

Receiver set up:

1. Install AA batteries into each of the two transmitters and the receiver. You will need a total of six AA batteries to power both mics and the receiver. Tech Commons staff do not provide AA batteries.
2. If you are connecting to a Canon Vixia camera, install the Pearstone adapter (included in camera kit) onto the camera’s shoe adapter, and then connect the receiver’s mount to the Pearstone adapter. Secure both snugly by rotating their dials to the right, but do not over-tighten.
3. Connect one end of the 3.5mm audio cable to the MIC OUT port on the Azden receiver, and the other end to the MIC port on the Vixia camera.
4. Flip the channel one and two switches to the ON position. If you are only using one mic, only flip on that mic’s corresponding switch.

Transmitters set up:

1. Connect the lavaliere microphone cable to the MIC port on the transmitter.
2. Clip the transmitter pack to your subject’s belt, or place it in a jacket pocket.
3. Clip the mic to your subject’s shirt. If possible, thread the cable under their shirt for a more clean and professional look.
4. Turn both the AUDIO and POWER switches ON.

Full details of these steps and more are provided in the handout:

Azden Handout

These additional notes will help you use the microphones smarter and avoid common pitfalls.

• No audio – Make sure the AUDIO switch on the transmitter is set to ON and not ST.BY. This is the stand by mode, and equivalent to a mute button!
• Interference – Still no audio, or getting interference? Download the handout provided below, and review the Additional functions section for information about adjusting audio levels and frequency channels.
• Mic placement – Position the microphones between 4″ and 10″ from your subject’s mouth, centered on their body relative to the direction they are facing, and remove any outer layers or necklaces that could bump the mic during recording.
• Concealing cables – To watch a video about how the pros loop and conceal mics in a subject’s clothes, click here.
• Range – The wireless range of the mics is over 100 feet, but obstacles (trees, cars or walls) can reduce that range significantly, or even block the signal completely.
• Antennae positioning – For the best reception, move the receiver’s antennas to an upward / vertical position.

More tips are also provided in the handout:

Azden Handout

The maximum loan time for this device is 4 days. We are available Monday – Friday, from 8:30am to 6pm, in CL240 of the Parnassus Library. Equipment can only be used for UCSF related activities, by UCSF students, staff and faculty.

The approximate value of this kit is $750. If anything is lost or damaged during your loan, you are responsible for replacing those items.

Reservations can be made using our online reservation calendar.

To make a new reservation, follow the steps demonstrated in the video below. More details about the reservation process, and our policies, can be found here: How to Reserve Equipment.

To use the Gitzo Boom Pole, follow these basics steps.

1. Attach Rycote pistol grip mount – Carefully align the Rycote mount with the threaded bolt on top of the Gitzo pole, and rotate/screw it down until firmly in place.
2. Attach shot mic – Slide a shotgun mic into the rubberized Rycote mount holder. The back of the mic should protrude just slightly from the back of the mount.
3. Connect cables – Connect the necessary cables to you mic, and recording device. The Rycote handle provides an indentation for neatly threading the cable down towards the base of the pole.
4. Extend the pole – As needed, rotate the twist-locks to loosen a segment of the pole, extend the pole, and then re-tighten until firmly locked into place. Start with with lower segment, because it is thicker and more stable, and if addition reach is needed, also extend the upper segments.
5. Adjust mount – To angle the mic, loosen the adjustment knob on the Rycote pistol grip mount, and angle the shotgun mic accordingly.
6. Record – Using your recording device, adjust levels and record!

These additional notes will help you use the Gitzo Boom Pole smarter and avoid common pitfalls.

• What is a “boom mic?” – Any microphone mounted on an extension pole, and detached from the video camera. Boom mics are usually operated by an additional person who is working along side the camera operator. Boom mics free the subjects (and camera) to move about more freely in the scene.

• Managing that cable – Your shotgun mic will likely be connected to an external audio recorder, or a camera, via a lengthy XLR cable. To minimize your chances of getting tangled up, or worse yet, catching the cable on something and damaging equipment, we recommend wrapping the mic cable around the length of the boom pole. You can leave a little slack near the base of the pole, and keep that loosely bundled in your hand for flexibility.

• Boom Mic fundamentals – http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/the-fundamentals-of-the-boom-operator-and-location-mic-techniques/

• Positioning a boom mic – https://youtu.be/wJ-4MlBILDI

The maximum loan time for this device is 4 days. We are available Monday – Friday, from 8:30am to 6pm, in CL240 of the Parnassus Library. Equipment can only be used for UCSF related activities, by UCSF students, staff and faculty.

The approximate value of this kit is $300. If anything is lost or damaged during your loan, you are responsible for replacing those items.

Reservations can be made using our online reservation calendar.

To make a new reservation, follow the steps demonstrated in the video below. More details about the reservation process, and our policies, can be found here: How to Reserve Equipment.

To use the Sure SM58 microphones, follow these basics steps.

1. Connect cables – Connect the male end of the XLR cable to the Sure SM58 microphone. Line up the grooved notch, and seat the cable until it clicks, locking in place.
2. Mic stands – If using the table-top mic stands, place the cable through the opening in the stand, and then slide the mic back into place until it is held firmly in place. DO NOT try to press the barrel of the mic down into the holder (it slides into place, it does not “snap” into place).
3. Pop filter (optional) – One “pop filter” is included in the kit. The filter helps to minimize the sharp “p” sounds that some speaker make when talking. Loosen the bolt and then attach the pop filter’s bracket to a mic stand. Loosen the filter holder, attached the screen, and re-tighten. Position between the mic and the speaker’s mouth.
4. Record – Using your recording device, adjust levels and record!

These additional notes will help you use the H5 smarter and avoid common pitfalls.

• What is “XLR?” – XLR is an electrical connector style commonly used for professional microphones. XLR mics are well protected from interference, and produce consistent, high quality, balanced sound. They generally produce higher quality sound than mics that use a standard 3.5mm connection.

• Mic pickup pattern – The Sure SM58’s record in the “polar cardiod” pickup pattern, meaning the space directly in front of the mic is most sensitive, the sides are less sensitive, and the rear is ignored. For more information an graphics illustrating the pattern, check out this helpful document, as well as this one.

• Mic positioning – Professional voice actors and singers are generally very close to the mic when performing, anywhere between 1″ and 6″. This may seem uncomfortably close, and for our uses, it’s not always necessary to be that close, but closer is usually better. It is also important to physically move your head closer to the mic when speaking softly, and back away when speaking loudly.

• Ruggedness – The Sure SM58 mics are widely regarded for their solid construction. That being said, never drop the mic intentionally, knock against it during a “sound check,” or expose the microphone to rain or adverse weather conditions!

• Sure SM58 product page – http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/sm/sm58-vocal-microphone

The maximum loan time for this device is 4 days. We are available Monday – Friday, from 8:30am to 6pm, in CL240 of the Parnassus Library. Equipment can only be used for UCSF related activities, by UCSF students, staff and faculty.

The approximate value of this kit is $350. If anything is lost or damaged during your loan, you are responsible for replacing those items.

Reservations can be made using our online reservation calendar.

To make a new reservation, follow the steps demonstrated in the video below. More details about the reservation process, and our policies, can be found here: How to Reserve Equipment.

Set up is relatively easy and takes about 10 minutes. The step-by-step process is listed below. More detail and images are provided in the handout.

1. Light stands – Loosen the bottom-most knob on the light stand, pull the legs out and down until they form a medium-to-wide base of support, and then re-tighten the knob.
2. Magic Arm mount – Loosen the silver knob on the bottom of the mount, set it on top of the light stand, and then re-tighten the knob. Matching connections are  marked with green paint.
3. Light matt and frame – Loosen the silver knob on the top of the mount, attach to the gold-colored stud from the light frame, and then re-tighten the knob. Matching connections are marked with blue paint.
4. Dimmer – Slide the mounting slot on the back on the dimmer box onto the mounting bolt, which protrudes from the left side of the light frame. It should seat firmly into place.
5. Dimmer cable – Connect the dimmer cable to the light matt. Matching connections are marked with neon yellow paint.
6. Power adapter and cable – Connect one end of the power adapter to the bottom of the dimmer, and the other end to a wall outlet. Matching connections are marked with orange paint.
7. Turn on – Flip the gray switch on the bottom of the dimmer to the On position. If the dimmer doesn’t turn on, make sure the power cable is pushed all the way into the dimmer, and then turn the silver ring to screw it into place.
8. Adjust brightness – Press the BRIGHTNESS button on the dimmer, and then rotate jog-shuttle (dial) to increase or decrease brightness of the light. Range is from 0 to 100%.
9. Adjust light temperature – Press the COLOR TEMP button the dimmer, and then rotate the jog-shuttle (dial) to increase or decrease temperature of the light. (See color temp graphic on the Tips tab.)
10. Adjust and aim light – Loosen the lower tripod extension knob, and raise the light up. There are four segments. Start with the bottom rod and work your way up, because it is the thickest and most stable. Next, loosen the Magic Arm adjustment lever, tilt and pan the light to aim at your subject, and then re-tighten.

NOTE:

There are two additional items that you can use with the light kit.

Softboxes

Using the softboxes is optional, but highly recommended because they allow you to better focus the light on your subject. Without them, light spills out of the frame in a wider, less-concentrated shape. You will find the softboxes strapped into the top of the travel case.

1. Assemble softboxes – Unfold two of the softbox segments, and velcro one corner the pair together (leave the other end open). Each pair should include one segment that has two holes punched into it.

2. Attach softboxes – Starting at one corner, and working your way around the frame, velcro the softbox to the back of the light frame. Make sure to align the holes in the softbox with the studs on the side and bottom of the light frame. You will have to remove the light frame from the light stand before you can attach the softbox.
3. Attach diffusion panel –  Attach the diffusion panels using the velcro strip inside the softboxes. Using the diffusion panels will soften the light, creating a light pattern that is evenly distributed on your subject, while also reducing the chance of hotspots on your subject.

NOTE: There are two sets of diffusion panels included in the kit. The smaller panels are for the light frames, and the larger panels are for the softboxes. If you are short on time, you can simply attach the smaller diffusion panels directly to the light frame, and forgo the use of the softboxes.

Battery Kit

We also offer a battery kit, which is reserved separately. The batteries allow you to power the lights without the need to plug into a wall outlet, making you 100% mobile!   

1. Verify battery charge level – Press the CHECK button. Green lights will appear to indicate current charge level.
2. Charge battery – If necessary, connect each battery to a power adapter (provided with the light kit), and then plug into a wall outlet until fully charged.
   
3. Connect battery to light – Using the D-Tap cables, connect the battery to the light matt. The D-Tap cable is only a few feet long, but you can use the dimmer extension cables for added reach.

NOTE: We will do our best to keep the batteries charged, but cannot promise that they will be fully charged when you pick them up. Therefore, please check out the battery kit with enough time to charge the batteries, which can take up to 3.5 hours to charge. If you are running the lights at 100% brightness, a fully-charged battery should last for 2.5 hours.

These additional notes will help you use the light kit smarter and avoid common pitfalls!

1. Won’t turn on – If the light does not illuminate when you flip the On switch, check the connection between the power supply and the dimmer. This connection can be touchy, and it may be necessary to turn the metal, silver ring on the power cable to connect the two cables together more firmly (look for the orange-colored dots!).
2. Basic lighting strategies – This kit only includes two lights, but the basic lighting principles of a key and fill light still apply:
   • Key light – Brighter light, slightly closer to camera.
   • Fill light – Dimmer light, fills in shadows created by key light.
   • Key and fill lights are typically placed on 30 degrees angles from camera, but can be varied for creative effect.
   • Position lights slightly above eye-level of subject, to simulate natural look of sunlight.
   • 2-point lighting basics: https://youtu.be/R9FaYS2GWPA
   • General lighting tips: https://youtu.be/w-OPfV-kq6Y
3. Background shadows – To reduce shadows cast on backgrounds, move subject away from walls and bring lights closer to subject.
4. Light reflectors – White poster boards can be used to reflect light, filling in shadows under subject’s chin and near their eyes.
5. Shaping the light – The LED light panel mats are only Velcroed to the light frames, and can easily be removed. They can then be placed in compact spaces, and even (gently) shaped for creative effect!
6. Light temperatures – Avoid strange-looking skin tones on your subjects by dialing-in a light temperature that matches the primary ambient light source of your environment:
   
   
   
7. Westcott product page: http://www.fjwestcott.com/flex-1-x-1-bi-color-travel-kit
8. B&H product page: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1174908-REG/westcott_7557_flex_1x1_bi_color_2_light.html

The maximum loan time for this device is 4 days. We are available Monday – Friday, from 8:30am to 6pm, in CL240 of the Parnassus Library. Equipment can only be used for UCSF related activities, by UCSF students, staff and faculty.

The approximate value of this kit is $3000. If anything is lost or damaged during your loan, you are responsible for replacing those items.

Reservations can be made using our online reservation calendar.

To make a new reservation, follow the steps demonstrated in the video below. More details about the reservation process, and our policies, can be found here: How to Reserve Equipment.

To operate the H2n, follow these basics steps.

1. Install two AA batteries (not included), or use the USB cable and A/C adapter (included).
2. Pull the HOLD/Power button down to turn the device on.
3. Select a recording format: Menu button > REC > REC Format.
4. Select a recording mode using the dial on top of the device. Modes “XY” or “2 Channel” are recommended for most recording situations.
5. Adjust input levels using the Mic Gain dial.
6. Press the red record button once to start, and then once to stop recording.
7. Using the USB cable (remove the a/c adapter), connect the device to your computer, then drag-and-drop the audio files onto your local hard drive.

Full details of these steps and more are provided in the handout:

H2n Handout

These additional notes will help you use the mic smarter and avoid common pitfalls!

• Batteries – The H2n can also be powered by two AA batteries. However, we recommend using the USB cable and a/c adapter that is provided in the kit, because the battery door is difficult to open and could be damaged by frequent use. The USB cable is 4ft long, so you may need an extension cord.
• Red lights – The red lights on top of the device indicate which mics are active, front, back, or both. If they are blinking while recording, that means your levels are too high, and you need to lower the gain.
• Advanced features – To learn more about the device’s advanced features, refer its official operation manual.

More tips are also provided in the handout:

H2n Handout

The maximum loan time for this device is 4 days. We are available Monday – Friday, from 8:30am to 6pm, in CL240 of the Parnassus Library. Equipment can only be used for UCSF related activities, by UCSF students, staff and faculty.

The approximate value of this kit is $250. If anything is lost or damaged during your loan, you are responsible for replacing those items.

Reservations can be made using our online reservation calendar.

To make a new reservation, follow the steps demonstrated in the video below. More details about the reservation process, and our policies, can be found here: How to Reserve Equipment.

To operate the H5, follow these basics steps.

1. Supply power – Install two AA batteries (not included), or use the USB cable and A/C adapter (included).
2. Turn on: Slide-and-hold the Power button on the side of the device.
3. Recording format – MENU button > REC > REC Format. MP3 and WAV formats of various qualities are available.
4. Recording mode – MENU > REC MODE.
   • Select Stereo File if using the built-in XYH-5 mic module; creates one audio file.
   • Select Multi File if using multiple inputs, including XLR inputs; creates multiple audio files.
5. Channel – Active the channel that matches the mic input you wish to use.
   • Press L/R channel button if using the built-in XYH-5 mic module.
   • Press the 1 or 2 channel button if using XLR inputs.
6. Adjust levels – Turn the corresponding levels dial to set the input levels (a.k.a. volume), from 1 to 10.
   • Sounds should peak at about the -12dB mark.
7. Record – Press the Record button to start recording, and then again to stop.
   • Pressing the play/pause button will pause or resume the recording, maintaining the same audio file.
   • Stopping and starting creates a new file.
8. Transfer files – Copy the digital audio files to your computer.
   • If using an SD card reader, turn the H5 off before ejecting the card.
   • If using the USB cable, choose SD CARD READER on the H5 display screen after connecting to your computer.
   • Drag-and-drop to copy files onto your computer’s hard drive.

Full details about the contents of the kit and the device’s main functions are provided in the handout:

H5 Handout

The H5 works well as a simple hand-held recorder with the built-in mic module, but it is capable of much more.

XLR Microphones

XLR mics are less susceptible to interference, and produce a balanced, high-quality sound. We offer a “Sure Handheld Mic Kit” that includes two Sure SM58 mics, cables and stands. This setup is perfect for audio podcast recordings when quality is important.

1. Recording mode – Set the H5 to MENU > REC > MULTI FILE.
2. Connect mic(s) – Using XLR cables, connect mic(s) to channels 1 and/or 2 input ports.
3. Select channels – On the H5, press the 1 and/or 2 channel buttons to activate (red lights illuminate). If you are not using the XYH-5 built-in mic, press the corresponding L or R channel buttons to deactivate them.
4. Adjust levels – Use the levels adjustment dials on the center of the HD device to control volume.
5. Record – See Basic Use tab for details.

DSLR Connection

Many DSLR cameras capture great video, but offer limited audio recording features. The H5 kit includes a Revo Hot Shoe Adapter and 3.5mm audio cable for this purpose. You can also borrow our “Azden Shotgun Mic” and “Gitzo Boom Pole,” and capture audio like the pros!

1. Hot shoe install – Set the H5 on top of the DSRL camera, using the Revo Hot Shoe adapter and the camera’s hot shoe mount.
2. Audio cable – Connect on end of the 3.5mm cable to the DSLR camera’s MIC port, and the other end to the LINE OUT port on the H5 (located on the left side of the device).
3. Recording mode – Set the H5 to MENU > REC > STEREO FILE if using the XYH-5 mic module. Or, set the mode to MULTI FILE if using XLR mics.
4. Select channels – On the H5, press the channel buttons to activate any combination of the L, R, 1 or 2 channels, depending on which mics you are using on the H5.
5. Adjust Levels – Use the levels dials on the mic module, or the channel 1 and 2 dials to adjust sound levels. If your camera has a headphone port, it is highly recommended that you connect your headphones, and then actively monitor your audio levels while recording.
6. Record – Activate the record feature on the DSLR camera. Audio should be passing through the H5, into the camera, and onto the camera’s SD card. 

In addition, you can press the record button the H5, to create a second, back-up sound file.

USB Connection

The H5 can be connected to a computer or tablet device using the included USB cable. Once connected, the H5 can serve as a microphone input to the computer.

1. Connect USB cable – Turn the H5 off, connect the USB cable to the H5, and then to your computer.
2. Select USB mode – Turn the H5 on. The USB menu will appear on the H5’s display. Using the selector button, choose AUDIO INTERFACE.
3. Select recording mode – The display will prompt you to select either STEREO or MULTI TRACK mode. STEREO is recommended (iPad’s only accept stereo input, and PC’s require special drivers for multitrack input).
4. Select power mode – You can choose Bus Powered, Battery, or iPad. Most computers can supply enough power over the USB cable, but if you have issues, switch to the Battery option.
5. Select channels – On the H5, press the channel buttons to activate any combination of the L, R, 1 or 2 channels, depending on which mic inputs you are using on the H5.
6. Select the H5 as a mic – Either in your computer’s recording application, or in your System Preferences (Mac) or Control Panel (PC), select the “H5” as your mic input device.
7. Record – Using your recording app of choice, being the recording, and speak into the H5. Audio files are captured on your computer. You cannot record to the H5’s SD card while in USB AUDIO INTERFACE mode.
8. Disconnect – To exit the USB mic mode and return the H5 to its usual operation mode, press the MENU button, and choose EXIT > YES.

Full details about the contents of the kit and the device’s main functions are provided in the handout:

H5 Handout

These additional notes will help you use the H5 smarter and avoid common pitfalls.

• Reset settings – If something isn’t working as expected, try restoring the H5’s default settings: MENU button > SYSTEM > FACTORY RESET > YES.
• Peak levels – Closely monitor the levels of your audio. Sounds should peak at about the -12 dB mark. Do a test recording, and then use the levels dial(s) to adjust accordingly. Low levels can result in hissy audio, and high levels can result in distorted audio.
• Wind noise – The windscreen can be fitted over the XYH-5 stereo mic module to reduce wind noise when recording outdoors. Line up the notches on the windscreen with the mic before installing (reversing the windscreen will damage the foam). It is not necessary to use the windscreen when recording indoors.
• TRS connection – The XLR import ports, labeled channel 1 and 2 on the bottom of the device, also accept “TRS” cable inputs. TRS cables are commonly used with musical instruments.
• Hold function – Slide the power button into the HOLD state to disable the buttons on the front of the device. This is useful to prevent accidental pressing of the stop or pause buttons while recording. Note that levels dials can still be adjusted when in hold mode.
• Battery life – Fully-charged alkaline batteries will power the device for about 15hrs.
• Card space – The included 32GB card can hold over 200hrs of audio at the highest MP3 setting.

Full details about the contents of the kit and the device’s main functions are provided in the handout:

H5 Handout

The maximum loan time for this device is 4 days. We are available Monday – Friday, from 8:30am to 6pm, in CL240 of the Parnassus Library. Equipment can only be used for UCSF related activities, by UCSF students, staff and faculty.

The approximate value of this kit is $350. If anything is lost or damaged during your loan, you are responsible for replacing those items.

Reservations can be made using our online reservation calendar.

To make a new reservation, follow the steps demonstrated in the video below. More details about the reservation process, and our policies, can be found here: How to Reserve Equipment.

To compress and/or convert a video:

1. Open MPEG Streamclip.
2. Drag and drop your video file into the center of the MPEG Streamclip player window.
3. Select File > Export to MPEG-4.
4. Leave Compression set to H.264.
5. Drag the Quality slider to the left to increase the compression applied to the video and decrease the size and quality. Drag the slider to the right to decrease the amount of compression applied and increase the size and quality of the video. The higher the quality, the less compressed and larger the video file will be. 65-75 is a good range to select from.
6. Choose a Frame Size. 1280×720 (often referred to as “720p”) is a good size for web playback. The choice labeled “unscaled” is your original recording size. Larger frame sizes will produce large files.
7. For basic compression, leave the remaining options at the default settings.
8. Click Make MP4 to begin compression.
9. Type a name for the new file, and select a location to save it to. Click Save.

The conversion process could take some time to complete, depending on the length of the video!

(Click to enlarge)

Creating a Pecha Kucha and sharing it in the CLE is a three-part process, composed of:

• Part I: Creating a Pecha Kucha
• Part II: Recording a Pecha Kucha in the CLE
• Part III: Uploading a Pecha Kucha to the CLE

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to complete the Pecha Kucha assignment.

Part I: Creating a Pecha Kucha

If you are using a PC computer, we recommend using the PowerPoint application to create your presentation. If you are using a Mac computer, we recommend using the Keynote application. Instructions for creating a Pecha Kucha using either PowerPoint or Keynote are listed below.

Using PowerPoint Application

1. Open PowerPoint application
2. Create a new PowerPoint presentation
3. Add 20 slides to the presentation
4. Add content to slides
5. Click the Transition tab from the PowerPoint ribbon
6. From the Timing section, uncheck On Mouse Click 
7. From the Timing section, check After and enter 00:20.00 (seconds) into the time field
8. Click Apply To All Slides
9. Make you sure have the first slide in the presentation selected
10. Continue to Part II: Recording a Pecha Kucha in the CLE

Using Keynote Application

1. Open Keynote application
2. Create a new Keynote presentation
3. Add 20 slides to the presentation
4. Add content to slides
5. Select all slides (Command + A on any slide to select all)
6. Select Document from the toolbar
7. From the “Presentation Type” drop-down menu, select Self-Playing
8. In the first “Delay” field labeled “Transitions” enter 20.00 seconds and leave the “Builds” field as is
9. Make you sure have the first slide in the presentation selected
10. Continue to Part II: Recording a Pecha Kucha in the CLE

Part II: Recording a Pecha Kucha in the CLE

1. Go to the CLE course while logged in to the CLE
2. Navigate to the Pecha Kucha Presentation forum
3. Click the Add a new discussion topic button
4. Add a title for your forum post to the Subject field
5. In the text editor toolbar, click the Embed Media button
6. Click the Add New button and choose Screen Recording
   
7. Click the + Launch the screen recorder button (Note: It might take up to 1 or 2 minutes to load the required Java applet)
8. If you have pop-up blockers installed in Firefox, the screen recorder pop-up will be blocked – click Allow to continue
9. Choose either Allow Now or Allow and Remember to prevent the Java pop-up from being blocked in the future
10. From the Java pop-up, select Run when asked if you want to run the application
11. If you are prompted to update the Java applet, do so now
12. Drag and resize the dotted-line, screen recorder frame so your entire desktop will be recorded or choose Fullscreen from the drop-down menu
13. Choose your microphone from the drop-down menu in the screen recorder toolbar
14. Click the Audio adjust volume button to test your recording volume
15. Press the red Record button in the screen recorder toolbar to begin recording your screen – the recording will start in 3, 2, 1… 
16. If you are using PowerPoint, go to the Slideshow tab and click Play Slide Show From Start. If you are using Keynote, click Play from the toolbar
17. Record your Pecha Kucha presentation while slides transition automatically every 20 seconds
18. After recording the 20th slide and completing the presentation, click the Done button in the screen recorder toolbar or use the following keyboard shortcuts: Alt-P (PC) or Option-P (Mac)
19. Continue to Part III: Uploading a Pecha Kucha to the CLE

Part III: Uploading a Pecha Kucha to the CLE

1. Your video will appear in a pop-up window – enter a Title for the video
2. Click the Upload button
3. When you see “Upload Complete,” click the Close button
4. Fill out details for the video including Name, Description, and any tags for searching
5. Click the Save button
6. Click Back to Browse and Embed link
7. Click the Select button next to the uploaded Pecha Kucha video
8. Leave the Embedded Media Options settings at the default or choose to customize how the video will display in the CLE
9. Click the Embed button
10. Preview the video to make sure the audio and video was properly recorded
11. Click the Embed media link to add the Pecha Kucha to the forum post
12. Click the Post to Forum button to post your Pecha Kucha video to the CLE (Note: the video will appear in the forum message as a string of text – you will be able to preview the video after posting)

To convert AVCHD files to MOV:

1. Connect the memory card from your camera to your workstation. You can either use a card reader or cables supplied with the camera.
2. Open ClipWrap. Its icon looks like a video tape with disguise glasses over it!
3. Position the memory card window and ClipWrap window side-by-side on the desktop.
4. Drag-and-drop the “private” folder from the memory card, into the ClipWrap window. ClipWrap will automatically detect each of your video clips, and display them in the window.
5. Click the Add New button, and select Desktop as the Movie Destination.
6. Select Rewrap (Source Format) from the “Format:” drop-down menu.
7. Click the Convert button.

When the progress bars all turn green, the process is complete. You can transfer your new MOV files to an external USB hard drive, and/or to UCSF Box.

NOTE: The name of the folder than contains your AVCHD video files may vary from camera to camera. The “private” folder mentioned above is specific to our Canon Vixia video cameras.

Instructions

Step 1: Load Slides into the Holder

To load a slide, first turn it face down (#1), rotate it 90-degrees counter-clockwise (#2), and place it into the holder (#3), using the clips to secure it into place. Loading your slides with this method will ensure they arescanned with the proper rotation.

Step 2: Remove the Reflective Document Mat

First, open the lid of the scanner. Grasp the white reflective document mat by its top edge and gently pull it upward (#1). This will free the bottom edge of the mat, which you can gently pull downward (#2) to free the mat completely. Set the mat aside, or place it in the storage pocket located on top of the scanner (#3).

Step 3: Place the Transparency Guide

Place the transparency guide at the back edge of the document glass (#1), so that its alignment pins fit into the holes as shown (#2).

Step 4: Place the Holder(s) onto the Scanner

Place the slide holder on the document glass with the mounting clips facing up, and align the arrow on the holder with the arrow on the transparency guide as shown. Each holder can accommodate up to 15 slides; if you need to scan more than 15 slides, place a second holder on the glass next to the first holder. Close the scanner lid.

Step 5: Open the scanning software

To begin, open the EPSON scan software from the menu along the bottom of the screen. Its icon, shown above, looks like an open scanner.

Step 6: Select General Settings

Use the Mode drop-down menu to switch into Home Mode.

Set the document type to Positive Film (#1), and select whether your slides are in color, grayscale, or black and white. Under Destination, the default option is Printer at 300 dpi; this is an acceptable level of quality for most purposes. If you would like to scan your slides at a higher resolution, click Other (#2) and select a resolution from the drop-down menu. The recommended range for slides is between 300 and 2400 dpi; keep in mind that the higher the resolution you choose, the longer the scanning process will take.

From the bottom of the Settings window, click Configuration.

Near the bottom of the Configuration window, set the Thumbnail Cropping Area to Large (#1) and click OK (#2). This will prevent the edges of your slides from being unnecessarily cropped during scanning.

When you are finished selecting settings, make sure the Thumbnail box (#1) is checked, then click Preview (#2).

Step 7: Previewing Your Slides

In this window you will have an opportunity to preview your slides. If a slide is rotated incorrectly in this preview, click on the slide’s preview thumbnail and then use the Frame buttons (#1) to rotate or flip the slide. Any rotation settings applied in the preview window will be applied during the scanning process. To apply rotation settings to select multiple slides, simply click on multiple thumbnails, or use the All button (#2).
Selected slides will be highlighted with a blue border.

To ensure that the entire content of your slides is scanned, click the All button (#2) and then click the Delete Marquee button (#3). This will remove the dashed lines that appear on each slide’s thumbnail (#4). If you do not perform this step, only the area of the slide within the dashed lines will be present in the final scan.
To get a closer look at a slide, switch to the Full Size tab (#5) to view larger previews, one slide at a time. If you would like to exclude a particular slide from the scanning process, uncheck its numbered box (#6).

Step 8: Scan Slides

After previewing, return to the main EPSON Scan window (the same window used in Step Six) and click the Scan button. You’ll be presented with a number of options for saving your files; under Location, the default setting is to save to the My Pictures folder. To save to a different location, or to create a new folder for your scanned images, select Other (#1) and then click the Browse button (#2).

To quickly and easily identify your scanned slides later, type a descriptive but short prefix (#3) under the File Name area. This prefix will be used with the Start Number to name the files as they are created. For example, using the settings as shown, images will be named img001, img002, etc.

Images will automatically be saved in JPG format, which is fine for most purposes; if you need a different format, click the Type menu (#4) and select a format from the list. Additional options related to compression, if you need them, can be found under the Options menu (#5), but the default settings are recommended for most users. All other options on this screen should be left at their default values. When you are done, click OK, and the scanning process will begin. When the scanning process has completed, a window displaying the finished files will appear. To scan another batch, place a new batch of slides in the holder, and repeat steps 4 though 8.

Before Leaving

When you are finished scanning, please remember to place the Reflective Document Mat back inside the scanner, and return the Transparency Guide and Slide Holders to a Tech Commons or LTG staff member.

Content in the UCSF Portfolio system is built and controlled by individual users. If you have pages and collections in the UCSF Portfolio that you would like to access after July 1, you must archive that content yourself! You have two options, both of which are relatively quick and easy to complete.

Option 1 – Standalone HTML Website: Create a series of HTML pages that attempt to duplicate the look and feel of your Portfolio content in a basic HTML format. The files are readable in a web browser, though you will lose some formatting and possibly some functionality. Think of this option as the Rich Text Format version of a fancy Word document. This format is great for Portfolios pages that contain large amounts of text, because you can easily copy and paste from the HTML exported pages into other systems or documents.

1. Log in to portfolio.ucsf.edu using your MyAccess credentials.
2. From the Portfolio menu, choose Export.
3. Choose Standalone HTML Website.
4. Choose “All my data.”
5. If desired, check the “Include user feedback” box to include user comments in your export.
6. Click the “Generate export” button.
7. A compressed file will be generated and saved to your browser’s default download location (likely your Downloads folder or Desktop).
8. Double-click to unzip the file, then open the folder and double-click the index.html file. This will launch your content in your default web browser.

Option 2 – Leap2A: This is the standard file format for portfolio systems, and saves an accurate representation (sometimes 100% accurate) of your portfolio pages. You can only open Leap2A files with portfolio tools like Mahara, and those listed on the Other Portfolios tab of this online help document.

1. Log in to portfolio.ucsf.edu using your MyAccess credentials.
2. From the Portfolio menu, choose Export.
3. Choose Leap2A.
4. Choose “All my data.”
5. If desired, check the “Include user feedback” box to include user comments in your export.
6. Click the “Generate export” button.
7. A compressed file will be generated and saved to your browser’s default download location (likely your Downloads folder or Desktop).
8. If you have access to another ePortfolio tool, unzip the folder and import the leap2a.xml file.

Recommendation: Do both! It will only take a few minutes. You will be able to access the HTML export with any web browser, like Firefox or Chrome, but some of the formatting may be lost. The Leap2A format looks great, but only if you create an account with another portfolio system and then import the files.

The CLE provides a full set of instructional and collaborative online tools for academic and programs and other departments at UCSF. There are a number of tools within the CLE that come very close to replicating UCSF Portfolio functionality. We have highlighted a few below.

Option 1 – Portfolio activity: This is new to the CLE with the July 1, 2017 update! It is also the tool that most closely replicates the UCSF Portfolio experience, so we are very excited to have added it to our list of activities in the CLE. Based on the Book module, this activity allows instructors to build a page structure that students can use to build their posts, commenting and grading is easy, and students also have the option to share individual “contributions” with their classmates. For more information, please read our full help document!

Option 2 – OU Wiki activity in the CLE: Like most wiki tools (including wiki.library.ucsf.edu), the OU Wiki activity in the CLE provides users with a place to build “pages” of content and then share that content with others. In the CLE, the instructor adds the wiki activity to a course, and chooses to (a) give each student their own wiki, (b) give each group of students a wiki to collaborate on, or (c) provide one wiki for the entire class.

1. Add the OU Wiki activity to your course, and open its “Edit settings” page.
2. Type a name for the wiki.
3. Provide instructions in the Description box.
4. Expand the “Wiki settings” group, and from the “Sub-wikis” drop-down menu, select accordingly. Your options are private wikis for each student, group wikis, or one wiki for the entire class.
5. If you want to allow comments, set the “Annotation system” option to Yes.
6. Choose Point or Scale from the Grade drop-down menu if students are to receive credit in the gradebook for this activity.
7. Instruct students to build their wikis, and then comment as necessary.
8. When all editing is complete, click the “Participation by user” button to view a table of students, and enter grades.

Note: The annotation process is a bit unusual. When activating this feature, small, blue boxes appear throughout the wiki page. Click a box to add a comment in that location. Students will see small notepad-looking icons in those locations, and can click to expand and read the comment.

Gotchas: If you choose the separate (private) wikis option, students cannot selectively share their wiki with other students, as they might have done in the UCSF Portfolio. Instead, they would have to manually copy their data into a shared space, like a course forum.

Option 3 – OU Blog activity in the CLE: The OU Blog activity is similar to a course forum, allowing users to add blocks of content in the form of sequential posts, but the blog makes it easier to create private areas for writing, and comments are easier to separate from the original content. Also, the instructor can easily view all student posts on one page for quick review, or filter to see one blog at a time.

1. Add the OU Blog activity to your course, and open its “Edit settings” page.
2. Set the “Allow comments” to “Yes, from logged-in users.”
3. From the “Individual blogs” drop-down menu, select accordingly. In most cases you will choose “Separate individual blogs” (private blogs) or “Visible individual blogs” (each student edits their own blog, and can view other student’s blogs).
4. Student post to their blogs. Posts can be edited and re-edited at any time.
5. Instructor opens blog activity, and “View all users,” or one at a time using the “Separate individuals” drop-down menu.
6. Click the “Add your comment” link below a post to provide feedback.

Note: Grading this activity is similar to grading forums, which is not an intuitive process. You’ll need to “rate” posts, and choose an aggregation method for those ratings (ex: sum of ratings, max rating, etc.). In some cases it easier to add a manual grade item to the gradebook to capture student scores. Questions? Just contact us and we’ll work through it with you.

Option 4 – Forums, Assignments, and Groups

If you plan to use the CLE, and the options listed above don’t fit your needs, chances are good that another feature or activity will. Forums and Assignment activities may work, with or without the help of Groups and Groupings to organize students. For more information on these tools, and others, please click the links below.

• • Forums
  • Assignments
  • Groups
  • Groupings

UCSF Box is more than an online storage repository. Users can selectively control who they share files with, comment on shared files, and create wiki-style Box Notes. The Box Notes feature is relatively new, and formatting options are limited, but the process of creating, sharing, and collaboratively editing is quick and easy. Here are a few ideas:

• Box Notes and shared folder – The instructor creates a folder in Box, and shares that folder with each student in the class (by entering their name or UCSF email address). Students open that shared folder, create a new Box Note within it, and add their content. In this scenario, the Notes are not private, however. Also, there is no link to the CLE gradebook.
• Individual Box Notes – Students create Box Notes anywhere in their personal UCSF Box account, set the proper sharing options (either by adding the specific instructor’s name, or by choosing “anyone with the link”), and then provide that link to the instructor either via a CLE Assignment, email, or forum post. If a student wanted to also share their Box Note with a classmate, they could do so in the same manner. Box Notes created in this way would be private unless explicitly shared by the owner (just like the UCSF Portfolio), but there is no option for the instructor to download Box Notes, or to view them all on one page.

Note: Comments can be made on any file or Box Note by anyone with access to that item, so this makes the feedback process very convenient and easy, but then the comments do not exist in the CLE, only Box.

For additional assistance with UCSF Box, please contact the IT Service Desk.

There are a number of other ePortfolio tools available on the Internet, and most of them will allow you to import Leap2A file from Mahara. Many of these tools also offer free accounts, but the limitations of the free accounts can be difficult to overcome in a formal academic setting. Here are a few that we are aware of, and Foliospaces is likely the most relevant. Please note, we cannot provide support for these 3rd party tools, though we’re happy to help you export your content from the UCSF Portfolio to prepare for a migration to another system.

1. FolioSpaces.org – Also powered by Mahara, this website can easily import Leap2A files that were exported from the UCSF Portfolio. Functionality, look and feel would be very similar to the UCSF Portfolio. The drawbacks, however, are that a small ads banner will display at the bottom of each user’s page, unless they pay $10/year for a premium account, and there is an additional fee for an admin to create an “institutional account” for grouping and managing users. In addition, there is no link to UCSF or MyAccess, so everyone would need to create an account with Foliospaces. Groups are premium feature as well, and HIPPA compliance is a concern.
   
2. Portfolium.com – This is a modern-looking, cloud-based portfolio tool with options to link to social media and other common web tools. To try it out, you can create an account here: www.portfolium.com/join, though it looks like they cater to institutions, not individuals or small groups. If a long-term solution was needed, and your program wanted to fund a new tool, this would be worth investigating. They have a “partnership” with the UC system, but additional conversations with someone from educators@portfolium.com would be necessary to get details.
   
3. Pathbrite.com – Free to create accounts and pages, but you need to pay for an institutional account, or students need to pay to join a “class” and share content. More info can be found here.