The Media Union's Coursetools, http://coursetools.ummu.umich.edu, is a set of web-based programs designed to make an online approach to teaching as simple and accessible to faculty members as possible. For example, Coursetools helps you set up course web sites. You can also make course readings available to students and host discussions for your courses.

If you've used Coursetools before you may want to read through the list of topics below to determine which will help you most. If you've never used Coursetools, don't worry - all you need to use Coursetools for the first time in a uniqname and a few minutes to set up your account!

Quick Links:

Using Coursetools to Create a Web Site

1. Log in to Coursetools.
2. The first time you log in you will be asked to request a workspace by filling out a form on the web. In your workspace you can create a new web site as well as publish an electronic coursepack or host a chat for your students. Please note that it takes one or two days for the Media Union to process your request for a workspace.
3. You should receive en e-mail from Coursetools when your workspace is ready. Log into Couretools and click on My Workspace. Now click the Create a New Site button in your workspace. A web form will appear asking you to complete the following fields:
   
   Choose an academic term for this site (Summer 2002, for example)
   
   Give this site a brief working title (Something that describes your course. Don't worry, you can change it later!)
   
   Choose a personal profile you want to use (This is your profile in the University of Michigan Online Directory.)
   
   What set of options do you want to start with? (You have three choices here: Repository: Instructor announcements and Resources - an online coursepack, for example, Discussions: Announcements, Resources and Discussions, or Web Assignments: Announcements, Resources, Discussions and Assignments. If you're unsure which option is best why not pick Web Assignments as the option that offers you the greatest amount of flexibility?

   When you're finished filling out the web form click the Create Site button. Click only once. The process will take a few seconds, so don't worry if your site doesn't appear right away. A Coursetools design template featuring a pencil drawing of the School of Nursing as well as the "Care and Discovery" motto will automatically be applied to your new web site.

   

4. The next step in the process is to publish your course web site. Click the My Workspace button and log in. In your workspace, click the Unpublished Sites button. (It may already be clicked.) Now locate the site you want to publish in the Sites in development list. Under the course site's title, click the Publish button.

   Another web form will appear asking you if you want to make any last minute changes. Make sure you've filled out all important information - such as the title of the course and the term it is offered - correctly. When you're finished making changes click the Make this Request button. You will receive an email acknowledging your publish request. After you request has been processed and completed, you will be notified via email again. Normally a site will be published within one business day!

5. The last step involved in making a Coursetools web site is notifying your students about the site! Make sure you tell your students how you expect them to use the course site. For example, if the site is to be used only occasionally, tell your students they don't have to check it every day! Communication about how students are supposed to use the course site is very important. Also, make sure your students know to log in at the following web address to use Coursetools:
   https://coursetools.ummu.umich.edu/mycourses

Setting Up a Group Project in Coursetools

If you would like your students to be able to publish your students' group projects/web sites on Coursetools you should send an e-mail to SN-ITS with your name, the name of the course, and the names of the students who should be able to publish work. If you would like each student in the class to be able to publish work just say so! In addition, if you have organized the students into smaller groups include the names of these groups and the students which belong to each.

Creating an Electronic Coursepack in Coursetools

1. After you've prepared your digital documents (See the Using a Scanner to Digitize Course Material if you still need to scan your course material) log into Coursetools.
2. Once you've logged in to Coursetools click the Resources button. Resources is the generic term Coursetools uses to describe any sort of online course material: articles, presentations, web links, etc.
3. Now click the Instructor button in the menubar. Click Documents, then choose Create a New Resource.
4. You will now be asked to choose what kind of resource you're creating. Choose Document to upload and store a file such as a Word document, a PowerPoint presentation, etc.) Choose URL if you want this resource document to point to a web page that already exists. Choose Plaintext to type text into a web form. Once you've chosen the option that suits your task click the Continue button.
5. Yet another form will appear asking you to fill in the following information:
   
   Short description (Create a description of the resource. Make it short and sweet!)
   
   Long description (Here's a chance to describe the resource in greater detail.)
   
   Attachment (Use the Browse button to look for your file on your computer's hard drive.)
   
   

   Availability (You can make the resource available to only the students in your class or to anyone who views the site. Your choice!)
   
   Link Options (The resource can be listed inside your course site, in place of your course site or in a new window!)
   
   Copyright/Source Information (By default the resource will be listed with your copyright and the present year. If you need to attribute it to another source you can do so here.)
   
   To finish creating a resource, click the Make these Changes button. You did it! If you have more files to add to your electronic coursepack you should do so following these steps again.

Using the Discussion Feature in Coursetools

A discussion area, sometimes called a forum or bulletin board, is a way to organize conversations in written form. People communicate at different times in this type of discussion area. It is not like a ³chat² feature, in which people converse at the same time. If you'd like to know more about online discussions, please refer to our Complete Guide to Online Discussions

When you click the Discussions button in Coursetools two discussion categories already appear: "Q&A about this site" and "Introductions". Discussions are threaded, meaning that each discussion begins with a main topic and all the responses relating to the topic go with the topic, branching out like a tree structure.

You will probably want to add a new discussion topic for your class! Click the Discussions button, then select Make New. A form will pop up asking you to fill in the following fields:

Category (Choose a category from the list provided.)

Subject (Type in the subject of the discussion.)

Type your item here (This is where you type a message to your students or a question to open the discussion.)

Readers (Don't worry about this feature! It's for students.)

Choose resources to link to this document (You can link the discussion thread to any of your resource items.)

And/or upload a file (You can upload a file or link to a URL here.)

Save options (Choose whether you want to save this item as a draft by choosing Preview or Post.)

Click the Preview button or the Post button to finish. OK, you've started the discussion, but how to continue it? If you want to respond to your students' posts in the discussion click the Respond button and type your message into the form that pops up.

Using Coursetools to Grade Online

Try our frequently asked questions, contact the SN-ITS team for help, or take a look at the Couretools Instructor Help web site.

Copyright 2002 - University of Michigan School of Nursing
Information Technology Support - All Rights Reserved.