Using SAM 2007 & Aplia In Online Courses

Don Danner San Francisco State University

General Observations Online courses are typically a good choice for students that have the ability to manage their time effectively, work independently, follow a schedule and display the ability to apply “critical thinking” skills in arriving at solutions on their own. Online courses are typically not a good idea for students that do not possess these traits, have lots of questions, require a lot of “hand holding” and desire personalized attention / feedback from the instructor. For these students, a traditional class may be a better fit for your learning style.

Online Courses - Benefits  Costs  Availability / Flexibility o Time o Location o Pacing  Accommodating Different Learning Styles “In an Online Class, students attend all class sessions in an online environment. Technology is primarily used to create a substitute for an entire course experience, and to communicate with the instructor inside and outside of office hours.”

Online Courses - Challenges  Engage / Retain Students  Communication Issues  Time Management Issues  Following Directions  Technical Issues  Meeting Student Expectations  Academic Integrity Issues  Integration of Programs

General Principals – Before Classes Start  On Your Mark, Get Set … Go  Keep ‘Em Busy  Structure The Course o Weekly Assignments o 2-3 Weeks Per Assignment  Great Documentation  Follow Up / Remind  Be Consistent

Course Materials – Building Blocks  Learning Management System o Moodle – iLearn  Aplia  SAM 2007  SAM 2007 Projects  Electronic Textbooks o Stair: Principals of Information System o New Perspectives – Microsoft Excel 2007 Brief

Learning Management System  iLearn is the “learning management system” that is used for the course. It is an important component of the class and you should frequently log in to check for updates and any changes to the course schedule.  iLearn log in for students is:  Aplia: A link to Aplia is provided in iLearn. Aplia is a separate software application which will be used for testing & homework focusing on Stair / Reynolds: Principals of Information Systems: 9 th Edition. An electronic copy of the book is included within Aplia.  Calendar: The calendar in iLearn will provide you with the due dates and times of your assignments and quizzes.  Course Materials: iLearn will be used to distribute the syllabus, additional course materials and general directions. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view most documents.  Forums: The “News” forum in iLearn will be used for communication and general information / updates to the course.  Grades: Your grades and general feedback will be posted into iLearn for your review as soon as possible (within one week of the due date). Grades for SAM 2007 and Aplia must be manually entered into iLearn by the instructor so do not display immediately.  Quizzes: Four quizzes and the final will be given in iLearn focusing on the Stair: Principals book.

What Is Aplia?  Electronic Book  Interactive Problem Sets  Weekly Homework Assignments  Provides Analytics  Customizable

Aplia Overview  Easy To Set Up  Easy For Students  Very Few Technical Problems  Runs on both Mac’s and PC’s  Contains E-Book  Interactive Problem Sets  Reporting / Gradebook  Limited Assessment

SAM 2007  Training o Task Based  Observe  Practice  Apply  Assessment  Excel 2007 o NP Excel Brief

SAM 2007 Projects  Chapter Projects  Work In Excel 2007  Immediate Feedback  Ability to Correct and Learn

Assessment  iLearn (Moodle) o 4 Quizzes – Stair Test Bank o Every 3 chapters o Pooling of questions  2 Quizzes – SAM 2007 o Every 2 tutorials  1 Final – Comprehensive  Quizzes / Final o Timed o Open 36 Hours

Communication  Syllabus – Course Handbook o Links  Course Outline o Due Dates  Calendar – iLearn  Clear Documentation o Aplia & SAM  Technical Requirements  Weekly Updates / Reminders  Frequent Posting of Posting Grades

Academic Integrity  Quizzes o Timed o Polling o Scheduled  Aplia Assignments  SAM 2007  SAM Projects  Final Exam

Documentation  Syllabus o Technical Support  SAM 2007 Registration Instructions  Aplia Registration Instructions  SAM 2007 Student Manual

Software Integration / Updating Grades  Excel Is Your Friend

Future Goals  Videos  Video Lectures  Current Articles / Forums  Links  Update iLearn  Facebook  Camtasia Studio