Thursday, December 11, 2008

Tip #45: End of Semester Checklist

Tip: End of Semester Checklist

End-of-semester checklist:
1. Export the final course gradebook.
2. Archive your Blackboard course.
3. Make the course unavailable.

Exporting the Blackboard Gradebook

1) Access the course that contains the Gradebook you want to export
2) Click the Control Panel link
3) Click Gradebook
4) Click the Download Grades button
5) Select Comma or Tab as the Delimiter Type (both file types can be opened in MS Excel)
6) Click the Submit button and then click the Download button
7) Save the file to your Desktop (or anywhere on your computer that is appropriate)
8) Click OK

Archiving a Blackboard Course
1) Access the course you want to archive
2) Click the Control Panel link
3) Under the Course Options category, click Archive Course
4) Click the Archive button
5) Click Submit
6) After you receive the archive completion email, navigate to the Archive Course page again. Right-click the zipped course file and click Save Target As… to save the file to your computer
7) Click OK

Making a Course Unavailable
1) Access the course you want to make unavailable
2) Click the Control Panel link
3) Under the Course Options category, click Settings
4) Click Course Availability
5) Select No
6) Click Submit

Monday, December 8, 2008

Tip #15: Word: Customizing Shortcut Keys

Shortcut keys allow you to quickly execute common commands without searching for the command on menus. Word has set shortcuts for several common tasks. Common preset shortcuts include CTRL-Z (undo), CTRL-S (Save), CTRL-C (copy), and CTRL-P (paste).
In Word 2007 you can change a default shortcut key to one that makes more sense to you. Or, you may want to add a shortcut key to a command that does not currently have one.

Setting a Customized Shortcut Key
1. Click the Office button
2. Select Word Options
3. Select Customize from the side menu
4. At the bottom of the window, next to Keyboard Shortcuts click Customize.
5. In the Customize Keyboard dialog box, locate the command for which you would like to edit the keyboard shortcut. Start by selecting the category. For each category, the commands will appear at the right side of the window. When you select one, a brief description will appear at the bottom of the dialog box.
6. The current shortcut key, if there is one, will appear in the Current Keys box
7. Click inside the box labeled Press new shortcut key
8. Press the shortcut key you would like to use. Include the Ctrl, Shift, or Ctrl + Shift keys.
9. If the shortcut key is currently assigned, Word will tell you what command currently uses the shortcut key. If this occurs, you may reassign the shortcut key, or select a different shortcut key sequence.
11. Under Save Changes In… select where the key is saved: Normal template affects ALL documents or only the current document
12. Click Assign to apply the changes
13. Click Close

NOTE: You can revert to the original shortcut presets by pressing Reset All on the Customize Keyboard dialog box.

Where can I find more information about Office 2007? The ISS Training site provides Quick Reference Guides and Courseware for Microsoft Office. https://portal.twu.edu/iss-training/appstraining/ms_applications.htm
For additional support, please contact the Help Desk, (940) 898-3971.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Tip #44: Weight Gradebook items by category or by item

Tip: You can weight Gradebook items by category or by item.

Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to your course Control Panel and click Gradebook. Click the Weight Grades button. Select the option to Weight by Category or to Weight by Item. Assign weight percentages to the desired categories or items. The percentages must add up to 100%. Click Submit to save the weights.

NOTE: After you assign weight to Gradebook items or categories, you cannot remove the weighting option from the Gradebook. Add weighting to the Gradebook only if you are certain that you will continue to use weighting the entire semester.

Weighting by Category:
Weighting by category allows you to assign a weight percentage to a particular type of Gradebook item, rather than to each Gradebook item. For example, you can weight all course quizzes at 30% of the students’ total grades. Each time you add a quiz, the weight percentage for each quiz will adjust accordingly.

To use this feature correctly, it is important that you assign Gradebook items to appropriate categories. You can change a Gradebook item’s category by clicking the Manage Items button in the Gradebook and clicking the Modify button next to the Gradebook item you want to change. Select a new category for the item and click Submit.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Tip #14: Outlook: Previewing Attachments

Previewing attachments is a new feature of Outlook 2007. When you receive an attachment in a message and want to see what the attachment contains without opening the file, you can preview the attachment. You can preview an attachment in the Reading Pane or from within an open message. To preview an attached file created in a 2007 Microsoft Office system application, you must have that application installed on your computer. For example, to preview a Word attachment, you must have Word installed.

How to do it:
To preview an attachment, click a single time on the attachment icon. The attachment will appear in the message frame.
To return to message view, click the Message icon

NOTE: To open an attachment for editing, or for printing formatting, double click on the attachment icon and the attachment will open in its original application.

Where can I find more information about Office 2007? The ISS Training site provides Quick Reference Guides and Courseware for Microsoft Office.
https://portal.twu.edu/iss-training/appstraining/ms_applications.htm
For additional support, please contact the Help Desk, (940) 898-3971.

Where can I find information about Office 2007 training sessions?
The ISS Training Calendar lists upcoming training for Office 2007.
https://portal.twu.edu/iss-training/calendar/index.html