UW Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning, Instructional Computing Services
Last Revision: 9 January 2012; mvbw
We offer three choices of course website, Course Studio, eCompanion,
and WyoSakai, to UW instructors as supplements to campus
courses. Please start at the UW Supplemental Course Websites page:
http://www.uwyo.edu/onlnsupp.
You may reach it from the Ellbogen Center page,
www.uwyo.edu/ctl/,
by clicking on "Supplemental Course Websites."
What to Tell Your Students: Tell them clearly what platform you have chosen. "We will be using a course website on the ____ (eCompanion/WyoSakai/CourseStudio) system. Go to the Supplemental Course Websites page, follow the Student Info link on the left, and read the appropriate section of the instructions."
Note: WyoSakai service ends after Spring 2012.
Course Studio provides communication tools and file space, but no quizzing or grading. For an overview, see the workshop notes "Overview of WyoWeb and Course Websites." Both of the full-fledged online course platforms, WyoSakai and eCompanion, give instructors a website with standard tools, through which students can view and download course notes and materials, follow links to other websites, carry on discussions, submit work, check their grades, and take quizzes.
| Getting Started | Course Studio | WyoSakai (2.8) | eCompanion (.NExT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL for access | In your WyoWeb portal, open the "Faculty" tab,
click on "Course Sites" in My Courses channel. Note supported broswers! |
Follow the "Login WyoSakai" link; or
go directly to http://WyoSakai.uwyo.edu Note supported browsers! |
Follow the "Login
eCompanion" link; or go to http://ecampus.uwyo.edu
or
http://onlineuw.uwyo.edu Note supported browsers! |
| How to Obtain | Easily obtained, for each official teaching assignment, via the "Edit URL" button in the WyoWeb My Courses page. | By Course Request form, at Supplemental Course Websites. | By Course Request form, at Supplemental Course Websites. |
| Common Feature: User's Home Page | In the "My Courses" channel, clicking on "Course Sites" opens "My Courses" page showing all current courses, as links, and also a link to "My Consolidated Courses." | User enters in "My Workspace" site, a personal file and web service. Use the "My Sites" list, or the quick links across the top, to find your course (and also project and portfolio) worksites. | User's personal page carries Outreach and eCollege news. Courses are listed under the "Academics" tab. |
| Course website on link named by title | To enter a course in the Course Sites list, click on its name to go to the course home page. | To enter a course in the My Sites list, click on its name to go to the course Home page. | To enter a course, click on its name, which displays the course home page. |
| Different views of course for student and instructor | Views are same on Course Tools; instructors also have Content Tools and Configuration Tools. (Students who have been delegated privileges on a Content Tool will see it, as well.) | Specific student view on link, top right. Screen appearance same for students, but tools provided may be limited, with no editing options. | "Course" for students; "Author" for instructors. Author view reveals commands, options, and edit windows. |
| Initial Setup | Course Studio | WyoSakai | eCompanion (.NExT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance and Structure | Layout provided (same as WyoWeb Groups). List on left links to standard course tools, and also configuration menus. Middle column contains Announcements and Message Board, if they are in use; not configurable beyond that. | Appearance and layout can be customized by the institution and further by the instructor. We are using the default fixed three-column layout. List on left shows course tools in use. Middle column of home page set up by instructor with "Options." | Layout provided. Organized into units in list on left, where units can be lessons, topics, or weeks; with "Course Home" the default unit. Units open to reveal their Content Items (added by the instructor). Some course tools appear in tabs across the top. |
| Adding or Removing Tools | To see what's available, and add or remove: Configuration Tools --> Applications |
Many tools are available. To see the options, and add or remove: Site Editor --> Edit Tools |
Tool set is mostly fixed. "Course Admin" tab allows disabling and enabling of Syllabus, Gradebook, E-Mail, and a few others. |
| Written Course Materials, in General | Upload to Files (using "Manage Files"), for download by your students, in any format that can be opened by your students with a client application. | Use the "Resources" tool for directories and files. HTML files can be edited onsite. Easy upload through WebDav. Folders and files can have access privileges and release dates. (Resources can be reached through URLs, as with Web Content tools, giving a hierarchy of materials in the left-hand column. | To units, add Content Items, with type "Text/Multimedia" or MS Office. The Toolbox, for a Content Item, allows scheduling. Upload files of arbitrary types to Doc Sharing, for download by students rather than reading online. |
| Student Enrollment | Automatically populated from Registrar's data. Students appear in the list of "Members" (ordered by first name). | Students set up their own WyoSakai accounts and join courses as "guests," according to our instructions under Student Info. You (the instructor) then change the role to "student." | ECompanion courses are populated and updated from UW registration data, with a time lag of a day or two, or sometimes several. |
| Particular Tools and Elements | Course Studio | WyoSakai | eCompanion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syllabus | Upload the syllabus as a file, as described below. (There is no special-purpose Syllabus tool.) | Add Syllabus tool; then (with "Create/Edit") add individual components, with optional attachments. Treat a Word document as a single attachment. | Click "Syllabus" in Course Home unit; then enter individual components or use your own completed document, uploaded. |
| Adding New Items and Files | Use "Manage Files" (in the Content Tools) to upload files of all types to the course, and organize with subfolders. Search function provided. File size severely limited (20Mb each, 100Mb total). | Upload individually into Resources folders, or set up a network connection to drag folders and files into course Resources through WebDAV. Files launch client apps. Resources can be links to other Sakai materials on the same server (such as in your Workspace). | Add a unit, then a content item, then attach it to the unit and enter content. If a Text content item is entered right there through the edit window, it does not exist as a separate file. Uploaded MS Office files are converted to web pages. The File Manager (under the "Course Home" unit) can be used for storage or for class files provided to students through links in content items. |
| Announcements | Shown on home page. Deleted when they expire. No archive. | Add Announcements tool. Can set time span and other options. Can merge announcements from other site (a different course) into current one. | On Course Home page, Author view, you will find "Add Announcement." You can control the dates of display. Past announcements remain visible in Author view. |
| Discussions | Message Board tool | Add Discussion Forums tool (friendly) or Forums tool (formal). Many controls; see documentation. | Add content item of type "Threaded Discussion." Can sort by date, student, etc. Can allow students to edit with Preferences (Course Admin tab). |
| E-Mail tool allows selection of members, but the list is ordered in an odd fashion. "Draft" and "Save" options do not work. | To send from within the course, add Messages tool; choose course-site or external e-address delivery. The Email Archive tool provides a single address for sending, from an external e-mail client, to the whole class; these messages are archived. | E-Mail tool (on tab) sends to UWYO addresses; allows selection of students, but no CC, no archives, and no saving drafts for finishing later. Include yourself in the list of recipients. | |
| Collaborative Assignments | Files uploaded by students are open to all. You can delegate management authority (with the "Member" tool) to individuals, for sharing News, Photos, and Links. | Sections tool, or Groups: Site Editor --> Manage Groups Also: Grant access to outside guest instructors by e-mail address, in Site Editor --> Add Participants. Guests will be e-mailed passwords enabling entry to (only) your course site. |
Course Admin tab --> Group Management to set up groups, for use in E-mail, Content Items-- including Exams and Discussions, Chat rooms, Doc Sharing, and Gradebook items. |
| Calendar and Scheduling Delivery | Use the tool here, in the course, or the WyoWeb Calendar. No control over course access, or of specific items, is possible. | Add the Calendar tool for display of dates. Using the scheduling options in many course tools to set those dates For access to the entire course, enable or disable the Joinable parameter in "Site Editor" --> "Manage Access." | Calendar tool not available; undergoing refinement. For individual items, use "Edit Scheduler" in Author View, sometimes in Toolbox. |
| Grades | None | Gradebook tool. Many controls. See extra documentation. | Gradebook tab; select unit from drop-down list: To enter new item, "Setup Gradebook." To enter data, "View Gradebook." See extra documentation. |
| Exams | None | Tests and Quizzes tool; includes a quick-create from markup that builds questions from pasted text, and extensive settings. | Add content item of type "Exam," then click on it and enter Exam Builder. |
| Where to find more details | Instructions for Standard Teaching Tasks in Course Studio | Instructions for Standard Teaching Tasks in WyoSakai and its subordinate documents; and see the extensive Help pages (question-mark button) on your WyoSakai site. | Instructions for Standard Teaching Tasks in eCompanion and its subordinate documents |
| What to tell your students Note: If you have edited the course link in the WyoWeb "My Courses" page, you may instruct them to use that. |
"Log in to the WyoWeb portal and go through the My Courses channel to the site for this course. For more details, see the Supplemental Course Websites page, Student Info." | "We are using WyoSakai. Create your own account and join this course at http://wyosakai.uwyo.edu. See the Supplemental Course Websites page, Student Info, for instructions." | "We are using eCompanion, which you will reach through the OnlineUW login page at http://ecampus.uwyo.edu. See the Supplemental Course Websites page, Student Info, for instructions." |
| ICSL 1001-01 | Instructors: Doctor Schmoctor (schmoctor), Preachy Teachy (teachy) Students: Judy Jetson (jjetson), Shaggy Rogers (srogers), Bamm-bamm Rubble (brubble), Pebbles Flintstone (pflintstone) |