The TLTC frequently assesses new software. We post parts of our internal reviews on our blog, but we do not necessarily endorse the technologies presented here. Please use this post for information only.

Attention, users of Microsoft Word’s Equation Tools! MathType is conversion software which can quickly convert math equations made in older versions of Word to a LEARN-friendly format.

As an instructor, you may wish to convert math exercises created in Microsoft Word to an online format using LEARN, where answers can be automatically graded and students can receive instant feedback. LEARN is able to display properly typeset math equations, so instead of students seeing an equation displayed inline as “2 7/16 + 3 1/2 + 5 5/8 + 10 3/4 =”, they can be shown as:

Far more complex equations are also supported.

However, if your document was created with Word 2003 or older, the process of transferring the equations into LEARN can be tedious. Due to an incompatibility between LEARN and older versions of Word’s math tool, known as Equation Editor 3.0, equations cannot be simply pasted into LEARN as they can from newer versions of the program. Enter MathType’s math utilities to help “translate” older equations into LEARN’s MathML or LaTeX coding protocols.

Editing an equation in Equation Editor 3.0.

Using MathType

Converting a Word document to either MathML or LaTeX protocol is as easy as clicking a button on the MathType toolbar.

To start, download a 30-day trial or purchase a copy of MathType from http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathtype/. Installing MathType adds a new MathType tab to Word’s ribbon.

 Converting Word Equations:

1. Click “Convert Equations” on the MathType tab to open an options window. Choose to convert equations to “Text using MathType translator:”. On the drop-down list, choose “Desire2Learn:LaTeX” or “Desire2Learn:MathML” as shown below.
2. MathType automatically converts the equations to code which can then be pasted into LEARN. The converted file will be in the native .DOC file format. IMPORTANT: Use Save As to create a new copy of the file; otherwise, your original file will be lost when you hit Save.
3. The code that is generated can be daunting at first glance, but individual questions can be easily made out as the original numbering is maintained in the document. For example, the code shown below is for question b. Copy the code for an individual question and you are ready for the next step, pasting into LEARN.

Pasting Into LEARN:

Pasting the code generated by MathType into LEARN is much faster than typing equations manually. Simply copy the code for an individual question from the Word document and paste it into your LEARN quiz.

1. First, add a new quiz question to your LEARN quiz; either multiple choice or fill in the blank works the best for math. This will take you to the question editing screen.
2. Your equation will go in the “Text:” box on the editing screen, but don’t paste your code just yet. To insert your code, click the “Show All Components” button (…) to see a larger list of buttons.
3. Click “Graphical Equation”, and then either “MathML equation” or “LaTeX equation”, depending on which language you converted your Word document to. The “Insert Equation” box opens up.
4. For LaTeX code, simply paste it into the LaTeX equation box.
   For MathML, paste your code between the angle brackets as shown below.
   Click “Generate a preview” at the bottom of the window to see what your code will look like; if it isn’t displayed correctly, try deleting some of the characters at the beginning or end of your code such as brackets or slashes until just the equation remains in the preview.
5. Press “Insert” to add your equation to the question, and you’re done! Add your answers, save your question, and repeat these steps as necessary.

Have you ever read the The Telling Room? It’s a novel about the power of the narrative and it’s a story about a cheese, a very good cheese. This book was passed along to me by a couple (okay, my parents, both of whom were lifelong educators) who encourage writing comments in the columns and passing the book on later — a good practice, but not one I can ever seem to adopt as I tend to get so wrapped up in what I’m reading. I’ve been savouring this book, a few pages at a time, and this morning I read this passage:

He also knew, or assumed that the workers — he would never dignify them with a sobriquet “cheesemakers,” those who had replaced his happy brood at the factory — were clock punchers, like everyone these days, there to do their time and collect a paycheck. How could such automatons make something remarkable, let alone create a delirious, sublime cheese of memory and strength? They, too, were thieves, if unconscious ones, afflicted with the disease of mediocrity. After all, why were you put on this earth, to serve humanity or the jefe’s bottom line? Read More →

Myth # 237: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

I’ll admit it. I tend to lean on old familiar ways when it comes to Instructional Design (ID). But last week a bright young colleague reminded this old dog of one not-so-new trick, tangential learning. That mere engagement can transform our minds into sponges that soak up peripheral knowledge is a wondrous phenomenon.  Ah, memories of Pavlov and Cardinal Ximenez.

My young colleague (we’ll call her Katherine) had brought the Timeline card game to the office.  Read More →

Crosslisting Overview

Crosslisting is when we combine multiple sections in LEARN so that you can teach with one course. This will allow you to organize your class better and allow you grade multiple sections in one course offering.

There are two types of Crosslisting:

•  Crosslisting in Colleague

•  Crosslisting after the section has been created and no previous crosslisting has occured.

Crosslisting in Colleague

When the section is crosslisted in Colleague, it will appear in LEARN as crosslisted. This can also happen after the section has been created in LEARN and crosslisting occurs after the the course has already been created in LEARN.

Crosslisting in LEARN

The second kind of crosslisting is when no crosslisting has occurred in Colleague. We will need the following information granted that all sections have been flagged for d2l in Colleague:

•  Parent Shell section ID #: This is the shell that will hold all children sections plus the Parent section

•  Children section ID#(s): All of the children section #’s that need to be Merged into the Parent

All children sections will be inactivated once the crosslisting happens. This means any data or content in the child sections are not accessible and that the data/content does not copy over to the parent. The parent section is untouched and will house all content and data.

Wrong Section Crosslisted

There are a few instances where we get requests to change sections in a crosslisted course. We try our best to double check with the people requesting a crosslisting to make sure they know exactly what needs to be merged. If an error happens the process will take a day to complete as it will run past two script intervals. This must emailed to LEARN support at learn@rrc.ca to fix. Please provide the following information:

The correct crosslisting request:

•  Parent Shell section ID #: This is the shell that will hold all children sections plus the Parent section

•  Children section ID#(s): All of the children section #’s that need to be Merged into the Parent

To send a LEARN crosslisting request, download the form below and email it to LEARN support at learn@rrc.ca

LEARN-Crosslisting-Request-Form

LEARN keeps track of all changes to the gradebook and in some situations also offers a restore function.

To reference changes to the gradebook you will be looking for the “Event Log” icon. 

Here is a step by step post on how to access the event log in a number of different locations in the Gradebook.  There is a video outlining the process at the end of the post.

Read More →

I don’t know many people who, growing up, had a burning desire to become an instructional designer – I didn’t! More than likely, many IDs started out as something else and ended up doing work that directly or indirectly required instructional design (e.g. training, faculty development, teaching). So, how do you become an ID – or better yet, what skills can help you in an ID role? The video below contains a short discussion we had about how we ended up as IDs and what skillsets were relevant to that role.

The TLTC has “IDs” who do “ID” … but what is ID and who are IDs?

First, there are many definitions and descriptions of Instructional Design (ID). Common across most definitions are:

1. the analysis of learner/learning/teaching needs
2. the analysis of teaching and delivery methods
3. implementation of pedagogically sound assessment and evaluation
4. carefully considered integration of technology

Read More →

The TLTC frequently assesses new software. We post parts of our internal reviews on our blog, but we do not necessarily endorse the technologies presented here. Please use this post for information only.

The Visual Understanding Environment is Open Source focused on creating flexible tools for managing and integrating digital resources in support of teaching, learning and research. VUE provides a flexible visual environment for structuring, presenting, and sharing digital information.

You can download VUE here: Visual Understanding Environment (VUE)

The TLTC frequently assesses new software. We post parts of our internal reviews on our blog, but we do not necessarily endorse the technologies presented here. Please use this post for information only.

Prism converts or compresses video files to various video formats such as:

• AVI
• WMV
• ASF
• MPG
• MOV
• MP4
• FLV
• SWF

Prism supports everything from HD to high compression for smaller files. You can even configure encoder options for your video as resize, crop, change framerate, color change, text caption and rotation.

Additionally, it fetches and converts files directly from DVDs and multimedia devices.

To try the Free trial version for 14 days click here.

Microvideo is a model of media creation for blended and online courses that gives the power to the subject matter expert or instructor. You don’t need a big studio or expensive cameras – all you need is a webcam and a topic.

Examples of Microvideos include:

• using a document camera to capture solving a math problem on paper
• using a webcam to record a welcome message for a unit of content
• using a document camera to show the manipulation of small objects like thermostats, tools, etc.
• capturing your computer screen with a program like Camtasia to show how to interact with software
• building engaging interactions with off the shelf software
• and many many more!

Read More →