HOW TO...

TRANSITION GUIDE
HOW
TO...
SYSTEM INFORMATION
REGISTRATION AND LOGIN
Login
www.cengage.com/owl
Select your discipline then choose Log in.
Choose your textbook and then your
school.
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Select your discipline then choose Buy an
Access Code.
www.cengage.com/owl
Select your discipline then choose Log in.
Choose your textbook and then your
school. Choose blue arrow under Student
Registration.
Choose My Account from left navigation
menu
https://login.cengage.com
Necessary plugins
Java and Flash, JavaScript and Cookies
enabled
Intro Assignments guide students through
installation and browser checks
Flash, Javascript and Cookies enabled, and popups
Supported
Browsers
IE 8, IE9, Firefox, Safari, Chrome
(Most recent versions) for all gradable
assignments and eBooks
Purchase
Student Access
Code
Register
Student Access
Code
Instructor Change
Account
Information
Mobile Device
Compatibility
(iPad)
eBook Formats
Significant
Figures
Get help
Partially compatible. YouBook type
eBooks for recent titles are mobile and
tablet compatible. Most assignments
work except for those requiring Flash,
JMol and MarvinSketch.
YouBook, Xplana, PDF
Tolerance set at +/- 2%.
www.cengage.com/chemistry/owlsupport
Support link at the top of most pages.
Choose No, please create a new case for
phone and chat options
Enter your Course Key (provided by instructor) then
you will see purchase options for the correct product
on My Home page.
Enter code on My Home page.
From the Instructor Resource Center, choose My
Account.
allowed on the site. You can choose this icon
at
the top of the page then choose Run System Check.
This will check for all necessary plug-ins.
IE9, Firefox, Chrome, Safari (Most recent versions) for
all gradable assignments
We recommend Chrome or Firefox for eBook use (MindTap
Reader) since some configurations of IE9 and Safari are not
supported.
All assignments plus the eBook work on mobile and
tablet devices with exception of Flash based modules.
Because of the wide variety of mobile devices and
associated software, we cannot guarantee all
functionality will be available on all devices.
MindTap Reader
Tolerance set at +/- 2%.
Click the help icon
at the top of most pages.
Via the web: http://cengage.com/support
Via phone: 800-354-9706, Option 5
Click the “Cengage Technical Support” link at bottom
of most pages.
Create a
Course
Click Course Creation link in left
navigation menu
Click Courses tab then choose Create a New Course
and proceed with one of the course creation options.
Copy a Course
From Course Home page click Manage
Sections and then choose Copy Course
From Course Home page click Manage
Sections and then choose New Section
Click Course List in left navigation menu
and then choose Archive/Unarchive
Courses at the top of the page
Click Courses tab then choose Create a New Course.
Select Copy an Existing Course.
Click Courses tab, select the desired course, and click
its Create section link in the Actions column.
Click Courses tab, choose the course, click Show All
Options (if it's not already open), and then select
Archive from the Courses and Sections dropdown
menu.
Click Courses tab, choose the course, click Show All
Options (if it's not already open), and then select
Delete from the Courses and Sections drop-down
menu.
Click Courses tab, choose the course, click Show All
Options (if it's not already open), and then click
Export from the Courses and Selections dropdown
menu. Click Go. The course will be saved to your
computer in (.ecx) format. See below for course
import.
Ensure you are entitled to the same textbook used in
the source course. Click Courses tab. Choose Create
New Course and select Import a Course via a File
Previously Exported from OWLv2. Choose the
correct file to import and follow the prompts.
SHARING YOUR COURSE
COURSE MANAGEMENT
Create a New
Section
Archive a
Course
Delete a
Course
From Course Home page click Manage
Sections and then choose Delete
Export a
Course
Not available. You can only copy courses
within a textbook and school
Import a
Course
Not available. You can only copy courses
within a textbook and school
Give your
course to
another
instructor
Have the instructor copy your course.
From Course Home page click Manage
Sections and then choose Copy Course.
You can only share courses at the same
school using the same textbook.
www.cengage.com/owl
Select your discipline then choose Log in.
Choose your textbook and then your
school. Choose Request Instructor
Account
Get an
Instructor or
TA Login
Enroll or
Unenroll
Instructors or
Teaching
Assistants
Instructor must first have a login. See box
above for how to get a login.
From Course Home page click Manage
Sections and then choose Course
Permissions
See the Export a Course instructions above to share
your course with any instructor within your school or
from a different school. Note the course textbook
must be the same.
https://login.cengage.com
Log in or choose New Faculty User. After faculty
approval (usually within 48 hours) search by author,
title or ISBN in the Add a product to your Instructor
Resource Center text box to add any text to your
account.
Instructor first must have OWLv2 login. See box
above for how to get a login.
From the Users tab for a course, use the Course or
Section dropdown menu to select a course. Select
Enroll User(s) then choose Enroll or Unenroll
Instructors. Choose from the list of Available
Instructors and click Enroll or Un-enroll
STUDENT TASKS
Enter Chemical
Formulas
Chemical Formula Input
Tool Use carats for
superscripts and
underscores for subscripts
Easy Formatter
Draw molecular
structures
Open the eBook
MarvinSketch
ChemDoodle
STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND COMMUNICATION
Trial Access
Choose the eBook link from the left For students, open from My Home page or Study Tools
navigation menu or eBook links from tab. For instructors, open from Instructor Resource
assignments in Learning Resources
Center. eBook also integrated into the OWLv2 content
as reading assignments or within homework questions
via the Review Topics button.
Yes, 21 days
Yes, up to 21 days. Time calculated by length of course
and start date of course.
Enroll or Unenroll
Students
From Course Home page click view
roster and choose Search/Add
Student from the top of the page
Move a student to a
different course or
section
Use Student Search link in left
navigation menu to find student.
Click student's name. Use red switch
icon to switch student into a different
course or section.
From Course Home page click view
roster
From Course Home page choose edit
from Announcement box. Enter
message and check off box to Send
email to students on update. Click
Update Announcements button.
See a Course Roster
Send a class-wide
email
Send individual
email
From Course Home Page click view
roser and choose Select Students to
Email from the top of the page
Receiving email
from students
Emails sent stored in OWL under
"Messages" and also sent to
instructor's email address. Change
recipient using Course
Home/Manage Sections/Message
Recipients
From Course Home page click view
roster and choose Search/Add
Student from the top of the page
Enroll or Unenroll
Students
From the Users tab for a course, use the Course or
Section dropdown menu to select a course. Select
Enroll User(s) then choose Enroll or Unenroll Users
as Students. Choose from the list of Available Users
and click Enroll or Un-enroll
See above for directions on how to Enroll or Unenroll
students.
To view course enrollment, use the Users or the
Gradebook tabs
From the Users tab, choose Email Users and select
the email recipients from the Available Users. Check
the box next to Enrolled Students to select all
students. You can also email students from the
Gradebook tab. Choose Show All Options then
choose Send Email to Users under Student Actions.
From all views of the Gradebook, you will see an
envelope icon next to each student’s name. This
allows you to email just that student. Or, from the
Users tab, choose Email Users and select the email
recipients from the Available Users.
Emails sent directly to instructor's email address. To
turn off, choose Edit course information and uncheck
option to "Allow Student to send emails to the
instructor while taking assignments"
From the Users tab, choose Enroll User(s) and select
Enroll/Unenroll Users as Students. Select the student
from the Available Users heading and choose Enroll
or Unenroll
MANAGE ASSIGNMENTS
View
Assignment
Content
Change
Assignment
Dates
Click Assignment Setup from left
navigation menu
Choose Assignment Setup from left
navigation menu.
Types of
Mastery, End of Chapter, Visual Exercise,
Assignments Tutor, Simulation, Visual Exercise, Selfassessment, Exam, and some text specific
specialty assignments
Create
Click Assignment Setup from left
Assignment navigation menu and choose New
Assignment from the top of the page
Assign
QuickPrep only available with select texts.
QuickPrep
Contact DSC or tech support to see if it's
available for your course.
Change
Assignment
Settings and
Options
Access
Student
View
Reorder
Assignments
Choose Assignment Setup from left
navigation menu. Click assignment name.
Click pencil icon at the top of the page
and choose assignment settings.
Choose Instructor View in upper left
corner then choose Student Window
Not available. Assignments are always
shown and delivered to students in order
of ascending due date
From the Assignments tab, choose Edit next to any
assignment name. Choose Edit Assignment Content and
click Continue.
From the Assignments tab, choose Edit next to any
assignment name. Choose Edit Assignment Information
and click Continue. To change multiple dates choose
Show All Options, select assignments, then click Modify
Dates.
Mastery, End of Chapter, Activities (Visual Exercise,
Tutors, Simulations), Adaptive Study Plans, QuickPrep,
Reading, Tests and some textbook-specific specialty
assignments
From the Assignments tab then select Create
Assignment. Choose the type of assignment, select the
content, and set assignment options.
From the Assignments tab, select Create Assignment and
then choose the Quick Prep option. Set the available date
before other assignments so students can access before
your course or use Edit Assignment Options to make it a
prerequisite for the course.
From the Assignments tab, choose Edit next to any
assignment name. Choose Edit Assignment Options and
click Continue.
Choose Change to Student View near the upper right
corner. When you do this, you will get an “instructor as
student” record in your gradebook.
From the Assignments tab, click Show all Options and
then choose Reorder Assignments to access the
reordering interface.
Set up the
gradebook
Score totals not shown to students unless
Gradebook enabled by instructor. To enable
click Gradebook and Add New Category
Run a grade
report
Choose Student Score Report from left
navigation menu then choose report
attributes and Generate Report.
See student
work
Use Student Search link in left navigation
menu to find student. Click student's name.
Choose "?" icon to go to Student Progress
Pages. Click on any assignment to view
attempts.
From the Course Home page choose extend
dates link from center of page
GRADES AND REPORTS
Grant an
extension
Reset Individual
Attempt
Not available. Can only change attempts for all
students using Assignment Settings. Choose
Assignment Setup from left navigation menu.
Click assignment name. Click pencil icon at the
top of the page and choose assignment
settings.
Change a
student's score
Use Student Search link in left navigation
menu to find student. Click student's name.
Choose "?" icon to go to Student Progress
Pages. Click on any assignment to view
attempts and change score.
Run a student
at-risk-report
Click Student Risk Report in left navigation
menu. Choose report attributes and click
Generate Report. Students at risk are ranked
and shown in red shading.
Click Assignments Report in left navigation
menu. Choose report attributes and click
Generate Report.
Run Assignment
Report
Gradebook set up automatically and score totals
shown to students. To set up categories, from
the Gradebook home, click “Edit Grading
Categories.”
Click the Gradebook tab. The Gradebook page
will show scores for all students. To download
report, choose Export Course Gradebook in the
upper right corner then choose the format for
the report.
From the Gradebook tab, there is one row of
scores for each student in your course. Use the
Find field to find just one student. Click on any
assignment's scores to see work.
From the Gradebook tab, click Show all Options
and select Customize Assignment Options for
Specific Students from the Student Actions
menu and click Go. Check the students that
require assignment customization.
From the Gradebook tab, find the student . Click
on the score or icon for the assignment. On the
ensuing “Edit Grade Details” page, below the
blue box, select the Take you wish to reset and
then click “Delete Selected Take.”
From the Gradebook tab, find the student. Click
on the score or icon for the assignment. On the
ensuing “Edit Grade Details” page the score can
be changed. To change scores across an entire
assignment, from the Gradebook home, click
Show All Options and choose “Adjust Multiple
Scores” from the
dropdown.
Enhanced Gradebook and Reporting features
coming Fall 2014.
Enhanced Gradebook and Reporting features
coming Fall 2014.
OWLv2 content is delivered in a different way than OWLv1. Here are some commonly asked
questions about system differences and best practices for managing your course.
How do I manage late work?
In OWLv1 there were no late penalties. Students received zero credit for any work done after the due date. In
OWL v2 you have the ability to set an "unavailable date" for an assignment. The unavailable date is the date
when students can no longer work on or access the assignment.
If you use the unavailable date, you should apply a late penalty for work submitted after the due date,
otherwise students will earn full credit for all work submitted up until the unavailable date.
What about the "ignore assignment due dates" feature?
In OWLv1 there was a feature in the reports that allowed you to "Ignore Assignment Due Dates." Using this
feature meant that students would receive full credit on assignments no matter when that credit was earned.
OWLv2 doesn't have a similar feature, but one way to provide credit for all assignments done before the end
of the semester is to change the due dates of all assignments to be the last day of classes at the very end of
your semester. This will give students full credit on the assignments regardless of when the students
completed them, but throughout the semester students will see the due dates applied to their work.
What if I want to allow access to assignments after the due date so students can
use previous work to study for exams and quizzes?
In OWLv1 students could access any assignment in their "Past Due Assignments" tab and work beyond the due
date. Although the work wasn't counted towards credit, this allowed students to re-work problems to prepare
for exams and quizzes.
In OWLv1 you can allow students to continue to access assignments using the practice feature. From the
Assignments tab click Edit next to an assignment's name. Choose Edit Assignment Information. You'll see the
option to "Allow students to practice this assignment after the unavailable date."
How do I re-create my OWLv1 course in OWLv2?
In OWLv2 there's new content and features that make a 1:1 correlation between the assignment sets difficult.
However, you can still find all of the Mastery, End of Chapter and interactive multimedia material you used in
OWLv1. It just may be delivered a different way in a different location.
We recommend that all instructors use the template course provided by Cengage learning by choosing the
“Copy Course" and then the "Modify template course from Cengage Learning” option when you're creating
your course for the first time. This template will give you all of the important introductory material for
students that is similar to the intro material in OWLv1. You'll also get three assignments for each chapter with
the template course. One assignment will contain all of the available mastery groups for the chapter, one will
contain all of the end of chapter questions and one will contain all of the interactive multimedia material
(Tutors, Simulations, Visual Exercises). Note that the multimedia material is still available within all the
mastery questions as references for students - just like the Learning Resources in OWLv1.
By using the provided template course you'll get a course that is very similar to how the assignments were
delivered in OWLv1 with all of the material provided for you in pre-made assignments. Course set-up involves
excluding the material you don't want and changing due dates and assignment settings.
Remember, one of the major differences between OWLv1 and OWLv2 is that in OWLv2 there's lots of
questions or mastery groups that can all be delivered together in a single assignment rather than each being
its own assignment. You can customize any assignment by adding and removing items from it, changing the
assignment options, and setting the available and due dates for it. All items within the assignment can be
worked independently.
Can I author my own questions or modify existing questions?
OWLv2 does not have the ability for you to author your own questions or change the content of any
questions. We're looking into this as a feature for development in the near future.
I see that OWLv2 assignments have only 10 attempts. How do I make the attempts
unlimited like in OWLv1?
The maximum number of attempts per assignment in OWL is 10. There are a few reasons for this limit. One is
that most instructors agree that if a student can't get a question correct in less than five tries, the student
probably needs assistance beyond what any online homework can offer.
Also, remember that all of the mastery groups and questions can be worked independently within an
assignment - students don't have to complete the entire assignment in one sitting. As an extra feature, if a
student saves and exits an assignment, s/he can come back later and resume exactly where they left off. All of
the questions will maintain the same values.
How do I change the number of questions required for Mastery?
In OWLv2 there's no way to change the number of questions required for mastery. Most mastery groups
require 2 out of 3 questions to be answered correctly but this can change depending on the mastery group.
When instructors want to change the level of mastery it's almost always to reduce the requirement to fewer
questions to reduce students' workload. If you prefer to deliver single questions instead of mastery groups,
there are the end of chapter questions available so you can deliver single questions instead of sets. There are
also test questions available as another single-question option. We'll be monitoring instructor feedback closely
with regards to the desire to have the ability to change the mastery level. Please let us know if this is a feature
you use.
One more thing to note is that the new student features in OWLv2 reduce the workload and frustration for
students making the mastery groups more appealing. The "check answer" feature notifies students if they
have a mistake in their answer and gives them a chance to fix it before submission. This reduces a lot of the
"do over" frustration encountered by students in OWLv1 when doing the mastery assignments. The new
chemical formula input tool also makes answer entry much easier for students and reduces typos and other
errors.
How do I work with sections?
In OWLv2 you can make as many sections as you need to from your parent course. Because OWLv2 courses
are controlled by Course Keys you can have control over which course or section students enroll in.
Each section shares the core assignments with the parent course and these core assignments can't be altered
in the sections. Both the parent course and the sections must share the same due dates. Because all sections
share the same core assignments as the parent course, students can switch between sections in a course and
their work will transfer with them.
Sections can have their own additional assignments that are different from the parent course.
How do I provide teaching assistant access or adjuncts?
If you have adjuncts who will teach their own courses we recommend creating a template course for all
instructors to use and then copying that course for fellow instructors or adjuncts.
If you have teaching assistants we recommend creating one parent course and giving each TA his or her own
section. The TA will then have full instructor level access in his or her section, but will not be able to make any
modification to the parent course. Any changes in the parent course you make will automatically be populated
to each section.
The TA will be able to ADD assignments to his or her own section but these will not affect the parent course at
all. We recommend asking your TAs not to add any assignments of their own to their sections so all sections
remain the same.
If you need to provide your TAs with access but don't want to create sections you can enroll the TAs as an
instructor in your course and ask your TAs to only use the student views and gradebook views since they will
have full access to modify all assignments as co-instructors in your course. We are exploring options for
restrictive levels of access as a future development item.
If you're unsure of how to set up your course with regards to courses and sections, please contact us and we
can discuss options with you.