Tools are components of WISE that allow for specific functionality. A default set of tools is included with every WISE course site. Tools may be added or removed by instructors using the Manage Tools tab in the Site Info tool and set their order using the Arrange Tools tab. Below are the most commonly used tools in WISE course sites.  For a complete list of tools and how to use them, visit the support documentation linked at the bottom of this page.

Default Tools

Tool Description

Overview

Overview is the default landing page containing announcements and information about the course or project site.

Announcements

Use the Announcements tool to inform your students or project colleagues about current items of interest, such as changes in assignment deadlines or meeting times and locations. You can email announcements or simply post them on your site's home page. As an instructor, this tool can help you reduce the amount of classroom time you spend on administrative announcements.

Resources

The Resources tool allows you to publish material within your site, such as documents, links to websites, and HTML pages. You can create folders to organize resources and set permissions to control who sees the material (all members of your site or only certain groups/sections). You can post weekly readings in your course's Resources section, as well as supplemental reading materials, presentations, and slides used in lectures.

Assignments

In course sites, the Assignments tool lets you to create, distribute, and collect assignments online. You can evaluate drafts of final projects or papers, and allow students to correct and re-submit assignments. The Assignments tool has an optional link to the Gradebook tool . This tool can help you eliminate paper assignments and reduce class time spent collecting and returning student work.

Site Info

The Site Info tool allows you to edit your course and project sites after you set them up. You can add or delete participants, change permissions, add more tools from the list below, determine the order of tools in your site, publish the site, duplicate the site, and import material from any other sites you own. You cannot remove this tool from any site.

Roster

The Roster tool displays course-enrolled student information from the Registrar’s office. Instructors can see enrollment status (enrolled, waitlisted, concurrent). The Roster tool also displays student photos to the instructor of record. Other site members can see photos posted by site members in their Home profiles.

Statistics

This tool, hidden for all but course instructors, allows faculty to monitor course site activity statistics.  Use the Statistics tool preferences to select the tools for which data should be gathered.  Usage example: A student claims to have completed an assessment but it shows as not being submitted; progress data is collected and will verify if the student actually completed the assessment but neglected to submit once complete.

Gradebook

Gradebook replaces the older versions of Gradebook and Gradebook 2 with a new interface and simpler import options. The Gradebook tool allows you to record and compute cumulative student grades. Students can refer to the Gradebook to check their own progress in a course. This tool allows instructors to compute course grades and download a simply formatted spreadsheet in preparation for submitting grades to the Registrar at the end of the semester.

Help

Help will take you to standard Sakai 12 help documentation.

Other Popular Tools

Tool Description

Blogs

The Blogs tool lets site members create both public and private journals online. Blog authors can choose to let other site members add comments to blog entries.

Drop Box

The Drop Box tool allows instructors and students to share documents in a private folder for each participant. You can use the Drop Box to comment on students' ungraded incremental work, such as drafts of a large research project or a weekly journal entry.

Gradebook Classic

Gradebook Classic replaces the old Gradebook and Gradebook 2.  It allows access to grades recorded in these older legacy versions of Gradebook.  Although Gradebook 2 is semi-functional at this time, it is not recommended for use in current courses.  Some old familiar features are not available in the current version of Gradebook.  If you find a need to use Gradebook Classic, you will want to open WISE in a private or incognito browser window as it often gives errors based on unusable cached data from previous sessions. 

Kaltura

Kaltura allows faculty to use a locally installed video / audio recorder for lecture capture.  Video is saved to the cloud and available to students enrolled in the course site.  Kaltura can capture a computer screen, video camera, microphone, and other inputs simultaneously.  For help using Kaltura, contact your user services consultant. 

Post'Em

The Post'Em tool lets you to display Excel spreadsheets to site members. Spreadsheets must be saved in .csv format.

Sign-up

You can use the Sign-up tool to create blocks of time slots. Site members can sign themselves up for individual slots.

Syllabus

You can use the Syllabus tool to upload a syllabus or create an HTML version of your syllabus.

Tests & Quizzes

You can use the Tests & Quizzes tool to develop question pools and to create and deploy assessment and survey tasks online. Items can be automatically connected to the Gradebook.

Web Content

The Web Content tool allows you to display other websites inside the bSpace frame. Web Content links are displayed in the bSpace toolbar. If you provide links to many websites in your course Resources section, you might choose to put the most important or most commonly used links in Web Content, such as a link to the library catalog online or another research tool.

Wiki

A "wiki" is a website which allows anyone to easily add and edit content, and thus is particularly geared toward collaboration. The Wiki tool allows you to contribute to a wiki, as well as view the history of changes for the wiki.

All the Tools and How to Use Them

The Sakai Community Documentation website includes a comprehensive list of tools, how to use them, and answers many of the "How do I..." questions commonly asked while learning how to use WISE.

https://sakai.screenstepslive.com/s/sakai_help/m/68426

Willamette University

Willamette Integrated Technology Services

Address
900 State Street
Salem Oregon 97301 U.S.A.
Phone
503-370-6004 voice
503-375-5456 fax

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