Grader Groups (by Tim Sylvester)

Table of Contents
  1. Overview
  2. Setting up your preferences
  3. Creating Grader Groups
  4. How Web pages can use these groups
  5. Accessing the Grader Groups
  6. Setting up the Subject Structure of Grader Group
  7. Reading and Replying to postings

    8. Managing the Grader Group

Overview


Netscape has available through the Message Center, access to newsgroups.  On campus the default for Instructional Palette accounts is the student newsgroup server.  If you are at a computer that does not have access to these groups then you will need to add these groups through your preferences.  Access to the groups comes in several forms:

Since in this document we are examining the use of a newsgroup for a course by course basis, we are referring to these groups as "Grader Groups".  The level of access to specific newsgroups is determined on a person by person basis by the Administrator of the newsgroup.

The major advantages of using Grader Groups are:

  • Multiple individuals can access course questions to answer and assignments to grade.
  • Replies to questions and scores on projects are "tracked" in the Grader Group".
  • Access can be restricted to just certain individuals.
  • The Grader Groups do not take up any space in anyone's personal e-mail.
  • The Grader Groups can be accessed from anywhere you have Netscape.

    • Setting up your preferences

    Select the Edit Menu and the Preferences Menu Item.  Under the Mail & Newsgroup preference select the Newsgroup Servers.  Fill in the boxes under the Newsgroup Server tab:  Select Add near the top right. Fill in student.gc.maricopa.edu  in the Server: space. Port: should be 119. Check Always use name and password according to the security of your computer. In general, it is best to assume your computer may not be secure, so the name and password should be checked.

    Creating Grader Groups

    In order to have a grader group created you must contact Karen Schwam.  You will need to let her know the following:


    Karen will have the grader group set up.  She will notify you when it is available.

    How Web pages can use these groups

    When writing a web page where you want a link that the students can click on that will automatically create a composition window that has the address of the grader group and a predetermined subject.  Take a look at the CIS133AA course page and notice the "Extension Request" and "Ask a Question" links.  The "Extension Request" uses a form.  The "Ask a Question" link uses coding in the htm file.   Find the button at the bottom of the third project for this course that says "Send in My Project to be Graded".  This also uses some simple scripting in the htm file.  Other items that use scripting can be found in Lesson Three. At the top is a link called "Question" and at the bottom of the lesson is a link labeled "Contact Me".

    Scripting a Form

    The code below would be found at the start of the form definition.  Notice the following:


    <form METHOD="POST" ACTION="Mailto:grader.cis133@newsgate.student.gc.maricopa.edu?SUBJECT=AA-Project1" enctype="text/plain">

    Scripting a Link on a Web Page

    The code below would be found at the start of the form definition.  Notice the following:


    <a href="Mailto:grader.cis133@newsgate.student.gc.maricopa.edu?SUBJECT=AA-Questions">Questions</a>

    Accessing the Grader Groups

    When you go to access the grader group a dialog box will appear asking for your Id.  What you should enter here is your Instructional Palette ID.  Next, another dialog box appears asking for your password. You enter your Instructional Palette password.

    Setting up the Subject Structure of Grader Group

    Since you can control the subject lines that are used on most messages that come into the grader group, it is very important that you consider in advance the structure of the "threads" that you want in your Grader Group.  Threads are created when a message is posted to a Grader Group and some replies (or Replies all) to that message
    The above picture show the structure for the CIS133AA, CIS133BA and CIS133CA group.  It has threads for: As you grade student's projects, you will often send the same basic information to each student.  Therefore the each of the threads has a first message that already contains this sample text.

    Reading and Replying to postings

    The in front of an item indicates that there are messages in that thread.
    A green pointing down arrow   indicates that there is at least one unread message in that area.

    VERY IMPORTANT

    When you reply to anything that has come into the Grader Group, you MUST use the Reply All.
    DO NOT USE REPLY.  Only by using REPLY ALL will your reply be directed to them.  This also will cause a copy of your reply to be received and added to this under this message in this thread.
    As was mentioned previously,  you can have the text that you will most often want to send to the student as the first message in that thread.  Then you may copy and paste this information into the reply message.  Notice the To: line shows that the message below is going to go to both the student and to the Grader Group.
    In order to see any new messages since you accessed the Grader Group  (this includes the Reply Alls that you may have sent) select the Get Messages Button. Notice how the message that you send to the student that has their score is threaded under their message.

    Managing the Grader Group.

    There are several reasons that you will want to manage the grader group.  These include: To eliminate a message you must first select the message.  Then from the Edit Menu select the Cancel Message Menu Item.  You will need to respond twice to the OK dialog box.  Messages must be deleted one at a time.

    Once you eliminate a message it will be gone forever. It is a wise idea to leave messages in the group at least overnight of one regular school night - that way they will get backed up by the nightly backup.  See Chris and Karen for details on backups.