Coursebuilder & LMS/EMS systems

This web page contains information on how to use Macromedia's Dreamweaver 3 w/Coursebuilder to create test questions or survey questions and save the interaction data to a LMS system via an AICC interface.

Examples

• Download  (1M zip file) all files involved in this example.
• Single Page with Multiple Questions
  Single Page with Multiple Questions - Multiple Choice, Multiple Select, True/False, Single Text.  When the "Finished Test" button is click JavaScript will check to see if all questions have been disabled (completed) and the Calculate and send the Score, Time, and "Completed".  If not completed, an alert will popup listing the questions you've missed.
• Survey Examples
  (Concern:  For text & text area questions, you need to verify if the text information is making it to LS4.  An entry is created in LS4 with some data (interaction name, etc...), however the text entered may not be.  This may be a bug or a AICC standard.  I had limited time and resources to verify this.)
  • SurveyA_set.htm  - Example (in a new window via target="_blank")
  • SurveyA_startup.htm  - Launch surveyA_startup.htm which launches surveyA_set.htm in a new window without tool bars which has 2 frames: surveyA.htm and a hidden frame surveyA_cmi.htm.  
  • SurveyB_set.htm - Similar example. 
• Simple Course w/ last page sending "Completed".  No questions or persistent data.
  CourseA_startup.htm - Launch a play a simple course.  One of the links will load and automatically send a "Completed" status to the LMS system using the body tag onLoad property.

Coursebuilder Instructions for Each Interaction/Object

• This information was created for Dreamweaver 3 w/Coursebuilder's additional addon product.
• Add a coursebuilder object.
• Click on the Coursebuilder Icon located under the object.  Then click on "Edit" in the properties box.
• Under the "General" Tab
  • Make sure the "Knowledge Track" option is checked.  This will allow the data to be sent to the LMS system when the interaction is Judged.
  • For "Judge Interaction" you have 3 choices.  
    • When the user clicks a button.  Good for test questions.
    • When the user clicks a choice.  Good for survey questions.
    • On a specific event.  I've used this when sending information directly after a page loads.
    • I'd use one of the first 2 unless you want to get techy.
  • For "Text Area" boxes, there is an option called "Create a Reset Button" that you way want to uncheck.
  • Interaction Name - To my knowledge this information is transferred to the LMS system.  I know it is not keep in the knowledge object ('G01' etc..) in the DOM.  It is just an html tag that I think is used by coursebuilder while you are building in Dreamweaver.
• Under the "Tracking" Tab you have tracking options
  • Interaction ID - For each coursebuilder object (now know as an Interaction) create an unique ID.  This is the ID that will be used in the LMS reporting.
    Example: (You can be creative here if you want.)
    • For Surveys:  s01, s02, s03, etc...
    • For Questions: q01, q02, q03, q04, q05
  • Objective ID
    • I'm not sure.  I haven't used this option.  I leave these blank.
  • Weight
    • I'm not sure.  I haven't used this option.  I leave these blank.
• Under "Choices" Tab
  • For Survey questions choose the option "choice is: Not Judged".
  • Choice Option properites
    • For surveys, it may be helpful to change the name property to something that's easy to understand when looking at the LMS reporting system.  The default is choice1, choice2, etc...  You may want to use "strongagree", "agree", "neutral", "disagree", "strongdisagree"
• "Action Mgr" Tab
  • For Text Area type Survey Questions you will want to remove (or cut) the "Popup Message" under "else if Unknown Response".
  • For Survey questions you will probably not need to have an entries in the Action Mgr.  You can leave the defaults.

Adding an Action Manager Interaction

• In the survey example above, I added an "Action Manager" interaction to send a completion status to the LMS system, pause to wait for the data to reach the system, and then close the window.
• Steps to Add the Action Manager Interaction.
  • When you add the coursebuilder interaction choose: "Action Manager"
  • "General" Tab
    • For Judge Interacton, I choose "when the user clicks a button labeled: Submit"
    • Check "Knowledge Track"
  • "Tracking" Tab
    • Don't enter any info.  You don't want an interaction entry however you do want the "Action Manager" events to run under the "Action Manager" tab.
  • "Action Manager" Tab
    • Add a Segment:  The pull down choices is defaulted to "Segment" so click on "ADD".  I named mine: Send Complete Status to LMS
    • Segment Evaluation - I'm not sure what this does.  I just use the default.
    • Send the Lesson Status:  Click on the pull down and choose: "Send Lesson Status"
    • Click on "ADD"
    • The default status is "Passed".  I changed mine for Surveys to "Completed".  Click OK
    • Next, set a timer to close the window down.  My experience (hard knocks) says that you need to wait at least 4 seconds before you close the browser.  If not, for people using modems on slow connections the status will not reach the LMS system.
    • Set a Timer to Close the Browser: From the pull down select "Call JavaScript".  Click "Add"
    • Enter: setTimeout( "parent.window.close()", 3000 );
      Note:  This may change depending on how you launch from the LMS system.

LMS System Configuration

The examples can be launched from a LMS (Learning Management System).  They have been tested with LearningSpace 4.0 (referred to as LS4).

• LearningSpace 4.0 configuration (I assume you are familiar with the Admin App.)
  • Sign in as an administrator in the admin module.
  • Click on Home
    • Click on "Global Setting" at the top of the page.
    • Under the section "Tracking Settings" make sure "Enable Independent Tracking" is checked.  I usually leave "Tracking Server Hostname" empty.  I'm not sure when you would need it.
  • Click on the Planner Module
  • You may need to create a Course or you will be editing one.  Same thing at the Activity level.
  • Take the Course Offline and then check out the course with all of the descendent items.
  • Choose the Activity that is launching the courseware that you want to track.
  • Activity Properties
    • URL - Put the following:
      www.michael-thomas.com/coursebuilder/lms/survey_setup.htm
    • Check - "Save responses in the Database".  This only applies to Interactions.  Each question in our survey is an interaction.  This does not apply to sending the course completion status.
    • Progress - For our example, our Survey will set the completed status so lets choose "Set as Started after launch".
    • Launch Option
      • "Content Area".
        • Choose this option and launch survey_set.htm which sets up a cmiframe & a main content frame.  DON'T check "Standard Tracking Frameset".  You can also launch survey_startup.htm this way.  Using LS4 "survey_startup.htm" will replace the content area with the standard student window after it has launched the course.
        • Warning:  You cannot load survey.htm because a cmiframe is needed for the responses back from the LMS system.  Unless you want the LMS to create an ugly window with the responses.
      • "New Window"  ( must check "Standard Tracking Frameset" )
        • Launch survey_set.htm which sets up a cmiframe & a main content frame.
        • Warning:  If you don't check "Standard Tracking Frameset" when you use "New Window" you may get the "page cannot be found" error I receive whenever Coursebuilder posts to the LMS after you answer a question.
          http://<server name>/LEARNINGSPACE4/PROGRAM/SCRIPTS/PWTRACK.ASP
    • Launch tracking frameset - DO NOT CHOOSE
    • Optional Tracking Frameset URL - leave blank
  • Check the course back in and then place it online.