Maple T.A. Beginner's Guide for
Instructors
Copyright © Maplesoft, a division of Waterloo Maple Inc.
2013
Maple T.A. Beginner's Guide for Instructors
Contents
Preface .............................................................................................................................................
1 Maple T.A. Quick Start for Instructors ...................................................................................................
1.1 Creating Assignments in Maple T.A. ..............................................................................................
General Steps for Creating an Assignment .......................................................................................
1.2 Using the Gradebook ...................................................................................................................
Viewing the Grades for an Assignment ...........................................................................................
Displaying the Data .....................................................................................................................
Exporting Your Grades ................................................................................................................
Importing Grades into Maple T.A. From an External Source ...............................................................
Index ................................................................................................................................................
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iv • Contents
Preface
Introduction
Recommended Configuration for Client Machines
Browser Settings
• All clients require a Java-enabled browser.
• JavaScript™ and cookies must be enabled.
• Instructors require Java Runtime Environment™ (JRE™) 1.6 or Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.7.
• Students require Java 1.6 or Java 1.7.
Client Machine Supported Configurations
Windows (32-bit and 64 bit) Platforms
OS Versions
Windows XP®
Windows Vista®
Windows 7
Windows 8
Browsers
Firefox® 17.0 ESR, 20.0, Google
Chrome™ 26.0, Internet Explorer® 8.0,
9.0, 10.0, Maple T.A. Proctored
Browser*
Firefox 17.0 ESR, 20.0, Google Chrome
26.0, Internet Explorer 8.0, 9.0, 10.0,
Maple T.A. Proctored Browser*
Firefox 17.0 ESR, 20.0, Google Chrome
26.0, Internet Explorer 8.0, 9.0, 10.0,
Maple T.A. Proctored Browser*
Firefox 17.0 ESR, 20.0, Google Chrome
26.0, Internet Explorer 8.0, 9.0, 10.0,
Maple T.A. Proctored Browser*
Hardware Requirements
1 GHz processor or better, 2 GB RAM or
better
1 GHz processor or better, 2 GB RAM or
better
1 GHz processor or better, 2 GB RAM or
better
1 GHz processor or better, 2 GB RAM or
better
*For Students: Instructors may require that students take a test in the Maple T.A. Proctored Browser. The Proctored
Browser can be installed on Windows only. On Windows XP, the Proctored Browser requires Windows XP SP 3 or
later. The Proctored Browser also requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 to be installed.
64-bit Macintosh Platforms
OS Versions
Mac OS X® 10.7 or 10.8
Browsers
Firefox 17.0 ESR, 20.0, Safari 5.1, 6.0
Hardware Requirements
1 GHz processor or better, 2 GB RAM or
better
Linux (32-bit and 64-bit) Platforms
OS Versions
SUSE® Linux Enterprise Desktop 11,12
Red Hat® Enterprise 5, 6
Ubuntu® 12.04 LTS, 12.10
Browsers
Firefox 17.0 ESR, 20.0, Google Chrome
26.0
Firefox 17.0 ESR, 20.0, Google Chrome
26.0
Firefox 17.0 ESR, 20.0, Google Chrome
26.0
Hardware Requirements
1 GHz processor or better, 2 GB RAM or
better
1 GHz processor or better, 2 GB RAM or
better
1 GHz processor or better, 2 GB RAM or
better
Internet Access
Broadband (Cable Modem or DSL) Internet connection is recommended for optimal performance
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vi • Preface
1 Maple T.A. Quick Start for Instructors
This Quick Start guide helps you get started with Maple T.A. With this guide, you will be able to create assignments,
set common assignment properties, and view student grades. For more detailed information on creating assignments,
viewing and analyzing student grades, and writing your own questions, see the Maple T.A. User Guide.
1.1 Creating Assignments in Maple T.A.
An assignment in Maple T.A. is the term for any task given to students - homework, practice session, exam, gateway
test, assignment, quiz, etc. Instructors create assignments in Maple T.A. by selecting questions from the Question Repository, and then choosing various options to determine the student experience, such as setting how much each
question is worth, how long students have to complete the assignment, how many attempts they can make, and if they
are shown the correct answers upon submission.
Note: These instructions assume you have content in your Question Repository.
General Steps for Creating an Assignment
1. Log into Maple T.A.
2. From the class list, select the class the assignment is for. If there are multiple sections for one course that share assignments, choose the parent class. Any assignment created in a parent class is automatically populated in the child
classes. (If you want each section to have different assignments, ignore the parent class and create an assignment
in each class, separately.)
3. Click on Content Manager then choose Assignments. If you have already created other assignments, they will be
displayed on the subsequent screen.
4. Click New and give your assignment a name.
5. Click on the next tab (Select Questions). Under Select Question Group, choose the question group from which
you wish to take questions. You can preview each question before selecting it by putting your cursor over the individual question, then clicking on it.
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6. Check the questions you want, and then click on Add as Items. The questions will then appear on the right-hand
column. If you wish to add more questions from a different question group, choose a new group and select questions
from it, as before.
7. Once you have selected all your questions, you can scramble the questions or put them in any order you wish by
changing the number on the pull down tab shown to the left of the question. You can preview each question before
your final selection. Should you decide to remove a question, check it and then click Delete at the top of the page.
This removes the question from the assignment. It does not remove the question from the question repository.
8. From the right-hand side, you can also change the number of points you wish to assign to each question. Note: The
default point value for each question is “1.” This means that if there is a question that contains parts a-d, this question
is worth 1 point, and each part is worth .25 points.
9. Select the Set Policies tab to set the policies for the assignment.
10. Select the assignment type. There are different types of assignments in Maple T.A. to choose from. For online
homework that you would like to be graded, typically you should choose Homework or Quiz.
11. Choose the kind of feedback you want to give the students.
1.1 Creating Assignments in Maple T.A. • 3
During the assignment:
Show hints: If you select Show hints, hints will be displayed as part of the question, as the student takes the assignment
(whenever hints are available). If this is selected, you then select whether or not to Show one hint at a time.
Show current grade at top of assignment: This running total will show the student how many questions they have
answered correctly so far. As a result, when the student moves to the next question, they will immediately know if they
answered the previous question correctly.
Allow students to resubmit their answers to questions: If this box is unchecked, then a student only has one attempt
to answer each question. Once they click Next to go to another question, they cannot go back and change their previous
answer.
Allow students to check grades and feedback: This gives students a “How did I do” option at the top right hand
corner of the question screen. Before the student proceeds to the next question, if they click on “How did I do,” it will
present them a screen that will show which answers are right or wrong. You have the option of blocking the display
of the correct answer in cases where students are allowed to take multiple attempts.
After the assignment is graded:
Show final grade: Show the student’s grade upon completion of the assignment. This option is checked by default.
For each question: If you choose If incorrect and then Always, this will allow students to get the correct answer by
clicking on View Details. Depending on your use of Maple T.A., how many attempts you give students at each assignment, and whether or not your questions are randomly generated, this may or may not be what you want to happen.
To prevent students from ever seeing the correct answer, choose “If correct” on the first box, and “Never” on the second
box.
Send email reports to: You can opt to receive an email whenever a student completes an assignment (student
name/grade).
Restrict feedback until: If your creating a test or quiz, you may decide to restrict feedback until all students have
finished; if not leave blank.
12. Choose the assignment properties.
4 • 1 Maple T.A. Quick Start for Instructors
Max. # attempts allowed: If you leave it blank, students have unlimited attempts (you can still set an end date on the
assignment, however, so after that date they can no longer take the assignment). Some teachers have found that setting
a limit of 3 attempts provides a good balance between giving students opportunities to do better and motivating them
to study more before trying the assignment again.
Passing score: You do not need to set a passing score unless you want to provide Pass and Fail feedback messages on
your assignment.
Time limit: Most instructors choose not to set a time limit for homework, and do set a time limit when the assignment
is a proctored test.
Questions per page: If you want more than one question shown per page, change this value.
Scheduling: Choose the start and end date for your assignments.
Visibility: Check the box if you wish to have the assignment visible to the students. When setting up an assignment
in advance, some instructors prefer to keep the assignment hidden until it is time to give it to the students.
13. Choose whether to use the Proctored Browser or any IP Address/Host Name Restrictions.
14. Select the Review and Finish tab, near the top of the page to see a summary of all your selections. To make changes,
use the tabs to return to the section you want to change (e.g. Select Questions, Set Policies), and then click on Review
and Finish again. Once satisfied, click on the “Finish” button.
1.2 Using the Gradebook • 5
Note: After creating an assignment, you can always go back and make changes. Just place your cursor over the assignment and the options will appear below. Select “edit” to make changes to the assignment.
1.2 Using the Gradebook
Viewing the Grades for an Assignment
To access the gradebook for your class, click the Gradebook menu, then Search > Class Grades. In the assignments
panel you will see all your assignments; choose the assignment(s) you want, then click Search. Your students’ names,
along with their grades for each of the selected assignments, will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Displaying the Data
You can change what and how the data is displayed. Here are some common options:
• If you wish to view student grades as a percentage instead of the numerical score, change the “Style” from Numeric
to Percentage in the View Panel.
• The “Show Results” field in the Advanced Search Panel allows you to control which result is used if the students
were allowed multiple attempts on each assignment. By default, the option is set to “Best”, which returns the student’s
highest score of all the attempts. You can also use the average mark of all attempts by setting this option to “Average”.
• If you click on the assignment name, displayed at the top of the column in the Class Grades section, Maple T.A.
will show you the results for the individual questions in that assignment.
6 • 1 Maple T.A. Quick Start for Instructors
Exporting Your Grades
Click on Export to CSV to automatically export the grades to an Excel spreadsheet.
Importing Grades into Maple T.A. From an External Source
You must first have an Excel spreadsheet with your students listed exactly how they are listed in Maple T.A. Typically,
when students log into Maple T.A. they have to use their student ID. In that case, your external Excel grade sheet must
also list the students by their student ID. Your external Excel spreadsheet should look like the example below.
From the Gradebook menu, choose External Import. From the unique student indentifier list, select the unique
student identifier (in this example, Student ID).
Browse your computer for the file, then click Submit. You will be given a chance to preview the imported grades.
Click the Save External to save the grades into the class gradebook as an external assignment.
1.2 Using the Gradebook • 7
You can now display your external grades along with your Maple T.A. grades
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Index
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