Mypoliscilab

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Technical Support for MPSL

• 1-800-677-6337 (Mon-Fri 5AM-5PM; Sun 2PM-9PM)

• http://247.ablongman.com/

Links

• Web Publishing System (WPS)

• CRG Download Site

• Research Navigator

• CourseCompass

List Serves

• Management List

• Videos List

• English Transcripts List

• Spanish Translation List

• News Review and WPS Posts List

• CC Political Science Faculty

Project Contacts

Cerritos College POL Faculty

Other Longman/Perason Contacts

Preparing for your First Class Meeting

The political science department at Cerritos College is moving to a common online product known as Mypoliscilab. The product allows faculty to choose from several different texts and includes several course management systems for online content and student management. With this shift, there are several new things for all of us to learn and incorporate into our teaching. First, we all have a new text that has been adopted. Second, we are all augmenting the text materials with online materials from Mypoliscilab. Third we will all begin managing our courses with a new course management system known as CourseCompass.

The steps outlined below should help organize your preparations for this transition. As you work through this initial learning curve, please keep in mind that we are implementing this new system to impact the teaching and learning environment throughout the political science department. These additional resources added to the individual level teaching excellence in the department should translate into an unparallel learning experience for our students.

Thank you ahead of time for all the work this transition has in store. 

Step One: Course Area Setup

Have Longman set up a course area for you at CourseCompass. If you have not done this already, contact Lisa Sheldon or Marcy Perman for assistance (see contacts above).

Step Two: Syllabus Setup

If you have not used Mypoliscilab before, you will need to rewrite your syllabus. You will probably not have to rewrite every aspect of your syllabus; however, you will want to spend some time thinking about how you will include the additional learning resources available at Mypoliscilab. Realistically, you will probably be tinkering with the syllabus for a few years as you gather greater expertise with the online resource. Regardless, you will need to spend a significant amount of time on the first rewrite.

Please feel fee look at my syllabi (I am using Mypoliscilab in 101, 201 and 110) and copy as little or as much as you want. You can find all of them at my website (www.cerritos.edu/breece). They should give you some ideas about including MPSL content and resources throughout your course.

One tip I recommend is to require an assignment at Mypoliscilab during the first or second week (require a chapter quiz online, a news quiz online, etc.). This will force students to get through the login process quickly.

Step Three: Initial CourseCompass Setup

To prepare for students to enroll in your course, log in to the CourseCompass site that Longman set up for you (www.coursecompas.com) and click the Adopt button next to the name of your CourseCompass course on the My CourseCompass page. By clicking Adopt, you signal CourseCompass to get ready to allow students into your course on the course start date. You can still continue to customize your course---by posting an announcement, uploading a syllabus, or by adding or moving other content items. You are always in control of when students can see your course, because you can change the start and end dates of your course at any time.

If you would like to look at my courses and how I am setting them up, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to show you how I am configuring my courses. Again, you can use as much or as little of my work as you like. 

Step Four: Explain to Students How they Register

Tell students on the first day that they need to enroll in your CourseCompass course and that each student will need:

• An email address. Any email address will do. It does not have to be a "Cerritos College" address.

• The Course ID for your CourseCompass course. This a an ID number that you will need to provide to your students. You will be given this number during the initial CourseCompass setup process (step three). To find your Course ID, log into CourseCompass, click the Courses tab (at the top of the page), and look at the course listing. A sample Course ID looks like Lee42976, where Lee is the instructor’s last name. When your students register online, they need to enter this Course ID so CourseCompass can place them into the correct online course.

• A Student Access Code. Students get this when they purchase their Mypoliscilab booklet or when they get it in their shrink-wrapped product. The code is an individual, course-specific 6-word code needed for registration as a CourseCompass student. The Student Access Code is typically packaged in a CourseCompass Student Access Kit. The kit includes a card with a pull-back strip that reveals the code. This code can be redeemed only once---at the moment of registration. The kit also instructs students in how to register online for CourseCompass and enroll in your course.

• The Mypoliscilab booklet is called "Student Starter Kit." The booklet is something that comes with the Mypoliscilab purchase and includes comprehensive registration and navigation instructions. If you would like to see the contents of this  booklet, you can find an online version at http://students.pearsoned.com.

Step Five: Ongoing CourseCompass Setup

As the semester progresses, you will need to maintain your CourseCompass area. Post assignments, grades, discussion forums, updates--whatever you deem as educationally valuable.