⦿ FOL Tool Tips for Instruction

Andrew Stracuzzi

4 FOL Tools that Promote Comprehension and Communication

FanshaweOnline (FOL) is a robust learning management system (commonly known as an LMS or CMS in eLearning pedagogy). While you may be familiar with many of the common tools in FOL, such as the News, Quiz, and Dropbox tools, there are other supported tools that you may not be using, either because you may not know they exist or you’re not sure how they can be used to add value for students in your online or blended classes.

Course Admin Tools

Below are 4 tools you can use for better engagement and student support; they can be found in FOL by accessing the “Course Admin” link on the navigation bar under “Tools.”

Course Administration section in FanshaweOnline — FanshaweOnline Screenshot of the “Tools” section.

Using the FAQ Tool

The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Tool enables you to provide a list of common questions with answers that students might have when using FOL or taking your course. FAQ questions and answers are most effective when they are organized into categories that group questions and answers by topic, or by similar contexts in which students often have similar questions. For example, some categories you might create are General Information, Technical Issues, Folder Submission Policies, Research and Citation Style Requirements, How to Find Grades, and even a course assignment FAQ section.

TIP: Make a running list of student questions and your answers in MS Word (or similar) each time you respond to a student email in your course. Post the most common questions and answers you receive to the FAQ tool and direct your students to the FAQ instead. This can save time and allow you to provide quick responses to common course questions. After the first or second iteration of a course, you’ll be surprised how quickly your FAQ will develop. You can then copy your FAQ to other courses you teach. You may also ask students to review the FAQ tool as part of an online course orientation or base a short quiz on its contents.

Using the Glossary Tool

The Glossary Tool allows you to store terms and their definitions with FOL. Each course can have its own glossary and you can populate this with explanations of key concepts and terms that are relevant to the course. Users can then access this glossary and search for particular terms. This tool can be very useful as a study aid and/or review for tests and other assessments. For example, you can create a key concept or definition that summarizes the essence of a lesson and then link it to the existing module in “Course Content” directly from the glossary tool using a dropdown menu.

TIP: Did you know that you can create all of the glossary words for your course on your computer offline and import them into FanshaweOnline all at once? The import format for the glossary is CSV (comma-separated values). You can download a sample CSV file and view the FOL Help links to see how to easily import your terms.

Using the Self-Assessment Tool

Self-Assessment is a formative assessment tool that enables you to provide students with a series of questions and immediate feedback for responses. Question types available are similar to quizzes, however, student responses are not graded and self-assessment questions do not have a points value or difficulty level indication. The omission of numeric evaluation enables students to make reflective learning and course material comprehension their main priorities during a self-assessment activity.

TIP: This tool is a good way to create formative ungraded practice opportunities students can complete before attempting a quiz for grades. When you create a quiz, for example, create 5 additional sample questions and reserve them for a self-assessment. You can set up self-assessments as part of your course’s instructional sequence by creating quick link topics to self-assessments in “Content” and from other places in your course, such as in News, Quiz Introduction Text, or by creating a custom course widget.

Using the Checklist Tool

The Checklist Tool in FOL is a good way to set course priorities, remind students about specific tasks or ensure learning is paced in sequence. An interactive checklist can be created for a single module, a specific assignment, or even as an overview for an entire course. Replacement strings can be used to customize a checklist’s name and/or within the checklist item description.

FOL Checklist tool example — The Checklist Tool in FOL

TIP: Use the checklist tool to create a step-by-step list of requirements that need to be met for a specific assignment. Then create a Course Assignments module in content and add the checklist next to the assignment instructions using the “Upload/Create” button. You can also link the checklist to a submission folder to ensure clarity.

Class Progress in FOL — Class Progress with Checklist Tool added. *Click to enlarge*

Did you know you can also monitor when students complete a checklist by accessing the “Class Progress” tool and then replacing one of the default tracking tools by selecting “Settings” and choosing “Checklist Completion Summary.”

Additional Resources

D2L BrightSpace (FOL) how-to videos and tips:

Class Progress: Class Progress Overview | Instructor
Class Progress: Monitor Class Progress | Instructor
Teaching Tips – Itemize Assignments using Checklists – Instructor
Self Assessment – Create a Self Assessment – Instructor
Teaching Tips – Use Self-Assessments as Study Aids – Instructor
Brightspace Glossary – The Glossary Tool
FAQ Tool – Create FAQ questions and categories

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