Re: Comments on queries related to cps-roster based on Dr. Cullingford's queries (9/27/03)

Dear Liz,

Thank you for your questions related to the cps-roster for your class. Let me answer your questions, each begins with the symbol ==>.

Query: A problem with the roster is that I have several people with the same last names, and there is no way to tell which of the Johnsons, or Beckwiths, or McPhauls, or Garzas, or Gibbons or Martinezs etc is meant. That is pretty crucial: without it there is no way to assign an attendance grade. What do you do in Natural Sciences?

==> Here is how you can get student's first name and last name information.

Please go to Sec. II.2. Select your course: E316K, cullingford.

Use your usual password (5 digits, ends with "s") to get into your account.

Method I:

Select "6. unprocessed daily". Click submit.

Select the most recent date. Click submit.

It contains: Each student's lastname, first name, PAD ID (response number), serial number, student's answers

Method II:

If you know, the student's pad number, you may also use go back to select 5. Student. Click submit. Choose e.g. student.0015 for PAD ID 15. etc. There you may have more detailed information on that student and on his/her performance.

Query: I also note that though I have only 2 people called Johnson, there are 4 people with remotes registered as Johnson. One may be the eInstruction guy, I suppose.

==> By looking at student's first name and last name you can tell who your students are. It is conceivable that William Johnson of eInstruction might have registered twice.

Query: I also note a lot of strange names like Last12. I guess some of these may be my TAs. But there are more than there should be. If a student can register anonymously it rather defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

==> All those names: lastxx, firstxx (including Xastxx, firstxx) are for test remotes, which Bin created to give to your TAs. It is conceivable he might have created a few more for test purpose. I am not aware of any anonymous students.

Query: Are people who have dropped the course still listed on the roster?

==> Yes, they are still in. At this point, the cps-online-roster reflects all those who have done online registration including those remotes registered for testing purpose. Although in principle we can delete students in the online roster, we choose not to do any deletion for following reason.

Last time when Bin and I tested several cases, we noticed that the auto-sync downloading only add names to the lectern computer (this point was subsequently confirmed by William Johnson of eInstruction). This feature leads to a mismatch between the roster on the lectern computer and the online roster. Since then, we have decided not doing any deletion in the online roster, and ask instructors not to do so, at least for the current semester.

By the way, thank you again for your questions. They are very relevant questions. I have posted my reply on bulletin #14.

Charles