Frequently Asked Questions

PHOENIX Author

• Differences between CAI and CMI courses
• How to create a CAI/CMI link course
• How to create a Home/Main link course
• How to create a class
• How to delete a unit or class
• How to model a class
• Options available on a presentation system
• Description of the course control recording options
• How to use simulation debug feature to test
• How to troubleshoot form/simulation problems
• Unit mastery vs. objective mastery
• How to troubleshoot problems with students not being scored
• Course presentation mode options
• Keyword commands that can be used at the author or writer main menu
• How to Print Pathlore Online Manuals
• How to fix a student's score
• How to fix a guest student's score
• Problems when students attempt to restart course
• At sign-on student receives GD069 INVALID ATTEMPT TO RESTART
• After sign-on student gets error message when choosing to continue course

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CAI AND CMI COURSES
Computer-Managed Instruction (CMI) courses are oriented toward testing, and course material is mainly interactive. Randomization of problems is permitted but branching is not. Individual units can be linked to a CAI course. Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) courses are instructional in nature and may include non-interactive screens to present information. Branching is allowed and can be based on student input. CAI courses can be linked to PREFERENCE volumes. Specific differences include but are not limited to the following:

	CAI	CMI
Bookmarks Branching Drives CMI/CAI link Links from PREFERENCE Links to PREFERENCE Non-interactive items (Text items) Randomized presentation of problems Records 'BEST' or 'LAST' test Study guide presentation	Y Y N Y Y Y N N N	N N Y N N N Y Y Y

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HOW TO CREATE A CMI/CAI LINK COURSE
In general, a CMI/CAI link combines testing (CMI) with instruction (CAI).

The CMI course "drives" the link. In the CMI course an author performs the following:

• Set course controls
• Write course glossary
• Write student introduction
• Write unit titles
• Write unit descriptions
• Write unit objectives
• Write unit objective clarifications
• Create test items
• Catalog study materials
• Set test controls
• Register students

In the CAI course an author writes only the instructional items.

To establish the link between the CMI and CAI course, do the following:

1. From CMI course Author Main Menu select 'Set Characteristics' option (F14)
2. Identify the unit that you are creating the link for.
3. Select 'Set test controls' option (F4)
a) Select a Pre-test/Post-test option
b) Define the CAI course and unit to be linked. Make sure that the CAI course and unit exist.
c) Set Random Characteristics and Test and Review if desired.

Students accessing the CMI unit will now be presented the CMI and CAI material in the manner defined by the author. See chapter 8 in the AUTHOR USER GUIDE for further information on CMI/CAI links.

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HOW TO CREATE A HOME/MAIN LINK COURSE
There are occasions where you need to create more than 100 classes for a course. You can accomplish this by creating a Home/Main Link course. This process can be used only with CAI courses.

The Home course is a CAI course that contains registered students and a class plan for each class to which students are registered. You can link more than one course to a main course.

The Main course is a CAI course that contains instructional items and sets characteristics for scoring. Students can also be registered to this course.

To link a Home course to a Main course, do the following:

1. Create a CAI course that contains the instructional material and sets characteristics for scoring. This will be the Main course. You can register up to 100 classes to the Main course. Students who are registered to this course will enter the name of the Main course on the sign-on screen.
   
2. Create another CAI course. This course contains no instructional material. This will be the Home course. You can register up to 100 classes to this course and register students as normal.
   
3. In the Home course, from the Author Main Menu, select 'Set Course Course Controls' (F6) option. Opposite the 'Main Course' field, type the name of the Main course.

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HOW TO CREATE A CLASS
To create a class online, from the Author Main Menu select the 'Display Class Menu' (F8) option. You will be prompted for the class number and will be asked to estimate 'HOW MANY STUDENTS DO YOU EXPECT TO REGISTER TO THIS CLASS?' A good rule of thumb is to keep the class size to 100 or less.

The subsequent menu is the 'Instructor Menu' where class plans, lock-out strategies, and administering students functions are performed.

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HOW TO DELETE A UNIT OR CLASS
To delete a class, from the Author Main Menu select the 'Administer Course' (F7) option. From the Course Administration screen, select (F1) to delete a unit or (F2) to delete a class.

When deleting a class, identify the class number and indicate whether or not to remove student records.

You will be prompted to verify the delete action. Confirm the action by typing 'ok'.

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HOW TO MODEL A CLASS
Before you can use this functionality, you must: 1) Create the class to be used as a model, 2) Define a class plan for the model, 3) Create each class that will copy the model class.

From the Author Main Menu select 'Copy Model Class' (F10) option. You are prompted for the class number of the model class. Once entered, you will be prompted to type the number of the class that will copy the model class. You can identify more than one class; separate class numbers with either a blank or a comma.

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OPTIONS AVAILABLE ON A PRESENTATION SYSTEM

AUTHOR MAIN MENU:

F5 Set Course Controls
F6 Set Security
F7 Administer Course
F8 Display Class Menu
F9 Administer Users
F10 Copy Model Class
F14 Set Characteristics
F15 Run Items
F16 Inspect Checklist
F19 Access Transportability
F20 Access Mail
F21 Access Type Command

INSTRUCTOR MENU:

F4 Define Class Plan
F5 Access Class Lock-Out Facility
F6 Administer Students
F7 Display Student Performance Records
F8 Display Student Status Report
F9 Display Student Progress Report
F10 Display On-Line User Report
F11 Download Micro
F12 Inspect Items
F13 Inspect Test Summary (CMI)
F14 Access Mail

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DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE CONTROL RECORDING OPTIONS

RECORDING OPTION	DESCRIPTION	CAI	CMI
Activate Scoring	Records unit scores in the student's performance record and makes them available for online inquiries	X
Best Test	Records the results of this test only if they are better than the student's previous score on the unit.		X
Student Performance Record	Displays the 'See Your Performance Record' option on the student options menu so students can access their performance records. Results display after a test or unit. If this option is set to 'N' instructors still can access the results online through the Instructor Menu; however, the performance record option will not be displayed on the student options menu.	X	X
Archive Unit Results	Record test or unit scores in an archive file (GSPREC/GSPRECX) so that the student response utility (GSPRSEL) can retrieve a report on student scores.	X	X
Archive Student Responses	Record student responses to multiple choice, question, and simulation items in an archive file (GSPREC/GSPRECX). Records only the first response.	X	X
Archive Unanticipated Responses	Record unanticipated student responses in an archive file (GSPREC/GSPRECX)	X	X

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HOW TO USE SIMULATION DEBUG FEATURE TO TEST
You can view simulation processing of input by doing the following:

1. From the item option mode screen, type 'test' at the keyword prompt (currently appears as keywordprompt) and fill out the subsequent menu.
2. Press the PA1 key when the form item appears. The DEBUG prompt should not be displayed.
3. Proceed with testing the item as a student. After pressing <enter> or another input key, the messaged input appears for comparison with each group in the simulation until there is a match.

For example, when the marked input field contains 'HELLO' and the lowercase message settings is 'y', the following is displayed where the data analysis in group 1 is an &:

STUDENT INPUT hello-:

GROUP1 &:

In this case there is a match between the student input and the catch-all (&) group.

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HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT FORM/SIMULATION PROBLEMS

• Check carefully for uppercase/lowercase input and message settings.

• Make sure that the field you originally marked is the one that is currently marked, especially if fields have been added or deleted from the form item.
• Make sure that the character used to mark a field does not appear elsewhere on the form item.
• If using a delimiter, verify that you are using the correct character.
• If using multiple simulations or multiple groups, make sure that a catch-all (&) group has not been inadvertently placed in the middle of the simulation or group sequence.

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UNIT MASTERY vs. OBJECTIVE MASTERY
The mastery criteria screen displays fields for setting mastery levels for either objectives or units, or both.

To set mastery, from the Author Main Menu, select the 'Set Characteristics' (F14) option, then select (F2) 'Set Mastery Criteria'.

The screen displays fields for setting the 'nonmastery' points for each objective and the 'mastery' percentage for the unit. When setting these fields consider the following:

Nonmastery Points:
For each objective you can indicate the weighted points students must miss to fail the objective. For example, if the nonmastery points is set to 80, a student can miss up to 80 points and still pass the objective.

Unit Mastery:
This field indicates the percentage of total weighted points the students must earn to master the unit.

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HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT PROBLEMS WITH STUDENTS NOT BEING SCORED

• Scoring has not been turned on for the course (see page 2 of Course Controls)
• Students are registered as guests (check by using Modify student option from Instructor Menu 'Administer Students') (F6)
• Units must be set up in Guided mode (Test controls or Unit controls from Author Menu 'Set characteristics') (F14) to ensure scoring. Students can take units in Solo or First mode in a manner that is not scored.
• Scoring has been turned off on individual screens. See option mode of items to confirm whether they are being scored.
• Students who have not finished a unit are not scored. This may happen if a student is abnormally exited from the system before finishing the course.

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COURSE PRESENTATION MODE OPTIONS

PRESENTATION MODE	DESCRIPTION
Guided	Students take a unit's objectives in order.
Solo	Students select the unit's objectives in any order.
First	The first time students take the unit, they use guided mode. On subsequent tries, they use solo mode.

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KEYWORD COMMANDS THAT CAN BE USED AT THE AUTHOR MAIN MENU

Keyword	Function	Description
CH	Change	Searches a series of items for characters, words, or phrases that are identified and changes them as indicated.
END	End	Ends session.
FI	Find	Searches a series of items for characters, words, or phrases that are identified so one may examine them.
RE	Resume	To return to the last item that was edited.

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HOW TO PRINT ONLINE PHOENIX AUTHOR REFERENCE GUIDES
PHOENIX Author Reference Manuals are auref1, auref2, auref3 and auref4. To print these volumes, which are formatted as PREFERENCE volumes, access online (as reader) the manual to be printed and select F19 Print from the reader menu (F7 from second 12-key menu). Choose F4 Volume to print the entire volume (other F-keys allow printing of volume segments). After filling in routing information, F2 to start the print.

PREFERENCE customers can also print these volumes from writer mode. Access the writer menu for the volume you wish to print and select F16 Print controls. Then choose the F11 Print option (F12 Export if you wish to print from a dataset). Again, after filling in routing information, press F2 to start the print.

If you do not know how to access the PHOENIX online documentation, contact your PHOENIX system supervisor. Supervisors should contact PATHLORE tech support with questions regarding setup. Additionally, contact the system programmer responsible for PHOENIX for print routing instructions.

NOTE: The auref4 volume in versions prior to 7.9 does not have the reader F19 Print option available. To correct this, perform the following:

1. Access the writer menu for auref4 (or any volume where this problem occurs)
2. Select F6 Volume controls
3. F8 to page 2, and set the READER PRINT OPTIONS to Y.

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HOW TO FIX A STUDENT'S SCORE
Follow the steps below for each student score that is to be fixed:

1. At the supervisor "TYPE COMMAND LINE" enter "a cccccc" and press ENTER where cccccc is the course name.
2. Type "g */s#########" and press ENTER where s######### is the student ID whose score you are attempting to fix.
3. You should be taken to the "USAGE SUMMARY" screen. If you are not, please see the Note below.
4. At the "USAGE SUMMARY" screen prompt type "fix" and press ENTER.
5. You will be taken to a "PERFORMANCE REPORT" screen. Use the menu selections to fix the student's score.
6. When you have completed your update, press "F5 Sign-off".

• IS YOUR NAME xxxxx xxxx ? ->
  
  where xxxxx xxxx is the students name.
  
  
  1. Enter a "y" and press ENTER
  2. Press F3 - Exit
  3. Start over at the top in step 2 by typing "g */s#########"
  
  
  
• ENTER YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME. ->
  
  
  1. Enter the student's first and last name (for example Jane Doe) and press ENTER.
  2. You will receive the prompt "IS YOUR NAME Jane Doe ? ->". Enter a "y" and press ENTER.
  3. Press F3 - Exit
  4. Start over at the top in step 2 by typing "g */s#########"

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HOW TO FIX A STUDENT'S SCORE WHEN THEY WERE INITIALLY REGISTERED AS A GUEST STUDENT

The resolution contains 4 parts as follows:

1. Identify all user IDs that have been registered as a Guest student (the GSPUSER report displays a "G" at the end of these student IDs).

2. Contact ALL the students registered as Guests to get their scores for each unit and save this information for Step 4 below.  If possible, request screen prints of their "UNIT RESULTS" report.

1. From the author menu select "F9 Administer users".

2. For "Which class do you want (00 - 99)?" enter the class number for the guest ID and press ENTER.

3. Press "F5 Modify Students"

4. Enter the "User ID" of the Student ID to be modified and press ENTER.

5. Change the "STUDENT STATUS" "Guest" from "Y" to "N" and press ENTER.

6. Repeat the student modification for all guest students in this class.

7. Once all guest students within a class have been modified, press F3 to return to the author menu, select "F9 Administer users" and repeat until all classes have been updated.

1. From the PHOENIX main author menu select "F8 Display class menu"

2. For "Which class do you want (00 - 99)?" enter the class number for a Student ID that contains good results and press ENTER.

3. From the "INSTRUCTOR MENU" select "F7 Display student performance records"

4. Enter the Student ID that contains good results and press ENTER

5. Make a screen print of the "PERFORMANCE REPORT" for a reference when performing the "fix" step below.

1. At the supervisor "TYPE COMMAND LINE" enter "a cccccc" and press ENTER to enter author mode on the course where cccccc is the course name.

2. Type "g */s#########" and press ENTER where s######### is the student ID whose score you are attempting to fix.

3. The first time you access a student, you will receive a "IS YOUR NAME xxxxx xxxx?" prompt where xxxxx xxxx is the students name.  Enter a "y" and press ENTER.  Then press F3 - Exit.  Then type "g */s#########" and press ENTER again where s######### is the student ID whose score you are attempting to fix.

4. You should be at the "USAGE SUMMARY" screen.  At this prompt type "fix" and press ENTER.

5. You will be taken to a "PERFORMANCE REPORT" screen.  Select "F1 Add a unit" and fill in the UNIT, TRY= 1, "1ST TRY/TEST A B C" values to match the sample "PERFORMANCE REPORT" including leading zeroes and set RESULTS  A B C to match the student's "UNIT RESULTS" report.  If you do not have their report, enter for the results the numbers required to achieve their reported unit score.

6. You will next be prompted with "SET OBJECTIVES MISSED".  Simply press ENTER.

7. Repeat the "F1 Add a unit" step for all units in the course that the student completed.  When you have completed, press "F5 Sign-off".

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PROBLEMS WHEN STUDENTS ATTEMPT TO RESTART COURSE

When students attempt to restart a course with invalid restart settings in PHOENIX, there are two common types of problems that can occur as follows:

1. A GD069 error message may occur when the student attempts to sign-on to the course.

2. If the student is able to sign-on to the course an option is presented to continue with the course or return to the Units List.  An error may be encountered if the student elects to continue in the course.

For restart problems that fall outside of the categories listed above, call Pathlore Technical Support for assistance.

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AT SIGN-ON STUDENT RECEIVES GD069 INVALID ATTEMPT TO RESTART

PHOENIX Students receiving GD069 INVALID ATTEMPT TO RESTART are attempting to sign-on with invalid restart data.  This situation may occur because of an abnormal signoff due to a time-out, line off, etc.  The first step in resolving this problem is to load the student register that is designed to contain the course name. 

Prior to fixing this student restart problem, you will need to know the course name and the student id for any student encountering this problem.  Perform the following steps to fix this error situation:

1. Access the PHOENIX type command line as supervisor or author.

2. Type ‘a nnnnnn’, where nnnnnn is the name of the course, and press ENTER to enter author mode on the course.

3. Type ‘l r5/s#########’, where ######### is the student id, and press Enter.

4. In the input field for ‘REG 5 =’ type the name of the course and press ENTER.

You can now test whether the student can proceed by attempting to sign-on, either from the signon frame or by using the ‘go’ command from the supervisor command line.  In these instructions we will proceed by using the ‘go’ command:

5. At the command line and in author mode on the course type ‘g */s#########’, where ######### is the student id and press ENTER.

6. If you are navigated to a Usage Summary screen, press ENTER and respond to any prompts until you arrive at the student Units List.

7. If you are offered the option of continuing with the course or returning to the Units List, choose to return to the Units List (this will reinitialize any other invalid restart data).

After you exit the course from the student Units List, the student should be able to sign-on to the course.   

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AFTER SIGN-ON STUDENT GETS ERROR MESSAGE WHEN CHOOSING TO CONTINUE COURSE

In this case invalid sign-on data prevents the student from proceeding with the course where a unit is ‘in progress’.  Re-initialization of data will occur if the student is returned to the Units List.

You will need to know the course name and the student id for any student encountering this problem.  Perform the following steps to fix this error situation:

1. Access the PHOENIX type command line as supervisor or author.

2. Type ‘a nnnnnn’, where nnnnnn is the name of the course, and press ENTER to enter author mode on the course.

3. At the command line and in author mode on the course type ‘g */s#########’, where ######### is the student id and press ENTER.

4. When offered the option of continuing with the course or returning to the Units List, choose to return to the Units List (this will reinitialize any other invalid restart data).

After you exit the course from the student Units List, the student will be able to sign-on to the course.  However, an option will not be presented to continue the course for the unit in progress.  In other words, the student may be required to retake course material from the unit already started.  

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