For technical support call 1-800-936-6899

EconPortal Instructor Quick Start for N. Gregory Mankiw,

Macroeconomics, Eight Edition

For technical support call 1-800-936-6899

Table of Contents

Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 1

System Requirements ..................................................................................................................... 1

Accessing EconPortal ...................................................................................................................... 2

Instructor Access - Adopting EconPortal ..................................................................................... 2

Directing Your Students to Access EconPortal ............................................................................ 2

Logging in to the Course .............................................................................................................. 3

Customize the Portal ....................................................................................................................... 4

The Home Page Layout ............................................................................................................... 4

Adding a Course Description ....................................................................................................... 5

Tab Setup..................................................................................................................................... 5

Setting the Time Zone .................................................................................................................. 6

Viewing the Course as a Student ................................................................................................ 6

Online Help .................................................................................................................................. 6

EconPortal eBook ............................................................................................................................ 7

eBook Functionality ...................................................................................................................... 7

Customizing the eBook ................................................................................................................ 9

Instructor and Student Resources ................................................................................................. 10

Assigning Student Resources ................................................................................................ 10

Quizzes and Assignments ............................................................................................................. 10

Creating a Question Pool ....................................................................................................... 11

Changing Settings for Individual Questions ........................................................................... 11

LearningCurve ............................................................................................................................... 12

Gradebook ..................................................................................................................................... 13

EconPortal Quick Start for Mankiw

Macroeconomics, 8e

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For technical support call 1-800-936-6899.

Overview

Welcome to EconPortal for N. Gregory Mankiw’s Macroeconomics, Eight Edition. EconPortal combines an array of instructor and student content with numerous assessment and course management tools. In this guide, we have outlined steps you can use to set up your course and get started quickly.

This quick start guide is designed to get you up and running in the course software. You will be introduced to the main features, and should be comfortable enough to begin working in EconPortal. After working your way through this guide, you will be able to:

Ensure your computer is properly set up for EconPortal

Understand how instructors and students access EconPortal

Login to EconPortal

Customize your EconPortal

Access EconPortal eBook content and customize the eBook page

Find EconPortal course materials and add new resource content

Create a EconPortal quiz assignment

Access and use EconPortal Gradebook functions

System Requirements

The following Web browsers are formally supported and tested for use with EconPortal:

Windows: Internet Explorer version v6.0 or above and Firefox version 1.0 or above.

Mac OS X: Firefox version 1.5 and above.

In addition, some EconPortal resources require Adobe Shockwave Player, Adobe Flash Player, Apple QuickTime (5.0 or above), RealPlayer (10 or higher), Java, or Adobe Acrobat (version 6 or above). The latest versions of these plug-ins can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe, Sun, or Apple Web sites.

To see which plug-ins you have installed and to find installers, do the following.

1. Click the System Check link from the bottom of the EconPortal welcome screen or go directly to http://courses.bfwpub.com/syscheck/ .

Note: To view some features of the Portal, you may need to turn off your browser’s pop-up blocker, and any pop-up blocker(s) in third-party toolbar(s) you may have added to your browser, such as the Google or Yahoo toolbar.

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For technical support call 1-800-936-6899.

Accessing EconPortal

This section describes the procedures for instructors and students to access EconPortal.

Instructor Access - Adopting EconPortal

If you don’t yet have access to your own EconPortal course, take the following steps to begin your course activation process: 1. Go to the EconPortal login page at

http://courses.bfwpub.com/mankiw8. 2. Click the ADOPT EconPortal link. A form will pop up.

Fill in all the requested information. 3. Click the Submit button at the bottom of the screen 4. Once you have completed these steps, the course

will be created within 48 hours. You will receive all of the necessary information and instructions by email.

Directing Your Students to Access

EconPortal

Once you’ve set up your course, you will need to make sure your students know how to register and access your course. To get access to EconPortal, your students have two options:

1. Purchase an access card for EconPortal at the campus bookstore (either packaged with a printed textbook or by itself). Then go to http://youreconportal.com and select the Register Your Access Code link under “Students” towards the bottom left of the screen.

2. Purchase instant access to EconPortal online. Go to http://youreconportal.com and select the Purchase Online Access link under “Students” towards the bottom left of the screen. Find your course on the page and click the Purchase link next to it. Follow the directions on the screen.

Note: We can provide you with an electronic handout/syllabus insert and PowerPoint slides to help explain the registration process to your students. 1. Find the book you are using in your course (listed below). 2. Click on “Register your Code” beneath your textbooks title. NOTE: Be sure that you are

registering for the right course (selecting the right textbook)! The textbook you select should match your access code cards.

3. Fill in the requested personal information to register for the course. When you registering, it’s always best to use your school (college/university) email address. This will better enable your instructor to communicate with you about assignments, announcements, etc.

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4. During registration you’ll also be asked to follow the on-screen instructions to find your course. Start by selecting your school’s state/province, the school name, then your course/instructor, and/or selections. Make sure you are selecting the right course/section! The course title should list the class meeting times you use to verify that you are selecting the right course/section.

5. Click “Next” at the bottom of the page; confirm the information on the following screen, and click “Create Account” to complete the registration process. REMEMBER to write down your password! You’ll need to use this password every time you log-in.

Note: Students won’t be able to change their email address once they’ve registered, so they must choose an address that will be valid for the duration of the course.

Logging in to the Course

Both you and your students should go to http://courses.bfwpub.com/mankiw8 to login to the EconPortal course. You can also always find your course by going to http://youreconportal.com. 1. Supply your email

address and password. 2. Click LOG IN.

Note: If you or your students have trouble with a login id or password, call 1-800-936-6899 or contact technical support via email at techsupport@bfwpub.com.

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For technical support call 1-800-936-6899.

Customize the Portal

Once you’ve logged in, you will arrive on the home page. From here, you can access all the information, tools, and resources in EconPortal. As the instructor, you can access tools to customize this home page to match the needs of your class.

The Home Page

Layout

You can customize the “components” available to you and your students on your course home page. Follow the steps below to add, delete, or change the arrangement of your home page components. 1. From your home page, select Customize Your Portal in the upper-left corner of the screen. 2. Select Home page layout from the Customize Your Portal page. 3. To add a component to your home page, select it in the list and click the Add Component

button. The item’s position defaults to the bottom of Column 1.

4. Drag and drop component(s) to rearrange the display on the home page. The number of columns is controlled by your placement of the components.

5. To remove a component, click the small “X” to the right of the component name in the layout.

6. Click the Save button when you’ve made your desired changes.

Course Title and Description

Home Page Components

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Adding a Course Description

Add a course description that will appear at the top of your home page. 1. From the home page, click Customize Your Portal in the top-left corner of the window. 2. Click the link for Course

description on the Customize Your Portal page.

3. Enter your course description. You can use the toolbar to format text, add links, and add pictures.

4. Click Submit Description. Your new description will be displayed. If you see a mistake, follow the same steps outlined above to make edits.

Tab Setup

At the top of the portal window are named tabs that jump to significant pages of the online course. You can modify these tabs and even create a new tab that links to a Web site. Options are also provided to control which tabs will be available to students. 1. From your home page, select

Customize Your Portal. 2. Select Tab setup from the

Customize Your Portal page. 3. Click the about link for a

description of the tab’s function. 4. Click the checkboxes to include

or remove tabs from your course. 5. Rename the tabs by changing the

text in the input fields. 6. Use the yes/no radio buttons to

indicate whether or not each tab should be available to students.

7. Reorder the tabs using the up down Move arrowheads.

8. For Custom tabs, you will be asked to supply a URL or content item to link to from the tab.

9. When you're done, click the Apply Changes button at the bottom of the page.

10. Click the Revert to Default Settings button to abandon changes.

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Setting the Time Zone The time zone function affects due dates, calendar dates, and other settings in the Portal. By default, Portal courses are set to US Eastern Time. Follow the steps below to set the time zone for your course. 1. From your home page, select Customize Your Portal. 2. Select Time zone settings from the Customize Your Portal page. 3. Use the radio buttons to indicate your time zone. 4. Click the Submit button to complete the setting. Note: Daylight savings time changes will be automatically taken care of by the Portal.

Viewing the Course as a Student In some places, the portal you see is very different from what your students see. Students don't have any of the options you have to add course content or edit components.

1. To see how the online course looks to your

students, click the view as button in the top-left corner of the portal window.

2. Click OK to confirm entering Student view. 3. In Student view, you won't be able to modify the

course, grade assignments, or do any of your usual instructor tasks. To return to Instructor view, click view as again, and click OK.

The current view mode is indicated by either (Student) or (Instructor) after your name in the top-right of the portal window.

Online Help

Details on using the many EconPortal features and tools are available in

Online Help. 1. Click the Help button in the

lower-left corner of the EconPortal window.

2. Explore the information available and close the window when finished.

Note: To sign up for a live, Web-based training session, visit us at http://bfwtraining.webex.com/ Sessions take about an hour and a trainer walks you through all of the tools and options.

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EconPortal eBook

The EconPortal eBook is a complete online version of N. Gregory Mankiw’s Macroeconomics, Eight Edition.

eBook Functionality Links throughout the eBook connect to numerous study tools such as tutorials, animations, and flashcards – all designed to make the learning experience more effective and relevant. 1. To open the eBook’s table of contents, click the EBOOK tab at the top of the page. 2. Once you’re in the eBook, use the Navigation Pane (on the left) and the Previous and Next

links to get around in a chapter or to go to another chapter. Use the Search box in the upper-right corner of the window to jump to the eBook section corresponding to a given printed page, or use it to find information on any given topic.

3. Use the Open in new window link to keep an eBook page open while you visit other Portal content.

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eBook Tools allow you and your students to access bookmarking, glossary, highlighting and note-taking functionality. Double-clicking any phrase in the eBook will highlight the phrase. Top notes will always appear at the top of the page, whereas sticky notes can be moved to anywhere on the page. To add a note: 1. When looking at any page in the ebook, click eBook Tools.

From the resulting pop-up, click Add a Sticky Note or Add a Top Note.

2. Type in your note. 3. If you want your students

to see this note, choose Public from the drop-down menu above the note text. “Private” notes will not be visible to your students.

4. Click SAVE. If you designated the note as public, your students will automatically see the note on this section the next time they log in. (Students can also add their own notes to each section; their notes will show up right above yours in their “copy” of the eBook.)

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Customizing the eBook

In addition to the annotation functionality noted above, the EconPortal eBook provides powerful options to manage, customize and assign eBook content.

You can easily rearrange the chapters in your course’s copy of the eBook to match the order in which you will cover topics in your course. To do so, follow these steps: 1. Click the EBOOK tab at the top of the

Portal to see the eBook table of contents.

2. Click the rearrange link just under the eBook title.

3. Drag and drop the chapters in the subsequent screen to reorder them.

4. Click Save when finished. Full chapters or chapter sections of the eBook can be assigned and scheduled for students. 1. Navigate to and select Chapter 1 in the eBook. 2. Select the change settings link under the chapter title. 3. Click the Assignment tab. 4. Click the Assign Item checkbox. A dialog opens where you can specify a due date. Other

available options are to schedule a reminder email for students and to optionally include the item in the gradebook. As you may not be sure of dates at this time, you can click Cancel to abandon this assignment until you are ready. If you do Save it, you can always unassign it later.

You can also add new content items (e.g. web links, uploaded documents, or pages you write from scratch right in the Portal) anywhere in the eBook. 1. Navigate to the chapter or section folder

where you want to add the item and click the add content link under the folder title.

2. Click Link to create a link to another Web site (for example).

3. As you may not have a link in mind at this time, you need not save this new content item. Note, however, that on the Content tab of the New Link settings you would supply a link name – e.g. Psych Link. At the bottom of the Content tab you would supply a Link URL.

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Instructor and Student Resources

Study tools such as tutorials, animations, and flashcards are linked throughout the eBook sections. In addition to the eBook sections, these tools are available directly from the COURSE MATERIALS tab. You (but not your students) can also access instructor-specific resources, such as PowerPoint slides, video clips, and assessment resources. 1. From anywhere in the

Portal, select the tab for COURSE MATERIALS.

2. From the STUDENT RESOURCES drop-down you can review some of the resources available to students.

3. Use the INSTRUCTOR RESOURCES drop-down to select Presentation Materials and the chapters drop-down to select Chapter 1.

4. Click the go button. 5. Click one of the folder links to access the materials and explore.

Assigning Student Resources 1. Once you’ve selected a student resource you can click Assign Item at the top. 2. Click the checkbox for Assign Item (show in Assingments tab) and enter the due date. 3. Click the checkbox for Include item in Gradebook and enter the points possible. 4. Click Save

Quizzes and Assignments

In EconPortal, you have a wealth of activities, quizzes, quiz questions, and eBook content you can access to shape your course. You can also create assignments using your own content, which you can add to the course. Here, we’ll walk you through creating a quiz. Anything in EconPortal can be assigned, using the procedures outlined here. 1. Click on the ASSIGNMENT CENTER tab in the EconPortal banner frame. The Assignment

Center will be blank when you first get your course, but as you add assignments, they will be conveniently listed here for you and your students.

2. Click Add an assignment, then select Quiz or Test from the Create a new assignment drop-down and click go.

3. To quickly create a quiz and start adding questions, enter the quiz name and click Create Instant Quiz. You can come back to the Assignment Center later to set the due date and other settings (for example, you can scramble the questions and/or multiple choice answers in the quiz). (To edit these settings before creating the quiz, you would click Create Quiz & Edit Settings).

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4. Now that you have created an instant quiz, you will now be in the question picker. While you could add questions from the hundreds of provided questions in a EconPortal question bank, try creating a question of your own for now. Under the Create your Own dialog box, use the drop-down to view your options. Select Multiple Choice and click go.

5. In the text field type the question “What is 2 + 3?”. In the answer fields put 4, 5, 6, 7, and next to 5, put 1 point.

6. In General Feedback, type “See section 4.1 for review”.

7. Click Save. 8. Note that your new question

will be listed on the right side of the screen.

9. Questions can be edited by

clicking the pencil icons ( ) and deleted by clicking the

( ) icons. Click the done adding questions link at the top of the screen when you have finished. Back at the Assignment Center, you will see your new quiz added. You can experiment and take the quiz. Click the Remove button associated with the quiz to Unassign it.

Creating a Question Pool

To help randomize the questions that a student receives in a quiz you have the option of creating question pool. This way you could create a small pool of similar problems and have one randomly selected to be included in the quiz, or you could create a large pool (up to 100 questions) and have a certain number randomly selected in order to generate the entire quiz. This ensures that no two students will receive exactly the same quiz

To Create a question pool, select all the questions you want to include in your pool from the question bank / question chooser. Then click Add as a Question Pool and enter the number of questions from the pool you want included in the test.

Changing Settings for Individual Questions

From the Assignment Center, click the quiz you want to change. Click the pencil icon in front of

the question you want to change the settings for. This will activate the "question editor." From

here you can change a variety of settings including.

Allow try again mode to let students repeat the question or allow hints for the question

Set the difficulty the question will be listed as in the question bank

Change the desired number of points for the question. Note: Be sure to check the box

“re-grade submissions” if you wan the changes to affect students who have already taken

the quiz.

Set the feedback given to students after they answer the question.

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LearningCurve

LearningCurve is an adaptive activity to help students solidify their understanding and retention of the course material while providing instructors with information about which areas students are strong in and where they need improvement. Students complete the activity by answering questions from a specific chapter in the eBook until they have accumulated the target activity

score. If students answer questions incorrectly, they are given additional questions until the target activity score is reached. After each question is answered students are given feedback about the correct answer and a link to the section in the textbook covering the topic. For more information about how LearningCurve works and what its features are, you can access the Frequently-Asked Questions from any individual LearningCurve activity.

To assign LearningCurve activities, click on the LearningCurve Tab from any page. For each chapter click Assign to set a due date and point value in the gradebook for that chapter’s LearningCurve activity. Keep in mind that points are only for completion. As long as a student correctly answers enough questions to

reach the target activity score, they will receive full credit for the assignment.

From here you can also click on the chapter title to review the LearningCurve activity. This allows the instructor to preview the activity as a student, change the target score, and access the Frequently-Asked Questions page.

After students complete a LearningCurve activity, they get feedback on the percentage of questions they answered correctly for each topic within the chapter. This way they have a better sense of what areas they need to focus their studies on.

Finally, as an instructor, you can click Report to access a class performance report for each chapter. You can review either overall class performance in each topic area or individual student performance and completion. This can be useful because it helps instructors identify which students are struggling with the material as well as identify which topics the class as a whole is finding challenging. For example, a teacher can assign a chapter and the LearningCurve activity that goes with it before their lecture and use the class performance report to help them focus their lecture on the areas that the students had the most trouble with.

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Gradebook

The EconPortal Gradebook functions much like gradebooks in other learning management systems such as Blackboard, WebCT, and Angel. 1. Click on the GRADEBOOK tab. 2. Under the page title, click Course Roster and review. 3. Click Attendance under the page title and review. 4. Click the drop-down for Other Gradebook Functions and note your options. 5. Students are listed in rows; assignments are listed in columns. Click on a student to see

his/her grade details. 6. Click a column heading to get a menu of options for an assignment or assignment category. 7. Note the button for a Printable Version of your gradebook.