SAM 2010 Student User Guide

Transcription

1 SAM 2010 Student User Guide Welcome to SAM 2010 s Student User Guide! This guide will help you get started with SAM 2010 by providing in depth, step-by-step instructions, created specifically for the student user. Contents Benefits of Using SAM Where to Buy... 2 Registering as a New User... 2 Signing in for Returning Users... 3 Walkthrough... 3 Product Support... 7

2 Benefits of Using SAM 2010 SAM 2010 is interactive software that includes Assessment, Training, and Project-based grading solutions offering you a real-world approach to learning and applying important computer skills. SAM is completely web-based and is designed to prepare you for real-world use of the most widely-used application software (Microsoft Office 2010), operating systems (Windows 7) and browser (Internet Explorer). SAM complements Course Technology's marketleading textbooks for a cohesive learning experience. SAM assignments may be hands-on in realistic simulations, live in the application or from a bank of tens of thousands of objective-based questions (multiple-choice, true-false, short answer, etc.). You can use SAM to help them to learn and apply skills they will use far beyond the classroom so that you become effective employees, and learn skills in the way that you learn best: reading, watching or doing. Where to Buy CengageBrain.com : Choose the format and price options that work best for you. CengageBrain.com offers Textbook and Bundle Rentals, etextbooks, individual echapters and even free study tools. Go to and search ISBN number provided by your professor. Registering as a New User Go to Click the New User button, and follow the on-screen prompts to create your SAM 2010 account (your instructor will provide you with the Institution Key for your school, AND you will need either the SAM 2010 Printed Access Card that accompanied your text, or the Instant Access Code that you purchased at cengagebrain.com).

3 Enter your information in the required fields, then click Save. Please note: your SAM 2010 username MUST be an address. If you enter a username that already exists within a Cengage Learning platform, you will be prompted to confirm your password (if unable to confirm, you will be asked to create a different username). Read and the Terms and Conditions and if you accept, click the I Agree button. You will then be taken to the SAM Login page. Signing in for Returning Users Go to The SAM Office 2012 Login page will display. Enter your username and password, and click the Login button. Walkthrough Navigating SAM 2010 Once you log in to SAM 2010, you can select what functions you need to perform by clicking the appropriate button on the navigation bar on the left side of the page. Your options include: Home: From here you can view system messages, download software components and documentation, get technical support, and view tutorials. Sections: From here you see the course sections in which you are already enrolled and join sections that allow self-enrollment. SAM Assignments: From here you can select and work on your class assignments. Results: From here you can generate and view performance related reports and see your grades forthe sections in which you are enrolled.

4 Content Player The player is divided into three areas: Title Bar, Questions Area, and the Control Panel. Title Bar: The Title Bar of the Content Player s window lists general information about the assignment, including: your name and the name of the assignment. Question Area: The question displays either the question you need to answer or the task you need to complete. Follow the displayed instructions. Control Panel: The Control Panel at the bottom of the page displays the Content Player s controls. : These controls enable you to open and close the menu of questions. You can use this menu to select specific questions to answer and tasks to perform. : This controls display when you are using training. Observe mode provides audio and visual instructions for the task, Practice mode helps you perform the task by providing audio and visual prompts, and Apply mode lets you perform the task without assistance. current task or question. : This control displays when you are taking an exam. It displays the ID of the : These controls enable you to go to the previous or next questions in the task list. : This control displays when you are using training. It ends one training mode and takes you to the next. If clicked while in practice mode, it takes you to the next task. : These controls display when you are using training s Observe and Practice modes. You can reset, rewind, pause, and fast forward through the demonstration of each task. You can also mute and un-mute the audio presentation. : These controls display when you are taking an exam. They indicate the time remaining for a timed exam and the number of attempts you have to answer the question or complete the task. : This control closes the Content Player. If there are any unanswered questions or complete tasks, you see the warning, There are unfinished tasks. Are you sure you want to exit? Click on Yes to exit or No to return to the session. Do not use the X window control to exit the Content Player. It can result in a loss of work.

5 Working with Assignments SAM Assignments lets you find and work on your exam, training and project assignments. Searching For and Selecting an Assignment Before you can work on an assignment, you first must search for and select it. Click on the SAM Assignments button on the navigation bar. The MY SAM ASSIGNMENTS page will display, listing your assignments. Assignments that are underlined and that have an Availability of Now are ready for you to work on. Assignments that are not underlined are not yet available. Begin an assignment by click on its name. Taking an Exam Select an Exam assignment from the MY SAM ASSIGNMENTS page. If your instructor has specified a password for the assignment, you will be prompted for it at this point. Enter the password and click on the OK button. The Assignment Details window will display listing pertinent information about the exam, including: the name of the assignment, instructions, incorrect actions allowed per task and question, whether or not the exam can be retaken, the number of times an exam can be retaken, and the number of retakes you have remaining. Click the OK button. The Content Player will launch and the exam will begin. Follow the instructions listed. Click on the exit button in the control panel or the X icon in the title bar to close the Content Player when you re done. A message will be displayed if there are any incomplete questions. Any incomplete questions will be skipped and not graded. Undergoing Training Select a training assignment from the MY SAM ASSIGNMENTS page. If your instructor has specified a password for the assignment, you will be prompted for it at this point. Enter the password and click on the OK button. The Assignment Details window will display, listing pertinent information about the training, including: the name of the assignment and when the training is due. Click the OK button. The content player will launch and the training will begin. Follow the instructions and when completed, click on the exit button in the control panel or the X icon in the title bar to close the Content Player when you are done. A message will be displayed if there are any incomplete tasks.

6 Working on a Project Projects work differently from exam and training assignments. When working on a project, you download instructions and a start file to your computer. You then use the start file to complete your work with the appropriate Microsoft application, which must be installed on the PC you will use to complete the project. You then upload the completed file back to SAM 2010 for grading. Starting a Project Select a SAM Project assignment from the MY SAM ASSIGNMENTS page. If your instructor has specified a password for the assignment, you will be prompted for it at this point. The Assignment Details window will display listing pertinent information about the SAM project. Click the OK button. The Project page will display. Under Instructions, click on the Download File link. A standard File Download dialog box will display. Click the Open button to view the instructions or Save to save them in a directory on your PC, a file server, or removal drive. Click the link under Start Files. A standard File Download dialog box will display. Note that this file has been created and named specifically for your use. SAM 2010 expects you will use the file to complete the project and submit it for grading. SAM 2010 will not accept any other start file from your SAM account. Click the Open button to view the start file or Save to save the start file in a directory on your PC or a file server, or removal drive. You are now ready to work on the project. Submitting a Project When you have finished working on your project, it s time to submit it for grading. Select the specific project assignment from the MY SAM ASSIGNMENTS page. The Assignment Details window will display listing pertinent information about the SAM project. Click the OK button and the Project page will display. In order to submit a completed project for grading, you need to do the following first: Rename the start file as instructed under Grade Submissions. If you do not rename the file, it will be rejected by SAM You can either rename the file using Windows Explorer or open the file and select Save As from the application s Office menu to create a copy of the start file with a different name. Using Save As has the advantage of giving you a backup of your work. In the case of an Access project, you need to compress the database prior to submission to SAM. From the Office menu, select Manage/Compact and Repair Database. Click on the Browse button to the right of File Location. A standard Choose File dialog box will display. Find the renamed file and click on the Open button to select it. Click on the Submit button. The Upload Assignment page will display, indicating if there are any problems with the file. Click on the Return to SAM Assignments button to be returned to the MY SAM ASSIGNMENTS page. Results SAM 2010 provides you with a wide variety of reports that enable you to track your performance and lets you see your grades for sections in which you are enrolled. When you are done with an exam, training, or project, you can generate reports showing your performance.

7 Generating All Exam Results If you would like to see a report listing all your Exam scores for all sections, click on Results on the navigation bar. The My Reports tab will display. Next, click on the View all Results button. A separate browser window will open displaying the results. Generating Specific Reports If you would like to see specific results regarding your exam, training, and project work, click on Results on the navigation bar. The My Reports tab will display, listing your completed assignments. Select a Report Type from the drop-down menu (Exam, Training, Project, or SAM Path). Select the specific Report you want from the other dropdown menu (Study Guide, Results, Certificate of Completion, or Training Progress). Select an assignment by clicking on the applicable radio button and click on the Generate Reports button. A separate browser window will open displaying the requested report. Gradebook The Gradebook lets you quickly view your scores for each section in which you are enrolled. This includes scores for the SAM Exams, Projects, and Trainings you have completed as well as other assignments your instructor might have given you. Click on the Results button on the navigation bar and then the Gradebook tab. From the drop-down menu select a section. The menu will list only sections in which you are currently enrolled. If it is a long list, you can enter some of the section s name in the field to narrow the list. Product Support Questions with your CengageBrain account? Questions regarding SAM 2010? Check the FAQs in the Support area of your CengageBrain home. Write to cengagebrain.support@cengage.com Call Mon. through Fri. from 8 AM to 6 PM EST Go to for 24/7 live chat! Call Mon. through Thurs. 8:30 AM to 9 PM EST and Fri. 8:30 AM to 6 PM EST