E-License Test
E-License Test
E-License Test
Why an E-License Test?
Being a student at Southwestern Seminary requires that you know how to navigate the E-Learning world. By “E-learning” we mean the electronic-learning environment. The academic component of this E-Learning environment at Southwestern Seminary is called Blackboard Enterprise.
The concept of the “E-License” is very similar to a driver’s license. Navigating the E-Learning world at Southwestern Seminary requires that you certify your skills by obtaining an E-license. Once this license is obtained, you are free to “drive” in the E-Learning world of Southwestern seminary. Students who do not obtain their E-License are subsequently denied their “driving privileges” for the E-Learning environment at Southwestern.
Am I required to take the E-License Test?
With a few exceptions, all new incoming SWBTS students are required to take this test. New students will see the "E-License Test" in their portfolio of courses listed after they login to their student Blackboard account. All of the skills required of the student will be demonstrated within this E-License test in Blackboard.
The E-License Test must be completed before the third Monday of the new semester. Students who have not passed their E-License Test by this deadline will be denied access to Blackboard Enterprise until they successfully pass the test.
The 3 week deadline for the Spring 2008 semester is: Monday, February 11th.
How do I pass my E-License Test?
The E-License Test will requires that you demonstrate the following items that are essential to the "electronic-learning" world at Southwestern:
- Having access to a good working computer (XP/Office 2003 (Service Pack 2) or greater is a must!)
- Checking emails in my student email account
- Taking a quiz in Blackboard
- Posting a comment in a Blackboard discussion forum
- Formatting a basic research paper (title page, proper first page, 3 footnotes and a bibliography) according to the Southwestern Seminary Manual of Style.
Ten Steps to Passing the E-License Test:
Step #1: Get Your Copy of the Style Manual and Formatting Software
Obtain a copy of the Southwestern Seminary Manual of Style and the StyleEase formatting software. Fort Worth students may obtain their copy at the Gold Card Office in the Naylor Student Center (ext. 2107). All Extension and Havard school students can obtain their copies from their respective school or extension offices.
The StyleEase formatting software is easy to install on your Windows XP/Office 2003 or Vista/Office 2007 machine and will assist you with a whole array of formatting needs. This software was written to format papers according to the Southwestern Seminary Manual of Style.
A PDF document is available for download that helps students install StyleEase on their XP/2003 or Vista/2007 machines. Click here to download this document.
Step #2: Install the StyleEase Formatting Software
Properly install the StyleEase formatting software onto your personal computer. Students who use Apple Macintosh computers may download a more basic formatting template by clicking this link: SWBTS Style for MAC Users. Students may also request additional installation assistance by calling the AV Learning Center (ext. 2920), but only after reading the Installation Helps document available on-line.
Are you running software older than Windows XP/Office 2003?
StyleEase runs on both Windows XP/Office 2003 (with Service Pack updates) and Windows Vista/Office 2007. For this reason, all students are strongly encouraged to upgrade their computer to run a minimum of Windows XP/Office 2003 with the appropriate updates. Students who need to update Word 2003 with the appropriate updates may access the PDF document listed here: StyleEase Operation/Troubleshooting Guide. This guide will also help those students who need to run StyleEase on older versions than Windows XP/Office 2003.
After proper installation, students should properly register their software with the StyleEase company at www.styleease.com. The Styleease company will make any subsequent upgrades available to the student for free. Students can contact the Styleease company directly to obtain these upgrades. Students who need to update an older version of StyleEase to run on a new Windows Vista/Office 2007 machine may contact StyleEase directly to obtain this update.
Step #3: Login to your Student Email Account
Login to your student email account with your new student username and password. In your student email account, locate the email that has the words “SAMPLE TEXT” in the subject line. Keep this email, as it tells you which sample text to use in the formatted paper task listed below.
Students may access an animated tutorial that demonstrates each step in the process of locating student email, login and passwords as a new student. Click the following link: Getting my student email, login and password
Step #4: Locating a Course Syllabus
Now that you have your correct student username, password and email account, login to Blackboard and locate the "E-License Test" in your Blackboard account. For each class you take at Southwestern, you will need to be able to locate course documents for each of your classes through Blackboard. You will also need to know how to send completed assignments to your professors.
In your E-License Test, locate the "sample syllabus" in the syllabus section or tab. Save this Word document to your desktop following the prompts that Blackboard provides. Finally, in the assignments section, browse and locate the course syllabus that you saved to your desktop and submit it as a document to the assignment titled "Turn in your course syllabus here." The prompts are pretting straight forward on this task, but if you need help with this step, click the animated tutorial: Login to Blackboard, Find and Send a Syllabus
Step #5: Take a Blackboard Quiz
Taking quizzes and tests in Blackboard may be required of you as a student.
In order to demonstrate that you know how to do this task, first login to Blackboard with your username and password. Locate the “Quiz for Dummies” in the Assignments section. Take this five question quiz and submit it for grading.
While you will not be counted off for missing a question, the point of this quiz is to test your ability to take a Blackboard quiz, not to get all the answers correct. A few of the questions pertain to your understanding of plagiarism. If you need help taking a Blackboard quiz, click the animated tutorial here: How to Take a Blackboard Quiz
Step #6: Post to a Discussion Board in Blackboard
Many of our professors use the Discussion Board feature of Blackboard.
In order to demonstrate your ability with this, first login to Blackboard. In the Discussion Board section locate the “Getting to Know You” discussion board and add a very brief response to the question provided. If you need help with this step, click the following animated tutorial: How to post a reply in a Discussion Forum
Step #7: Locate Your "Sample Text" Email
Remember the email that you were asked to save? It will tell you which sample text to use from the Course Documents section of your Blackboard E-License test. You will be asked to use sample text options A, B, C, D or E for your formatted paper requirement.
Step #8: Watch a StyleEase Demonstration
All first year students at SWBTS will need to know how to format a basic research paper according to the Southwestern Seminary Manual of Style. Take a few minutes and read both chapters 1 and 2 in the Style Manual. These chapters provide the formatting specifications for the basic research paper. It would also be time well spent reviewing the animated tutorials that demonstrate the use of StyleEase to format research papers. To view the tutorial written for StyleEase in Office 2003, click here. If you are using StyleEase for Windows for Office 2007, click here.
**Please Note** The primary difference between StyleEase for Office 2003 and StyleEase for Office 2007 involves the location of the formatting menus. In Office 2003, the StyleEase menus are a drop down feature of the toolbar. In Office 2007, the StyleEase menus are a componet of the ribbon. If you create a paper in StyleEase for Office 2003, save it to a zip drive, and open it on a computer with StyleEase for Office 2007, you will need to go to the "add-ins" tab to find the drop down menus that help you do formatting.
Step #9: Format a Paper
As a new student, if you are able to conquer the formatting task during your first 3 weeks, then you are set for the rest of your undergraduate or graduate experince at Southwestern! Again, learning how to use the software will help you spend less time fighting your computer, and provide you more time for the more important tasks of research and writing.
Now you are ready to create your formatted paper. Login to Blackboard and locate the appropriate sample text A, B, C, D or E in the Course Documents section of your E-License test. Two sample paragraphs will provide the content for your paper, which will consist of 3 paragraphs and a conclusion. The basic research paper at Southwestern requires 3 major elements: a title page, the body of your paper, and a bibliography. Again, while the software will enable you to create and properly format each of these elements, students are required to understand why the software does what it does by understanding the Southwestern Seminary Manual of Style.
The first component of a basic research paper is the title page. If you are using the software, the default is a "term paper." Keep this as is! The software will prompt you with a title box, which you fill in with the title of your work. Then, the software will create a title page for you and leave you to type over the prompts provided with the correct information (see below). The title page is also discussed on p. 6 in the Style Manual.
Title Page
Title: Salvation in the Book of Acts
Course Name: BIB 2345
School: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Professor: Dr. James Smith
Date: August 2007
Body of Paper
The first page of your research paper requires that the page number appear at the bottom of the page and center justified. Don't worry, the formatting software will take care of this for you.
The first page will have a title in all caps 2 inches from the top of the page (see p. 8 in the Style Manual). The formatting software should have created this title for you. Use this paragraph as the introduction of your research paper. Professors will want to see your thesis statement, problem statement and hear you explain the organization of your work. If you are using the formatting software, you simple begin typing over the line that says "Highlight (select) this text and begin typing your term paper here." For the purposes of the E-License test, you will simply copy in the sample text provided. If your paragraph requires any formatting (e.g. a paragraph indent or double spacing), you format the paragraph by leaving your cursor in the first line of the paragraph that requires formatting and then selecting the "normal indented paragraph" in the drop down menu of StyleEase.
A normal 10-12 page research paper will be organized with a series of first and second level subheads. Subheads are explained on pp. 8-9 of the Style Manual. For the purposes of the E-License test, we only ask that you use first level subheads.
Your first, first-level subhead is placed immediately after your introductory paragraph, that is, the one you just created. To create this title with the software simply hit a hard return after your last paragraph, like you would be typing a new paragraph, only type the text of your title. For the purposes of the E-License test, this title will be "Old Testament Background." Now, by using the drop down menu (Windows XP) or ribbon (Windows VISTA), select the "first level subhead" formatting option. Your title should become center justified and properly spaced from the previous paragraph! Now you are ready to hit a hard return and begin typing your next paragraph. Remember to use the appropriate sample text.
For the purposes of the E-License test, we ask that you fill out the body of your paper by repeating this same step twice, thus, creating a paper with an introductory paragraph, two first-level subheads (the second first leve subhead title should be "New Testament Background", and a final paragraph with the first level subhead title "Conclusion" with the appropriate sample text following.Footnotes
Proper citation is vital for a research paper. Remember the two general rules of thumb to avoid plagiarism:
1. If you citing a sequential string of 4 words or more together, you must cite the source, and
2. If you are using an idea from an author that is not your own, you must cite the source
You will cite three books for the purposes of this assignment. Each footnote you will create with the information we provide below. Each footnote will come from a single author book and be attached to the end of each of the first three paragraphs that you have now generated.
The formatting software will also help you create footnotes (or references) from a drop down menu (or the ribbon if you have installed StyleEase for Microsoft Vista). With the software, in order to create a bibliographic reference, StyleEase will ask you to identify the source you are citing (e.g. single author book, journal article, dictionary, etc.). For the E-License paper, use the following bibliographic source information (remember that StyleEase requires that the author's last name is typed first).
- Kenneth Gangel, Coaching Ministry Teams (Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000) and page 45. (place at the end of the first, or, introduction paragraph)
- William W. Klein, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation(Dallas: Word Publishing, 1993) and page 143. (place at the end of the second paragraph)
- Henry Kloop, The Ministry Play Book: Strategic Planning (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004) and page 45 (place at the end of the third paragraph)
Bibliography
Here's the good news!
StyleEase has already created the Bibliography for you! All you need to do is alphabetize your bibliography. This is done through use of the function in the "prepare for printing" menu option.
Step #10: Submit Your Formatted Paper to a TURNITIN Assignment
Here is even better news! You are almost done with the E-License test!
This last step requires that you save your paper to your desktop and submit your paper electronically to a TURNITIN assignment titled “Turn Your Formatted Paper in here.” TURNITIN will check papers that you submit to your professors for plagiarism.
If you are still unclear what plagiarism is, you should ask your professor in class. You may also download a full treatment on the subject written by one of our own professors, Dr. Wes Black. Click here for a downloadable .pdf document: What is Plagiarism?
Some of your professors may use a tool called GRADEMARK to attach comments to your paper electronically. If you need help understanding how to locate and read these comments, or, the process of submitting a paper electronically using TURNITIN, you may watch the following animated tutorial: How to submit a paper to TURNITIN and check GRADEMARK comments
Congratulations!
By successfully completing these 10 steps, you will pass the E-License test and be free to navigate the E-Learning world at Southwestern Seminary. Even though for some of you these tasks are old hat, for many, the E-License test offers an instructional opportunity to learn some new and essential student skills for Southwestern Seminary.
How do I get my E-License Test graded?
Before Monday, February 11th:
During the first three weeks of the semester, a grader is assigned to monitor and check each component of the E-License test. If the student demonstrates a satisfactory completion of the required skills, then the student will receive an email confirmation that they passed the E-License test. In some cases, a student may be notified by the grader via email to re-take portions of the test.
If a student encounters a delay in the grading of their E-License test, they should immediately contact the Library's Computer Learning Center (817-923-1921 ext. 2771) and request that their E-License test be checked and graded. Be prepared to give your E-License section number and student ID when you call.
After Monday, February 11th:
Students who delay completion of their E-License test beyond the first 3 weeks of the semester will be re-assigned to a new remedial section of the E-License and will be required to retake the test. Students will also lose Blackboard priviledges at this time. When the student completes each component of the E-License test, he or she should contact the Computer Learning Center (817-923-1921 ext. 2771) and request that their E-License test be graded. Upon a satisfactory pass, the student's Blackboard priviledges will be reinstated within a 24 hour period (during normal working hours, Monday-Friday).
Students may check to see if certain components of their E-License test were properly submitted by looking at the Gradebook feature in Blackboard (under TOOLS and MYGRADES). If a red exclamation mark “!” appears in the box for the assignment, then the assignment was submitted and is waiting to be checked. For the online quiz, a number grade will appear. The “!” indicator will not appear in the Gradebook for the Discussion Forum component of the E-License test.
Please DO NOT WAIT until the last minute to complete this E-License test.
Help, I’ve been blocked from Blackboard
Students who do not pass or complete their E-License by the 3rd Monday of the semester will have a temporary Blackboard block placed on their account. Thus, the E-License test will be the only thing they see when they log in to Blackboard.
The "real world" equivilent of this situation is having to get to work every day without a driver's license. Some things in life are essential to what we do, whether we are driving to work, or writing research papers!
The Blackboard block will only temporarily impede a student’s access to other Blackboard courses. It is imperative that a student complete the E-License test so that class assignments are not missed in other courses.
After being blocked from Blackboard, when the student completes each component of the E-License test, he or she should contact the Computer Learning Center (817-923-1921 ext. 2771) and request that their E-License test be graded. Upon a satisfactory pass, the student's Blackboard priviledges will be reinstated within a 24 hour period (during normal working hours, Monday-Friday).
Help, I need help with my writing skills!
Students can set up an apointment with the Library's Writing Lab (817-923-1921 ext. 2750) should they need special help with the logic, structure and organization of their papers. While the Writing Lab is NOT a proof-reading service, they will refer students to external resources should they need this kind of assistance. Students should always ask a friend or colleage to read their papers before submission. This is especially important if English is not a student's first language!