Course Setup

In order to create courses in Learning Suite, instructors must have a BYU NetID and be identified as an instructor in AIM. Newly hired BYU faculty members, visiting professors, and non-BYU faculty professors who do not have Learning Suite access must contact their department secretary.

Note: Contact the OIT Service Desk (801.422.4000, it@byu.edu) if you do not have access to Learning Suite after you have contacted the department secretary. Prospective part-time faculty who need Learning Suite access in order to create development courses or communities should also contact the OIT Service Desk.

BYU Learning Suite courses are arranged by semester or term on the Course List page. You must set up a course before adding course content.

Initial Course Setup:

1. Click Set up course located to the right of the course name.

2. (only if there are multiple sections) Select your desired grouping options.

Note: Sections should only be grouped together if they will have the same assignments, due dates, and other course materials and information.

• Group all: will group all course material and content for all sections of this class, including assignments and due dates.
• Keep all separate: will allow each section to have differing class material.
• Create my own section groups: allows customizable groups of sections.
  

Click Continue.

3. This page has several setup options:

• Title: Type the title of the course in the text box.
• Website: Click the Use BYU Learning Suite for my course radio button.
  Note: Click Link to another website to link the course to another LMS or website.
• Calculate Grades By:
  
  • Total Points: to base the grading system on total number of points earned.
  • Weighted Categories: to set categories (I.E. Assignments, Exams, Labs, etc.) differing weights.
• Allow Copy: to give other instructors the ability to copy the course or exams.
• Combine Courses: to combine this course with your other courses.

Click Set up Course.

4. Now that the course is created, the instructor can copy their previous course materials into the new course by clicking Copy from one of my courses. Otherwise, click Go to course home.

As Course Supervisor:

Course supervisors, who are listed as supervisors in AIM, have the ability to set up courses in Learning Suite.

Note: Please contact your department secretary about being added as a supervisor in AIM.

1. Select Set up course located next to the course title on the Course List page.

2. The Sections page appears. Select how to group the course sections.

Note: Sections that are taught on different days of the week or that have distinct assignments or content should not be combined. All section dates, times, and instructors are listed at the top of the Sections page.

• Group all available sections together: combines the sections into one course. All course material will remain identical. Students from all sections will be combined into a single gradebook.
• Group available sections by primary instructor: groups sections based on the listed primary instructor. Use this option if each instructor’s sections are taught on the same day and have identical course content.
• Group available sections by teaching assistant: This opetion will only appear if there are teaching assistants assigned to the course in AIM. This groups all sections together based on the TA who is listed for each section. Use this option if each TA’s sections are taught on the same day and have identical course content.
  Note: TAs cannot be owners of a course.
• Keep all available sections separate: lists each section as a separate course in Learning Suite and allows for different content, assignments, and due dates for each section. Course owners can copy content from one section to another, but after initial setup, each section will be managed separately.
• Create my own section groups: to create custom section groupings. This allows different due dates and content to each group.

3. Select who will be the owner of the course(s). Instructors and supervisors are the only possible course owners.

Note: Only supervisors have the option to select course owners. If an instructor sets up a course they will automatically be the owner.

The list of possible course owners varies depending on which section grouping option was selected.

• Group all available sections together allows the course supervisor to select any instructor or supervisor to be the course owner.
• Group available sections by primary instructor, Group available sections by teaching assistant, or Keep all available sections separate allows the course supervisor to select the primary instructor of the section(s) in question or any supervisor to be the course owner.
• To Create my own section groups, select + New Section Group and select the course owner from the new window that appears.

Notes:

• Student ratings go to whoever is listed as the primary instructor in AIM. Supervisors who are course owners do not need to worry about student ratings going to the wrong person, as long as the correct person is listed as the primary instructor in AIM.
• If a supervisor is selected as the course owner, full access to the Learning Suite course is given. Course owners are listed as the primary instructor in the Syllabus.
• If an instructor is selected as the course owner, supervisors still have access to the Learning Suite course and can do anything in Learning Suite except the rights given specifically to course owners. A supervisor who sets up a Learning Suite course and is not the course owner is listed as a co-instructor in the Syllabus.
• Once a course has been set up and an owner has been selected, the only way to change course ownership to to contact the OIT Service desk at (801)422-4000 or it@byu.edu.

Select Continue.

4. If Group all available sections together was selected, the user will be directed to the Course Setup page. Proceed to step 5.

If any other option was selected, the next page lists all courses according to the selected section grouping option. Each course must be set up individually. Start by selecting Set up course, located next to a course title.

5. Refer to Steps 3-4 in the previous section, Initial Course Setup.

Learning Suite allows instructors to combine multiple courses into one course. Combining courses will reduce BYU Learning Suite management during the semester as items will only have to be added to one course. Courses can be combined during or after course setup.

Pro Tip: Sections that are combined can still have different due dates, by using section exceptions. Click here for more information.

Combine Courses during Course Setup

2. Select the appropriate section grouping option and then click Continue. See the above section, Initial Course Setup for more information.

3. Click on the Combine this course with other courses I’m teaching checkbox to combine all courses into one course. Click on the individual course checkbox to combine specific individual courses into one course.

4. Click on Set up Course to combine the courses and view your newly combined course.

Note: When combined, all materials, grades, syllabi, due dates, and other information will be identical for all of the courses.

Combine Courses after Course Setup

2. Click on the Combine this course with other courses I’m teaching checkbox. Click on the individual course checkbox to combine specific individual courses into one course.

3. Click Save Settings.

Note: After combining sections, the section numbers of the sections that are combined will be shown on this Setup page, even after the course is set up.

Separating Combined Courses or Sections

1. Once in the course, click on Setup under the Course Home menu.

2. Instructors can choose to separate all courses or separate only one course from the combined courses.

• Make sure Combine this course with other courses I’m teaching is checked.  
• Click on the individual course checkbox(es) of the courses to remove/separate from the combined course(s).
• Click the Save Settings to proceed.

3. A dialog window will appear. Confirm you would like to separate the courses by clicking OK.

Note: If you choose to remove a course from your current course, all information, materials, and scores will be deleted from that course.

Cross-listed Courses

A cross-listed course is a single course that is used by different departments. These courses are listed under different names (e.g., ANES 392R, ANTHR 390R, and HONRS 295R) but are the exactly same class. These courses will appear separately in the instructor’s course list. The instructor may combine and manage these courses as one single course to simplify their workload.

Note: Cross-listed courses that are combined can still have different due dates, by using section exceptions. Click here for more information.

1. Click on the green Set up button next to a cross-listed course’s title.

2. Edit the course title to reflect all of the cross-listed courses that will be combined by typing in the Title textbox. Click on the Combine this course with other courses I’m teaching checkbox.

3. Click on the individual course checkboxes to combine the cross-listed courses into one course.

4. Click on the green Set up course button to combine the courses.

Note: When combined, all materials, grades, syllabi, due dates, and other information will be identical for all of the courses.

Linking to Another Resource

BYU instructors may choose to use their own course resources rather than Learning Suite. If this is the case, instructors can add a link to that resource in Learning Suite. Students will be directed to the link when they enter the course via Learning Suite. This is a convenient feature for students because it allows them to access all of their courses from one place.

1. Click Set up course.

2. Click the radio button next to Link to another website.

3. A text entry box appears. Enter the URL for the website to send students to.

4. Click Set up course. A confirmation page appears. Click Back to all courses.

5. Click Publish for students to start viewing course resources. Students will be directed to the URL when they enter the course via Learning Suite.

Note: Students cannot be directed to the URL if the course is not published.

Copy from another instructor's course:

Instructors can copy from existing Learning Suite courses, other sections of a course, development courses, or community courses. Additionally, instructors can copy course information from courses created by other instructors. Instructors must be a full-time employee for the option to copy a course from another instructor to be shown. A full-time co-instructor or someone in the OIT Help Desk can copy the course over for them. Courses can be copied from others during or after the initial course setup.

During initial course creation

1. Click on the green Set up course button.

2. If the instructor is teaching multiple sections of the same course, they need to select how to group them. Select the radio button next to the desired grouping preference. For more information on section grouping, view Initial Course Setup above. Click Continue to proceed.

3. This page has several setup options:

• Title: Type the title of the course in the text box.
• Website: Click the Use BYU Learning Suite for my course radio button.
  Note: Click Link to another website to link the course to another LMS or website.
• Calculate Grades By:
  
  • Total Points: to base the grading system on total number of points earned.
  • Weighted Categories: to set categories (I.E. Assignments, Exams, Labs, etc.) differing weights.
• Allow Copy: to give other instructors the ability to copy the course or exams.
• Combine Courses: to combine this course with your other courses.

Click Set up course.

4. To copy content from a course another instructor teaches, click on the Copy link.

5. Click on the Copy materials and information from another instructor’s course radio button.

6.

• Select the Term and Year from the drop down menu.
• Select the appropriate Teaching Area from the drop down menu.
• Select the correct course.
• Click on the radio button next to the appropriate instructor.
  

Note: If the course to copy is not in the drop down menu, the course is either not set up or does not allow copying.

7. Decide to add the copied course material to the current content or replace all the current content with the copied course material.

• Add to: Click the Add to my current course materials and information radio button to add the copied materials and information to the content already in the course.
• Override existing: Click the Override existing content with the same name with the current course materials and information to overwrite any existing material that has the same name as the material from the course that is being copied from.
• Replace all: Click the Replace all current course materials and information radio button to delete all existing materials and information in the course and replace it with the content from the other course. This option will not keep anything from the course.

8. Decide what materials to add to the course by selecting the appropriate check boxes. Click Copy to copy the content into your course

9. Check to make sure your copy was successful.

After Course Setup

1. Once in the course, click on Setup under the Course Home menu on the left sidebar.

2. Follow steps 4-9 above.

Copy from one of your own courses

During initial course creation

1. Click on the green Set up course button.

2. If there are multiple sections of the same course, select how to group them. If there are no multiple sections of the same course, skip to Step Three.

3. This page has several setup options:

• Title: Type the title of the course in the text box.
• Website: Click the Use BYU Learning Suite for my course radio button.
  Note: Click Link to another website to link the course to another LMS or website.
• Calculate Grades By:
  
  • Total Points: to base the grading system on total number of points earned.
  • Weighted Categories: to set categories (I.E. Assignments, Exams, Labs, etc.) differing weights.
• Allow Copy: to give other instructors the ability to copy the course or exams.
• Combine Courses: to combine this course with your other courses.

Click Set up course.

4. To copy content from one of the other courses you teach, click on the Copy link.

5. Click on the Copy materials and information from my course radio button.

6. Select the appropriate Semester and Course from the drop down menus.

7. Decide to add the copied course material to the current content or replace all the current content with the copied course material.

• Add to: Click the Add to my current course materials and information radio button to add the copied materials and information to the content already in the course.
• Override existing: Click the Override existing content with the same name with the current course materials and information to overwrite any existing material that has the same name as the material from the course that is being copied from.
• Replace all: Click the Replace all current course materials and information radio button to delete all existing materials and information in the course and replace it with the content from the other course. This option will not keep anything from the course.

8. Decide what materials to add to the course by selecting the appropriate check boxes. Click Copy to copy the content into your course

9. Check to make sure your copy was successful.

After Course Setup

1. Once in the course, click on Setup under the Course Home menu on the left sidebar.

2. Follow steps 4-9 above.

Copy from a community

During initial course creation

1. Click on the green Set up course button.

2. If the instructor is teaching multiple sections of the same course, they need to select how to group them. Select the radio button next to the desired grouping preference. For more information on section grouping, view Initial Course Setup above. Click Continue to proceed.

3. This page has several setup options:

• Title: Type the title of the course in the text box.
• Website: Click the Use BYU Learning Suite for my course radio button.
  Note: Click Link to another website to link the course to another LMS or website.
• Calculate Grades By:
  
  • Total Points: to base the grading system on total number of points earned.
  • Weighted Categories: to set categories (I.E. Assignments, Exams, Labs, etc.) differing weights.
• Allow Copy: to give other instructors the ability to copy the course or exams.
• Combine Courses: to combine this course with your other courses.

Click Set up course.

4. To copy content from a community, click on the Copy link.

5. Click on the Copy materials and information from a community radio button.

Note: If the community you want to copy is not in the drop down menu the community is either not set up, or does not allow copying.

6. Select the Owner drop down menu, and select who to copy from. Click on the radio button next to the appropriate course.

7. Decide to add the copied course material to the current content or replace all the current content with the copied course material.

• Add to: Click the Add to my current course materials and information radio button to add the copied materials and information to the content already in the course.
• Override existing: Click the Override existing content with the same name with the current course materials and information to overwrite any existing material that has the same name as the material from the course that is being copied from.
• Replace all: Click the Replace all current course materials and information radio button to delete all existing materials and information in the course and replace it with the content from the other course. This option will not keep anything from the course.

8. Decide what materials to add to the course by selecting the appropriate check boxes. Click Copy to copy the content into your course.

9. Check to make sure your copy was successful.

After Course Setup

1. Once in the course, click on Setup under the Course Home menu on the left sidebar.

2. Follow steps 4-9 above.

Add Users

Instructors can add additional users such as a co-instructor, TA, student guest, or future instructor to their course.

Notes:

• Learning Suite does not support an admin role that would allow an instructor to give ‘viewing’ rights to another instructor (or anyone with a BYU Net ID). However, there is a viable workaround. We recommend adding the user in question as a co-instructor or TA and then hiding them from students.
• If a primary instructor needs to be added to a course they did not create, contact the OIT Service Desk by calling 801.422.4000 or emailing it@byu.edu. When emailing students from Learning Suite or messaging students in Learning Suite's internal message system, Guests will appear within the enrolled student list. Checking all students will include them within the Email or message.
• To see the number of credit hours each student is registered for, click here to view on AIM, under the class roll (CLS04).

1. Once in the course, click on Users under the Course Home menu.

2. Add a co-instructor by clicking the blue +New Instructor button. Click +New TA to add a TA. At the bottom of the page is the list of Guests. Click + Add Guest to add a (student) guest.

Note: Co-instructors and TAs have full access to your course, so add users with discretion.

3. Search for the user by typing their last name or BYU Net ID in the correct field. Click Search.

Note: If you search by last name, a list of users will appear. Make sure to select the correct individual. If a guest does not have a Net ID they can visit accounts.byu.edu to create one.

4. Once the user has been found the Edit Instructor or Edit TA dialog window will appear. Update the information and click Save. The Guest’s name will be listed with additional information. The Guest's assigned section can be changed by clicking the Edit button. Guests can be deleted by clicking the Trash icon.

Add a Future Instructor to Course

Current instructors can add future instructors so they become familiar with Learning Suite, especially BYU Grades. This can be accomplished by adding future instructors to a Community.

1. The future instructor will need to create a Net ID. They need to visit accounts.byu.edu, follow the prompts, and enter the required information.

2. In the community, click Users from the Course Home navigation submenu on the left. On the Users page, click the + New Instructor button.

3. Enter the future instructor’s Net ID they created and click Search.

4. The future instructor’s name and Net ID will appear in the Edit Instructor dialog window. Additional information can be added or edited, such as Office Phone, Office Location, Office Hours, and additional fields of information. When finished, click Save.

5. The future instructor will be added under Instructors. They will have access to the community and are able to become familiar with the features of Learning Suite.

Hide Co-instructors and TAs

Instructors can hide instructor or TA information that normally appears in the syllabus from students. Additionally, this will hide instructors and TAs from students in Email and Messages.

Note: Any instructor or TA can be hidden from students. Other instructors will see hidden instructors or TAs in the Syllabus and Email tabs, but not in Messages.

1. Once in the course, click Users in the Course Home navigation menu.

2. Click Edit, the pencil icon, on the right of the instructor or TAs name.

3. A dialog window appears. Check the box next to Hide this Instructor from students. Click Save.

Admin User Permissions

There are various types of users in BYU Learning Suite and in AIM, all with differing permissions. The following outlines the different types of Learning Suite users, their equivalent roles in AIM, and what permissions they are granted in Learning Suite courses:

• Primary Instructors (LS) Primary Instructor/Supervisor (AIM): Create and delete courses, copy course materials, enter scores, submit final grades, add/edit users, add learning outcomes, and view personal files.
• Co-instructor (LS) Team Instructor (AIM): Copy course materials, enter scores, submit final grades, add/edit users, add learning outcomes
• Teaching Assistant (LS) Teaching Assistant (AIM): Copy exams and enter scores
• Teaching Assistant (LS) Grading Assistant (AIM): Copy exams, enter scores, and submit final grades

Student User Permissions

There are two types of student users in BYU Learning Suite and in AIM with differing permissions. The following outlines the different types of Learning Suite and AIM student users and what permissions they are granted in Learning Suite courses.

• Student (LS) Student (AIM): View and submit assignments, view and take exams, has graded coursework, and receive final grade
• Auditing Student/Guest (LS) Auditing Student/NA (AIM): same as student, except does not receive final grade

Display Student Pictures on Users Page

1. Click Users from the left-hand navigation menu. There are two Display options available in the top right of the Enrolled Students portion: Icons or Photos.

• With Icons selected, a small icon will appear next to the students’ names. Hover over the icon to preview the student’s photo. To lock the photo in place, click the small icon. Click the X in the corner to close the student’s photo.
• With Photos selected, the photos will load next to the students’ names.

Changing Course Ownership

The individual who originally sets up a BYU Learning Suite course is marked at the course owner. Course owners:

• are listed as the primary instructor (all other instructors are listed as co-instructors)
• can copy courses and exams
• can delete the course
• view their personal files in the Files tab

Occasionally, course ownership may need to be transferred from one individual to another. To do this, contact the OIT Service Desk (801.422.4000, it@byu.edu).

UAC Accommodation Letters

Primary instructors can view students who have received a University Accessibility Center (UAC) letter. This is represented by the UAC icon next to the students’ name. If a primary instructor clicks this icon, the UAC letter will open.

The UAC icon is displayed in several locations of Learning Suite. These locations include:

• Course Home > Users
• Course Home > Groups
• Digital Dialog > Groups
• Exams > Exam Options
• BYU Grades > Scores
• BYU Grades > Grader
• BYU Grades > Final Grades
  

Note: UAC icons will only appear on university courses because the data is drawn from the university’s database. This means Communities and Development courses will not display UAC icons.

The following steps show how to view the UAC icon on the Users page. However, anywhere that student’s name is displayed on the other pages, the UAC icon will be displayed.

1. Under Users, click the Display Students button under the Enrolled Students table.

2. If students with UAC are enrolled, the Show UAC option will be available. If Students with athletic exceptions are enrolled, the Show Exception Letters option will be available. If students with both UAC and athletic exceptions, the Show UAC & Exception Letters will be shown. Click on the appropriate button.

The students with UAC accommodation letters will have a UAC icon next to their name. Click the UAC icon to view their accommodation letter. However, the letter can only be viewed by to whom the letter is addressed, which is typically primary instructors.

The students with athletic exception letters will have a Y icon next to their name. Click the Y icon to view their exception letter. However, the letter can only be viewed by to whom the letter is addressed, which is typically primary instructors.

Note: The data is cached. This means that the UAC icon will appear in about a day after the letter is filed in the University Accessibility Center. If desired, the ADA icon can be hidden again by clicking Hide UAC.

Create a Development Course

BYU Learning Suite development courses are not connected to AIM and do not have enrolled students. A development course functions the same way as a live course except there is no working "BYU Grades" section. Instructors can create course content, experiment with new organizational approaches, and practice using other Learning Suite features before moving content into a live course.

1. Click Development located on the Course List page.

2. Click +New Development Course.

Note: Development courses can only be created as far out as the current calendar year plus one year. For example, if today was July 29th, 2015 you could only create development courses until Fall 2016. Winter 2017 would not be available until January 1st, 2016.

3.

• Title: Enter the course title in this box.
• Semester: Select the term and year for the class from the drop down menu.
• Course: Use these drop down menus to select the teaching area and catalog number of the class.
• Days: Check the boxes to indicate when the course will be taught, or what days you would like to show up on the schedule. (For example: Selecting only Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will mean your course schedule only displays those three days.)
• Total Points/Weighted Categories: Select the preferred grading method. Click here for more information on grading methods.
• Allow other instructors to copy this course: Select whether to give other instructors the ability to copy the course.
• Allow my exams to be copied: If selected, this option will allow other instructors to copy your exams.

4. Click Set up course to finalize the course set up. These options are not permanent and can be edited at any time.

5. Proceed with setting up the course. Refer to Initial Course Setup for detailed instructors on setting up the course.

Communities can be created by any BYU full-time faculty or staff member. Part-time staff will need to work with their full-time supervisor. The full-time supervisor can set up the community and add the part-time instructor as a co-instructor.

Communities:

• Allow classes to extend beyond the normal semester time frame and to include guest users.  
• Allow courses not taught in regular semesters or that span multiple semester/term periods, such as research groups, clubs, internships, or other university organizations, to use BYU Learning Suite Communities to share information, post notifications and administer assessments. 
• Allow undergraduate core classes to combine their assignments, exams, and grades into one Learning Suite location.  
• Allow groups not organized through AIM to use BYU Learning Suite.

Communities require manual enrollment of participants and do not have an end date. Learning Suite courses can be created as Communities in order to extend class dates and add additional users when needed.

1. To create a new community, click on the Community button located on the BYU Learning Suite Course List page, then select + New Community.

2.
Title: Enter the name or title of the new community. 
Website: Use BYU Learning Suite as the website for your community or link to a different website.
Calculate Grades By: Choose to calculate the grades through a system of overall points or a point system with weighted categories that are worth more than others.
Schedule: Use this to set up the days to display on the community schedule. (For example, picking M W F will cause your schedule to only display those three days)
Allow Copy: Use these options to choose to allow instructors to copy your community or exams.

Note: Refer to Copy Course Information above for more information about copying course materials from communities

3. Click Set up course. The community can now be set up like a normal Learning Suite course.

4. To add participants, click on the Users tab located in the Course Home menu on the left.

5. Click +New Instructor or +New TA to add another instructor or a TA to the community. Search for administrative users using their last name or net ID. Click +Add Student to add students by Net ID. Multiple students can be added at once by separating their Net IDs by commas.

Notes:

• Communities support all BYU Learning Suite functionality, including Content, Digital Dialog, Exams, Grades, BYU Grades, Schedule, and Syllabus. Click on any tab to begin setting it up and add course materials and information.
• The Schedule will display one month at a time with the days selected during setup appearing automatically. The schedule can be continuously edited and updated.
  
  • Scroll through Months: Use these arrows to navigate through different months of the year.
  • Select a Day: To jump to a certain day, simply click on the day in the box and you will be sent to that day.

Add non-BYU Users to A Community

Communities allow the instructor to add any user that has a BYU Net ID. Non-BYU patrons can create a Net ID in order to gain access to BYU Learning Suite. Go to accounts.byu.edu to create a BYU Net ID.

1. To add participants, follow steps 4-5 above.

To Import Users into a Community

Instructors can import users into a Learning Suite Community through a .CSV file.

1. Create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. List the students’ NetIDs in column A. Do not include a header.

Note: The spreadsheet should only contain one column of NetIDs. Do NOT add a header in cell A:1. Do NOT add additional columns of any kind.

2. Go to File, Save As, and choose a location within your computer to save the spreadsheet. In the Save As window, change the Save as type to CSV (Comma delimited). Click Save.

3. Log in to your Learning Suite community and click Users in the Course Home navigation menu.

4. Click +Import From CSV under the Enrolled Students list.

5. The Add Student(s) From CSV dialog window appears. Click Choose Files.

6. The file explorer opens. Locate the CSV file in the computer. Click Open. Click Import. Students’ names, NetIDs, and e-mails will automatically load into Learning Suite under Enrolled Students. Students can be removed individually from the list by clicking the Delete (trash can) icon to the right of a student’s name.

Before students can view a course in Learning Suite, the entire course must be published. Courses may be published before the semester starts to give students early access to course materials.

1. On the course list, click Publish.

Notes:

• Instructors may continue to edit their course after publication. Any changes made to published content will be immediately visible to students.
• If the course says "Publish," the course is currently unavailable to students. If your course says "Unpublish," students can enter your course and view the Syllabus, Schedule, Assignments, BYU Grades, and Digital Dialog sections, as well as any published announcements, content pages, or exams.
• Individual items can be published before or after a course has been published. However, students will only be able to enter and view published content after a course is published. Courses can be unpublished at any time. However, because hiding a course could be disruptive, it is recommended to warn students before unpublishing.