Using Turning Technologies and Oncourse, how can I manage student data?
View feature demonstrations relevant to this topic.
Note: To use the Turning Technologies integration with Oncourse, first request that the Turning Technologies tool be enabled in your course site. Contact your campus teaching and learning center.
Note: These instructions include multiple routes to accomplish the same tasks; you do not need to use every section. Whether you begin an import or export step from within Oncourse or within the TurningPoint software is a matter of preference, and does not affect the outcome.
On this page:
- Introduction
- Before class: Importing a participant list
- During class: Polling
-
After class: Exporting results to Oncourse
- Merging files
- Method 1: Importing scores from a spreadsheet (Full Reports method)
- Method 2: Importing scores from a spreadsheet (Export Schemes method)
- Method 3: Exporting to Oncourse from within the TurningPoint software (Integrations method)
- Method 4: Exporting using the Oncourse Turning Technologies tool
Introduction
If your students are using Turning Technologies student response devices (clickers) in your class, you can export the scores that students earn in class to the Oncourse Gradebook. Before completing these steps, download the appropriate software, either from IUware (see links below) or from the Turning Technologies web site. Choose from:
- TurningPoint PC (PowerPoint plug-in)
- TurningPoint AnyWhere PC
- TurningPoint AnyWhere Mac
For TurningPoint PC, you also need to either create a PowerPoint presentation using TurningPoint, or use TurningPoint to add polling questions to an existing PowerPoint presentation, before you collect data in class.
Note: Importing a session file via the Turning
Technologies tool in Oncourse, or via the Oncourse/Sakai integration
in the TurningPoint software, will create a new gradebook item you
must manage from the Turning Technologies tool. For points
gradebooks, the item will have a point value equal to the maximum
number of points possible in the TurningPoint session. For percentage
gradebooks, the maximum number of points possible in the session will
be the default relative weight of the item, though you can update the
weight in the Turning Technologies tool. Currently, you can't edit
grades created by the Turning Technologies Oncourse tool, or edit
gradebook item settings other than whether the item is released to
students or included in the course grade calculations.
Therefore, UITS recommends that you carefully
consider whether you wish to use this method of importing grades into
the Gradebook. As a work-around, you can generate a
spreadsheet of your class data, and upload the grades as you would
with any other spreadsheet, allowing you full control over the
gradebook item; use either the Full Reports
method or the Export Schemes method.
Use a participant list (.tpl file) so your spreadsheet
will contain students' usernames.
Importing a participant list
Considerations before you import
You can import your class roster from Oncourse into TurningPoint in
advance; this creates a participant list (a .tpl file).
Alternatively, you can skip this step, and allow the TurningPoint software to
generate an automatic participant list with the device IDs of students
present in class; when you upload the scores to Oncourse, the device
IDs will be matched with the names of students who have registered
their devices in your class. Note the following:
- The
.tplfile generated from a combined Oncourse site includes students in all sections of a course. If you have multiple sections in a combined course that you wish to track separately, you may want to use the automatic participant list instead. If you do use the.tplfile, you will need to save the session data for each session separately, and then merge them before uploading to Oncourse. See instructions below.
- You may wish to use the
.tplfile if you want to generate more detailed reports within the TurningPoint software, since the.tplfile contains the students' names. Using the automatic participant list will result in reports with only device IDs; responses will only be linked to students' names within Oncourse, not TurningPoint.
- If you intend to upload scores from a spreadsheet instead of directly
from TurningPoint (for instance, if you want to be able to change the
settings for the gradebook item), use the
.tplfile.
You can import a participant list either from within Oncourse (the normal way) or from within TurningPoint (the Integrations method).
Importing a participant list from Oncourse (normal method)
- From the menubar of your Oncourse course
site, click
Turning Technologies.
- Click
Export Roster in TurningPoint Format. When prompted, save the resulting file to your desktop (or another location you will remember).
- Proceed as follows, depending on your software:
- In TurningPoint PC:
- Open the PowerPoint file you will use in your class
presentation, and click the
TurningPoint 2008tab. - Click
Participants, and selectImport a Participant List. - Select your participant list, and then click
Open. - On the right, in the drop-down list under "Participant List", select the course participant list.
- Open the PowerPoint file you will use in your class
presentation, and click the
- In TurningPoint AnyWhere PC:
- Select
Participants, and then selectLoad Participant List. - Select
Browse..., and then browse to the course participant list.
- Select
- In TurningPoint AnyWhere Mac:
- Select
Load Participant List, and then selectChoose Other. - Browse to the course participant list.
- Select
- In TurningPoint PC:
Importing a participant list from TurningPoint (Integrations method)
- In TurningPoint PC or TurningPoint AnyWhere PC, select
Tools, and thenIntegrations.In TurningPoint AnyWhere Mac, from the
Windowmenu, selectLMS Integrations. - In the
Learning Management Systemdialog box, for "Management System", selectSakai. For the "Server URL", type: https://oncourse.iu.edu - Click
Next.
- Log in with your Network ID.
Note: If you are prompted to change your passphrase, you may not be able to proceed beyond this step. To change your passphrase, see At IU, how do I change my Network ID passphrase?
- In the
Sakai Wizardbox, selectImport Participant List, and then clickNext.
- You will see your Turning Technologies courses. Select the course
you want to import from. Check
Load imported participant list into current session, and then clickFinishorContinue.
- You will be prompted to save the
.tplfile. ClickSave.
- The participant list should be loaded and selected.
Polling
To collect clicker data in class:
- Run your PowerPoint slide show using TurningPoint PC, or ask
questions with TurningPoint AnyWhere.
- Before leaving the classroom, save your session data. If you are
using a classroom computer, be sure to save this file onto removable media.
To do so, click
Save Session. (You will also be prompted to save, if you haven't already, when you quit the software.) The session file will have a.tpzextension.
Exporting results to Oncourse
Merging files (for multiple sections using the
.tpl file as the participant list only)
If your class consists of multiple sections that do not meet at one
time and place, you need to save the session file of each class
meeting as a separate .tpz file. If you use the
automatic participant list, or if your class consists of only one
section, skip to one of the following sections.
If you exported your Oncourse roster, and you have multiple sections,
first merge the various .tpz files from each section into
a single file:
- In TurningPoint PC, select
Tools, thenSession Management, and thenMerge Session Files.
- Select all the files you need to merge, and then click
Merge. Save the file with a new filename.
Then follow the instructions in one of the following sections.
Importing scores from a spreadsheet (Full Reports method)
To import scores from TurningPoint and still retain control over the gradebook item (e.g., the ability to change grades or edit gradebook settings), use the Full Reports or Export Scheme methods instead of the other methods described subsequently.
- Before class, import a participant list as described above. After class, save your session file as a
.tpzfile as usual.
- In TurningPoint PC:
- Click
Tools, and thenReports.
- Select the session for which you want to generate a report.
If it is not already shown in the window, click the small folder
icon in the top left of the window to browse for the desired
session file.
- Click the
Reportstab at the top of the window.
- Select
Participant Results Reports, and then eitherGraded Participant Results (Point Value)for points gradebooks orGraded Participant Results (Correct/Incorrect)for percentage gradebooks.
- Click
Generate Report. TurningPoint PC will save the report in Excel format.
- Open the file in Excel, and delete all extraneous information,
leaving only two columns, "Sakai Login ID" and "Total
Points" or "Total % Correct" (as applicable). Change the column
title of "Sakai Login ID" to "Student ID".
For percentage gradebooks, you also need to remove the percent sign (
%) from all grades in the "Total % Correct" column. The easiest way to do this is:- In Excel 2010 or 2007, click
Find & Select, and thenReplace.... In other versions of Excel, from theEditmenu, clickReplace.... - Next to "Find what:", type
%. Next to "Replace with:", type a space. ClickReplace All.
- In Excel 2010 or 2007, click
In TurningPoint AnyWhere:
- In TurningPoint AnyWhere PC, from the
Toolsmenu, selectReports.In TurningPoint AnyWhere Mac, from the
Windowmenu, selectReports. - Select a session from the left side of the window. If the
session is not visible, click
Import Session(Windows) or the gear icon (Mac) to open it.
- In the drop-down menu, select the
Individual Scorereport.
- Check
Show All Participant Fields.
- Click
SaveorSave As....
- For the file type, select
CSV (Comma Delimited), and then clickSave.
- Open the file in Excel, and delete all extraneous information,
leaving only two columns, one with students' usernames and one
with scores.
Note: With TurningPoint AnyWhere PC version 2.3, the column headings are not aligned properly. The scores are in the last column; add a column heading of "Scores" to this column. Then, change the column title of usernames to "Student ID".
- Click
- Save the file in
.csvformat (Comma-delimited format).
- See Importing grades from a spreadsheet to upload the scores to Oncourse.
Importing scores from a spreadsheet (Export Schemes method)
This is the second method that you can use to upload student scores to the Oncourse gradebook so that you will retain the ability to alter the scores after they have been uploaded. Before completing the following steps, you will need to download and save the schemes to the appropriate location on your computer. See How do I save the IU-specific export schemes for use with the Turning Technologies software?
- Before class, import a participant list as described above. After class, save your session file as a
.tpzfile as usual.
- In TurningPoint PC:
- Click
Tools, and then from theSession Managementsubmenu, clickExport CSV.
- Select the session for which you want to generate a report.
If it is not already shown in the window, click the small
folder icon in the top right of the window to browse for the
desired session file.
- From the window that opens, select the desired export format,
either
Oncourse Percentage Scheme(for a percentage-based gradebook) orOncourse Point Scheme(for a point-based gradebook). Then clickExport.
- Choose a location to save the file. When naming it, be sure
to add
.csvto the end of the filename. Then clickSave.
- A window will pop up indicating that the session was exported successfully.
- See Importing grades from a spreadsheet to upload the scores to Oncourse.
- Click
- In TurningPoint AnyWhere:
- Open the Export Wizard:
-
TurningPoint AnyWhere PC: From the
Launchpad, open the Export Wizard by clicking
Resultsin the "Create and Manage" section, then clickingExport Wizard. Alternatively, from the showbar, click the downward arrow in the bottom left corner to open the menu. Go down to theToolssubmenu and clickExport Wizard.
-
TurningPoint AnyWhere Mac: From the
Launchpad, open the Export Assistant by clicking
Resultsin the "Create and Manage" section, then clickingExport Assistant. Alternatively, click theFilemenu at the top of the screen and selectExport Session Data.
-
TurningPoint AnyWhere PC: From the
Launchpad, open the Export Wizard by clicking
- From the drop-down menu, choose either
Oncourse Percentage Scheme(for a percentage-based gradebook) orOncourse Points Scheme(for a points-based gradebook).
- Click the radio button next to
Quick export using previously created export scheme.
- Select the session that you want to export. If it does not
automatically appear, you can search for the session file on your
computer. In the PC version of the software, click the downward
arrow above the session files that are present, and then select
Import Session. In the Mac version, click theImport Sessionbutton. Once you've selected the session, clickSave.
- Choose an area on your computer in which to save the file.
You must save it as a
.csvfile in order to be able to upload it onto Oncourse. To do so, save it as follows:
-
TurningPoint AnyWhere PC: Name the file,
being sure to add
.csvto the end of the filename.
-
TurningPoint AnyWhere Mac: The file will
automatically be saved in
.txtformat. After it is saved, rename the file and add.csvto the end of the filename. The computer will ask you whether you want to change it to.csvformat or keep it as a.txtfile. Change it to.csv.
-
TurningPoint AnyWhere PC: Name the file,
being sure to add
- See Importing grades from a spreadsheet to upload the scores to Oncourse.
- Open the Export Wizard:
Exporting to Oncourse from within TurningPoint (Integrations method)
To transmit the scores to your Oncourse Gradebook, you can use the following method or the one in the next section.
- In TurningPoint PC or TurningPoint AnyWhere PC, select
Tools, and thenIntegrations.In TurningPoint AnyWhere Mac, from the
Windowmenu, selectLMS Integrations. - In the
Learning Management Systemdialog box, for "Management System", selectSakai. For "Server URL", type: https://oncourse.iu.edu - Click
Next.
- Log in with your Network ID.
Note: If you are prompted to change your passphrase, you may not be able to proceed beyond this step. To change your passphrase, see At IU, how do I change my Network ID passphrase?
- In the
Sakai Wizarddialog box, selectExport Grades/Email Student Grades, and clickNextorContinue.
- You will see your Turning Technologies courses. Select the course
to which you want to export.
- In the
LMS Integration Assistantwindow, select the session to export, and then select the option to add grades to the Gradebook.
- Click
FinishorContinue.
If you have multiple sections, and you use the automatic participant list, repeat these instructions for each additional section. You can upload all the files into the same Gradebook item.
To see a list of gradebook items created by the Turning Technologies
tool, you will need to refresh the view. To do so, click the up arrow
icon ( ![]() Import Session Files. In a points-based gradebook, you can
delete gradebook items from this view. In a percentage-based
gradebook, you can update the relative weight or delete gradebook
items from this view. |
Exporting using the Oncourse Turning Technologies tool
To transmit the scores to your Oncourse Gradebook, you can use either the following method or the one in the previous section.
- In TurningPoint PC, open your PowerPoint presentation, and on the
TurningPoint 2008tab, selectTools, thenSession Management, and thenExport CSV.Note: The file will actually be a
.txtfile, not.csv. - For the export format, select
Sakai, and then clickExport. You will see a message indicating that the file was exported successfully.
- In the menubar of your Oncourse course site, click
Turning Technologies, and then selectImport Session File.
- Enter a title for the gradebook item to be created, browse to the
file, and then click
Import Session File.
If you have multiple sections, and you use the automatic participant list, repeat these instructions for each additional section. You can upload all the files into the same Gradebook item.
To see a list of gradebook items created by the Turning Technologies
tool, you will need to refresh the view. To do so, click the up arrow
icon ( ![]() Import Session Files. In a points-based gradebook, you can
delete gradebook items from this view. In a percentage-based
gradebook, you can update the relative weight or delete gradebook
items from this view. |
Feature demonstrations
All the following feature demonstrations include audio, and each link will open a new window.
- How to obtain a participant list from Oncourse (Normal Method-TurningPoint 2008 PC-PowerPoint)
- How to obtain a participant list from Oncourse (Normal Method-TurningPoint AnyWhere)
- How to obtain a participant list from Oncourse (Integrations Method-TurningPoint 2008 PC-PowerPoint)
- How to obtain a participant list from Oncourse (Integrations Method-TurningPoint AnyWhere)
- How to import session data into Oncourse (Full Reports Method-TurningPoint PC-PowerPoint)
- How to import session data into Oncourse (Full Reports Method-TurningPoint AnyWhere)
- How to import session data into Oncourse (Integrations Method-TurningPoint 2008 PC-PowerPoint)
- How to import session data into Oncourse (Integrations Method-TurningPoint AnyWhere)
- How to export session data (Export Schemes Method-TurningPoint PC-PowerPoint)
- How to export session data (Export Schemes Method-TurningPoint AnyWhere PC)
- How to export session data (Export Schemes Method-TurningPoint AnyWhere for Mac)
Last modified on August 23, 2011.









