Faculty user instructions
Creating an iMath account
In addition to the Math You Need: Economics website, each module has an easy to use assessment tool so that faculty can create "assignments/quizzes" for their class. After reviewing the module and practice problems, students can log into a program called "iMath" where they will be quizzed on ten multiple choice questions based on the module content. The quiz is scored automatically and the results made available to you. The timing of the quiz is set by you and you able to select any or all of the available questions and add you own.
To set up an iMath account email: jksarbau@uncg.edu
Using iMath
Log in with the user ID: letter of first name and full last name. E.g, John Doe = jdoe
PW: password (which you can and should change)
Once logged in, you should see your course. In the upper right corner of this page there is a link to "Change User Info". Click on this link to set the appropriate time zone for your course.
Next, click on your course and you'll and see the assessments and the navigation tools on the left:
From here, click on "Settings" on the right of a "Module X Pre-Test" you will be using and scroll down to the "Available After" and "Available Until":
Set a two or three day window for your students to take the "Module X Pre-Test"
Go back to the related "Module X Post-Test" and do the same thing with the availability settings, MAKE SURE to end the pre-test availability date before starting the post-test availability date.You will be asking your students to work through the relevant Math You Need module(s) in between.
Use "Show:" just above the "Available After/Before:" buttons and "Hide" the modules you do NOT plan to test. Do not hesitate to test more than one or two modules if you think doing so will help your students.
iMath – Student Enrollment. Direct your students to the iMath main page:
Ask them to click on and "Register as a new student". After they have created an account and logged in they will have the option to "enroll in a new course" and will enter your course ID and KEY.
The ID for your course is: ##(or, sent via email)
The KEY for your course is: 1234
Upon enrollment the students will populate the grade book for your course, which you can access on the right of the page where the assessments are:
Your students will also now have access to the pre and post-tests, as they are made available.
It is up to you to decide how you will give students credit (or not) for completing the pre and post-tests. One option is to call it a credit / no-credit assignment and let students know you'll be able to tell, based on how long they spend on each question, if they've just quickly guessed w/o putting any effort into it – we want them to try their best, but not necessarily penalize those who may be poor at math. We will want to hear about the aggregate improvements, what students thought about it, what you though about, suggestions for improvements, etc., but we will not be asking for or using data that identifies students by name.
Putting it all Together
The best way to manage this process, in addition to setting up the above, is probably through student instructions and additional date availability controls in your school's learning management system (LMS).
I use Blackboard for my LMS and employed the following three-step process:
1. Within Bb I directed students to the IMath site to create an account and then take the pre-test (I had #2 and #3 below hidden at this time).
2. Within Bb I then directed them to the Math You Need learning module:
http://serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneedecon/percentage/index.html
(I did not make this link available until after the pre-test availability ended)
3. Within Bb I then directed them back to the IMath site to take the post-test
(I made this available at the same time #2 became available)
The following screen shot is what it looked like in Blackboard, with the links going to the sites above.
