FAQ: Setting up an ICON course site

Who can use ICON?

ICON is available for use by University of Iowa faculty, staff and students. All content providers must adhere to The University of Iowa Policy on Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources.

ICON course sites are available for Registrar-affiliated* and non-Registrar-afflilated courses; for instructor testing and development purposes; for faculty, staff, or research organizational purposes; and for student organizations.

*Registrar-affiliated courses are official University of Iowa courses (typically with six-digit course numbers); students register for these courses using ISIS.

19 November 2007

How do I get an ICON course site?

For most UI colleges and departments, an ICON course site is created automatically for each Registrar-affiliated course. For other departments, instructors who want an ICON course must submit an online request form. If you must submit an online request (check with your departmental tech support person if you’re not sure), you can do so from the ICON website. For instructions, see the Online Help section Getting an ICON Course Site .

19 November 2007

Can I copy components from another ICON course site?

Yes. Copying most components from one ICON course to another is a fairly easy process. However, not all components will copy. For a listing of components that will not copy and instructions on importing components, see the Online Help section Copying Content / Components from Another ICON Course.

If you need further assistance, contact ICON Support at icon-support@uiowa.edu or 335-6139.

19 November 2007

Can I re-use the same course site I used last semester?

No, but you can easily copy the components of an earlier course into your new course. For instructions, see the Online Help section Copying Content / Components from Another ICON Course.

03 April 2007

How can I hide last semester's course site from my former students?

To keep an old course but hide it from former students, you must make it inactive. Here’s how:

1. Click Edit Course on your course homepage (in NavBar or the Course Tools box at right).
2. Click the Course Offering Information link.
3. Click in the IsActive box to remove the checkmark.
4. Click Save.
5. Click Course Home (left NavBar).

19 November 2007

Can I combine multiple sections (or similar courses) into one ICON course site?

Yes. Send a note to icon@uiowa.edu with the course number and section numbers, and we can combine them into a single site for you. If you've already done design work on one of the sites, let us know which one, and we'll use that as the base site for all the sections.

When the sections (or courses) are combined, you'll be able to view your gradebook section-by-section using the dropdown menu at the top of the gradebook window.

How will that work for my TAs?

If your TAs are accurately assigned to the sections in OSIRIS, they will be able to view grades for their sections only. However, if you want TAs to see other sections, let us know and we can adjust their access. Note that with the Classlist tool (different from the gradebook), your TAs will see the enrollment for all sections. If that's a problem, let us know and we'll help you find a workaround.

19 November 2007

Can I assign different access privileges to different sections or groups?

Yes. You can restrict access to certain sections (if your course includes multiple sections) or to groups you have created using the Groups Tool.

Instructions for restricting access to discussions, news postings, checklists, content modules, etc., are included in the Online Help for each of these components.

For instructions on creating groups, see the Online Help section Groups.

Note: In earlier versions of ICON, the management of groups was handled in the classlist. Now, there is a dedicated tool for creating and managing groups.

29 May 2008

How can I retire an ICON course site?

You could keep your course and simply hide it from the students (see above), but if you prefer to retire your course, contact ICON support at icon-support@uiowa.edu or 335-6139.

9 November 2007

How do I make my course site "Active" (available to students)?

ICON courses are not available to students by default. To make your course available, or “active,” click on the Edit Course link on your course homepage, click Course Offering Information, click to place a checkmark in the IsActive box, and then click Save.

2 April 2008

Can I change the selections on my course site's navigation bar?

You can add, delete, or re-order links the lower-left and lower-right* NavBars. In fact, it’s a good idea to delete links to tools you don’t plan to use. You can also add links to other ICON tools or create customized links of your own. For instructions, see the online help section Changing the NavBar.

*We don't recommend changing the upper NavBar, since these links are common across all courses.

1 May 2008

How can I add a picture or other content to my homepage?

Content—including links, text and images—is added to the homepage in boxes called “widgets.” The default template for ICON courses includes a selection of widgets. You can create an alternative template with your own selection of ICON-provided widgets and customized widgets you create yourself. You can also restrict the viewing of widgets to certain groups or sections of students.

Also, you can now set an ICON tool such as Content, News, or Schedule as the homepage for a course. Or you can use any URL as a homepage for a course.

For instructions, see the Online Help section Changing the Homepage Widgets.

28 May 2008

Students can't see the website links I posted on my course homepage. Why?

The links you post using the MyLinks widget are visible only to you. To post a listing of web site urls for your students, use the Links tool in the NavBar. You can also post links in the Content area or in any document you create using the built-in HTML editor that is available in various course tools. For instructions on all of these approaches to adding url links, see the Online Help section Posting URL links in ICON.

28 March 2007