Perry Bern Leighton TsoPolina MarinovaShelby Reimer

Spring #Slam12

New Website

New Quiz

New Attendance

Introducing the

NEW

1Spring 2012

Table of Contents

Introdction, pg 1Detailed Analysis of Project Functionality - The “NEW” Website, pg 2 - The “NEW” Quiz, pg 3 - The “NEW” Attendance, pg 4Technical Analysis, Technical Analysis, pg 5Cost and Revenue, pg 5Challenges, pg 6The Team, pg 6

The “NEW” New Media Institute Wouldn’t it be cool if a group of New Media Institute students could improve the NMI experience for professors, teaching assistants, and other students? Team NMI plans to do exactly that by implementing several enhancements to the New Media website, the weekly technology quiz, and attendance taking. We gathered information from our peers and professors and have determined three main areas of improvement: the New Media Institute website, weekly technology quizzes, and attendance for the lecture hall class, NMIX 2020. Our hope is that this transformation will benefit other students, the teaching assistants, and the professors in the New Media Institute. the professors in the New Media Institute. First, we decided to give the website a new look to attract potential students seeking a New Media Certificate. By altering the colors and theme, Team NMI developed a sleek and polished site. In addition to changing the “look” of the New Media website, we changed its functionality. After hearing many complaints about the weekly technology quiz that is housed on the site, “QuizStar,” we decided to find a new quiz carrier and embed it directly into the New Media Institute’s site. This gives students a good reason to frequently visit the site and thus keep updated with everything going on inside the NMI. Our main concern was finding a way to take attendance in a classroom of 300 students. With help from the Computer Sciences department, we chose to use a bar code scanner. Students will use their UGA Student IDs to “scan in” and be counted present, late or absent. This eliminates previous problems of taking attendance by hand and also prevents cheating by recording the IP address of quiz-takers.

Project Report - Team NMI

2Spring 2012

The “NEW” Website

The “New” New Media Institute website will be polished, and it will serve as a one-stop shop for current and potential NMI students. Though the existing website contains important resources for students looking to get involved with the NMI, it lacks the feel of a professional institute that would adequately prepare students for a career in the new media field. We did not change any of the content of the existing website, but used the Artisteer software to create an original theme that reflected NMI’s color scheme. Like the old website, the new website will also be hosted on WordPress. We decided to use a WordPress template because we wanted the transition to the new site to be relatively simple for the NMI faculty and teaching assistants.the transition to the new site to be relatively simple for the NMI faculty and teaching assistants.

Existing New Media Institute Website Design

The new website will also have a tab to accommodate a new blog section that will be frequently updated by NMI students and faculty. The old website’s functionality is limited when it comes to integrating a new blog. The new design will allow the blogs to be a prominent component of the NMI’s website. We have not only redesigned the old website, but we’ve ensured all of the links are functional. With the new design, the NMI website will be much more central and easily accessible for students enrolled in the program. The features found on the old website — the RSS feed, class syllabi, Facebook/Twitter profiles, and event calendar — will still be displayed on the website, but will be easier to access. The old site was problematic for students will still be displayed on the website, but will be easier to access. The old site was problematic for students who were required to take the weekly quiz. The new quiz will be embedded directly into the new website. The website will serve as a valuable and easily accessible resource for students looking to get more information about the NMI program.

The “New” New Media Institute Website Design

Project Report - Team NMI

3Spring 2012

The “NEW” Quiz

Each Friday, NMI Director Scott Shamp posted a new quiz for students enrolled in the NMI program. While the New York Times articles were interesting and informative, the quiz did not energize students to complete it every week. The quiz process was unnecessarily convoluted for both students and professors. The current quiz is powered by “QuizStar” — an external website designed to create and disseminate course quizzes. Each week, students would have to log into the QuizStar website with a separate username and password. Students found ways to cheat the system, and the QuizStar website would often glitch and cause quizzes to improperly shut down. The result? The student gets a failing grade for a quiz he tried to take. On the back end, the process is problematic for faculty as well. Dr. Shamp must adjust the settings on QuizStar each time he sets up a new assessment. He must alter the time period for the quiz and also set the time for Eastern Time, but if up a new assessment. He must alter the time period for the quiz and also set the time for Eastern Time, but if it’s overlooked, it will change to Central Time — making the quiz invalid. We decided the NMI quizzes needed an upgrade. Our group discovered an easier and better way to solve the quiz problem. Using a quiz system powered by “ProProfs,” we have integrated the quiz into the NMI website. Students will log into the quiz using their name or 810 number. The identity and score of each student will be compiled into a spreadsheet on the back end of the website. The TA or professor can then easily download the information. Adjusting the settings on the back end of the website is also simple. Once the settings are finalized, they will not change. Unlike QuizStar, the settings will not be reset each time the professors accesses the quiz. When students take the quiz on the website, they will provide their identification number, and will be notified whether the answer is quiz on the website, they will provide their identification number, and will be notified whether the answer is correct. At the end, they will receive a “score report” with a complete analysis of the quiz questions and answers as well as a numerical and alphabetical grade. The system will also prevent cheating because it records the students’ IP address and lists it next to his name.

Embedded ProProfs Quiz Results Page for New Quiz

Project Report - Team NMI

4Spring 2012

Opticon OPN 2003 Pocket Memory Scanner Attendance Data Example

The “NEW” Attendance

Currently, NMI professors keep track of attendance in large lecture hall classes by assigning students to 16-member groups. One student is designated as a “scout” and another member is a “cub scout.” The scout is responsible for taking attendance each day and then sending an email to one of two TAs about who is present and who is absent. The TAs must then cross-reference students’ names with the attendance sheet, which is time-consuming and inefficient. We have developed a new method of keeping track of attendance that could benefit large lecture-hall classes. The Institute will be implementing a technology to better record student absences and prevent cheating. When students arrive to class, teaching assistants will be scanning students’ UGA IDs with a scanner system similar to the one used at University athletic events. The students’ information such as their name and 810 number will then be stored in a class database. The digital system will be more efficient than the outdated sign in tracking procedures used across campus. The device we chose to use is called, “Opticon OPN 2001 Pocket Memory Scanner.” The NMI bought two devices to track attendance in the large lecture classes. The device scans the ID in seconds, records the 810 number of the student and saves it in a database that shows the student’s name and adds a red mark for absent and green mark for present next to it. The TAs can consult the spreadsheet and keep track of attendance electronically rather than manually. The new method is saves TAs time and energy while holding students accountable for attendance in large lecture-hall classes.

Project Report - Team NMI

5Spring 2012

Technical Analysis

To create a new website theme, we used a program called, “Artisteer.” The software allowed us to create a unique color scheme and original template for the new NMI website. Though navigating the program was rather slow, it allowed us to input colors for each tab and link on the website. We used the Artisteer software to create a sleek and professional design for the new NMI website. The quiz system we used is called “ProProfs.” The website allows professors to create an entirely customized quiz, which they can then embed into their own websites. The ProProfs software allows professors to set the start and end time for their quizzes in their time zone. Videos, documents, and PowerPoint slides can also be embedded to accompany quiz questions. Professors can also customize the results page at the end of the quiz. They can enable or disable elements such as revealing correct and incorrect answers or showing the student their quiz grade. Once these settings are set, they will not reset unless the quiz administrator alters them. By utilizing the Opticon barcode scanners and developing software from the Computer Science department, we are implementing a new method of taking attendance. The way it works is simple: the scanners quickly and easily log a students ID number by scanning the barcode found on a student ID. The data is stored in the scanner's internal memory and thus allows the scanner to be used portably. Plugging the scanner into a computer via mini-USB, we can then retrieve the scanned IDs and process them by running the program created by the Computer Science department. The software identifies the student IDs and matches them to a pre-loaded class attendance. The professor can view individual student's records or view matches them to a pre-loaded class attendance. The professor can view individual student's records or view the class as a whole. The software clearly indicates attended days as green and missed days as red. This is a much more efficient method of taking attendance and requires much less time and effort to log students' presence.

Cost and Revenue

The only cost incurred was the purchase of the attendance-tracking scanners. Each Opticon 2001 Pocket Memory Scanner costs $99 plus tax, which comes to a total of $141.95. The NMI bought two scanners, which equals $283.90. We have been using the ProProf quizmaker for free. However, there are four pricing scales. There’s a free option with limited quiz features including unlimited quizzes and unlimited quiz-takers. The professional plan costs $19.97/month. It is the most viable plan for the NMI because it includes quiz tracking as well as quiz statistics and analytics. From what we understand, the NMI pays a similar price to use QuizStar. The business plan costs $39.97/month and gives professors the option to upload documents and PowerPoints into the quizzes. The most expensive plan is the enterprise, which costs $69.97/month. It includes additional security and phone support. Though there isn’t necessarily any revenue, the new scanning device and quiz host saves the time and energy of the NMI faculty and students.

Project Report - Team NMI

6Spring 2012

Challenges

Our group’s main challenges were deciding what components of the New Media Institute we wanted to improve. We brainstormed ideas, and finally decided that we wanted to focus on improving the attendance, upgrading the quiz and making the NMI more central. The goal was to make the lives of NMI students, TAs and professors easier by creating a more efficient system to take quizzes and track attendance. Two of our group members — Leighton Tso and Shelby Reimer met with various University of Georgia officials to obtain information about which scanner we should implement for tracking attendance. They spoke with representatives from Food Services, the Athletic Association, Bulldog Bucks and the Computer Science department. Finally, our group partnered with the Computer Science department and asked them for assistance in choosing the right scanner. They showed Leighton how to properly utilize and organize the database for the attendance-tracking scanner. We also put in a lot of time researching various WordPress quiz plug-ins that we could integrate into the new website. We found very few to be functional, and none that did exactly what we had in mind. Finally, we found an external website, “ProProfs” that allowed us to embed the quiz into the NMI website, and it had all of the necessary features that we wanted in a quiz-taking program.

Team NMI

Shelby Reimer — Team ManagerShelby Reimer is a junior advertising major, minoring in sociology, and is also a New Media Certificate candidate. Shelby has done promotions, marketing, and some reporting for The Georgia Playbook, an online sports magazine created by a previous UGA graduate, Justin Gaymon. Shelby has researched information for the New Media quiz and ID scanner, while assisting other group members in creating the project. Shelby also helped organize the project report.

Polina Marinova — PR memberPolina Marinova is a junior majoring in journalism, minoring in sociology and working toward obtaining a New Media Certificate. She has worked at The Red & Black for three years, and will be interning at USA Today this summer. As the public relations member, she developed a press release to publicize the report. She also helped organize the project report and assisted the graphics and technical team. To contact her, send her an email at polina09@gmail.com.

Perry Bern — Co-Programmer/Graphic DesignerPerry Bern is a senior Marketing major receiving his New Media Certificate in the spring. With experiences in production and graphic design at companies such as Dealmobs and the Red & Black, he is the co-programmer/graphic designer for the group. Among other tasks, his duties entail revamping the website using WordPress and helping design graphics for the group using Photoshop. Perry can be reached by email at perryrbern@gmail.com.

Leighton Tso — Co-Programmer/Graphic DesignerLeighton Tso is a junior Mass Media Arts major and New Media Certificate Candidate. He has worked Leighton Tso is a junior Mass Media Arts major and New Media Certificate Candidate. He has worked and interned at SF Digital Studio, assisting in production work, layout, and other digital tasks. Leading the partnership with the Computer Science Department as well as being proficient in Adobe software such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Flash, Leighton worked as the graphic designer and co-project manager. In addition to other tasks, Leighton oversaw the attendance ID scanner project as well as updating the look of the website and developing all graphics.

Project Report - Team NMI