Technology creates a mixture of convenience and inconvenience, depending on who is using it and in what way. We hope that most, if not all of your interactions with our course materials will be intuitive, and require little to no explanation. But, we also know that it is foolish to assume that everyone using this course will understand how to complete requirements without any explanation. So, in this lesson, we will provide you with simple instructions for how to complete lessons and quizzes, and progress through the course requirements.
Video lessons
Any time that there is a video accompanying a lesson, it is mandatory that you watch the entire video, without skipping ahead, before the quiz, or the “Mark Complete” button is not made available. Video lessons are accompanied by a transcript if you prefer to read, or are hearing impaired, but the video still must play the entire time. DO NOT OPEN THE VIDEO IN A NEW WINDOW! This is critical because DebateSensei will not be able to recognize that you have watched the whole thing, and you will not be able to take the quiz. This is inconvenient at times, especially since many videos have credits at the end, but we feel it is important to verify that students are actually processing the material. Once a video lesson is completed, you can revisit the lesson and the video controls will be available for you to rewind or fast forward at your convenience.
If you have watched the video, and the quiz does not automatically appear at the bottom of the page, you might want to consider the web browser that you are using. Safari is notoriously unreliable when completing our coursework. We recommend Chrome, especially since we use Google products for other purposes. If you still cannot complete the lesson because the video is not triggering the associated quiz, please consider using the Contact Us form in the main menu.
Written lessons
In the event that a lesson has only written content, there is a timer that starts as soon as you open it. Once the timer has elapsed, a quiz, or the “Mark Complete” button will become available. The length of the timer will correspond with the amount of written material. This may feel inconvenient if you are a fast reader. Still, take the extra time to properly attend to the details in the lesson until the quiz, or “Mark Complete” button emerges at the bottom of the page.
Quizzes
All lessons are accompanied by quizzes. We already explained that you must watch the entirety of a video, or wait for the timer to elapse before the corresponding quiz is revealed at the bottom of the page. Quizzes are counted as “participation points.” This means that you can retake the quizzes as many times as you want to increase your participation score. Answers are found in the content that corresponds with the quiz. When you retake a quiz, You should expect to see the answers to the questions in a different order, as well as some different questions altogether. Browser choice is also a factor when it comes to successfully completing quizzes. We have received reports from several students that their answers are incorrectly recorded when they use the wrong browser. If you are using chrome, and are still experiencing that your quiz scores are being incorrectly recorded, please contact us and report the issue.
Forms and assignments
You will often be asked to submit responses to prompts throughout the course by way of forms or assignments. Many times, simply submitting the form or assignment is all that is needed to mark the item complete. For example, there are many times where you will be directed to our AI speech coach to complete a recorded speech for self evaluation. Once complete, simply click share and copy the link to your video, and paste the link for your assignment.
Other times, the form or assignment in question will require real, human evaluation. This is different from quizzes which are automatically graded. For forms, this means that you will likely be asked to answer open-ended questions. These questions do not have answers that are “right” or “wrong,” and are therefore ill suited to automatic grading, but they are essential to the ability to progress through the coursework. Forms will be directly embedded in the page itself, below any instructions for how to fill it out.
Assignments are typically for submitting written or recorded content. There may be restrictions for the files that you are allowed to submit, so make sure to attend to the requirements. You will need to wait for someone to manually assess, and grade your submission. You will receive an achievement once you successfully complete the assignment, but the assignment itself will not appear as completed until your instructor finishes the grading process.
Technology is not a cure-all. Each of these features exist because somebody created them, and is administering the settings. If you come across a lesson and believe that there is an error with the settings, please contact us and give a detailed explanation of the problem. We work very hard to provide a professional learning experience by balancing convenience with discipline. We hope that this course achieves that goal. Good luck!