Set General preferences

Your course may include any or all of these general preferences:

• Enable student resource toolbar for course: Select to display the student resource toolbar to students. Students use the toolbar to access supplementary course tools, such as a verb chart, glossary, and character palette, while completing course activities. After you select this option, you can use activity preferences to enable or disable the toolbar for a particular activity or activity type. You can also specify which tools appear in the toolbar using the following options:
  • Display Verb Chart: Select to include a verb chart tool in the toolbar. This option is not available for Chinese Pinyin or Russian.
  • eText link: Select to include an eText tool in the toolbar. Options are:
    • eText: Select one or more of the eText links available in the course.
      1. Click Select eText.
      2. Select the eTexts you want to use.
      3. Click Select and Close.
    • From external: Select this option and then type the URL for an eText.
  • Tutorial: Click the Edit Tutorial button to update the tutorial material using the content editor. To delete the tutorial, click Clear Tutorial.

    You can create two custom tools:

    • Display: Select to include a custom tool in the toolbar. Type a tool name of up to 25 characters. By default, your course includes the User Guide and More Resources materials provided by Pearson; you can replace these materials with others of your choice.
    • From external: Type the URL of each custom tool.
• Enable instructor resource toolbar for course: (MyLab Languages only) Check to enable the following options and make the resource toolbar available in the course when you are in instructor view. Instructors can use the toolbar to access supplementary course tools while examining the course activities. If checked, you can use activity preferences to enable or disable the toolbar for a particular activity or activity type. You can define the available tools using the following options:

• Display Glossary: Select to include an alphabetical list of words and their meanings.

  • Display Verb Chart: Select to include a verb chart tool in the toolbar. This option is not available for Chinese Pinyin or Russian.
  • eText link: Select to include an eText tool in the toolbar. Options are:
    • eText: Select one or more of the eText links available in the course.
      1. Click Select eText.
      2. Select the eTexts you want to use.
      3. Click Select and Close.
    • From external: Select this option and then type the URL for an eText.
  • Tutorial: Select to include a link to tutorials that reinforce vocabulary, grammar, and concepts presented in each chapter of hte course.

    Click the Edit Tutorial button to update the tutorial material using the content editor. To delete the tutorial, click Clear Tutorial.

    You can create a custom tool:

    • Display: Select to include a custom tool in the toolbar. Type a tool name of up to 25 characters.
    • From external: Type the URL of the external material for the custom tool.
• Enable Need Help resource for student when taking activity: Select to make the Need help button available to students while working on course activities. When you select this option, it enables the HelpLinks page when you edit or create activities. You can use this page to define the assets that are available to students when they click Need help.
• Make all activities due at: Enter the default time in the hours and minutes (HH:MM) after which assigned activities are considered past due. The default is set for 11:59 PM. If you do not set a specific due time while creating or scheduling activities, the time specified here is used as the default due time. Click Apply to all to set the specified time as the due time for all current and future assignments.

  If you select a time zone that is different than the time zone a student selects, the assignment due times adjust for the student, based on the student's selected time zone. See Adjust assignment due dates for different time zones for more information.

• Automatically assign all course materials: When cleared you can determine which course materials you want to assign to students. When selected, all course materials are assigned by default. (MyLab IT only)
• Allow students to send course mail messages to non-student users only: Select to restrict student and instructor communication options. If checked, students and instructors cannot send mail messages to students using the course mail tool. They can send mail messages to non-student users such as instructors and teaching assistants enrolled in the course. If cleared, students and instructors can send mail messages to all course users, including students.
• Enter Custom Support Link: Select to change the default contact information that is available when you or students click the Support link. By default, this link takes you to contact information at the PEarson Support site. The Today's View page always displays the default support link regardless of the information you enter here for your course. (MyLab IT only)

  To customize the link for your course, type the URL (for example, www.supportlink.com) or an e-mail address (for example, first.name@email.com) in the text box.

  To verify that the link is functional, click Check Link. If you entered a URL, the website opens in a new window. If you entered an e-mail address, a new mail message window opens.

• Enable Try Again: Select to enable the Try Again button when students work on activities. If you select this option, you can use activity preferences to enable or disable the Allow Students to Try Again option. Students can click the Try Again button to re-attempt incorrectly answered questions (up to the allowed number of attempts).
• Enable Distractor Labeling Options: For multiple choice and multiple response questions, select to customize the number format for multiple choice and multiple response answer choices in activities that use the simple/random behavioral mode. (MyLab IT only)
  • Distractor Format: Choose the appropriate format from the list, or if you do not want answer choices to be preceded by a label, select No Labels.

    If you select ABCDE/FGHJK or A.B.C.D/F.G.H.I, then odd-numbered answer choices begin with the letter A (and then follow the sequence shown) and even-numbered answer choices begin with the letter F (and then follow the sequence shown).

    If you select ABCDE/FGHJK, the letter "I" is allows omitted, even if there are more than 9 answer choices for odd numbered questions to prevent confusion with the number 1. If there are more than 25 answer choices, no labels appear.

  If you change the distractor format after students submit activities, the change is reflected in both existing and future submissions.

• Allow instructors to print materials: Select to include the Print option for assets that can be printed in the asset options menu. (MyLab IT only)