OpenIntro Statistics in MyOpenMath

adamgilbertmath

Hello Everyone,
David gave me the okay to write the homework exercises from the OpenIntro Statistics text into MyOpenMath. For those of you unfamiliar with MyOpenMath, this is a free-to-use alternative to the other proprietary online homework systems. I have a number of problems from Chapter 1 written already and plan to work through the rest of the text over the next few weeks. I'll plan to eventually get all of the problems up, but my immediate priority will be to get a sampling of problems from all chapters available to everyone. Currently the problems are being hard-coded exactly as they appear in the third edition of the text, but I'll circle back and provide versions of problems with randomly generated parameters (where appropriate). Questions, comments, concerns, and requests are all welcome. Be on the lookout for the "OpenIntro Textbook Problems" library.
Cheers!
--Adam

adamgilbertmath

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to follow up on my post. The "OpenIntro Textbook Problems" library is live on MyOpenMath. I'm through my selection of problems about halfway into Chapter 5. These problems appear almost exactly as they do in the OpenIntro textbook.

When you create an assignment in MyOpenMath you'll need to select which libraries you'd like to pull questions from. Click on the "Select Libraries" button. In the window that pops up, expand the outline next to the "Textbook Specific" heading, expand again on "OpenIntro Statistics", and check the "OpenIntro Textbook Problems" library. Once you've done this, click on the "Use Libraries" button. You'll be taken back to your assignment page. Now, click on the "Search" button without filling in any additional information and all of the currently imported problems from the OpenIntro Statistics textbook will populate. The questions are named according to their problem number in the 3rd edition of OpenIntro Statistics. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions at agilbertmath@gmail.com.

Cheers,
--Adam

David

Adam, thanks for your work on this, and I'm sure many teachers will find it useful!

kathleenjudy

I would like to use the openintro stats next semester. I found where to add a class and can see how to let students know to register. I need help making sure the text is linked to my course. Is it automatic? Can I view the course the way a student will see it? I think I can figure out how to add problems and assignments.

kathleenjudy

I am familiar with my open math, but love the videos and book on openintro. Is there a way to get it all in one place so students don't nee to go to different web sites?

David

I'm unfamiliar with using MyOpenMath (but supportive of using the platform), so maybe someone else can help with more specifics.

> I need help making sure the text is linked to my course.
> Is it automatic? Can I view the course the way a student
> will see it?
I'm hoping someone else knows the answer :)

> Is there a way to get it all in one place so students don't
> need to go to different web sites?
For the textbook, yes. For the videos, not really.

Textbook
I would think you could upload a copy of the textbook PDF to MyOpenMath for sharing directly with your students (I'd be very surprised if you can't do that). However, I think there are better alternatives, since we fix typos that are reported every 3-4 weeks, meaning a PDF copy of the textbook will become (ever so slightly) out-of-date within a month. A couple alternatives approaches:
1) Link to the OpenIntro Statistics Textbook page, which offers both the textbook PDF, a tablet-friendly PDF, and a bunch of other resources students may find useful:
http://openintro.org/os
2) Link directly to the latest PDF:
http://openintro.org/os/pdf

Videos
The sections in the textbook that have a video overview also have a clickable camera icon at the start of the section; the link leads to the section's video. I'm not sure if it's worth doing much here other than alerting your students to that feature.

You *might* be able to embed videos into MyOpenMath; doing this is definitely okay from legal / license perspective, so it's just a matter of whether MyOpenMath supports embedding YouTube videos. To get code for embedding a video, when on a video's page, scroll down and click Share, and then click on Embed for info.

Does that help on your second question? Sorry I can't help on the first one.

adamgilbertmath

Hi Kathleen and David,

I'll work on putting a sample course together on MyOpenMath. I'll use David's suggestions. I'll also make sure that my course is available for copy if people want to start from something other than a blank slate. Instructors will be able to edit the sample course to fit their needs.

Kathleen, there is a way on MyOpenMath to view the course as the students will see it. There are toggle buttons on the top right of your course page when logged in as an instructor. You can view as "Instructor", "Student", or select an option called "Quick Rearrange". I've never used the third option -- I think that everything can be done through the "Instructor" view.

I'll repost in the next few days with instructions for how to view/copy the sample course.

Cheers,
--Adam

adamgilbertmath

Hi Everyone,

I've put together a template course on MyOpenMath (MOM). Currently the template exhibits the items that Kathleen mentioned above (and implements the suggestions in David's response to her message). I'll continue to update the course and make it more robust. For now, I think it provides a useful starting point for anyone who is new to MOM or who has never used MOM before.
In order to access the template, you'll need to request an instructor's account (if you don't already have one). Once you've got one you can log in and navigate to the "Admin Page", where you can add a new course. Click the add a new course button and fill in the fields ("enrollment key" is an optional course password that you can provide to your students if you wish). Instead of starting with a blank course, select "146 OpenIntro Statistics: Diez/Barr/Cetinkaya-Rundel" and then click submit.
The template course currently has suggested readings, embedded videos (from the OpenIntro YouTube account), suggested homework assignments, and more. Please feel free to alter any of these items for your own course. Also, please reach out to me if you have any questions.

Cheers,
--Adam

kathleenjudy

Thanks to both of you!
You are amazing.

kathleenjudy

The reason I like myopenmath is I know how to edit and add homework problems. I like the layout of open intro
I may put links to both in our school's online learning platform with instructions on what to do when.

It is so ready for "plug and Play" that even though I am ALO for our school and have our 7 year visit in April I am switching to openinrostats spring semester.

adamgilbertmath

Hi Kathleen,
Let me know if you have any feedback regarding the template course. A few things are on my radar regarding the homework problems library 1) convert short answer and essay questions to multiple choice, 2) add hints to problems, 3) add randomized parameters to problems (where appropriate) so that students can try different versions of the problems.
I'll keep working on each of these items and work to improve the template during our winter break.
My hope is that having the template course available makes it even more feasible for schools to adopt OpenIntroSatatistics!
--Adam

adamgilbertmath

Hello Everyone,

Just an update on the availability of OpenIntro Statistics in conjunction with MyOpenMath. For those of you unfamiliar with it, MyOpenMath is a site similar to MyMathLab, but it is free for both instructors and students.

I have written a complete course shell on MyOpenMath which is available for copy and edit by any instructor. The course shell includes a link to the text and an 11-week course breakdown which covers almost the entire OpenIntro text. Each week includes a reading assignment, embedded versions of the videos found on the OpenIntro site, Mine's Google Slides, and an online homework assignment which is automatically graded. The problems in each homework assignment are problems directly out of the OpenIntro text, and I've written many more of the problems from the textbook into MyOpenMath so that you can easily remove, exchange, or add problems to any assignment. Of course, you have the ability to edit anything in the shell once you copy it, but this should provide a nice starting point for anyone wanting to use OpenIntro with online homework.

In order to obtain an instructor's account on MyOpenMath, head over to www.myopenmath.com, and click the "request an instructor account" link at the bottom of the page. Once you fill in the form you'll need to wait for your account to be validated before you can create/copy courses, but you'll immediately have student access so that you can explore. To check out the OpenIntro Template you can click to "Enroll in a New Class"; use CourseID: "10899", and enrollment key: "key". Once your instructor's account has been validated, head to the "Admin Page", and "Add a New Course". Fill in the form, but select to use content from "146 OpenIntro Statistics: Diez/Barr/Cetinkaya-Runel". Please let me know if you have any questions.

Many of the OpenIntro problems have been used well over 100 times on MyOpenMath, and the course template has been copied over 50 times. I'm excited for more instructors to learn about this option, and to help make OpenIntro Statistics and even more attractive option for instructors and students! As always, I welcome any feedback or requests!

Take care,
--Adam

David

Thanks for all your work on this Adam, and it's great to hear that your template has been getting so much use! It's definitely a huge benefit for students, and we're extremely appreciative that you're working on this to help others find and use OpenIntro resources.

Cheers,
David

adamgilbertmath

Hi Everyone,

An exciting development for those of you following/using the OpenIntro content available on MyOpenMath. I've finally begun to implement randomized parameters in some of the OpenIntro problems available on MyOpenMath. I'm through Chapter 2, which is week 3 if you follow the template.

On the MyOpenMath course template, I'm swapping out the static versions of problems in favor of their dynamic counterparts within the preloaded homework assignments. For those of you who have previously copied the template but want to use the dynamic problems, you've got two options: i) create a new course and re-copy the course template instead of making a copy of your own course, or ii) swap out the problems on your own (look for the ["RG"] flag next to problem names, which denotes that this version of a problem includes randomly generated parameters. This second option is likely the most efficient, since I will be continuing to write dynamic problems and making them available over the coming months. For those of you who wish to keep using the static versions of problems, those are still available in the OpenIntro Problems library (just look for the version without the "RG" flag).

A QUICK TIP: While viewing the OpenIntro Problems library you can click on the "Description" heading to sort the problems by problem name instead of create date. This will allow you to identify instances where multiple versions of a problem are available.

Cheers,
--Adam

amkuyper

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to using OpenIntro for my Introduction to Statistics course and also want to incorporate using MyOpenMath for homework. About how long is the turn around time on getting an instructor account on MyOpenMath? I've been waiting a couple days and haven't received any notifications, not even one to confirm that I submitted a request. Is this normal or should I try and contact someone?

Thank you,
Arend

adamgilbertmath

Hi Arend,

A similar issue happened with a colleague of mine. Try logging into MyOpenMath with the username and password you originally created. Essentially the admins at MyOpenMath verify your instructor status and then "flip a switch" to grant you instructor access. At the beginning of the traditional academic semesters they have more accounts to verify than usual, and the e-mail notifications don't always get sent. If you are able to log in and see a "Courses You are Teaching" area on the left hand side of your window, with an "Admin Page" button in it, then you've been verified. If you haven't, send me a quick e-mail (a.gilbert1@snhu.edu) and I'll try to check on what the holdup is.

Thanks for using OpenIntro and MyOpenMath!
--Adam

amkuyper

Hello Everyone,

Has anyone run into an issue trying to obtain an instructor account on MyOpenMath? I am now getting an error that reads

Fatal error: require_once(): Failed opening required '../includes/password.php' (include_path='.:/usr/share/pear:/usr/share/php') in /var/app/current/newinstructor.php on line 40

Not sure what it means and can't seem to find an answer searching their webpage or the internet. Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Arend

adamgilbertmath

Hi Arend (and everyone),
This is currently a known issue resulting from a recent update to MyOpenMath. The developer is working tonight to fix it and believes that it should be corrected by tomorrow. I'll post again once I hear that the issue is resolved.
Cheers,
--Adam

adamgilbertmath

Hi Everyone,
Just following up. Instructor registration requests on MyOpenMath look to be functional again. Please continue to let me know if you have any questions regarding MyOpenMath.
Cheers,
--Adam

adamgilbertmath

Hi Everyone,
Another quick update. Until now, many of the OpenIntro problems that I wrote on MyOpenMath were set to accept p-values computed using calculators or software. Although the acceptable tolerance for most problems was wide enough to allow for p-values obtained from the probability distribution tables to be accepted as correct, sometimes this was not the case. I ran through all of the problems currently written into MyOpenMath and made some adjustments to ensure that p-values obtained from the distribution tables were accepted as correct in all cases. If you use the distribution tables, it was necessary in some cases to create alternative versions of problems (if the p-value was obtained from the T or Chi-Squared distributions, since in these cases students would be expected to select a range in which the p-value lives).
Cheers,
--Adam

David

Adam, thank you for continuing to improve the MyOpenMath offering! This is an incredibly useful resource.

Best,
David

wjackson

Overall, this shell course in MOM is incredible! Bravo to the authors and to Adam for providing an overall incredible OER experience.

I love the section video lectures in the shell. The only problem is that chapter 5 and chapter 6 videos are missing. I was able to find one for chapter 6 on youtube and insert it into my course, but chapter 5 videos are difficult to find. The only ones I can find are linked to Mine's Coursera course and the video cuts off a few minutes in asking you to register for the course. Is it possible to upload the chapter 5 videos to youtube that way it can be inserted into MOM?

Billy

adamgilbertmath

Hi Billy,
Thanks for the kudos. I’ve really enjoyed contributing to this project. I’ll make these updates to the shell later this afternoon. I’m also hoping to make some significant updates in December and January.
Cheers!
—Adam

David

Hi Billy, thanks for the note on the Ch 5 videos. As a short-term fix, you can exit out of the log-in popup blocker using the faint `X` in the upper right corner. That said, this is a new change by Coursera, and we've observed them progressively locking content down more and more on their platform, or at least making the free options much more difficult to find and use, so that's unfortunate.

I'll look into whether we have any other options than to depend on the Coursera platform.

Thanks,
David

adamgilbertmath

Hi everyone -- just a quick update about the OpenIntro template on MyOpenMath. I've gotten a later start on the updates than I had hoped but you’ll notice that the template course is beginning to show blocks corresponding to the 4th Edition. A detailed message about my plan for updating and transitioning is posted within the template course. For now, here is what you need to know:

The default for the MyOpenMath template is still the 3rd Edition of OpenIntro Statistics. Blocks for the 4th Edition appear in Green and are hidden from the student view by default. If you want to switch to the 4th edition, just Make the green blocks available and delete the old blue blocks. If you want to stick with the 3rd Edition you can safely delete the green blocks from your copy of the template course.

A few comments about the green blocks:

+ Videos reflect the most updated videos from the OpenIntro.org website
+ Section discussion slides are Mine’s newest slides which do reflect the 4th Edition – she does mention being completed through Chapter 4, so the slides from Chapter 5 on are not present yet. As soon as she confirms that the slides are done I will add those into the template.
+ Homework assignments at this point are largely the same ones that were part of the 3rd Edition template. I'll transition these as I get feedback from you all about your favorite problems.
+ Chapter 5 has no homework assignment associated with it yet because this is a new version of the Foundations For Inference chapter. My first priority in problem updates will be do add problems from this chapter and construct a homework assignment.

If you have new problems from the 4th Edition that you want to see in the MyOpenMath library, e-mail me with the problem number and I'll be sure to prioritize it.

Cheers!
--Adam

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