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SoftChalk™ Moodle Integration Guide
Updated December 14, 2022
Contents
Introduction
Links to SoftChalk FAQs, System Specs and Guides
SoftChalk Cloud
Volume Purchase or Purchase Order
Enterprise SoftChalk Cloud
Individual Purchase on the SoftChalk Cloud Website
Trial SoftChalk Cloud Account
SoftChalk Lessons in Moodle
SoftChalk Moodle Integration Guide Web Link
SoftChalk Cloud Users
Overview: How SoftChalk Cloud Content Works with Moodle
Overview: SoftChalk Cloud Link Selector app
Adding Scored Lessons using Link Selector
SoftChalk ScoreCenter in Moodle
Overview
Accessing SoftChalk ScoreCenter in Moodle
Class Average
Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts
Preview the Lesson
View or Change Scores
Complete All Attempts for All Students for a Lesson
Essays
Score an Essay
View Grades from LTI Lessons in the Moodle Grader Report
Non-Scored Lessons (Cloud Users)
Managing your SoftChalk Lessons with Moodle
Edit a SoftChalk Cloud Lesson
Collaborate with Other Instructors on SoftChalk Lessons
In Moodle: LTI Links and Course Copy
Moodle Administrator
LTI 1.3 Tool Provider setup
Registering LTI 1.3 Tool
Finalizing the LTI 1.3 Tool Provider in Moodle
LTI 1.0/1.1
Test LTI Linked Lessons
Troubleshooting
Desktop Users
Scored Lessons (Desktop Users)
Print or Email Scores
In SoftChalk Cloud: Package a Lesson for SCORM 1.2
In SoftChalk Create: Package a Lesson for SCORM 1.2
In Moodle: Upload the SCORM Zip File
Preview Your SCORM Lesson
View Grades from SCORM Lessons in the Moodle Grader Report
Non-Scored Lessons (Desktop Users)
In SoftChalk Cloud: Package a Lesson
In SoftChalk Create: Package a Lesson
In Moodle: Upload a Zip File
Edit a Lesson NOT Saved to SoftChalk Cloud
Help
Copyright Information

Introduction

This guide covers linking to or uploading your SoftChalk lessons into the Moodle 2.x / 3.x learning management system.

Links to SoftChalk FAQs, System Specs and Guides

For your instructors, you may want to post the URLs for our guides (see below). As we update the guides, the URLs will remain the same.

Item

Description and URL

SoftChalk FAQs

Search our FAQs
https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/SKB/pages/196182576/SoftChalk+FAQs

System Specifications and Supported Browsers

This web page lists the system specifications for instructors and students.
https://softchalk.com/features/system-specifications

Moodle Admin LTI 1.3 set up FAQ

This FAQ provides steps for the Moodle administrator to quickly set up LTI 1.3 for your Moodle server.
https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/SKB/pages/2253029377/Moodle+Admin+-+LTI+1.3+Tool+Provider+Set+Up

Moodle Admin LTI 1.0/1.1 Tool Provider FAQ

This FAQ provides steps for the Moodle administrator to quickly set up LTI 1.0/1.1 Tool Provider for your Moodle server.
https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/SKB/pages/2253750275/Moodle+Admin+-+LTI+1.0+1.1+Tool+Provider+set+up

Student Guide to SoftChalk Lessons

This Student Guide includes a Troubleshooting section.
https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/200114368/studentguide.pdf?api=v2

SoftChalk Create Guide

SoftChalk Create is SoftChalk's content authoring program. It is available in both a web browser version (as part of a SoftChalk Cloud Account - see the section SoftChalk Cloud) and in a desktop version.
https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/129532299/createguide.pdf?api=v2

SoftChalk Cloud Guide

SoftChalk Cloud is an award-winning, multi-function platform that combines a learning object repository, content authoring and hosting and management features. https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/129404604/cloudguide.pdf?api=v2

SoftChalk Cloud

As mentioned in the previous table, SoftChalk Cloud is an award-winning, multi-function platform that combines a learning object repository, content authoring, and hosting and management features.
With a SoftChalk Cloud account, you can:

  • Create and update your content in one place by logging into your SoftChalk Cloud account whether you are at work or at home. (SoftChalk Create is part of your Cloud account.)
  • Link to your content in many places, deliverable virtually anywhere that can accept web content.
  • Search for content in SoftChalk Share (SoftChalk Cloud's public content repository) and add it directly to your lessons. You can modify the content you find with a SoftChalk Cloud account.
  • Collaborate with other instructors on SoftChalk lessons. For more details, see the section Collaborate with Other Instructors on SoftChalk Lessons in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.
  • Collect scores using the SoftChalk ScoreCenter Feature. Grades from your SoftChalk lessons can appear within the gradebook of your learning management system.

Volume Purchase or Purchase Order

To take advantage of volume purchasing (or if you plan to purchase a SoftChalk Cloud account with a purchase order), please contact sales@softchalk.com.

Enterprise SoftChalk Cloud

Your institution also has the option to purchase an Enterprise SoftChalk Cloud. Please contact sales@softchalk.com

Individual Purchase on the SoftChalk Cloud Website

A SoftChalk Cloud account is available as a yearly subscription. You can purchase a SoftChalk Cloud account on our Buy Now page. Fill out the information and submit your credit card information.

Trial SoftChalk Cloud Account

Try out a SoftChalk Cloud account for 30 days. Click the Free Trial button (see below) and fill out the information.

SoftChalk Lessons in Moodle

If you are a SoftChalk Cloud user, see the section SoftChalk Cloud Users.
If you don't have a SoftChalk Cloud account and you are using the desktop version of SoftChalk, see the section Desktop Users.
If you are a Moodle administrator, see the section Moodle Administrator for instructions on enabling the "SoftChalk Link Selector" tool. The Link Selector tool allows instructors to link their SoftChalk lessons directly into their Moodle courses and have student scores from those lessons pass directly into the Moodle gradebook. The SoftChalk Link Selector tool uses LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) to integrate with Moodle.

Please note the URL below for this guide. As we update this guide, this URL will remain the same. https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/129536436/lms_moodle.pdf?api=v2


























SoftChalk Cloud Users

Overview: How SoftChalk Cloud Content Works with Moodle

  • Create Content: you will use a SoftChalk Cloud account to create and save your lesson in the Cloud (see the SoftChalk Cloud User Guide for additional information about this). After creating and saving a lesson in SoftChalk Cloud, your lesson will be assigned a unique hyperlink that you can use to share your lesson with your students in Moodle.
  • Link Your Lesson: you will use the SoftChalk Link Selector app to link your lessons into your Moodle course(s). Additional step-by-step instructions for the SoftChalk Link Selector are provided below. A single SoftChalk lesson can be linked into as many Moodle courses as you wish. If you wish to collect scores in your Moodle gradebook, student scores for your lesson will pass into each individual course gradebook.
  • Update Content: if you should need to update your lesson, you will login to SoftChalk Cloud, edit your lesson, and save it. Immediately and simultaneously, all courses in Moodle that are using that lesson will be automatically updated.
  • Student Access: your students do not need to have accounts on SoftChalk Cloud to use your SoftChalk content in Moodle. Students will login to your Moodle course and click on your SoftChalk lesson links to view your content. To the student, the content is seamless with Moodle and appears to be native Moodle content. If you are tracking student scores, the SoftChalk lesson scores will pass directly into the Moodle gradebook for students to view the same way they view native Moodle gradebook information.
  • Collect Scores: Before linking your SoftChalk lessons into your Moodle course, you will decide if you want to collect scores from your students or if you want your lessons to be "practice" lessons and you don't need to collect scores. Each time you link a lesson into Moodle, you can decide whether or not to collect scores. Many instructors use both "scored" and "practice" lessons within a course. NOTE: a single SoftChalk lesson can be linked into multiple Moodle courses simultaneously and can be set to report scores in some courses and set to not report courses in other courses. In other words, the same lesson can be used simultaneously in different ways in different courses.

To use SoftChalk Cloud lessons in your Moodle course, your lesson must be linked into your Moodle course. SoftChalk provides a Moodle app – SoftChalk Cloud Link Selector - that makes it easy to create these links.

Overview: SoftChalk Cloud Link Selector app

After creating your lesson in SoftChalk Cloud, you will use the SoftChalk Link Selector app to link your lesson(s) into your Moodle course(s).
The SoftChalk Link Selector app is an LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) tool and must be installed and configured by your Moodle administrator before it is available for use by Moodle instructors or course creators.
When enabled, SoftChalk Link Selector allows instructors and course creators to quickly access their content on the SoftChalk Cloud, browse for saved content, and integrate that content into Moodle LMS as both scored and on-scored lesson links.
The Link Selector app establishes a secure connection between an instructor's Moodle account and their SoftChalk Cloud account. When Link Selector is accessed from Moodle, it will automatically connect the instructor to their SoftChalk Cloud account and allow them to browse and select their SoftChalk content without needing to leave the Moodle platform.
Using the Link Selector tool, the instructor can link content into their Moodle course in two ways – as scored content (content that reports student score results into the Moodle gradebook) or as unscored content.
See the next section for step-by-step instructions for adding either Scored Lessons or Non-Scored Lessons to your Moodle Course.

Adding Scored Lessons using Link Selector

This section describes how to add scored SoftChalk lesson links into your Moodle course using the SoftChalk Link Selector app. It is assumed that you have already created your SoftChalk lesson and saved it into your SoftChalk Cloud account.
IMPORTANT: Within your lesson in SoftChalk Create, be sure to assign points to each QuizPopper and Activity. (In the main editing window of your SoftChalk lesson, right-click on the QuizPopper or Activity and choose Modify QuizPopper or Modify Activity to assign points.)

  1. Log into your Moodle account and choose your course (see below).

  1. If necessary, at the top right, click Turn editing on (see below).

  1. Click Add an activity or resource

  1. Select External Tool on the left in the pop-up window and click Add

  1. Type an Activity name (such as a name for your lesson). For Preconfigured tool, select SoftChalk Cloud.

Then Select Content.

If you do not see the SoftChalk Link Selector tool, your Moodle administrator may not have enabled this feature. However, the administrator may have enabled the LTI/ScoreCenter feature within your LMS. Please see the below FAQ if the SoftChalk Link Selector tool has not been configured.
My institution does not have the Link Selector tool enabled. How can I add my scored SoftChalk Cloud lesson to Moodle?

  1. The SoftChalk Link Selector dialog will appear. IMPORTANT: If this is the first time you are accessing the SoftChalk Link Selector from Moodle, you will be prompted to enter your SoftChalk Cloud user name and password. After successfully entering this information, a secure connection is established between your Moodle account and your SoftChalk Cloud account. Thereafter, when you use the SoftChalk Link Selector tool in Moodle, you will be automatically logged into your SoftChalk account and will not be prompted for this information again.
  2. Expand the lesson folders of your SoftChalk Cloud account and select your lesson.

  1. Then choose Select for LTI Link.

  1. The lesson LTI link is then inserted into the Tool URL field.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of your page and click Save and return to course.

  1. IMPORTANT: If you get an error u'\xa0' when you click on your LTI link, see below.

If you are entering an Activity description for your LTI link (in Moodle, click the Show Advanced button to show the Activity description field), you may encounter an error -u'\xa0' - if you have extra space(s) at the beginning of your description (see below).

  1. Be sure to see the next section Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts.











SoftChalk ScoreCenter in Moodle

Overview

When a SoftChalk Cloud lesson is linked into a Moodle course as a scored lesson, the instructor can use SoftChalk ScoreCenter to view detailed student score results, as well as configure various scoring options for the lesson. Instructors access the SoftChalk ScoreCenter directly in Moodle.
Note that although you can view student scores via the SoftChalk ScoreCenter, the student's grades are also passed directly into the Moodle course gradebook, where the instructor also has access to view and edit individual student grades.
The SoftChalk ScoreCenter serves a variety of functions that allow the instructor to:

  • Set the Maximum Attempts: Determine how many times a student can access a lesson (unlimited times or a specific number of times).
  • Set the Scoring Method: Determine which attempt score is sent to the Moodle gradebook (i.e., first attempt score, highest score, most recent score, or average score).
  • View all student attempt details and see how many students have completed the lesson, how many total attempts have been made, average score, etc.
  • View individual detailed student scores. All student attempts are saved and are viewable. You can see how many attempts each student has made, how long the student spent on each attempt, start and end dates/times for each attempt, and detailed score data (lesson scores, which questions or activities were attempted, etc.)
  • Modify scores. You can update individual student scores, and you can force completion for all students (this closes out a score for any student who has unfinished attempts or no score.
  • Clear Attempts and Re-Open Attempts

Accessing SoftChalk ScoreCenter in Moodle

An instructor accesses the SoftChalk ScoreCenter in Moodle by clicking on a SoftChalk lesson link that is scored.

  1. Click on a SoftChalk scored lesson link in your Moodle course.

  1. The instructor view of ScoreCenter will appear. Once students have accessed the LTI linked lesson, the instructor will see a list of Learner names and will have access to the details of their attempt (see below).


The following sections describe how the SoftChalk ScoreCenter features work.

Class Average

At the top of the ScoreCenter, you will see a 'Class average' summary of all learners attempts on the lesson. This summary will include:

  • the total number of Learners
  • a visual representation of scores obtained
  • the overall lesson high and low scores obtained
  • total score possible
  • Scoring Method and Max Attempts setting for the lesson


The next section will display the total number of attempts that have been made on the lesson. This section will also list Average Score and Class Percentage for the overall lesson and for each scored Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group in the lesson.
At the top, click to identify which Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group was scored in the column. The tooltip will also display the 'Question' and 'Possible Answers' for Quiz Poppers and Quiz Group questions. Each interactive will display if the 'Allow Retry' option was enabled, offering Learners another chance at the interactive to improve the score.

Learners that have accessed the lesson will display listed at the bottom of ScoreCenter. Quickly see the number of attempts the Learner made, attempt score, and details of their attempt.
An asterisk next to score helps to easily identify scores made on a previous version of the lesson.

The Learner made the correct answer choice and obtained full credit for the Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group.
Click on the icon to view the Quiz Poppers and Quiz Group questions and Possible Answers, score, and the Learner chosen answer choice.

The Learner made the incorrect answer choice and did not obtain any score for the Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group.
Click on the icon to view the Quiz Poppers and Quiz Group questions, Possible Answers, score, and the Learner chosen answer choice.

The Learner obtained a partial score for the Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group by making correct and incorrect answer selections.
Click on the icon to view the Quiz Poppers and Quiz Group questions, Possible Answers, score, and the Learner chosen answer choice.

The Learner did not make or 'Complete' an attempt on the Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group.
To 'Complete' Quiz Poppers and Quiz Groups, the Check Answers button must be clicked. An Activity will automatically 'Complete' once the Learner finishes the activity. Learners can also click the Complete Activity icon to manually 'Complete' and obtain partial credit.


Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts

You will need to set the scoring method (i.e. first attempt, last attempt, average attempt or highest attempt) and the maximum attempts allowed (unlimited or a specific number of attempts).
All the student attempts will be collected, and you can view all the attempts for each student for each lesson. You can change the scoring method and maximum attempts at any point. If you want to allow your students only one attempt for the lesson, you need to set that option right away.

  1. Log into your Moodle account and choose your course (see below).

  1. Click on the name of your lesson (see below).

  1. The SoftChalk ScoreCenter screen appears. Use the Actions drop-down menu to select Change Scoring Method.

  1. Select a scoring method from the drop-down menu and be sure to click Save changes (see below).

  1. At the SoftChalk ScoreCenter screen, use the Actions drop-down menu to select Change Maximum Attempts.

  1. Select the number of maximum attempts from the drop-down menu and be sure to click Save changes (see below).


Preview the Lesson

To test out the lesson, you need to be logged into your course as a student.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to LOG OUT of your SoftChalk Cloud account when you are taking your lesson as a student to test out the ScoreCenter feature.
If you are logged into your SoftChalk Cloud account while also logged into Moodle and taking a lesson, then the scores won't be recorded. Using the SoftChalk Link Selector to add your SoftChalk lessons to your course will automatically log you into your SoftChalk Cloud account. If you have exited your browser, you may still be logged into SoftChalk Cloud, so please go to SoftChalk Cloud and see if you are logged in.

View or Change Scores

  1. Log into your Moodle account and choose your course.
  2. Click on the lesson name.
  3. The SoftChalk ScoreCenter screen appears. Click on a specific learner's name to display a dropdown menu of the student's attempts.

A quick check of the Status icons helps to identify learner attempts that successfully completed the attempt by clicking on the Finish button on the last page.
IMPORTANT: Instructors can manually 'Complete' individual and/or all incomplete attempts using the Actions menu. See the section Complete All Attempts for All Students for a Lesson below.






Below are Status icons you may see in ScoreCenter.

Completed Attempt
The learner has successfully completed the lesson by clicking on the Finish button located on the last page of the lesson or the instructor has manually completed the attempt using the ScoreCenter Actions menu.

Incomplete Attempt

The learner has opened the assignment and connected to ScoreCenter but has not clicked on the Finish button located on the last page of the lesson.

Instructors can manually complete the attempt using the ScoreCenter Actions menu. Please see the Complete All Attempts for All Students for a Lesson section for additional information.

Changed Score
The instructor has manually changed the score for the attempt.
See steps 7-8 below to learn how change a score using the ScoreCenter Actions menu.

Cleared Attempt
The instructor has manually cleared the attempt. This attempt is not reflected in the gradebook or calculated as part of the Average Score.
See step 9 below to learn how clear an attempt using the ScoreCenter Actions menu.


  1. Click on an attempt to see additional attempt data (see below).

Notice you can use the attempt drop-down menu to switch views between the available learner attempts.

  1. Activity, QuizPopper, and Quiz Groups in the lesson will be listed at the bottom. The icons let instructors quickly know if the learner received full, partial, or no points for their attempt at each Activity, QuizPopper, and Quiz Group question.

  1. Notice you can view detailed information about this attempt at the bottom.

  1. If you need to change the score for an attempt, use the Actions menu to select Change Score from the dropdown.

  1. Enter a new score and click Change Score (see below). IMPORTANT: An attempt has to be complete before you can change the score.

  1. Notice that you also have the option to Clear an attempt (see below). If you clear an attempt, it will not count as part of the grade calculation. If needed, you can also Restore the attempt.

  1. Notice that you also have the option to Complete an attempt (see below). If a student starts a lesson but neglects to click the Finish button at the end of the lesson, then that attempt is incomplete. An incomplete attempt does not count as part of the grade calculation. You can cause the attempt to be completed so that the score for the attempt is part of the grade calculation.

Be sure to click Complete Attempt.

Complete All Attempts for All Students for a Lesson

You have the option to complete all attempts for all students for a lesson. You may find that your students have neglected to complete their attempts (i.e., they have neglected to click Finish on the last page of the lesson – clicking Finish sends a completion status to the gradebook).
IMPORTANT: You may want to do this procedure after the availability of your lesson has expired.
IMPORTANT: This procedure cannot be undone. (You can change individual scores or re-open individual attempts if you need to.)

  1. Log into your Moodle account and choose your course.
  2. Go to the area where you have your content or assignments.
  3. Click on the name of your lesson.
  4. Use the Actions drop-down menu to select Complete All Attempts.

Essays

If you use essays in your lesson, you can view the essays within the ScoreCenter area (see the previous section View or Change Scores). Please note the following important information.

  1. In SoftChalk Create, you can assign points to the essay (Insert/QuizPopper>Essay). Assigning points is optional.
  2. Remind your students to click Finish for each essay (see below).

Score an Essay

Essays that you have assigned points to must be manually scored for each student's attempt.
Please read the important information below:
You will go into the gradebook (i.e. ScoreCenter) to evaluate and score the essay. You can also provide feedback to the student on the essay.
For example, you may have a lesson worth 100 points including one essay worth 10 points. (You assigned the points for the essay and other items.) Let's say a student completes everything correctly, completes the essay, clicks the Finish button for the essay and then clicks the Finish button on the last page of the lesson to submit his or her score. At this stage, the student has a score of 90 out of 100 because you will need to evaluate the essay and assign points.
(You may want to explain the above process to your students; as mentioned, you also have the option to assign 0 points to an essay if you like.)
In ScoreCenter, click on a student's name to view a list of attempts they've made on the lesson link. Select one of the attempts to view the Learner Details page. (See the View or Change Scores section above.)
Scroll down and click on an Essay QuizPopper and choose to Grade Essay. Here you can evaluate and score the essay. You can also add feedback for that Essay question here.
When you launch ScoreCenter, a scored Essay will appear with a yellow 'partial credit' icon until graded. A non-scored Essay will immediately appear with the green 'check mark' icon.


Students can launch the lesson link and click on the Feedback and Previous Attempts link available in the initial popup to view the score and any feedback received for each Essay question from their previous attempt.

Here students can view the Feedback from instructors of their overall lesson feedback (from the Actions menu Give Feedback option) or the individual Essay feedback.

View Grades from LTI Lessons in the Moodle Grader Report

If you go to the Gradebook area in Moodle, you can see that the scores from your lessons appear in your Moodle Gradebook. (If you want to view or change scores for individual student attempts, see the section View or Change Scores.)
IMPORTANT: As previously mentioned, be sure to LOG OUT of your SoftChalk Cloud account when you are taking your lesson as a student to test out the ScoreCenter feature. (If you are logged into your SoftChalk Cloud account while logged into Moodle and taking a lesson, then the scores won't be recorded.)

  1. Log into your Moodle account and choose your course (see below).

  1. At the left under the Settings area, click Grades (see below).


Your Grader report appears with the scores from your SoftChalk lessons (see below). IMPORTANT: A column for your LTI lesson will appear in the Grader report only AFTER a user has completed an attempt for the lesson.

Non-Scored Lessons (Cloud Users)

This section explains how to add non-scored ("practice") SoftChalk lessons into your Moodle course using the SoftChalk Link Selector app. It is assumed that you have already created your SoftChalk lesson (or file) and saved it into your SoftChalk Cloud account. [You can have items that have points assigned to them within your lesson, but if you want to collect the scores, see the section Scored Lessons (Cloud Users).]

  1. Save your SoftChalk lesson to your SoftChalk Cloud account. See the section Save a Lesson to the Cloud in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.
  2. Copy the Hyperlink (NOT the LTI Link) for your lesson. See the section Copy the Hyperlink for Your Lesson in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.
  3. Log into your Moodle account and choose your course (see below).

  1. If necessary, at the top right, click Turn editing on (see below).

  1. Click Add an activity or resource (see below).

  1. In the pop-up window for the left-hand list, scroll down to select URL and click Add (see below).

  1. Enter the information for Name, External URL (i.e. the hyperlink for your SoftChalk lesson) and Description (see below). For details on finding the hyperlink for your lesson, see the section Copy the Hyperlink for Your Lesson in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.

  1. Scroll down to the Appearance area. Under the Display dropdown menu, you'll probably want to have your lesson appear in a new window (see below):

In pop-up displays the lesson in a new window.

  1. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save and return to Course.

  1. Click on the name of your lesson to preview it (see below).

Managing your SoftChalk Lessons with Moodle

One of the primary reasons for using SoftChalk Cloud with Moodle is the ease of managing your Moodle content. When you build your content in SoftChalk Cloud and link it into your Moodle course, updating your content is quick and easy!
For example, lets imagine that you create a lesson that you link into three different Moodle courses. As explained above, you can track scores for that lesson into each of those courses simultaneously (and independently). If you decide to make an update to the lesson, you don't have to login to each course and update. Instead, you will login to SoftChalk Cloud and update your lesson. As soon as you save the lesson in SoftChalk Cloud, every course it is linked in Moodle is simultaneously and immediately updated! One clicks to save, and all three courses are updated!
Additionally, at the end of the semester, you can copy your Moodle course that contains your SoftChalk lesson links. All links will be automatically ready for your students in your new course to use. You don't have to make any updates to the Moodle course to re-use your SoftChalk links. So easy!

Edit a SoftChalk Cloud Lesson

If you used the LTI Link or Hyperlink to your SoftChalk Cloud lesson, then you can easily edit your lesson within your SoftChalk Cloud account. (You don't have to paste in a new LTI Link or Hyperlink; simply edit your current lesson in SoftChalk Cloud and the LTI Link or Hyperlink for this lesson will still work.)
IMPORTANT: If you edit a lesson that has scored items and you have pasted an LTI Link for this lesson into Moodle, we recommend the scoring for your lesson remain the same if students have started taking this lesson.

  1. Log into your SoftChalk Cloud account.
  2. Click My Content/Lessons.
  3. Open the folder that contains your lesson. Click on the name of your lesson.
  4. Scroll down to the bottom right under Lesson Actions and click Edit Lesson in SoftChalk Create.
  5. Make changes and choose File/Save to SoftChalk Cloud. (If you click the Save icon, you are saving your lesson temporarily to your local computer.)
  6. Double-check that you lesson is selected in the file tree at the right. Click Save. Click OK at the screen saying your item will be replaced. Click OK at the screen saying your lesson was saved to SoftChalk Cloud. Click Close. Choose File/Quit if you want to quit SoftChalk Create. (For more details on editing, see the section Edit a Lesson in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.)
  7. Your lessons will be automatically updated with any changes in all linked instances within Moodle.

Collaborate with Other Instructors on SoftChalk Lessons

You can collaborate with other instructors to create your SoftChalk lessons using a SoftChalk Cloud account (or a trial SoftChalk Cloud account). Within SoftChalk Create, you can publish your lesson to your SoftChalk Cloud account. Another instructor [also using SoftChalk Create and a SoftChalk Cloud account (or a trial SoftChalk Cloud account)] can access and edit the lesson you published.
IMPORTANT: Simultaneous work in the same lesson is not supported. In other words, one person should be working on the lesson at a time. (If two or more people are making changes to the same lesson at the same time and saving the lesson to the Cloud, they may end up overwriting each other's changes.)
For more details, see the section Collaborate with Other Instructors on SoftChalk Lessons in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.

In Moodle: LTI Links and Course Copy

When copying a course that has LTI links in Moodle, be sure to select the Include activities and resources option (see below).

(To copy a course in Moodle, log into Moodle and select the course you want to copy. Click the cog icon [Moodle Boost theme] or locate the Administration block [Moodle Classic theme] and click Copy course.)
Otherwise, the LTI linked activities and resources are not copied and gradebook columns will not appear in Moodle.

Moodle Administrator

The steps below are for your Moodle administrator to enable the LTI/ScoreCenter feature for your Moodle server. For details on the LTI/ScoreCenter feature, see the section Scored Lessons (Cloud Users).

LTI 1.3 Tool Provider setup

Registering LTI 1.3 Tool


Registering an LTI 1.3 Tool Provider in Moodle is a two-step process. Follow the steps below and send the required information to help@softchalk.com with the subject line Moodle LTI 1.3 Registration.
Once we receive the required system details from you, we will register the Moodle system and provide you with the remaining information to add to the Tool Provider in Moodle.

  1. Navigate to Site Administration > Plugins > Activity Modules > External Tool > Manage Tools.

  1. Under Manage Tools select Configure a tool manually.
    1. Fill in the following data in the form:
      1. Tool Settings
      2. Tool name: SoftChalk Cloud 1.3
      3. Tool URL: https://softchalkcloud.com
      4. Tool Description: Leave blank
      5. LTI version: LTI 1.3
      6. Public key type: RSA key
      7. Public key: This will be provided in a response from SoftChalk after the registration is complete
      8. Initiate login URL: https://www.softchalkcloud.com/lti/auth
      9. Redirection URI(s): https://www.softchalkcloud.com/scorecenter/lti; https://www.softchalkcloud.com/lti/content
      10. Custom parameters: Leave blank
      11. Tool configuration usage: Show as a preconfigured tool when adding an external tool
      12. Default launch container: Embed, without blocks
      13. Content-Item Message: Select the checkbox
      14. Content Selection URL: https://www.softchalkcloud.com/lti/content
      15. Icon URL: Leave blank
      16. Secure Icon URL: Leave blank

See below screen capture.

    1. Services
      1. IMS LTI Assignment and Grade Services: Use this service for grade sync and column management
      2. IMS LTI Names and Role Provisioning: Use this setting to retrieve members' information as per privacy settings
      3. Tool Settings: Do not use this service

    1. Privacy
      1. Share launcher's name with tool: Always    
      2. Share launcher's email with tool: Never
      3. Accept grades from the tool: Always
      4. Force SSL: Leave un-selected

    1. Miscellaneous
      1. Organization ID: Leave blank
      2. Organization URL: Leave blank

  1. Click Save Changes.
  2. On the Manage Tools page click the configuration icon for the SoftChalk Cloud 1.3 tool you just created.

  1. Gather the LTI 1.3 configuration details for the tool and send them to help@softchalk.com with the subject line Moodle LTI 1.3 Registration.

Finalizing the LTI 1.3 Tool Provider in Moodle

Once SoftChalk has received the new tool's configuration details, we will perform the registration with SoftChalk ScoreCenter and reply back with the remaining details that need to be added to the existing tool in Moodle.

  1. Navigate to Site Administration > Plugins > Activity Modules > External Tool > Manage Tools.
  2. Select Edit to make changes to the SoftChalk Cloud 1.3 tool.

  1. Using the Public Key provided by SoftChalk, fill in the Public Key field for the tool in Moodle. (Be sure that you include the entire key block as sent, from ----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY---- through to ----END PUBLIC KEY---- and ensure that there are no spaces left at the start or end of the key).

  1. Click Save Changes.

This completes the setup and install of the SoftChalk Link Selector app.




LTI 1.0/1.1

As a Moodle administrator, you can use the ScoreCenter feature without enabling the 'SoftChalk Link Selector' app. You will need to register with SoftChalk to configure the ScoreCenter for your system.

  1. Please contact help@softchalk.com and provide the following information to register with SoftChalk and receive authentication credentials (i.e. an OAuth Consumer Key and an OAuth Consumer Secret). If you have a test server and a production server, you may send us two LMS URLs and we will register both of them. (You will receive a separate email with a unique key and secret for each registered URL.)
    1. Your institution name
    2. LMS URL
    3. First Name (optional) of the person registering with us
    4. Last Name (optional) of the person registering with us
    5. Email for this registration (the email can be a specific person's email or a generic email such as lmsadmin@myinstitution.edu)
  2. After registering, you will receive an email from SoftChalk with information to enter into your Moodle system (see the following steps).
  3. Log into Moodle. At the left under the Settings area, choose Site Administration/Plugins/Activity Modules/LTI/ Manage external tool types (see below.)

  1. Click Add external tool configuration (see below).

  1. For the Tool Name, enter SoftChalk Cloud. (This name will be easy for your instructors to recognize - see below for a completed screen).
  2. For the Tool Base URL, enter https://softchalkcloud.com
  3. Copy and paste the consumer key and secret from the SoftChalk email you received after your registered your server. IMPORTANT: Be sure NOT to paste in spaces at the end of the key and secret. (Make sure you do NOT copy the spaces from your email.)
  4. Under the Privacy area, for Share launcher's name with tool choose Always. For Accept grades from the tool choose Always (see below).
  5. At the bottom click Save Changes.

  1. Test an LTI Link to see that grades go into the Moodle gradebook by following the steps in the section Scored Lessons (Cloud Users). IMPORTANT: As previously mentioned, be sure to LOG OUT of your SoftChalk Cloud account when you are taking your lesson as a student to test out the ScoreCenter feature. (If you are logged into your SoftChalk Cloud account while logged into Moodle and taking a lesson, then the scores won't be recorded.)

This completes the setup and install of the SoftChalk Link LTI Tool Provider.

Test LTI Linked Lessons 

If you are testing out your own graded LTI linked lessons in an LMS to confirm the gradebook connectivity, there are a couple of things to be aware of as the Cloud account owner/course instructor: 

  • If you are logged into SoftChalk Cloud, you will not be able to establish a connection to ScoreCenter. The two sessions interfere with one another, and you need to ensure that you have logged out of your Cloud account to produce a valid test. (Using the SoftChalk Link Selector will automatically log you into your Cloud account.) 
  • If you are logged in as the 'Instructor' role in the course, you will not launch the 'Student' view of the LTI lesson, and it will not connect to ScoreCenter in such a way that it will pass any grades. Be sure to log in as a test student or impersonate a student user enrolled into the course. 
  • If you are logged into the LMS 'Admin' account and attempt to access an LTI link, it will likely fail. LTI is only intended to work with users assigned 'Faculty' or 'Student' roles in an LMS. Oftentimes an admin is also enrolled into the course as the instructor, but it is best to test things with an instructor account if possible. 

To test the Moodle as a student and confirm the grade has passed to the Moodle grade book: 

  1. Add your SoftChalk Cloud lesson LTI link to your Moodle course using the steps shown in this guide beginning on page 8
  2. Open another web browser tab. Navigate to https://softchalkcloud.com and click Log out next to your SoftChalk Cloud account username in the upper-right corner. Close the tab. 
  3. Impersonate an enrolled student in your Moodle course or log out of your Moodle course as the instructor and then log into your Moodle course as an enrolled student. 
  4. Navigate to and click on the SoftChalk assignment in the Moodle course. 

Students can expect their attempt will be recorded when they see the below screens. With a successfully connected ScoreCenter lesson: 

  • Students will see the connection to ScoreCenter message (with instructions to click Finish) when they access the lesson (screenshot below):  
  • Students will see the Finish button at the end of the lesson. 
  • Students will receive the successfully completed message after clicking on Finish (screenshot below):

5.  After taking the SoftChalk assignment, log out of the Moodle course as a student. 
6.  Access your course in Moodle as the instructor and navigate to the SoftChalk linked assignment. 
7.  Click on the SoftChalk linked assignment. You should see the ScoreCenter containing the attempt details for the lesson. You can read more about ScoreCenter on page 12 of the this guide

Troubleshooting

Issue

Description/Resolution

I am the Moodle administrator. The SoftChalk Link Selector does NOT appear under the 'Preconfigured tool' menu. How can I enable the SoftChalk Link Selector?

Please see the LTI 1.3 Tool Provider setup section of the Moodle Integration Guide and send the 'LTI 1.3 configuration details' to help@softchalk.com.

I am the Moodle administrator. The SoftChalk Link Selector appears as a 'Preconfigured tool'. Once the SoftChalk Link Selector is clicked, I receive a 404 error. What could be wrong?

SoftChalk may need to finalize the LTI 1.3 integration. Please gather the LTI 1.3 configuration details for the tool and send them to help@softchalk.com.

I am the Instructor. I used the SoftChalk Link Selector to add my lesson, but scores are not collected in ScoreCenter or the Moodle gradebook. What could be wrong?

When using the SoftChalk Link Selector Submission Type, be sure to select LTI to add your SoftChalk lesson. Selecting the Hyperlink will not capture scores in ScoreCenter or the Moodle gradebook.

I am the Instructor. I don't see a 'Finish' button on the last page. What should I do?

When testing scored LTI linked lessons in an LMS to confirm the gradebook connectivity, there are a couple of things to be aware of as the Cloud account owner/course instructor:

  • If you are logged in as an instructor in the course, you will not launch the 'Student' view of the LTI lesson, and it will not connect to ScoreCenter in such a way that it will pass any grades. Be sure to log in as a test student or impersonate a student user enrolled into the course.
  • If you are logged into the LMS admin account and attempt to access an LTI link, it may fail. LTI is only intended to work with users assigned 'Faculty' or 'Student' roles in an LMS. Oftentimes an admin is also enrolled into the course as the instructor, but it is best to test things with a student account if possible.
  • If you are logged into your SoftChalk Cloud account, then you will not connect to ScoreCenter. Go to https://softchalkcloud.com and confirm you are not logged into your SoftChalk Cloud account. (Using the SoftChalk Link Selector will automatically log you into your Cloud account.)

Some students report they do not see a 'Finish' button on the last page. What can I do?

If there is a record for a student's attempt in ScoreCenter, the course instructor can 'Complete' a student's attempt and push the score to the grade book.

A student's name is not listed in ScoreCenter. What should I do?

If a student is not showing in the ScoreCenter gradebook, their submissions to ScoreCenter were not tracked and SoftChalk does not have a record of their work
Ask the student to access the assignment again, confirm that they see first message reminding them to click 'Finish' on the last page, and make a new attempt.

Some students receive an Empty Attempt ID error when accessing the lesson. What should I do?

This error is intended to display when there is an issue detected during the LTI launch, a missing Attempt ID value, which would prevent the student from successfully completing the ScoreCenter attempt and posting a score to the LMS gradebook.
Typically, this error is caused by the student's Role in the course. The student must be enrolled as a 'student' within the course.
For impacted students:

  • If there is a record for a student's attempt in ScoreCenter, the course instructor should re-open a student's attempt if it has an invalid score so that they can Resume and re-submit for credit.
  • If a student was unable to submit and has an 'in-progress' attempt in the ScoreCenter, that student should be directed to access the lesson again to Resume their attempt, then proceed to the end of the lesson and click Finish to submit.
  • If a student is not showing in the ScoreCenter gradebook, their submissions to ScoreCenter did not come across and SoftChalk does not have a record of their work – in this case, if a student has submitted alternate proof of completion such as a screen capture, we would suggest that the course instructor manually give credit to the student through the LMS grade center. Or ask the student to re-take the lesson material.
    Since adding the new 'Empty Attempt ID' error, most of the reports from students and instructors have been resolved by clearing the affected attempt and/or requesting that the student refresh and re-take the lesson/module.

I am an instructor. I receive an error message when accessing my SoftChalk assignment in Moodle. What could be wrong?

We have identified a few Moodle errors that occur with certain formatting in the description area. Please click on a link below to see the FAQ explaining the error:

Desktop Users

IMPORTANT: As mentioned previously, we recommend using the SoftChalk Cloud ScoreCenter solution versus using SCORM. See the section ScoreCenter Overview.
IMPORTANT: Within your lesson in SoftChalk Create, be sure to assign points to each QuizPopper and Activity. (In the main editing window of your SoftChalk lesson, right-click on the QuizPopper or Activity and choose Modify QuizPopper or Modify Activity to assign points.)

Scored Lessons (Desktop Users)

Print or Email Scores

Your students can print certificates of their scores and/or your students can email you within the lesson to send their scores. The basic steps are:

  1. Create scored quiz questions and/or activities within your SoftChalk lesson and assign points for each quiz question or activity.
  2. Add the email feature within your SoftChalk lesson. Choose Properties/ Lesson Certificates. Make the appropriate selections under Lesson Certificates.
  3. On the last page of your lesson is an area for students to type their name or other identifier and then click Email Score, Print Certificate and/or Print Score Summary. (You can preview your lesson to see how this works.)

With the email option, you will get an email from each student for each attempt the student made for the lesson. As mentioned previously, we recommend the use of the ScoreCenter feature as you won't have to manage individual emails.
If you are uploading a zip file to Moodle, then see the next sections In SoftChalk Cloud: Package a Lesson for SCORM 1.2, In SoftChalk: Package a Zip Lesson and In Moodle: Upload a Zip File.

In SoftChalk Cloud: Package a Lesson for SCORM 1.2

  1. Log into your SoftChalk Cloud account.
  2. Under My Content / Lessons, click on a lesson title.
  3. Scroll under the preview window and choose Download Scrom Package

  1. Use the Scoring Option drop-down menu to choose Single Attempt or Mastery Score.

  • Single Attempt: Students can complete their attempt without a minimum score.
  • Mastery Score: Students must complete a minimum score percentage to complete their attempt.

  1. Click Create.

By default, the _sco.zip file will download to the web browser. Where you'll find the lesson _sco.zip file just downloaded:

in Chrome
it's at the bottom of the window

in Firefox and Edge
it's from the toolbar

in Internet Explorer
it's at the bottom of the window


If your file extensions are not showing, you will not see the .zip at the end of the filename. Look for a folder with a zipper or package icon with your lesson name.




In SoftChalk Create: Package a Lesson for SCORM 1.2

  1. Within your lesson in SoftChalk Create, choose File/Package Lesson. Under Package type, choose Standard Zip. Under Track score using, choose LMS with SCORM 1.2 (see below).

  1. Select the area where to save the _sco.zip file such as your Desktop. Then click OK. By default, you would save to your Documents area.
  2. Your packaged file has your lesson name with a _sco.zip extension (see below). If your file extensions are not showing, you will not see the .zip at the end of the filename. Look for a folder with a zipper or package icon with your lesson name.

In Moodle: Upload the SCORM Zip File

  1. Log into your Moodle account.
  2. Choose your course (see below).


  1. If necessary, at the top right, click Turn editing on (see below).

  1. Click Add an activity or resource.

  1. Select SCORM package on the left in the pop-up window and click Add.

  1. Under the General area, type a name and description (see below).

  1. Under Package file, click Choose a file (see below).

  1. In the File picker pop-up window, click Upload a file.

  1. Click Browse.

  1. Navigate to the location of your sco.zip file. Click on your sco.zip file to select it (see below) and click Open. (If your file extensions are not showing, you will not see the .zip at the end of the filename. Look for a folder with a zipper or package icon with your lesson name.)

  1. Click Upload this file (see below).

  1. Notice that the name of the SCORM file appears under Package file. (see below).

  1. Scroll down to the Other Settings area. Click Show Advanced (see below). (If Hide Advanced appears, go to the next step.)

  1. Change the Grading method to Highest grade (If you happened to select Learning Objects, the score will NOT record.) Change the Maximum grade to 100 (or another point value depending on the number of points you designated in your lesson). IMPORTANT: Even though the Grade method is set to Highest grade, the score updates each time in the grader report. In other words, the score displays the LAST score for the student (see below).


IMPORTANT: When you upload packaged SoftChalk lessons into Moodle, the Number of Attempts and Attempts grading options don't have any effect (see below).

  1. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save and return to Course. (You could also click Save and display.)

Preview Your SCORM Lesson

  1. Click on your lesson name to preview. (located under the area where you put this content ).

  1. Click Enter (see below).

  1. After previewing your lesson, you can return to your course page by clicking on your course in the upper left corner of your screen (see below).

View Grades from SCORM Lessons in the Moodle Grader Report

After your students have finished your lesson, then you can view their scores in your grader report using the steps below.

  1. Log into your Moodle account.
  2. Click on your course to select it.
  3. Scroll down to the left hand bottom of the screen and select Grades under Settings (see below). (You may need to click on the arrow for Course administration to open this menu.)

  1. You can view your student scores (see below).

  1. Click on the name of the lesson to view more details (see below).

  1. Below are the details of the scores for your lesson.


IMPORTANT: As mentioned previously, when you upload packaged SoftChalk lessons into Moodle, the Number of Attempts and Attempts grading options do not have any effect.
IMPORTANT: As mentioned previously, the score updates each time in the grader report. In other words, the score displays the LAST score for the student. (This is how Moodle works with SCORM content.)
IMPORTANT: As mentioned previously, we recommend using the SoftChalk Cloud ScoreCenter solution versus using SCORM 1.2. See the section ScoreCenter Overview.

Non-Scored Lessons (Desktop Users)

With SoftChalk, you can package a lesson in a .zip format. Then upload this .zip file into Moodle and unzip it. See the steps below.

In SoftChalk Cloud: Package a Lesson

  1. Log into your SoftChalk Cloud account.
  2. Under My Content / Lessons, click on a lesson title.
  3. Scroll under the preview window and choose Download Scrom Package


By default, the .zip file will download to the web browser. Where you'll find the lesson .zip file just downloaded:

in Chrome
it's at the bottom of the window

in Firefox and Edge
it's from the toolbar

in Internet Explorer
it's at the bottom of the window


If your file extensions are not showing, you will not see the .zip at the end of the filename. Look for a folder with a zipper or package icon with your lesson name.

In SoftChalk Create: Package a Lesson

  1. Start SoftChalk Create. Within your lesson in SoftChalk Create, choose File/Package Lesson. Under Package type, choose Standard Zip. Under Track score using choose None (see below).

  1. Select the area where to save the .zip file such as your Desktop. Then click OK. By default, you would save to your Documents area.
  2. Your packaged file has your lesson name with a .zip extension (see below). If your file extensions are not showing, you will not see the .zip at the end of the filename. Look for a folder with a zipper or package icon with your lesson name.

In Moodle: Upload a Zip File

  1. Log into your Moodle account and click on your course to select it (see below).

  1. If necessary, at the top right, click Turn editing on (see below).

  1. Click Add an activity or resource

  1. Select File on the left in the pop-up window and click Add

  1. Type a name and information in the Description area under the General section. ex. Eye Anatomy for the name field and Interactive lesson on Eye Anatomy for Description.

  1. Select files by clicking the Add icon under the Content section.

  1. In the File picker pop-up window, click Upload a file.

  1. Click Browse.

  1. Navigate to your zip file. Click on your .zip file to select it (see below) and click Open. (If your file extensions are not showing, you will not see the .zip at the end of the filename. Look for a folder with a zipper or package icon with your lesson name.)

  1. Click Upload this file (see below).

  1. Under Content, click on your zipped lesson. A drop box will open. Click Unzip (see below).

  1. There may be a pause while the file unzips.
  2. After your unzipped files appear, scroll down your list of files and click the index.html and select set main file (see below).

  1. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save and return to Course.

  1. Click on your lesson name to preview. (located under the area where you put the content ).

  1. After previewing your lesson, you can return to your course page by clicking on your course in the upper left corner of your screen (see below).

Edit a Lesson NOT Saved to SoftChalk Cloud

IMPORTANT: You cannot overwrite a SCORM lesson. If you put up a second SCORM lesson, there will be a separate column for the SCORM lesson in your gradebook.

  1. In SoftChalk Create, edit and save your lesson. Package the lesson (see the section In SoftChalk Create: Package a Lesson).
  2. In Moodle, delete your lesson folder.
  3. Upload your lesson again (see the previous section In Moodle: Upload a Zip File.)


Help

Please visit our SoftChalk Support webpage. For purchase information, please contact sales@softchalk.com.

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