Answers in this category:
Setting Parameters for an Assignment/Map
Setting parameters (short version)
What is the difference between 'parameter in effect' and 'Current Session Value' ?
tolerance?
What are the different Parameter levels?
How to set course parameters for a select user.
How to set the Maximum Number of Collaborators.
How to extend due date for an individual student.
What is a due date?
What is the Answer Date?
Parameters for exams and quizzes

As Guy suggests in his post, you hit the PARM button and then poke around.

But to be more specific, take a deep breath and ... -

* Choose the Course Coordinator role for the course of interest.

* When you click on PARM, you will be greeted with a variety of options.

From the start you need to realize that flexibility has been the key in
design. You have a number of different parameters you can set (due date,
available points, client IP/name access control, ...). These can be
set for the whole course, a given map (a page or sequence), or a given
resource/problem. They can also be set for a full class, a single section,
or a single student. Get the picture? We're working on a simplified 
presentation that hides some of these options.

Given this overview of possibilities, the boxes and menus at the top should
make more sense:

- You can select a specific section (fill in box with number).
- You can select a specific user by username or ID.
- You can decide how the monstrous list of parameters you're about to conjur
    up should be sorted.
- You can select with which map you want to work (Assignments typically
    consist of problems grouped in a common page or sequence, perhaps with
    other content material interspersed).
- If you want to limit the parameters, you can choose the specific parameter.
      (more on this in a second)

When you're ready, hit DISPLAY. The page will reload, once again displaying
your list of options at the top. This time a table will be appended to the
page showing all of the available parameters and all available options for
setting.

At this point we need to digress and discuss numerical IDs and their role
in problems. ID number are used to represent import files, script invocations,
responses, and subanswers within responses. The number generally represents
the order of these resources within a problem, but this is by no means
guaranteed. A multiple part problem may have parts 14 and 16. (You can set
different due dates for different parts of a problem if you so desire.)
Part 14 may have a single answer with the ID 15, and 16 may have two answers
with the IDs 17 and 18.

Parameters include the part and if answer-related, the subanswer (for example,
a due date is part-related, but a numerical tolerance is answer-related).
For example, the tolerance for part 16, subanswer 17 would be labeled
Numerical Tolerance 16_17.

You will set parameters by clicking on the link in the appropriate square 
in the table. If you want to set the value for this parameter for the full
course, choose the column labeled 'Any User, In Course, General'. At this
point, all occurences of this parameter (for example, Numerical Tolerance 16_17)
will have this default value unless overridden. Note - this means all occurences
of Numerical Tolerance ***16_17***, not ALL numerical tolerances.

What parameter will take precedence? The priorities are shown lowest to highest
left to right in the table. The  last two columns will show the value in effect.
A specific setting for a student will take priority over a course-wide setting.

What about defaults?
Parameters labelled part 0 provide the default for a given level. 
Setting the Due Date for Part 0 of a problem in the 'For enclosing map'
column will set the default due date for all problems in that map.
You may have to make sure you have at least one 1-part problem in your
assignment to set the defaults! We're working on this.

What I will typically do is create an assignment, for example assignment4.page.
I will then set open, due and answer dates for part 0 of one of the problems.
I will also set the available points and maximum number of tries.
This will open my assignment.

 

As course coordinator, select "parm" on the remote to set course
parameters.  You can display parameters for the entire course (top-level
map) or just select the enclosing map.  After the parameters display,
you can choose to set parameters, due dates for example, on three
levels:
        1.)  Entire course - everything in the top-level sequence (click on the
bar "__" in any of the problems under "Course" heading.)
        2.)  Enclosing map (click on the bar "__" in one of the problems in the
enclosing map under "Enclosing Map" heading.)
        3.)  One particular resource (click on the bar "__" in the particular
problem you want to set parameters for under "Resource" heading.)

I may have the heading wrong because I wasn't looking at the parm window
while writing this, but you should be able to figure it out.

Note that the last heading says something like "parameter in effect". 
Under this heading is the actual parameter being used.  Resource
parameters override enclosing map parameters which override course
parameters.

"Parameter in Effect" is the concrete value for the specific parameter for the
users or group/section that you selected in the top menu. It does not
incorporate the cascading within the problem, where a parameter set for part 0
for example applies to part 1 item 12 if nothing else is said.

"Current Session Value" gives you the value for your username, and does
incorporate the complete cascading within a problem for your username.

There are three different Parameter levels you can choose from when setting
Course Parameters: Course level, Map level, Resource level. 

Course Level:
If you select Course level from the Parameter pull down menu a table will append
to the page showing the set defaults for all resources in the course. The 
table has three columns: Parameter Name, Default Value, and Parameter in Effect.
The Parameter Name column lists all the different parameters that can be set for
the resources. Default Value is the Parameter setting for the users. 
Parameter in Effect is the parameter setting for users.

Map Level:
If you select Map level from the Parameter pull down menu a table or tables will 
append to the page showing the set defaults for all the resources in a map or 
folder in the course. The map or folder displayd in the tables depends on which
map or folder you select from the enclosing map or folder pull down menu. The 
table or tables have three columns: Parameter Name, Default Value, and Parameter
in Effect. The Parameter Name column lists all the different parameters that can
be set for the resources. Default Value is the Parameter setting for the 
users. Parameter in Effect is the parameter setting for the users.

Resource Level:
If you selected Resource level from the parameter level pull down menu, a table
will append to the page showing all the available parameters for each resource.
If you selected a specific map or folder from the enclosing map or folder pull 
down menu, then only the resources in the selected map or folder will be display
in the table. Here is a brief explanation for each column within the table: 
Assessment URL and Title is the column the resource location and name are 
listed. Type column reflects the type of resource. Enclosing Map or Folder column 
gives the immediately enclosing map, which can be used for Map level parameter 
setting. The Part column shows what part the parameter is for. 
The Parameter Name column lists all the different parameters
that can be set for the resources. The Any User column is broken down in to 
different smaller groups: Resource Level, in Course, and if applicable there is
a column for in Section/Group. Each one of these groups is broken down further.
The Resource Level is broken down into two columns: Default and for enclosing 
map and folder. These two columns reflect the parameter setting the author set 
when they created the resources. The in Course column is broken down into three 
columns: General, Enclosing Map and Folder, and for Resource. These parameters 
are the setting you assign for any user in the course. The Section/Group column
reflects the parameter settings you assign for a specific section/group of 
users within the course. If you selected the Resource Level for a selected user,
The User ****at Domain **** column will also be included in the table. This 
is broken down into three columns: General, Enclosing Map and Folder, and for 
Resource. These reflect the parameters setting you assign for the selected user. 
The next column is the Parameter in Effect. This column reflects the parameter 
setting that is in effect. The last column reflects the value for your user name
and does incorporate complete cascading within a problem for your user name.

The parameters priorities are shown lowest to highest, left to right in the 
tables. 

To set the course parameters for a selected User, do the following:

1. Click PARM on the remote control.
2. At the Set Course Parameter screen, type the username or id. If you do not 
know the username or id, then click the select user link.
3. Select the Parameter level from the pull down menu. What are the different Parameter levels?
4. Select the enclosing map or folder from the pull down menu. If you choose 
course level you will skip this step.
5. Click Set Course Assessment Parameters.

For Course Level and Map Level:
6. At the default value column, click "-" for the parameter you want to set for
the selected user. A new window will open.
7. Update the selected parameter.
8. Click Store.

The default value will now reflect the new parameter setting for the selected 
user. Parameter in Effect will reflect the parameter settings for all other
users in the course. Repeat steps 6 through 8 as necessary.

For Resource Level:
9. Within the User ____ at Domain ____ column, click on the "-" for the 
parameter setting you want to assign. A new window will open.
10. Update the selected parameter.
11. Click Store.

The Parameter in Effect column reflects the parameter setting that is in effect
for the selected user. The last column reflects the value for your user name
and does incorporate complete cascading within a problem for your user name. 
Repeat steps 9 through 11 as necessary.

The parameters priorities are shown lowest to highest, left to right in the 
tables. 

To set the Maximun Number of Collaborators for a specific problem, do the 
following:

1. Select the role of Course coordinator.
2. Click NAV on the remote control.
3. Click on the essay problem you would like to set the maximun number of 
collaborators.
4. Click PPRM on the remote control.
At the Set Course Parameter screen a table will append to the page with all the 
parameters that can be set for the specific problem.
5. Scroll down to the Maximun Number of Collaborators.
6. In one of the Course Columns, click "-" in the general column for entire course, 
click "-" in the for enclosing map or folder for a specific map or folder, 
click "-" in the resource column for a particular resource. A new window will 
open.
7. Update the selected parameter.
8. Click Store.
 
       

The easiest way is to use the Helper link at the top of the Parmeter screen.
For the long version, read on:

To extend the due date for an individual student, do the following:

1. Select the problem you want to extend the due date for.
2. Click PPRM on the remote control.
3. At the Set Course Parameters screen, type the user name of the person 
you wish to extend the problem due date for.

Note: If you don't know the individuals user name, select the select user link. 
A new window will open with a list of all the students in the class. Select the 
student.

4. Click Update Section or Specific User.
5. The table that is displayed will have a heading labeled User_______ at domain________,
Under that heading will be a column labeled "For Resource", scroll down to the due date
cell and click on the link
6. A new window will open, enter new due date.
7. Select Store.

* Show Problem Status (problemstatus)
A suggestion for online exams is to inhibit the problem status. The student won't know if a problem is correct or not if you select no. This way, you can give the student 99 tries, but their tries act more like an eraser. They don't actually get a response with feedback to try something else.
* Exam Type (problemstyle)
Ingore this parameter if it is viewable.
* Question Type (type)
Setting Question Type to exam will turn numerical answers into multiple choice.

To test out an exam, make sure that the open and due dates are appropriately set so students can't access your questions. Then, enroll yourself as a student and set appropriate open dates and due dates for yourself so you can test things out.
felicia@lon-capa.org