When I print a student evaluation page, I get two pages. How can I get that to just one page?
The easiest way is to alter the page scaling. Go to File>Page Setup and click on the "Page" tab (Excel 2003) in the dialogue box. Then under "Scaling", you can either manually choose a % value of what will fit on the page (say, 97%), or choose "Fit to 1 page(s) wide by 1 tall". The latter way is easier--this will automatically frame the printout so it fits on one sheet!
I downloaded the 2.1 DEMO and I got an "error" message when I ran the stopwatch. What happened?
There was an error in earlier 2.1 DEMO versions in one of the stopwatch cells. The current DEMOs do not have this error. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Once my semester is done, can I move my old classes to an "Archive" folder?
Yes. Once you no longer need to switch between computers (i.e., transfer information from a laptop to a desktop computer), you can create an archive folder for all your old classes. If, once they were in the archive, you ever needed to move them from one computer to another, make sure your gradebook files are back on the desktop space before moving them. (I.e., make sure your old classes are immediately on the desktop and not within another file folder. You should click on your class folder and instantly see Excel workbooks, not another file folder.) Gradebook folders cannot be nested within other folders (e.g., an "Archive" folder) and be moved from one computer to another. If this happens, the links will break between workbooks.
If you never need to move information between computers, nesting class folders within other folders is fine.
Another option, of course, is to burn the old gradebooks onto a CD for safe storage.
I have a student who has withdrawn from my class. How can I delete him from the Gradebook?
Deleting a student actually deletes links within the program that will cause formulas not to calculate correctly. We recommend to simply "Hide" the student from the list but maintain the information. You can view how to hide a student in the User Manual.
However, if a student withdraws within the first week and you haven't recorded any grades, you may wish to simply retype the students' names (minus the student who withdrew) into the gradebook.
Is there an easier way to determine who spoke on a given day than using a sign-up sheet and looking up the speakers who spoke that day?
Here’s one idea that should work. When you’re in one of the speech workbooks and you’re grading speeches, you should see at the bottom of the page a series of numbered tabs (1,2,3,4,5…) that correspond to the students’ numbers used throughout the SpeechGrader program. These tabs can be moved and rearranged. For example, you could rearrange them into the order of the speakers for the day. If speaker “9” were the first speaker of the day, just click and hold on tab “9” and drag it next to the “Links” tab and release it. The order at the bottom should now be “Links, 9, 1, 2, 3, 4.” Now click on “18” (say, the second speaker) and drag it next to 9. The order should now be “Links, 9, 18, 1, 2,” and so on. That way you can arrange the numbers at the bottom so you can click one right after the other left to right without having to look anything up. However, I’d practice it on a copy of the program first, just to make sure Excel doesn’t do anything funny to the program for rearranging the links. (Sometimes it does funny things.) That should be an easy way to just click on the tabs next to one another for the speakers of the day rather than having to sort through your lists. The hyperlinks about and on each page should remain intact (so you can still access the “Links” page links to each worksheet).
I get a message about "Macros Are Disabled" and SpeechGrader doesn't work. What do I do?
Simply change the security settings in Microsoft Excel so that you can choose which Macros to run. See pp. 10-12 in the instruction manual to see how to do this.
On the "ReadMe DEMO 2.0" it says that I should have nine workbooks. I only have seven--am I missing any?
No, seven workbooks is correct for the DEMO version 2.0. There was an error in the ReadMe DEMO 2.0. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
How much of a learning curve is there?
Learning curves are unique to each individual, as some are more comfortable with technology than others. Our recommendation is that instructors thoroughly practice using SpeechGrader on videotaped or digitally recorded speeches before actually using it in the classroom. We recommend spending several hours becoming thoroughly familiar with SpeechGrader's extensive features, links, and grading system.
How do I make my screen image larger or smaller?
On the top menu bar, find “View” and then click “Zoom.” You should then be able to make the screen you are viewing either larger or smaller.
I only grade three speeches. What should I do with the fourth speech?
If you only grade three speeches, set the point value of the fourth speech to zero. Then, “Hide” the column on the Grades page (see 3.2.3. in the User Manual, How to Hide Columns and Rows You Don’t Need). Note: DO NOT DELETE THE WORKBOOK! This will create error results!
I get a warning that says the cell is protected and “read only.” What does this mean?
If you get a warning box, the program recognized that a protected cell was going to be changed. Cells are protected in SpeechGrader so formulas and values are not accidentally overwritten. If you see this warning, just click “OK.”
How can I protect my workbook so that my students can’t open it?
You can protect your workbooks with passwords. To set up a password to open your workbook, here is a protocol from Microsoft Help:
1. On the File menu, click Save As.
2. On the Tools menu, click General Options or Security Options.
3. Do either or both of the following:
o If you want users to enter a password before they can view the workbook, type a password in the Password to open box, and then click OK.
o If you want users to enter a password before they can save changes to the workbook, type a password in the Password to modify box, and then click OK.
4. When prompted, retype your passwords to confirm them.
5. Click Save.
6. If prompted, click Yes to replace the existing workbook.
I changed feedback comments in my speech workbook but they don’t carry over to the next speech. Why not?
Any changes made to the Custom Feedback worksheet (see in the User Manual, 4.4 The Custom Feedback Page) will only affect that speech. Changes made to the Comments Master workbook (see in the User Manual 4.4.1. Comments Master Workbook) can affect all Speech workbooks.
I changed grade color values for a particular speech, but then I changed my mind and wanted to reset it using the Master Color Values found in the Gradebook. The colors stayed the same in my speech workbook—how come?
The Gradebook Set Up page (see in the User Manual 3.1.4. Letter Grade Colors (2c)) is the master controller over all speech workbooks, but once you change a value in a speech workbook (see in the User Manual 4.5.4. Set Grade Values and Grade Colors for Speeches), those values override the links from the Gradebook. Once overridden, you can only change those values manually.
I have some strange feedback on my “Speech 1” Custom Feedback worksheet—it doesn’t belong with the rest of my feedback (it’s about “Eye Contact” but the rest is about “Posture”). How come?
Once you type in a custom comment for a given criterion, that cell’s formula is overwritten by your comment and will no longer populate with values from the drop-down menus (see in the User Manual 4.4.3. Changing a Value in the Custom Feedback Worksheet). The safest bet is always to make changes in the Comments Master workbook (see in the User Manual 4.4.1. Comments Master Workbook).
My Auto-Fill comment won’t work on my student’s speech worksheet. Any ideas?
First, check to make sure that particular criterion’s check box has been checked on the Custom Feedback worksheet (see in the User Manual 4.4.4. Turning the Auto-Fill Comments Feature On and Off).
If that’s not the problem, once you use a Drop-Down menu comment (see in the User Manual 4.7.8.2.1. Choose a Drop-Down Menu Comment), you type in a custom comment (see in the User Manual 4.7.8.2.2. Type in a Customized Comment), or you delete a comment already in a feedback cell (see in the User Manual 4.7.8.2.3. Delete a Comment), the formula for that cell has been overwritten and the cell will no longer accept Auto-Fill comments.
I keep track of students’ attendance some days by the assignment they turn in. How can I track their attendance using your program?
The simplest way would be to use a symbol other than the ones used for keeping attendance (see in the User Manual 3.1.9. Absence Symbols (6a,6b,6c)). For example, use the letter “p” for “present” to record each student’s presence. SpeechGrader will only count the values for attendance that you set for attendance; other values are disregarded.
I keep track of points by percentages. SpeechGrader uses points. How can I convert?
One simple way might be to use round figures (such as 1,000 points for a semester). That way, all assignments that you’ve assigned percentage points to will neatly convert to points (for example, a speech worth 15% of your grade would be worth 150 points from a 1,000 point total).
I keep track of several elements where students may receive deductions, but there’s only one box for deductions on SpeechGrader’s worksheets. What can I do?
Leave a few criteria fields blank (say, the last three, numbers 27, 28, and 29).
Then type in the value of the deduction where the number grade appears for these blank criteria fields (see in the User Manual 4.7.8.1. Changing the Grade Number Value). Type in a comment for the deduction in the Comment field, or pre-program a response using the Drop-Down menus (see in the User Manual 4.4.1.2. Master Drop-Down List Comments). Tally the total number of deductions and put the point total in the Deductions box (see in the User Manual 4.7.11. Bonus Points, Deductions, and Time Penalty). Since these are blank criteria, the last category will not tabulate these into its average. However, the deduction will be taken as a point subtraction from the Deductions box.
Why doesn’t my student’s speech grade show up on the Grades page in the Gradebook?
Make sure that you have completed grading for your speech! If it says “Partial Grade” in the lower right corner (see in the User Manual 4.7.12. Partial Grade and Final Grade), the grade will not transfer to the Gradebook! (This is to protect you from assigning an incorrect or incomplete grade.) Once it says “Final Grade”, the grade will transfer to the Gradebook.
How do I transfer data from my laptop to my office computer?
Since the files are large, probably the simplest way is to use a “Flash Drive” or “Jump Drive.” With USB-based memory, data can be moved quickly from one computer to another. Simply right-click on the folder you are saving, choose “Send to” and then the destination drive. When it asks you to overwrite the file that’s already there, choose “Yes.”
You will download the entire folder this way, and it will replace the one already there. Note: One way to avoid confusion over which data are the newest is to always make whatever is on the Flash Drive the most recent data. A second way to transfer data is to e-mail the workbooks to your e-mail account, provided your e-mail can handle large files.
Sometimes in the middle of a speech, my computer will say “Saving Autorecover Info…” and I won’t be able to use the program for ten seconds. How can I stop it from doing that?
Autorecover is a feature built into Excel® that automatically saves your data should you lose power. A way to change this feature is to access “Tools”>”Options”>“Save”. You can then choose whether to increase the time by which Excel “autorecovers” or simply turn off the feature.
The printouts come out beautifully, but I want to save my printer’s ink. Is there a way I can print out the comment sheets and not use so much ink?
Most printers have a “draft” copy setting that will print the copies faster and without using a great deal of ink. The quality of the print will usually be less than a “normal” version, but it should still be quite legible. To print a draft version, click “File>Print>Properties>Paper/Quality” and choose “Draft.” If that doesn’t work, check your printer’s owner’s manual for instructions.
I have two workbooks, one for my 8am class and one for my 12pm class. Both were working fine this morning. However, I just did a make up speech and the automatic fill-ins on % and comments didn't work, neither did the automatic calculating of the grade, nor the stopwatch. My macros were enabled, and this problem only showed up on the 8am class. When I went into the 12pm class, everything worked fine.
Go to Tools>Options>Calculation and see if the setting is “Manual.” If so, change to “Automatic.”
On the Gradebook SetUp page, the four speech categories are protected (and highlighted blue), and I cannot change the point values or names of the speeches. Starting with row five, I do have the ability to make changes.
The speech categories are protected so that they will show up there automatically and that they accidentally can't be changed on the Gradebook Setup page. Both the names of the speeches and their point values (the boxes in blue) should populate automatically when you adjust the values in the actual speech workbooks (i.e., go to Speech One > SetUp page, and change the value of the Speech Title (#1) and Point Value (#7). That should automatically update the values on the Gradebook > SetUp page).
