Domain Setup
The Admin menu allows you to set up and organize your OWL domain. This data is used to create distinct classes, segment reports, and allow you to collect longitudinal data. The creation of each feature (e.g. location, academic year, etc.) is dependent on the completion of a preceding feature, it is advised that you create each of the features in the following order:
1. Location, 2. Academic Year,3. Academic Term, 4. Courses, 5. Classes, 6. Users
To create each element do the following:
Select it from the Admin Menu
Click the Create Button
Complete the required Fields in the setup window, and click Save.
Admin Menu Definitions
1. Locations*
Locations are part of the basic setup of your OWL domain. Examples of Locations are: Schools, Campuses, Buildings. You may have multiple location for your domain.
Name - (required) provide a unique name.
Sync ID - (optional) See note below**
2. Academic Years*
An Academic Year refers to a specific period of time, such as a school year. An Academic year can later be broken into multiple Academic Terms.
Name - (required) provide a unique name
Sync ID - (optional) See note below**
Begins - The beginning date and time of this Academic Year
Ends - The ending date and time of this Academic Year
3. Academic Terms*
An Academic Term refers to a specific period of time; such as a semester, trimester, or quarter. Academic Terms are a division of a larger Academic Year. There can be multiple Academic Terms for each Academic Year. You can also create one Academic Term that encompasses the entire Academic Year
Year - Select an Academic Year from the drop down
Name - (required) provide a unique name
Sync ID - (optional) See note below**
Begins - The beginning date and time of this Academic Year
Ends - The ending date and time of this Academic Year
4. Courses*
A Course can refer to an area of study. A Course can encompass a set or series of Classes.
Name - (required) provide a unique name
Sync ID - (optional) See note below**
Language - Use the Down Arrow to select from a list of available languages.
Level - Use the Down Arrow to select from a list of available levels. This list will be filled in by your administrator to reflect your institution's terminology
5. Classes
Sync ID - (optional) See note below
Location - (required) Select from drop down list of previously created Locations
Course - (required) Select from drop down list of previously created Courses
Year - (required) Select from drop down list of previously created Academic Years
Term - (required) Select from drop down list of previously created Academic Terms
Section - (required) This is used to distinguish one Class from another
Period - (optional) This can refer to the specific Time or Period when the Class meets
6. Users
Username - (required) This must a unique name within your domain. We recommend using email addresses since they are always unique.
Password - (required) System Administrators may use this field to assign or reset a user's password.
First Name (required)
Middle Name (optional)
Last Name (required)
Primary Email (optional) - An email address is required if you intend to use the OWL TMS to send notifications
Alternate Email (optional)
Sync ID (optional) This field can be descriptive or it can be used for integration with other systems, or OWL Admin Import purposes
Groups (required) - User's defined role or set of permissions within the OWL TMS. A user may have more than one role
Languages (optional) - You can assign language(s) to your users, this field is descriptive only
Classes (optional) - You can assign a user to a class. When you assign a user to a class they will get all of the assignments for that class
Note: You can also add the User to the class roster by accessing the Class Roster pageDepartments (optional) - For domain organization purposes
Optional Domain Set up Fields
(NOTE: Most users will not see these options under the Admin Menu.)
Departments (optional)
Locations may be further subdivided into Departments.
Name - (required) provide a unique name
Description - (optional) Give a detailed description
Sync ID - (optional) See note below**
Grade Levels (optional)
Grade Level is a descriptive field and can be used to further organize your domain.
Name - provide a name that describes the grade level
Creating Users
OWL System Administrators are responsible for creating users for their domain.
There are multiple ways to create users in the OWL Test Management System.
Manually
New users can be created directly from the Admin Menu by following these steps:
Select Users from the Admin Menu
Click the Create Button
Complete the required Fields in the setup window, and click Save.
More detailed information on user field definitions can be found above.
Self-Registration
With the OWL generated registration link, a new or existing user will be presented with screens instructing them to create their OWL Account or login to proceed. [Self-Registration Help]
Application Program Interface (API)
This option is available to OWL Hosted platinum-level users. If you would like to learn more, please contact us at: info@owlts.com
System Integration
System integration enables site licensed or dedicated SaaS customers to move student/examinee, class and scoring information to between OWL and their student or employee information systems. If you would like to learn more about using this feature, please contact us at: info@owlts.com
Administrative Import
This is an add-on feature that can be made available to OWL users. If you are an OWL System Administrator and have the following option in your Tools Menu (Tools > Import > Administrative), then this feature is turned on for your OWL domain. [Admin Import Help]
Creating Classes
Setting up classes is an efficient way to manage assignments in OWL.
Anyone added to a class roster will be then automatically given the assignments for that class.
Students, Instructors, and Proctors are added and removed from a class using the Class Roster page.
Go to the Admin Menu and select Classes
System Administrators have permission to setup classes
(0:03.8) CREATING CLASSES
(0:34.8) USING CLASS ROSTERS
Types of Users
Users have access to certain functions or permissions by assigning them to a “Group.”
This is done by the System Administrator of the OWL domain when creating an OWL User.
More than one "Group" or “Role” can be selected for a given user.
System Admin (Landing Page: OWL Home Page)
The System Administrator is responsible for managing the OWL Test Management System within the user's organization. There is typically one (or as few as possible) System Administrator(s) for a given domain.
Complete access to all menu options and capabilities for the domain
Determine organization of domain and appropriate roles for new users
Ongoing training of new users (i.e., content creators, test administrators, proctors and raters)
Complete access to edit/copy/delete all content created by any user within the domain
Create/delete users and classes
The main point of contact with the OWL Hosting Team
Instructor (Landing Page: OWL Home Page)
An OWL Instructor is responsible for coordinating the activities of their class(es). They can create OWL online content such as Assignments, Tests, Sections, or Items. Instructors need to be assigned to the class by the System Administrator. The functions available to OWL Instructors are listed below. Please note some options are only available at premium subscription levels.
Admin | Classes (view), Users
Building | Complete Access
Testing | Manage Assignments , Monitor Testing
Assessment | Assessment List , Assessment Requests, Manage Assessment Requests
Reporting | Complete Access
Tools | Content Imports, Content Exports, Content Copies, Examinee Portfolios, Browser Check, Browser Info
System | Monitoring
Rater (Landing Page: Blind Assessment Home Screen)
This user is responsible for manually Performing an Rating on tests that contain human rated items such as oral response, essay or translation. Raters will need to be designated as a rater on the assignment by the System Administrator.
Assessment | Start Blind Assessments , My Assessments
NOTE: Raters can only see their own assessments.
Student (Landing Page: Launch Directly to the Current Assignment; or
Current Assignments List Page if there is more than one open assignment)
Test Taker or Examinee
Testing | My Current Assignments , My Completed Assignments
Tools | Browser Check, Browser Info
Proctor (Landing Page: Test Monitoring List Page)
Users within this group assignment are responsible for monitoring ongoing testing. The proctor can resume, accept, or reset ongoing testing.
Testing | Monitor Testing
Test Admin (Landing Page: Testing Monitor)
Test Administrators can be added to an assignment to give them the permissions of the instructor on an assignment, plus the ability to create users if necessary.
Admin | Users
Testing | Manage Assignments, Monitor Testing
Assessment |Assessment List , Admin: Responses, Assessment Monitor, Assessment Requests
Reporting | Complete Access
Results Viewer (Landing Page: Results View)
Results Viewers can be added to an assignment so that they can view the finalized results for their assignments. They can do this in the browser and download a results report. Results Viewer Help
PLEASE NOTE: Certain other group settings have been created for specific domains. If you have questions about a user group that is not described above, please direct your inquiry to the OWL System Administrator within your organization.
Examinee Portfolios
The Portfolios feature allows an Instructor or a System Administrator to create a .zip file of all recordings an examinee has produced within the OWL Test Management System over time
From the Admin Menu select Users.
Select the checkbox next to the examinee(s) for whom you wish to create a portfolio
Click the Portfolio button at the top of the page.
Once they are created they will appear on the exported files page under Tools -> Examinee Portfolios.
Instructor Access to Data
OWL offers system administrators flexibility to controlling the level of access for users in their domain.
System Admins can control the permissions that instructor users have to test data using two factors:
Who Creates the Assignment? Both System Administrators and Instructors have permission to create OWL assignments.
System administrators can create assignments for ANY test in the domain, and they can put ANY student on an assignment roster.
OWL limits instructors to creating assignments for the tests they create (or copy) and the students in their classes.
What are the Instructor’s Roles and Roster Settings? When you give users a group you are providing them with permissions to access different functions within your OWL domain. You are telling the test management system to turn on additional menu options with each new role. This illustration shows an example. A user whose role is set only to “instructor” cannot perform blind assessments, so they do not have the “Start Blind Assessments” or “My Assessments“ functions found under the Assessment Menu. But perhaps you want your instructors to be raters for students in other classes. To accomplish this, you would give the instructors the added role of “rater” and add them to the rater rosters of the assignments for the other classes. This illustration demonstrates how a user’s group permissions affect their access to OWL functions.
This chart can help you decide how to set up the user permissions for your OWL domain. The examples of common applications below will help you better understand the chart.
Example 1: High Stakes Testing (See line A)
Goal: Instructor has NO ACCESS to the Test or their student’s responses.
Who Creates the Assignment? System Administrator
What are the Instructor’s Roles and Roster Settings? None
Example 2: Practice Testing (See line C)
Goal: System Admin controls the content and assignment of a Practice Test. Instructors have access to the response and assessment data to provide instructive feedback, proctor testing, run reporting, add or remove students from the roster.
Who Creates the Assignment? System Administrator
What are the Instructor’s Roles and Roster Settings? Test Administrator
Example 3: Daily Classroom Activities (See line F)
Goal: Instructors use OWL to provide quizzes and ongoing assessments activities.
Who Creates the Assignment? Instructor
What are the Instructor’s Roles and Roster Settings? None
OWL System Administrators should create sample users accounts with the permissions they are considering. Add those sample accounts to the assignment roster(s). Then login as that user and view the permissions to the assignment for rating, administering and reporting.