Moving from Concourse
What happens to all my stuff when Concourse goes away?
Getting Started in Sakai
Which browser should I use to access Concourse in Sakai?
How do I access/find my Course Site(s)?
How do I find a list of participants in my Site?
Can I customize the Sites displayed in my Quicklinks?
How do I get back to a tool’s main screen?
Instructor Questions
Can I create my own Course Site?
Can I add or remove a tool from a Site?
Can I reorder the contents in Resources?
Can I move files and folders in Resources?
Are students automatically added to/dropped from my Course Site?
Why can't a student access my Course Site?
Can I add a non-ND participant to my Course Site?
Can my TA grade assignments and/or quizzes?
How do I change the participant’s role in my Site?
How do I remove a participant from my Site?
Can I post my syllabus for my students to view?
Can I view my Course from a student’s perspective?
Can I view the Gradebook from a student’s perspective?
Can I create my own grading scale?
How many files can I store in my Site?
General Information Questions
What will ‘My Workspace’ allow me to do?
What are the Course Site default tools?
What are the Project Site default tools?
What are the permisson settings for the different roles?
What is the difference between Dropbox and Box?
Moving from Concourse
The ‘old’ Concourse, hosted by Blackboard, will no longer be supported as of June 2013. This means that after June 2013 there will no longer be access to material created or stored in this application, and this material will not be archived for future access. However, everyone still has ample opportunity to copy out any material not already backed up in another location before the switch. Please see Moving Content from Concourse for more information on how to take your content with you to Concourse in Sakai.
Getting Started
Which browser should I use to access Concourse in Sakai?
For best results, use Firefox 5 or higher, Internet Explorer 8 or higher, or Safari 5.1 or higher. For the complete list of supported browser, please see the browser compatibility list.
How do I log into Sakai?
You can log into Concourse in Sakai through sakai.nd.edu or from insideND through the Faculty or Student tab.
How do I access/find my Course Site(s)?
Once you log into Sakai, you can click on any of the Sites in the Quicklinks bar across the top of your screen. A complete listing of all Sites you own or have access to can be found in the My Sites tab.
How do I find a list of participants in my Site?
From your Site, click the Gradebook tool, Roster tool, or the Site Editor tool to see a list of participants who have access to your Site.
Can I customize the Sites displayed in my Quicklinks?
Yes. To customize how your Sites are displayed in Quicklinks, see How to Organize My Quicklinks
How do I get back to a tool’s main screen?
Click the reset icon 
to return to the tool’s main screen.
Note: Do not use the browser’s back/forward buttons.
Instructor Questions
Can I create my own Course Site?
There is no need to do so. By default, when your course is available for the term, it will automatically display in My Sites. At that time, you can start to design your course or import content from an existing Course Site.
Can I add or remove a tool from a Site?
Yes. You can do this by selecting your Site first, then click the Site Editor tool, and then click the Edit Tools tab.
Can I reorder the contents in Resources?
Yes. On the folder containing items you wish to reorder, select Actions and then Reorder. Drag and drop as desired, then click Save. Your changes will affect all Site members.
Can I move files and folders in Resources?
Yes. Select the folder or file you wish to move. Select Actions and then Move. Navigate to the new destination (another folder), select Actions and then Past moved items. The same steps apply when copying files or folders to other folders.
Are students automatically added to/dropped from my Course Site?
Yes. Your class roster is updated at least twice per day.
Why can't a student access my Course Site?
If a student is not able to access your Course Site, it may be because:
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The student is not registered for your Course.
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Your Course Site is not published for the student to view. Note: To publish your Course Site, see How to Publish a Site
- The student has more than four courses, exceeding the available space on the student’s Quicklinks. Refer them to How To Organize my Quicklinks.
Can I add a non-ND participant to my Course Site?
Yes. To add a non-ND participant to your Course Site, see How to Add Participants to a Site
Can my TA grade assignments?
Yes. By default, those who are assigned a Teaching Assistant role have permission to grade anything within their assigned section or group. To remove grading permissions from the TA, see How to turn off grading for TA
How do I change the participant’s role in my Site?
From your Site, click Site Editor. From the Role drop-down menu, select the appropriate role for the participant, then click Update Participants. For more information on how to change the participant's role, see How to Change the Role of a Participant
How do I remove a participant from my Site?
From your Site, click Site Editor. Click the Remove box following the participant’s name, then click Update Participants.
Can I post my syllabus for my students to view?
Yes. You can upload your syllabus to Resources and then link it to the Syllabus tool. For more information on how to post your syllabus, see How to Post a Syllabus
If you need to create a syllabus, the best practice method would be to create your syllabus using your preferred word processing tool, save as a PDF, then see How to Post a Syllabus
Can I view my Course from a student’s perspective?
Yes. There is a View Site As dropdown menu that allows you to see a basic view of your Site as a student will see it. However, as the instructor you may be able to see some resources that students are unable to see.
To view exactly what a student would see in your Site, see How to Create a Student_Demo Account
Can I view the Gradebook from a student’s perspective?
Yes. In the Gradebook for your Course Site, click the name of any student and then click the View As Student button in the Student Summary pane. Click Close when done.
Can I create my own grading scale?
Sakai has a default grading scale that equates letter grades to a range of numbers. You can change the number ranges, but you are not able to add or remove a letter grade altogether.
How many files can I store in my Site?
You can store up to 2GB of files in each of your Sites. To determine how much space you are currently using in a Site, click the Resources tool and then click Check Quota. If you are close to exceeding your quota and need more space, email the OIT Help Desk at oithelp@nd.edu or call them directly at 574-631-8111.
General Information Questions
What are Course Sites?
Course Sites are based on an academic term. They are published (made visible to all students) on the first day of classes (if not beforehand by the Instructor) and they are unpublished (invisible to all students) 21 days after the last class day, allowing time to use them for exam study and course makeup.
What are Project Sites?
Project Sites are for collaborative activities and research outside the bounds of an academic term. Project Sites can also be used to store course materials that will be reused from one semester to the next. Faculty, students and staff alike can create a Project Site. For more information on how to create a Project Site, see How to Create a Project Site.
What is ‘My Workspace’?
When you log in to Concourse in Sakai, you will automatically open to a Site called My Workspace. This page will display messages, calendar, and workspace information and tools.
What will ‘My Workspace’ allow me to do?
These tools in My Workspace allow you to:
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create Course and/or Project Sites
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view all your calendar events and announcements
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store, organize, and manage a collection of resources
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maintain a personal profile
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set preferences for all your Sites
What are Quicklinks?
Quicklinks is the menu displayed across the top of your Sakai page that contains links to your most frequently accessed Course or Project Sites. If you need a complete listing of all Sites, click the My Sites tab.
What are the Course Site default tools?
- Announcements - For posting current, time-critical information
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Assignments - For posting, submitting and grading assignment(s) online
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Calendar - Allows instructors and Site organizers to post information about a Site’s activities in calendar format.
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Forums - Allows you to create any number of online discussion forums for your course and project Sites.
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Gradebook - For storing and computing assessment grades from Tests & Quizzes or that are manually entered
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Messages - Allows you to send and receive private messages to and from other Site participants.
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Resources - For posting documents, URLs to other websites, etc.
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Roster - For viewing the Site participants list
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Search - Allows you to search for students, profiles, topic, blog entries, etc.
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Site Editor (Instructor only) - Allows you to change the content, access, organization, and structure of the Site.
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Site Statics - For showing Site statistics by user, event, or resource
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Syllabus - For posting a summary outline and/or requirements for a Site
A complete list of available tools is located in the Help menu of Concourse in Sakai.
Note: For information on the Gradebook, search for Gradebook2 in the Help menu.
What are the Project Site default tools?
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Announcements - For posting current, time-critical information
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Calendar - Allows instructors and Site organizers to post information about a Site’s activities in calendar format.
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Resources - For posting documents, URLs to other websites, etc.
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Roster - For viewing the Site participants list
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Search – Allows you to search for students, profiles, topic, blog entries, etc.
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Site Editor (Instructor only) - Allows you to change the content, access, organization, and structure of the Site.
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Site Statics - For showing Site statistics by user, event, or resource
A complete list of available tools is located in the Help menu of Concourse in Sakai.
What are the permisson settings for the different roles? (Larger view)
- Designer: Designer can read and add site content, add announcements, view site participants, and manage sites.
- Facilitator: Facilitators can read site content, participate in discussions, revise announcements, grade assignments and tests, and view site participants.
- Guest: Guests have the same permission as demo.
- Instructor: Instructors are the owner of a site. They can manage a site, view site participants, invite ND and external users, and manage roles of invited. Instructors can read, revise, delete, and add content and tools to a site. But instructors cannot submit homework & tests,be graded and peer evaluated, see final grade, and have final grade submitted.
- Librarian: Would your course benefit from having a Librarian “in residence”? This role was designed with Notre Dame Librarians in mind. Please contact your Subject Librarian to discuss the benefits of adding a librarian role to your course. They’re happy to help!
- Student: Students can read site content, participate in discussions, submit assignments & tests, be peer evaluated, be graded, see final grade, have grade submitted, and view site participants. DO NOT USE THIS ROLE.
- Student Demo: Demo students have the same permission as the Student role, but will not be removed when the roster is updated by the Registrar.
- TA Registrar: TA Registrar role has the same permissions as the TA Sakai role and is set by the Registrar’s Office. DO NOT USE THIS ROLE.
- TA Sakai: If you wish to enable someone unknown to the Office of the Registrar to function as a TA for you, this is the role to assign to them. It will not be overwritten or wiped out when we synchronize the course site enrollments with Registrar data. You might choose to use this role if your TA is an undergraduate, or if adding them as a TA through the Registrar’s Office would give them access to more ND applications than you’re comfortable with (Online Photo or others, for example). This role only applies to Sakai.
What is the difference between Dropbox and Box?
Dropbox is a tool available in course and project sites that creates a private folder for each student, viewable only by that student and the instructor. This is an ideal space for students to upload individual assignments.
Box is an online file storage and collaboration service that can be accessed using your ndID. Box is better suited for collaborative projects, since many people will be albe to access the material stored there. Box can also serve as a space for individual, private assignments. However, it is more complicated to set up than Dropbox. Instructors must log in to Box, create an individual folder for each student, and invite that student as a collaborator in the folder. The folder will then only be viewable by the student and the instructor.
