Logging In

Accessing Waypoint is easy! Depending on whether or not your Waypoint instance is connected to a Learning Management System (LMS), your experiencing of logging in will vary.

From Blackboard Learn

To access Waypoint from Blackboard Learn, first log into your course.  Under the Control Panel, click on Course Tools:

From the options, clicking on "Grade in Waypoint" will automatically open Waypoint 2 in a new tab in your web browser.  If you are an instructor, you will be brought to the Engage/Grade page where you will be able to assess student work.

If you are a Waypoint administrator and your only goal is to manage rubrics, then you should click on "Manage Waypoint Rubrics" - this will take you directly the the Rubrics page where you will be able to create, share, and manage rubrics.

More information about logging into Waypoint from Blackboard Learn can be found here.

From Waypoint (Standalone)

To access Waypoint directly, you will need to navigate to your organization's dedicated Waypoint URL and use the provided login credentials (username and password).

The dedicated Waypoint URL and login credentials for you to use should have been provided to you by your organization.  If you do not have this information, reach out to your organization's help desk.

From eCollege

To access Waypoint from eCollege, you will need to locate the "Waypoint" link within your course.

Depending on how your organization designs course, this link may appear under the course menu or on an individual page (content item).  If you are unsure where this link is found, reach out to your organization's help desk.

Rubrics are the tool used in Waypoint to measure user's work.  Each rubric contains a list of criteria.  These criteria represent the subject matter being assessed in a given assignment (e.g. Thesis Topic, Critical Thinking, Introduction, Problem Solving, etc.).  Each criterion contains a number of performance levels used to determine the score achieved by the user's work.  These performance levels can be represented by numbers or text.  They indicate how well a user performed for a specific criterion and can include textual feedback explaining the assessor's choice.

A rubric's criterion can be associated with one or more learning outcomes.  During the assessment process, authentic rich data is collected which can be reported out against learning outcomes.  This is very helpful for accreditation purposes among other things.

Learning outcomes (Competencies) are available in the Analytics Edition of Waypoint. You can learn more about creating and managing competencies by clicking here.

Starting the Rubric Wizard

Rubrics in Waypoint are created using the Rubric Wizard.  This wizard has four steps; Getting Started, Criteria Builder, Format Scores, and Review.  You will be able to start building your rubric and stop at anytime by saving.  Before you can use the Rubric Wizard, you first have to create a folder to contain your rubric.

Follow these steps to access the Rubric Wizard and begin building your rubric(s):

1. Log into Waypoint.
2. Click on the Design tab.
3. On the Rubrics page, click on the New Folder button.
4. Give the folder a name and then click Create Folder.
5. Click on the New Rubric button to open the Rubric Wizard.
6. Follow steps 1 - 4 of the Rubric Wizard.

Step 1 - Getting Started

The first step is to give the rubric some basic information.  Input a name and choose a folder location where you want your rubric stored.  You can also add an optional description. When you are finished, click on Next Step >>

NOTE: If you want the grader to be required to select a rubric score for each criterion, make sure you select the "Rubric completion required" checkbox.

The second step is to fill in the rubric details to include the number of performance levels, criteria, associated competencies, and feedback text.  If at any point you want to stop building your rubric, simply click on the Save & Exit button located in the top right of the screen.  Your rubric will be saved.

Step 2 - Criteria Builder

1. First define a Likert scale to determine the number of performance levels each criterion will have. 
1. Select the number of performance levels you want from the drop down menu.
2. Define the performance level's text.  This language will not be visible on the returned feedback.
3. Click the Update button when you have finished.
   
   • You will need to remove all rubric criteria you added to change this Likert scale so ensure you have the correct number of levels before moving forward.
2. Next input the first criterion's name by clicking on the Criterion 1 text.  Click the Update button when you have finished.
3. The next step is to attach your criterion to one or more competencies.  Competencies will not be available if they have not first been created.
1. Click the Manage Competencies button.  This will bring up your Competency list.
2. To add a competency, click on the arrow button under the Select column.  This button will turn green after the competency has been moved to the right side of the window.  Click on the X next to the competency name to remove it from the criterion.  You can continue to add as many competencies to the criterion as you would like.
   
   • The folder icon under the Expand column indicates the competency has sub-competencies.  You can add the sub-competencies individually or attach the entire competency group as a whole.
3. Click on the Use Selected button when you are finished.
4. The last step is to fill out the criterion's feedback details.  This includes feedback text the student will receive after the assessment is complete and the evaluation has been sent back to the user.
1. Working from left to right (highest score to lowest), click on text box founder under the blue bar containing your top performance level text.
2. You have two areas to input the feedback text for this criterion's performance level.
   
   • The text you input under the Observation for Evaluator will only appear in the rubric during assessment.  This text can match what you place under Feedback for Recipient or contain a condensed version of key words that the assessor will recognize.
   • The text you input under the Feedback for Recipient willappear on the feedback record that is returned to the user.  This text should relate to the level of performance for this specific criterion.
   • You can easily copy the text under Observation for Evaluator into the Feedback for Recipient box by clicking the arrow between the two text boxes.
3. Click on the Update button when you are finished.
4. Continue until each performance level has been completed.
5. You can also add Additional Feedback to each criterion which contains text that can be added to the student's feedback record but does not directly affect the performance level score.  Simply click on the Add Additional Feedback button, input text, and then click on the Save button.  When your rubric is published, this text will appear under the Observations (performance levels) during assessment.  There is no limit to the number of Additional Feedback you can add to a criterion, nor any limit to the amount of Additional Feedback you can choose to include with the student's assessment.

At any time, you can reorder the criteria on this screen by one of two ways:

1. To the left of the criterion title, click on the Drag icon and hold down your mouse button. Doing so will allow you to freely move the criterion to the desired spot.
   
2. To the left of the criterion title, click on the Reorder drop-down menu. Doing so will allow you to move the current criterion to the top or bottom of the rubric list.
   

You can add more criterion by clicking on the New Criterion button or remove criterion by clicking on the Remove button.  Use steps 2 - 4 above to build the rubric's remaining criterion.  When you are finished, click on Next Step >>

Step 3 - Format Scores

The third step is to give the rubric a point range.  Currently there is only one scoring model available in Waypoint: Points -Additive.  Filling in your point range will give you a base to match your points per criteria.  When you have determined a From and To point value (the From range representing the lower score and the To range representing the higher score), click on the Update button.  This will evenly distribute your points and autofill your criteria.  You will be able to manually adjust the point values for each criterion as long as you stay within your point range.  When you are finished, click on Next Step >>

Step 4 - Review

The fourth and final step is to review the rubric you've built and either save it for later or publish it.  To save the rubric as a draft, click on the Save & Exit button.  Otherwise, click on Publish in the bottom right corner to finalize the rubric.  Publishing a rubric makes it available to attach to an Assignment and begin assessment.

Once you have published your rubric, you can also manage it on the Design/Rubrics page.  Learn how to share it to peers, create a revision or duplicate copy and archive it by clicking here.

For Blackboard Learn and eCollege users

If you are using Waypoint 2 with an integration to your LMS, then course management (creating courses/sections and their assignments) should be completed on the LMS side.  However, you can still use the Course Definitions area to manage users (enrollment).  Click here to learn more about user management.

Using Course Definitions

Waypoint 2 accounts with the Design Rubrics task enabled will be able to create Course Definitions (templates) and create Sections (copies of the template for use) from those templates. Assignments created in the Course Definitions will be copied to new Sections and can then be modified if needed.  This let's the user set up courses and assignments for other assessors before the assessment begins.

Creating a Course

To create a course template:

1. Log into Waypoint.
2. Click on the Design tab.
3. Click on the Course Definitions button from the sub-menu.
4. Click on the Create Course button.
5. Enter a title and click on Create Course.

Once you have the course created, you will be able to add assignments and attach them to Waypoint rubrics.  Any assignments created at this level will automatically be included in any sections created for this course.  You will have the ability to adjust these assignments in the section by renaming the assignment and/or attaching it to a different rubric.

In order to enroll users to a course, the course must have at least one section.

Creating a Section

1. Log into Waypoint.
2. Click on the Design tab.
3. Click on the Course Definitions button from the sub-menu.
4. Locate your course by title and click on it.
5. Click on the Course Sections tab.
6. Click on the Create Section button.
7. Enter a title and click on Create.

Enter the section by clicking on its title.  On the next page you will have the ability to add course assignments and link them to Waypoint rubrics.

Adding Assignments

1. Click on the Create Section Assignment button.
2. Enter a title and click on Create.
3. Once the Assignment has been created, you can attach it by hovering over the Actions button and clicking on Link Rubrics.
1. Locate the Rubric you wish to attach to the assignment from the left.
2. Click on the right-facing arrow under the Select column to add the Rubric.  In doing so, the Rubric name will be added to the right.
3. Click on the Use Selected button when you are finished.

You can also change the name of the Assignment, as well as other details, through the Actions button.

Enrolling Users

Under the Section Roster tab, you will be able to enroll users three different ways; create a new user account, add users with a CSV upload or choose existing users.

To create a new Waypoint 2 user account:

1. Click on the Enroll New button.
2. Enter the following information:
   
   • First Name
   • Last Name
   • Username
   • Email
   • Role - click here for more information on Roles
3. Click on the Enroll button when you are finished.

NOTE: Roles must be made active or else they will not appear under the role drop-down menu.  To do this, go to the Admin/Roles page, highlight a role and click on Edit...  On the Edit Role page check the box next to 'Show as role for enrollment' - then click Save. This role will now be available.

To add users with a CSV upload:

1. Click on the Enroll From CSV button
2. Download the CSV template by clicking on the Download Excel template link
3. After completing the template, click Browse... to locate your CSV template
4. Click the Import button to upload your CSV file

To enroll an existing member:

1. Click on the Enroll Existing Members button.
2. Locate the user(s) you wish to enroll to the course from the left.
3. Click on the right-facing arrow under the Select column to add the user(s).  The names of the enrolled users will be added to the right.
4. Change the role of individual users by using the drop-down menu found under their name on the right.
5. Click on the Update Roster button when you are finished.

Use the Default Role drop-down menu to automatically assign a specific role to the users you add.  Otherwise if the menu has the 'Instructor' role selected, student users you add will inherent the Instructor role - forcing you to manually change the roles individually.

You can remove users from the right by clicking on the X next to their name.

Before you can assess student work, you must first have created a Rubric and associated it to a course Assignment.  If you have not created a Rubric yet and/or attached one to a Course Assignment, please follow the respective Walkthrough Guides, found above.

In Waypoint 2, assessors are able to see how many student documents are ungraded, graded, and returned for each Assignment.  Each of the course's Assignments are listed on the Engage page.  

If students have submitted their work, instructors can click on the "Begin Grading" button to open their document and begin assessment.

The assessor may also click on the "Show Roster" button, located above the Assignment details, to display a full roster list and manually select which student to begin assessing.  If the Assignment does not require a document submission, the "Begin Grading" button will not be available and the assessor must use the "Show Roster" button to select a "Grade" button for a particular student.

Learn how to assess student work that does not require a submitted document by clicking here.

Using the Rubric

After clicking on "Begin Grading" or a "Grade" button from the "Show Roster" list, Waypoint 2 will load the Rubric associated with the Assignment and the student's document (if applicable).  The Rubric will appear on the left side of the screen as a list of criteria.

Clicking on a criterion title will display its details: performance levels and feedback text.

1. Select a performance level under "Observations" to mark a score.

• The performance levels, by default, indicate the highest (top) to lowest (bottom) scores a student can receive for a given criterion.
• If the rubric was created with the "Rubric completion required" checkbox selected, each criterion must be scored in order for the grade to be finalized and returned to the student.

• Clicking "Save" will update the rubric with your changes.
• This feedback text is what displays on the student's feedback report once the assessment has been sent back to them.

• After changing the criterion score, clicking "save" will finalize the change.

Some rubrics also contain Additional Feedback criterion.  This type of criteria is not worth any points, therefore selecting them does not impact the overall Assignment score.  This feedback is simply additional text you can provide to the student upon returning their work.

You will continue marking scores and modifying any necessary feedback text for each criterion before reaching the end of the rubric.  The last step is to add optional text summarizing your feedback for the Assignment.

Navigating the Document

If the Assignment requires submitted work, the document will load in the space to the right of the rubric.  If the document contains multiple pages, you may browse through them by hovering anywhere over the document.  Doing so will display the page listing panel.  Click on the page number you wish to view and Waypoint will automatically reload the screen.

Above the page listing panel are links to download a PDF version of the document and the original file.

On the right side of the navigation toolbar are options for adjusting the document's display size and location of your document markup notes.

Annotating the Document

Waypoint 2 has the powerful ability to insert comments directly into the student's paper, which in return will appear on the feedback record the student receives after assessment.  Waypoint 2 has an extensive comment library with predefined feedback text that can be added to the student's work in only a couple of clicks!

1. To add comments, simply highlight text in the student's document or drag a rectangle over an image.

• The comment library box will appear, giving you the ability to browse our comments or create your own.

• These comments include text you are typing or are organized by a related comment tag.
• With only a few key strokes, the Matching Comments area is meant to speed up assessment by granting you quicker access to full comment feedback text.
• Clicking on the text will add it to the comment library box.

• Upon locating feedback from the Comment Library, selecting the text from the Matching Comments area will be add it to the comment library box.

More information about creating and maintaining your personal comment library can be found here.

Finalizing the Assessment

After you have filled out the rubric and added comments to the student's document, you can click on the "Finalize Grade" button.  This will lock the document and prevent any more assessment from occurring.  Click on the "Re-grade" button to unlock the document.  You can return to the Engage/Grade page by clicking the "End Grading" button or continue assessing another student.

Changing Students

There are two ways for changing students during assessment.  The first is to use the "Previous" and "Next Student" buttons located in the top right corner of the screen.  The other approach is to use the student drop-down menu, located above the rubric on the left side.  Either way will load the rubric and submitted document (if applicable).

After you have completed assessing someone's work, you can easily send back the grades and feedback to the user.

1. Log into Waypoint
2. Click on the Engage tab
3. From the Grade page, locate the assignment that contains the assessments you wish to return

• If you have multiple courses under your account, simply click the course name on the left hand side to load its assignments

• Which button you click on depends on whether or not you are connected to a Learning Management System (LMS).
• If you are connected to an LMS, clicking the Return button will send the grades and feedback to the LMS's grade book
• Whether or not you are connected to an LMS, clicking the Return & Email button will do the same but also send the student an email notifying them they have returned feedback

To learn more about the Student Feedback Record that is returned, please click here.

An assessor has the ability to generate basic data reports through use of the Show Outcomes button under the Engage tab.  This report focuses on the assignment details which includes criterion scores and student performance.

To run this outcomes report, student work must be assessed.

• Log into Waypoint.
• Click on the Engage tab.
• Find the assignment for which you wish to run a report for.
• To the right of the assignment name, click on the Show Outcomes button.
• Choose a rubric to generate data.

The first tab of this report, Performance Dashboard, displays the data as three different views.  You can list all of your students and see the overall score they received for the Assignment.  You can display a criteria breakdown for the Assignment; showing each criterion, the average criterion score, as well as the percentage of users that scored specific performance levels.  The last view on this report lists all of the course section Competencies.  The rubrics they are associated with are also listed, as well as average scores and performance level distributions.

You are able to download or export this data by using the Export button found at the bottom middle of this outcomes report.  The data can be exported as either a PDF, PNG (image file) or CSV (text file).

Institution-wide Outcomes

For institution-level outcomes to be generated, you must have the appropriate user role and Waypoint license (Analytics Edition).

More information on this type of reporting can be found here.