Buzz Navigation

If you are new to Buzz, take some time to familiarize yourself with the system by viewing the materials on this page.

Opening a Course in Buzz

When you select the "Launch Course" button in My Course Portal, you will be taken directly into the course in Buzz.

Student Tools in Buzz

The series of videos to the right will introduce you to the main tools available in Buzz, including the main dashboard that shows all of your courses and to-do items, the Gradebook where you can track your grades and progress, the calendar that helps you stay on track, the Activities tab where you will access course content, as well as the Self Assessment tool.

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Submitting Work in Buzz

The following information covers how to complete coursework in Buzz from quizzes and exams to discussions and DBAs.

Required Work

It is possible that your course may have additional lessons and assignments (for example, honors) that you are not required to complete. Before beginning any work, check your gradebook to confirm that it is something you need to complete or you can ask your instructor.

Here are two examples of assignments that you may not need to complete in your course:

Honors vs. Regular Tracks

In your course, you will be able to view both honors and regular track lessons and assignment directions in the lesson pages. This means that even if you have been enrolled in a course as a regular track, you will still be able to view the honors material. You do not need to do anything with this content unless you are enrolled in the honors track and see those assignments in your Gradebook. Ask your teacher if you are not sure if you should complete an assignment.

Collaboration Projects

You may have collaboration project information listed in your course. You may be excused from this assignment with permission. Ask your instructor if you are not sure about completing an assignment.

Quizzes and Exams

In most courses, there is a short quiz in between lessons, each module ends with a module test, and a segment exam at the end of the semester course.

Some courses will have a pretest before you start the module, or unit, of study and/or a practice test at the end of a module before the module test. Pretests and practice tests are worth 1 point. You can take these more than once to help you study and determine what you still need to review before taking the module test.

Tips for Taking Assessments

All assessments are completed online. It is recommended that you have a strong internet connection and an uninterrupted block of time to complete your assessment. All assessments must be completed in one sitting, so be sure to review the course materials and your notes before starting any assessment.

When answering fill-in-the-blank questions, be sure to carefully type in your responses to avoid accidental misspellings or extra characters. Some questions are graded automatically and may not be scored correctly if your answer is not recognized because of a typo. Always review your graded assessments and instructor feedback. Contact your instructor if you have any questions about the course material or your assessment.

Dropbox Assignments

Dropbox assignments include worksheets, essays, hands-on lab activities, and other work that you must complete offline and submit for grading. Dropboxes for these assignments allow you to upload one or more documents. All directions for dropbox assignments are included in the course.

Discussions

Some courses include discussions in which you will interact with other students to share your research, ideas, and opinions on various topics. Before completing a discussion assignment, be sure to review the discussion guidelines. Responses to discussions are graded according to the Discussion Rubric.

Discussion-Based Assessments (DBAs)

In each course, you will complete DBAs during which you will talk with your instructor one-on-one. DBAs give you the opportunity to demonstrate how much you know about the course material. You can also ask your instructor questions and seek clarification about specific topics that may be confusing in your course during these conversations. It is important to schedule these sessions with your instructor and not skip over them. Your instructor needs to talk to you directly throughout your time in the course. It is an academic integrity checkpoint and also gives the instructor the chance to help you be successful in your course.

If you schedule a DBA with your instructor, you are expected to keep this appointment. If you cannot make this appointment for any reason, you must communicate with your instructor as soon as possible. Make sure that both of your know the correct date, time, and time zone of the appointment. If you do not show up for the appointment, you may not receive credit for this assignment.

How Do I?

Order Courses

You can change the order in which your courses appear on the student home page in Buzz.

View Progress

You can see progress overviews for all of your courses at once on one screen.

Sync Calendars

You can easily sync your Buzz Calendar to certain external calendars, like Google Calendar.

Learn More

Create Tasks

If it's enabled, you can create tasks for yourself to complete.

What If Tool

You can enter different scores for individual assignments and see how those scores impact your overall grade.

Assessment Tools

Buzz provides tools that you can use during assessments to help you sharpen your focus.

Learn More