Instructor
Tool Box
Runestone has an Instructor’s Guide that will lead you through the steps to create a course and answer many questions you may have.
🔗 Create a Course
🔗 Add and remove students
🔗 Add and remove TAs or co-instructors
🔗 Create homework assignments
🔗 Grade the homework assignments
🔗 Prepare for class by understanding where my students are confused
🔗 Configure the spaced practice tool for my students
🔗 Prepare an assessment for my students to take online with Runestone
🔗 Use Peer Instruction during class
🔗 Configure Runestone to work with Canvas or Moodle
“I have used the Runestone platform for several semesters, in both introductory programming and data science courses, and have been consistently impressed with student outcomes. The ActiveCode feature is wonderful: students get real-time feedback on their work, and the code history feature proves invaluable as they can review their past results and learn from their mistakes. Setup each semester is a breeze, and students can get to work within minutes. The sections are well written and appropriately-sized, concise and not overwhelming. As an instructor, the Student Progress page gives me an immediate overview of student learning, and the ability to review the dashboard "donut charts" for each activity helps me plan every session to maximize the impact of classroom time. Creating assignments is a breeze, and I can incentivize reading by tying points (the "coin of the realm") to activity progress. Students actually DO the reading! I've learned to add my own questions and coding exercises to the text, and administer exams directly within the textbook, which has become a one-stop shop for all course activities.
I have used other interactive textbook systems over the years, and while each has its merits, nothing has come close to the ease-of-use and flexibility of the Runestone platform. Backed by a wonderfully supportive developer and user community, I've always been able to find answers to technical issues and ideas for better utilizing the book. Students love Runestone books, and the fact that they are inexpensive and/or free is just icing on the cake..”
Sean Joyce
Heidelberg University
“Having trackable and gradable interactivity built into the textbook, so that students can read and do work all in one place, really aids and encourages the active problem solving that results in deeper understanding and a better teaching and learning experience for me and my students. Being free and open source in addition is incredible.”
Dr. Chrissy Safranski
Franciscan University of Steubenville