Respondus and StudyMate Author Software
Faculty can use Respondus to build an archive of questions that can be reused, shared and exported in many formats. StudyMate lets you create ten Flash-based activities and games using three simple templates.
| Installation | About Respondus | About StudyMate |
| Support Documents | Windows 7 tips | Mac not supported |
Respondus and StudyMate Author Licenses are now available to faculty associated with the MSU system (Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, Northern). Instructors who wish to use the Respondus and/or StudyMate software must run the software installation file(s) from the msuapps area to install it on their local machine.
To install Respondus and/or StudyMate:
Open a browser (MSU-Bozeman ITC recommends Internet Explorer) and select the link directly below.
http://software.msu.montana.edu/respondus/
After selecting the link, you will either be required to authenticate or not. If required to authenticate, use your MSU Domain Username (MSU\username) and Password.
After you are in the MSU Apps Respondus area:
Read the "Respondus and StudyMate Installation Guide" which provides the information and links to the software necessary to install Respondus and/or StudyMate on your local machine.
Keep the Institution name, Local Support Contact(s), and Installation Password information at hand as it will be used during the licensing process.
After reading the installation guide, select the installation file link(s):
"Respondus4Campus.exe" is for installing Respondus software. "StudyMateCampus2.exe" is for installing the StudyMate software. After selecting the "install" link, dependent on the browser you connect with, you will get a prompt to "Run" or "Save" the installation file(s). Follow the prompts to install the software.
Occasional requirement for a new password:
The Respondus/StudyMate Campus licenses are renewed on an annual basis. You may be prompted for a new "activation password" when trying to use a version of Respondus/StudyMate that was installed during a prior timeframe. When prompted that your license has expired, select the MSU campus Respondus installation link (http://software.msu.montana.edu/respondus/), enter the area, and note the "Installation Password:" listed. The password in the installation area is the most current one.
About Respondus
Faculty can use Respondus to build an archive of questions that can be reused, shared and exported in many formats.
Used properly it is a solid tool for creating and managing question and answer formats that can be printed to paper or published directly to D2L. Exams, surveys, self-assessments can be created on a local computer (not connected to the internet) and Respondus behaves/looks like a regular document generating software product in a regular Windows environment. With some tweaking, questions that a faculty member has written in MS Word, Rich Text Format, or created in a text file can be imported to Respondus for upload into D2L.
Respondus Test Bank Network:
Respondus recently celebrated the 7th anniversary of the Respondus Test Bank Network by giving it an all-new user interface with dozens of time-saving features. There's no quicker or easier way to create online exams and learning activites from official publisher test banks.
Watch a movie to see how the Respondus Test Bank works - go here
MSU-Bozeman tutorial on Test Bank Network - go here
Respondus Updates:
Current Version available: Respondus 4.0.4
If you have a previously installed version of Respondus on your local machine you can obtain the Respondus 4.0.4 update by following these steps:
- Start Respondus 4.0
- Select "Help" from the menu bar
- Click "Check for Update"
- Click "Get Update"
- Upon exiting the Respondus software, the update will automatically be applied
About StudyMate Author 2.0
StudyMate lets you create ten Flash-based activities and games using three simple templates. StudyMate will import items from MS Word files and publisher test banks, making it easy to create interesting, interactive activities from existing content. Faculty don't have to know Flash programming or HTML to use StudyMate but there is a learning curve attached.
Three simple templates for entering content, such as facts (from a lecture), glossary terms (from a textbook), or multiple choice questions. Several activities parallel each template, with 11 different activities in all: Fact Cards, Fact Cards Plus, Flash Cards, Pick a Letter, Fill in the Blank, Glossary, Matching, Crosswords, Quiz, Challenge, and Show All.
StudyMate Author doesn’t offer publish option for uploading Flash activities directly to a Desire2Learn course, but they can be uploaded manually using certain steps.
StudyMate Author Updates:
Current Version available: StudyMate Author 2.0.6
If you have a previously installed version of StudyMate Author on your local machine you can obtain the StudyMate Author 2.0.6 update by following these steps:
- Start StudyMate Author 2.0
- Select "Help" from the menu bar
- Click "Check for Update"
- Click "Get Update"
- Upon exiting the StudyMate Author software, the update will automatically be applied
PDF Support Documents:
Respondus 4.0 Quick
Start Guide (PDF 1.26 MB)
Respondus 4.0 D2L User Guide (PDF 1.90 MB)
StudyMate Author 2.0 Quick
Start Guide (PDF 1.51 MB)
StudyMate Author 2 User Guide (PDF 1.14 MB)
Respondus 4.0 Demo/Tutorial Movies:
"Creating and Formatting Questions with Respondus"
Learn how to create and format questions with Respondus, including how to add images and equations.
http://www.respondus.com/movies/Edit/Creating and Formatting Questions with the Edit Menu.html
"Publishing an Assessment to a Course Management System"
See how to publish an assessment directly to your course management system using Respondus.
http://www.respondus.com/movies/PbDesire2Learn/Publishing-to-a-Desire2Learn-Course.html
"Using Publisher Test Banks with Respondus"
The leading textbooks in higher education have test banks available for use with Respondus 4.0. Learn how to request and access a test bank:
http://www.respondus.com/movies/TBN-Respondus/TBN-Respondus.html
"Importing questions with Respondus"
This movie shows how to import questions from a word processor document:
http://www.respondus.com/movies/Importing/Importing Questions with Respondus.html
"The Respondus Exam Wizard"
The Respondus Exam Wizard makes it easy to create exams using a publisher test bank or other Respondus files:
http://www.respondus.com/movies/ExamWiz/The Respondus Exam Wizard.html
Windows 7 tips:
Viewing Help files:
To view the Respondus help files (.hlp
files) in Windows 7 sometimes requires that users download
and install a file from MicroSoft support (if it has
not already been done previously). Here is information
about the issue:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917607
The "Respondus Projects" folder:
The "Respondus Projects" folder (holds Respondus created quiz and survey files) is in a different location under Windows 7. If you were using Respondus under an earlier Windows operating system (typically XP) and have now moved to Windows 7 you may need to locate and copy past created quiz and survey files out of the old "Respondus Projects" folder into the new "Respondus Projects" folder in order to keep using them.
Mac (Apple) not supported:
Note that Respondus and StudyMate Author are for PC based systems only - Mac is not supported. However, if you are running Mac you can either find a PC to use the software (!) OR you can make your Mac machine a dual-boot (Apple Boot Camp) or elect to install and run virtual machine software to make your Mac run PC.
CAUTION! To set-up a Mac/PC situation, it's usually easiest if your Mac is one of the newer Intel chip based Macs - otherwise it's emulatorville. The installation of a PC boot partition or virtual machine software requires some (gasp) technical knowledge. Study up!
This site may help you out: http://www.macwindows.com/winintelmac.html or you can do some of your own research on how to set it up.
