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SAS® OnDemand for Academics

Teaching using SAS® OnDemand for Academics Software Applications

The following resources are available to help instructors teach using SAS® OnDemand for Academics.

arrowSAS Server Data Storage

As an instructor, you have the ability to store data on the SAS Server for each course that you create. This feature can make it easier to share data with students. Additionally, the data will remain available for the duration of the course.

You must use a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program to upload the files that you want to store. Please note that this feature is provided as a courtesy. Only data files may be stored on the SAS Server and you should keep a master copy of your data in another location.

Note: If you have just registered as a SAS® OnDemand for Academics instructor, your account will be activated and ready for use within 15 minutes. Therefore, it might take up to 15 minutes before you can begin the process of storing data on the SAS Server.

Storing SAS Data Sets on the SAS Server

To upload a SAS data set to the storage area for your course, follow these steps:

  1. Log on to your SAS® OnDemand for Academics home page.
  2. Under the Manage Courses area, click the title of the course for which you want to store data.
  3. Scroll to the Course Data Directory area and then click How to use this directory.
  4. Follow the instructions provided.

Note: If you upload a SAS data set for your course that has the same name as a SAS data set that you previously uploaded for the course, then the existing SAS data set will be overwritten.

Storing non SAS Data Files on the SAS Server

The following types of non SAS data files can be stored on the SAS Server:

  • .asc (text file)
  • .csv (comma delimited)
  • .db (Paradox)
  • .dbf (dBASE)
  • .mdb (MS Access)
  • .tab (text file)
  • .txt (text file)
  • .wk? (Lotus 123)

To upload data files other than SAS data sets to the storage area for your course, follow these steps:

  1. Log on to your SAS® OnDemand for Academics home page.
  2. Under the Manage Courses area, click the title of the course for which you want to store data.
  3. Scroll to the Course Data Directory area and then click How to use this directory.
  4. Follow the instructions provided.

Note: If you upload a data file for your course that has the same name as a data file that you previously uploaded for the course, then the existing data file will be overwritten.

Encountering Permission Denied Errors while using FTP

Your FTP client must be in passive mode to work properly. This is the default mode for most FTP clients. If you access a "permission denied" error while trying to use FTP, then your FTP client might not be in passive mode. Refer to the online help for your FTP client to determine how to set passive mode.

Note: If you use the Microsoft Windows Command Line as your FTP client, then you will likely have to turn passive mode on. To do so, enter the following command after you have logged on to an FTP site:

literal pasv

Accessing Data Stored on the SAS Server

Once a SAS data set or a data file has been uploaded to the SAS Server, users can access the data using the appropriate LIBNAME or a FILENAME statement.

The LIBNAME or FILENAME statement to use is provided to you during the course registration process. You can also access this information again at any time:

  1. Log on to your SAS® OnDemand for Academics home page.
  2. Under the Manage Courses area, click the title of the appropriate course.
  3. Scroll to the Course Data Directory area and then click How to use this directory.
  4. Review the information to identify the LIBNAME or FILENAME statement for your course.
  5. If appropriate, share the LIBNAME or FILENAME statement with your students so that they will know which statement to use to access your data.

Accessing Support for Data Storage Issues

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is used to move data files to the appropriate storage area on the SAS Server. For information about using FTP, refer to the online help available from your Internet browser application. These help systems typically include information about how to use the browser to complete FTP tasks.

If you have reviewed the online help for your Internet browser and are still having problems storing your data on the SAS Server, then follow these steps:

  1. Go to www.whatismyip.com to identify your IP address.
  2. Use our technical support process to contact SAS Technical Support. Make sure you include your IP address information.
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arrowAcademic Trainer's Kits

SAS Education provides certain training materials (such as Academic Trainer's Kits) free of charge to instructors at degree-granting academic institutions. Academic Trainer's Kits include an electronic copy of course materials; they are not available for use by students.

Instructors who have registered to use SAS® OnDemand for Academics can download an Academic Trainer's Kit that includes materials for the following courses:

  • SAS® Enterprise Guide®: ANOVA, Regression, and Logistic Regression
  • Querying and Reporting Using SAS® Enterprise Guide®

Note: Prior to downloading the course materials, an instructor must register for SAS® OnDemand for Academics. Additionally, instructors will be required to accept a license agreement that specifies the terms and conditions of usage.

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arrowAvailable Publications for SAS Enterprise Guide

Books

Review the following list of recommended titles. For each title, you can preview the content and even place an order:

SAS Publishing Desk Copy and Evaluation Copy Program Materials

SAS Publishing offers products to qualified college faculty who are interested in teaching SAS. For more information, see SAS Publishing Desk Copy and Evaluation Copy Programs.

White Papers

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arrowLive Web Courses

SAS occasionally offers live Web courses to help you learn how to use and teach SAS® OnDemand for Academics: Enterprise Guide. For current information, see SAS OnDemand for Academics Training.

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arrowPractice Exercises, Statistics Information, and Sample SAS Data Sets

For instructions about how to perform all of the basic statistics taught in an introductory statistics class, a library of SAS data sets, and a library of practice exercises, visit the SAS Online Resources for Statistics Education Web site.

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arrowStudent Communication

Notifying Students about SAS® OnDemand for Academics

When you create a course within SAS® OnDemand for Academics, you are presented with text that you can copy and paste in to an e-mail to send to your students. This text provides the information that your students will need to register for SAS® OnDemand for Academics and download the appropriate software application.

If you don't copy and paste the text when you initially create a course, you can access the information again at any time:

  1. Log on to your SAS® OnDemand for Academics home page.
  2. Under the Manage Courses area, click the title of the appropriate course.
  3. Refer to the Optional E-mail Message area of the page.

A generic version of the course text is provided below as an example. You can copy, paste, and customize this text if needed. For example, if you have a coupon code that students will need to use, you would want to include that code in your e-mail.

Dear student:

I plan to use SAS® OnDemand for Academics: Software Application Name software to teach course name.

As a student in my class, you will need to register for SAS® OnDemand for Academics and then download and install SAS® OnDemand for Academics: Software Application Name.

Here's how to get started:

  1. Go to the following Web site: http://support.sas.com/ctx/sodareg
  2. Select Register as a Student and then follow the instructions to purchase a license.
    • If prompted, select our state and this university.
    • When prompted to select a course, choose course name.

For more information about SAS® OnDemand for Academics, including commonly asked installation questions, visit http://www.support.sas.com/ondemand.

Notifying Students about Data Stored on the SAS Server

If you choose to store data on the SAS Server, then you must share the LIBNAME or FILENAME statement associated with that data with your students. For example, you might include the information in course notes or through e-mail. For more information, see SAS Server Data Storage.

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arrowTips and Tricks

  • Connection Time-outs. An open connection to the SAS Server will likely expire after an hour of idle time. Firewalls and other security measures often perform these types of time-outs after one hour. Remind your students that they should save their work and/or exit SAS® OnDemand for Academics: Enterprise Guide prior to leaving their computer if they are likely to be away longer than one hour.
  • Student Instructors (Teaching Assistants). Only instructor accounts have the ability to create, edit, or delete courses. If a teaching assistant is going to act as an instructor, then they must register as an instructor. A unique e-mail address must be used for the instructor account if the teaching assistant already has a student account.
  • Software Order E-mails. Each instructor and each student receives their own Software Order E-mail (SOE) from SAS when they choose to download a client. SOEs include the information necessary to download and install the software that will be used with SAS® OnDemand for Academics. Users should not share their SOEs with other users. Each SOE contains a unique order number that is associated with only one user.
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