In this chapter you will learn how to best produce a course.
This section is continuously revised and supplemented. Answers to special questions can also be found using OLAT's context-sensitive Help (to be activated by means of the question-mark icon).
This section provides you with general information on course elements.
Each course element is responsible for certain operations in your course. You can include as many course elements as you wish and configure them according to your needs. Course elements thus produce your course.
Each and every course has to consist of at least one configured course element (basic node). This course element is always a structural element of the highest degree.
Course elements help you to structure your course. Each time you add a new course element the system will ask you where it should position that element. This allows you to assemble simple as well as more complex course structures if needed.
Deleting a course element: basically, you can delete each course element. However, an element is deleted for good if this deleting is also published. If an element is deleted but not yet published you can still restore it.
Deleting course elements causes no problems as long as user data are not affected (test results, questionnaire entries, etc.). If there is already user information it will be automatically recorded as an Excel file and stored in your personal folder when publishing the erasure of course elements.
Editing course elements: in general, you can edit all configuration settings regarding course elements even if your course is already in use.
However, the elements "Test," "Self-test," "Questionnaire" and "Assessment" are an exception since it is not possible to edit their reference to the corresponding document in learning resources, which means that a test or questionnaire cannot be replaced. Typing errors in a test or questionnaire may be nevertheless corrected. The configuration of the course element "Assessment" or "Task" cannot be modified after the first assessment.
Copying course elements: You can copy course elements in a course and paste them wherever your want within the same course. Structural course elements will be copied along with all their related course elements.
Modifying positions: You can move and paste course elements within your course as you wish. Structural course elements will be moved along with all their related course elements.
There are several conditions regarding course elements, indicated by different icons in the course editor (menu on the left).
Published (no icon): a published course element is visible for your participants as soon as your course is in use, that is, as soon as the course's access is enabled.
Ready for publication (green triangle): This course element or its modifications can be published, making this element visible for your participants as soon as the course's access is enabled.
Incomplete course element (red square): the course element's configuration is incomplete or incorrect and can therefore not be published. After correcting the configuration you can publish that course element.
Possible problems within course element (yellow triangle): you altered some setting within your course which could cause problems after publishing (the yellow triangle will not prevent your publishing this course element). You will notice this sign, e.g., if you have deleted a learning group referencing to a course element or if the name of that group has been changed.
Visibility or access of a course element is limited (blue circle): you have limited the course's visibility or access which will interfere with the course's execution.
Highlighted as being deleted (strikethrough): Deleting a course element takes only effect after its publication; an element already published remains visible whereas an element that has not been published before remains invisible.
In this section you learn more about the course elements' similarities.
When adding a new course element to your course you have to provide it with a name. Each course element requires a title (up to 25 characters) appearing in the navigation menu and in the headline of the main node. In addition, you can provide your course element with a longer title that will be visible in the navigation menu as tool-tip and in your contents as subtitle. It is also possible to describe your course element (by means of the Wiki syntax). If this course element is selected during the course its description will appear in the contents field.
It is possible to set a link to a course element from another OLAT course or from outside OLAT (e.g. in order to facilitate searching for your course). You can also set links from one course element to another within the same course. You will find these two links, external and internal, in the tab "Description".
The author of a course can determine who shall see that course along with its elements and when one can get access to it. Every course element offers the tabs "Visibility" and "Access" to be able to set limits. The tab "Visibility" defines who will be allowed to see that course element in the menu whereas the tab "Access" defines who will be allowed to open that element in order to work with it. It is possible to limit the element's visibility or its access for certain learning groups, for a specified date, for a certain score or for course elements already dealt with. If you limit the course element's access but not its visibility (everybody will see it but only some will be able to select and open it) you will be able to give an explanation regarding the ones who are not admitted. As long as you do not modify the tabs "Visibility" and "Access" your course elements will be visible and accessible for all OLAT users.
In this section you learn how to limit visibility and access to single course elements or to the entire course, that is how to establish conditions.
The simple mode enables you to determine if a course element's visibility or access should be limited for one or more learning groups; if that element should be accessible and visible only for a certain time; if OLAT users have to have completed a certain part of your course first in order to be allowed to see that course element and work on it.
The expert mode enables you to adapt the visibility and access of a certain course element according to your personal needs. By using a special syntax it is possible to allow only students at the University of Zurich to access your course, for example (hasAttribute("swissEduPersonHomeOrganization","unizh.ch")), or to grant visibility only to OLAT users whose last names contain the letters MUE (isInAttribute("surname","Mue")). You can find a detailed description of syntax, valid attributes, configuration options, and examples when using the context-sensitive Help to be activated via the question mark icon in the tabs "Visibility" and "Access".
Each course element fulfills different tasks. You can combine and configure course elements according to your own needs in order to get an entire course. You will find further information using the context-sensitive Help of each element as well as of each tab via the question mark icon.
Structural course elements enable you to structure your course according to topic. At the same time, you can add up points from course elements in the tab "Points" (structure, assessment, tasks, and test) before processing them. You can also transfer the score to other structural course elements. The course element of the highest degree within a course is always a structural one.
You can choose if OLAT should display an overview or a file from the storage folder (*.html) when clicking on the structural node. The overview that is automatically generated is preset.
The course element "Registration" enables you to determine if your course participants have to enroll in a learning group. If so, you can compile a list of your participants, limit the number of participants, or assign different tasks to different learning groups. You can also limit access and visibility of certain course elements for defined learning groups. OLAT records the time when someone enrolls in a learning group allowing you to compile a waitlist and to determine who will stand in. During the course, you create the learning groups your participants have to enroll in via "Group management" to be found in the tool box "Course tools".
This course element allows you to provide any information on a single HTML page:
Syllabus, Summary
Tasks Regarding Participants or Groups
Information on Assessment
News
Course Contents
Learning Contents, etc.
Your content has to be a HTML file to be linked to the course element. That HTML file can be created by means of an external HTML editor. If you want to generate only a simple HTML page for your course you can also use the OLAT HTML editor. You open this editor by indicating a name for your page in the tab "HTML page" before cklicking "Create". For further information go to Learning Content.
This course element enables you to provide your students with scripts or learning modules. First you have to develop your learning content outside of OLAT, save it in CP format before storing it as CP learning content in your learning resources. Then you can integrate that content in your course element via the tab "Learning content". For further information go to Learning Content.
This course element enables you to provide your students with scripts or learning modules. First, you have to create your learning content outside of OLAT, save it in SCORM format before storing it as SCORM learning content in your learning resources. Then you can integrate that content in your course element via the tab "Learning content". For further information go to Learning Content.
This course element enables you to include learning content from your server into OLAT. This is called "tunneling". If this does not work just contact us. Please note that your pictures have to be linked relatively in order to be displayed in OLAT, for instance.
This course element enables you to configure exams or tests. First, you have to create a test document by means of the test and questionnaire editor before storing it in learning resources. Then you can search for your test in learning resources and include it in the tab "Test configuration". Additionally you can choose how your test should be presented: if there should be navigation via the menu, how this menu should be displayed, if your students are allowed to interrupt or cancel a test, how oft they can take a test, as well as how detailed the test results should be depicted. You can include any HTML file serving as intro page.
Attention: As soon as you have included your test in the relevant course element you will not be able to replace or edit it unless you delete the whole course element.
By means of this course element you can create a self-test. First, you have to develop a test document using the test and questionnaire editor before storing it in your learning resources. Then you are able to search for that test in the tab "Self-test configuration" of learning resources and include it. In addition, you can choose how your self-test shall be presented: if you want to allow navigation via menu; how that menu should be displayed; if your students should be allowed to interrupt or cancel the self-test; how detailed the presentation of its results should be. You cannot limit the number of attempts to solve that self- test. You can include any HTML file serving as intro page.
In opposition to a regular test, students will be able to take a self-test anonymously; data will be recorded anonymized.
Attention: as soon as you have included your self-test you will not be able to substitute or edit it unless you delete the entire course element.
This course element assists you in configuring questionnaires. First, you have to develop a questionnaire document using the test and questionnaire editor before storing it in learning resources. Then you can search for that questionnaire in learning resources by means of the tab "Questionnaire configuration" and include it. Additionally, you can choose how your questionnaire should be presented: if your want to enable navigation via menu; how many questions per page should be shown; if students are allowed to interrupt or cancel the questionnaire. You can answer the questionnaire only once. You can include any HTML file serving as intro page.
After including the questionnaire you will not be able to modify it unless you delete the entire course element.
This course element assists you or a tutor in assessing participants in a learning group manually by means of the item "Assessment tool". Your course participants will see their results within that assessment course element. It may make sense to assess manually when your participants hand in a physical document, however, you want to assess them electronically in OLAT since you could re-use these results. The tab "Assessment" helps you to determine how that assessment should be arranged; if the coach should assign points or just passed/failed or if the tutor should comment on individual results.
Attention: after assessing a participant you will not be able to alter your configuration.
This course element assists you in distributing tasks and exercises via OLAT. Your participants can hand in their performance electronically before tutors will assess them using the "Assessment tool" and notify the course participants via OLAT. (Attention: participants can only be assessed when being members of a learning group.) The tab "Elements" helps you to determine which elements should be at your disposal regarding this course element (assignment, task, assessment). The tab "Assignment" assists you in putting a task at your participants' disposal; it will be stored later on in your task folder. Additionally, you can decide on how that assignment should be presented and if that task should be performed by only one participant or more. The tab "Task" helps you to define which kind of confirmation your participants should get after handing in their performance. The tab "Assessment" assists you in determining how tutors should assess the participants, that is, if there should be a score or only the message passed/ failed, or if you prefer an individual comment.
Attention: After assessing a participant you will not be able to change your configurations anymore.
This course element enables you to provide your students with memory capacity within your course's structure. In addition, you can appropriate documents that can be downloaded (*.pdf, *.ppt, etc.). You decide if all your groups should have read access or a read/write access as well (tab "Access"). The quota and upload limit amounts to 20 MB. If this is not enough please contact us.
Anywhere you want you can include a forum in your course and determine which groups should have read access, read/write access, or moderating access. A forum entry can contain attached files or even a QuickTime movie as well. Additionally, those entries will be linked automatically to the writer's visiting card which can be addressed from the entry itself.
This folder is used for storing all your HTML files, movies, CSS, etc. that are part of your course, e.g., those HTML files that you created by means of the course element "Single page", "Test", "Self-test", or "Questionnaire" in order to get an intro page (HTML file).
This folder has to be used for storing all your files (pictures, Flash, Excel, etc.) that reference to your HTML files.
File path in your HTML document to another file in the storage folder:
File stored at top level: filename.*, e.g. bericht.pdf: <a href="bericht.pdf" target="_blank"><b>PDF-File</b></a>
File stored in sub-folder: sub-folder/filename.*, e.g. bericht.pdf: <a href="Ablageordner/bericht.pdf" target="_blank"><b>PDF-File</b></a>
Attention: It is not possible to set a link to a document stored in the folder of another course.
If you create a new course your course participants will neither see nor be able to open this course. First, you have to publish your course using the course editor and allow access to it in learning resources.
That two-stage publishing goes like this:
Your course has to be opened in learning resources (detailed view of that course) for those OLAT users you want: in learning resources you define the accessability of each entry. When creating a new course only you owning that resource and the co-owners you appointed have the right to open that course for other users. After opening your course in learning resources (detailed view of that course) for "All OLAT users", that means, after granting other OLAT users access rights your students will be able to attend your course.
Every single course element has to be published in the course editor: in order to make the elements visible and accessible for your users you have to grant access in the course editor, that is, you have to publish them. Later modifications regarding the course or single elements have to be published as well.
The bottom line is the following: you have to open your course in learning resources for those OLAT users you want and publish every single course element using the editor tools.
Modifications concerning your course or certain course elements are only visible after publishing them in the course editor. This procedure enables you to continue working on your course without your participants' knowing. Only after publishing modified or added course elements will those be visible and accessible for students.
Learning groups and learning areas you want to link to from any element of your course have to be opened during the course in your group management. If you have opened learning groups or learning areas you will then be able to select them in the tabs "Visibility" and "Access" and thus allow only members of those groups access and/or visibility.
Your own CSS controlling the course's layout: of course you can adapt the course's layout according to your needs. You can create your own CSS document overwriting the OLAT layout categories. The CSS categories OLAT uses can be found here: OLATdefault-css.
You store your CSS document either in the storage folder of your course, if you want to use it only in that course, or in the resource folder, if you want to use it in other courses as well. You can select your CSS document within the detailed view of your course: first, go to the action box "Learning resources" and click "Modify settings." Then select your CSS in the tab "Layout."