In addition to the course editor and course tools there are other features at your disposal. A corresponding link to those course features - except for the resource folder - can be found in your course right in the middle of the course toolbar.
Not all course features are generally enabled. If you cannot see a certain link to such a course feature it has to be activated first (compare the descriptions in the following sub-chapters).
Course Calendar
Each course has its own course calendar (if activated) to administer course events. By default, only course owners have the write permission regarding that calendar. Course participants only have the permission to read; they cannot create new events or edit existing ones. If added as course element though, the write permission for learners can be assigned in the editor in the access tab.
You can also link events to a certain course element. Just select the corresponding course element in the tab "Link" when creating or editing an event.
An example for such a link is to combine a certain deadline with the relevant course element "Task."
An active course calendar will automatically be added to the calendar list of your personal calendar; course events will be displayed there for you.
In the course calendar there will also be events regarding groups if you are member of such a group. In the group management you can determine write permissions and visibility in group calendars.
If you do not want to use a course calendar, you can deactivate it from either the info page or the course; just click on "Option" in the "Course" drop-down menu. The course toolbar will no longer display a link to the calendar.
As an alternative, or in addition, a course calendar can be added to a course as course element Calendar.
Further information on calendar functions is available in the calendar chapter.
Course Search
In addition to a full text search for the total of OpenOLAT you can activate a search within a course. You can search for the following elements:
- Title, short title, description of all course elements
- Content of html pages
- Documents in folders
- Title and content of forum entries
- Title and content of notifications
- Wiki entries
Find more information on full text search here.
Course Chat
By default each course has a course chat. It can be used to exchange informal information, or as forum for experts, respectively. Course authors can determine a time slot during which they will be available for answering questions of their course participants.
If activated, course participants can choose between a personalised and an anonymous view. When entering the chat room their name will not be displayed. It will be displayed, however, if they select their name in the "Participants" section.
When the chat function is on, participants will see a chat link in the center of the course toolbar. If you do not want to offer a course chat, you can deactivate it from either the info page or the course by clicking on "Option" in the "Course" drop-down menu. The link to the chat room will disappear from the course toolbar.
The history of a course chat is accessible for up to one month. Open the course chat and select the time span of your choice: 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month.
Whether the chat function is available in your OpenOLAT system depends on your contract. In case you cannot activate the course chat, please send a message to contact@frentix.com.
Glossary
A glossary serves to explain terms used in your field of interest. If you wish to provide a glossary in a course, choose an appropriate glossary for your learning resources. The link to the glossary will appear in the center of the course toolbar.
Go to the "Authoring" section to create a new glossary and to define terms. The same glossary can be used in several courses. Glossary entries can be edited by clicking on the glossary link in the course toolbar, or in the learning resource itself, respectively. Terms listed in the glossary will automatically be highlighted in all texts within the course. Mousing over the term will display the term's definition.
Here is how to set up a glossary: In the tab "Term and synonyms" you can determine the technical terms to be explained as well as these terms' synonyms. In the tab "Flexions" you can also identify flexions of a term if a "Morphologic service" is available. Course participants will not only be able to see a term's definition when moving the cursor over that term (e.g. referendum) but also when moving it over that term's flexions (e.g. referendums, referendum's).
In the tab "Definition" you can finally comment on these technical terms.
The alphabetical index of the glossary can be deactivated in the section "Alphabetical index" in the detailed view of your glossary. The section "Write permissions" allows you to activate write permissions for all system users, thus creating a collaborative glossary.
In order to allow only course participants to add or edit such glossary terms, disable the write persmissions for all users, create a corresponding right group and allow that group to use the glossary tool.
If you do not need a glossary anymore or if you want to use another one you can modify your settings either in the info page or the course; just click on "Option" in the "Course" drop-down menu.
Per course only one glossary is allowed.
