Module Course Planner
Activation of the Course Planner
frentix customers
For frentix customers, their customer advisor at frentix takes care of the activation.
The Course Planner module is available in OpenOlat as an option instead of the Curriculum module. System administrators switch it on in the administration with the switch Module "Course Planner". After activation, the "Courses" area can also show the products, see Products in "Courses".
Tab Settings
In the "Settings" tab, system administrators switch on the Course Planner and define the presets with which new courses and implementations start. You find it in the system administration under: Administration > Modules > Course Planner. Next to "Settings", the tabs "Course planner" and "Element types" appear as soon as the module is switched on.
Five entry points open the same list of products and implementations:
Courses > Educational productsfor participantsCoaching > Educational productsfor coaches and course ownersCoaching > People > "Person" > Educational productsas a coach or a course owner- the same path
Coaching > People > "Person" > Educational productsas a line manager or an education manager User management > "Person" > Educational productsfor user managers, roles managers, administrators and principals
The option Products in "Courses" turns the first entry point, Courses > Educational products, on or off.
Module settings
Module "Course Planner"
This switch turns the entire module on or off. If it is switched off, OpenOlat hides the other settings of this tab and the tabs "Course planner" and "Element types".
Products in "Courses"
All participants find the "Courses" area in the main navigation. If the option «Products in "Courses"» is selected under "Enable option", this area also shows the participants their products.
Configuration
Linked taxonomies
From the taxonomies created in the "Taxonomy" module, you can select those that should also be available in the Course Planner.
Tip
The taxonomies selected here should be the same as those used in the catalog. Only then can these taxonomies be searched for in the catalog.
Default settings
New courses and implementations start with the values you define here once. Whoever creates them does not have to adjust each one individually. The default values apply to courses and implementations that are newly created after the change.
Usage for new courses
A course is either standalone or intended for integration into a product. Here you define which usage is preselected for a new course.
- Standalone: An independent course has a member administration. Participants gain access by being registered as a member with the "Private" offer type (e.g. by course owners), via an access code or via publication in the catalog.
- Use in Course Planner: If the course is integrated into a product, the Course Planner assigns and manages the memberships. The course then does not require a second, independent membership administration.
Tip
If the Course Planner is used extensively, the setting "Use in Course Planner" is recommended here.
Display on info page
Here you define which sections the info page of a new implementation shows: "Outline", "Events", "Meet your teachers" and "Certificate". By default, all four options are selected. There is no default value for "Credit points", the option is selected for each implementation individually.
"Meet your teachers" counts as selected for new implementations as long as at least one role is selected under "Members displayed as teacher". If new implementations are to start without this section, select no role there.
Members displayed as teacher
Here you define which roles a new implementation shows in the "Meet your teachers" section: "Teachers in events", "Coaches" or "Course owners". The same roles are preselected when someone selects "Meet your teachers" again in an existing implementation. By default, "Teachers in events" and "Coaches" are selected.
Default values for the info page only affect new implementations
The two default values for the info page apply to implementations and elements that are created after the change. Existing implementations keep their own setting, and a copy adopts the setting of the original. Courses do not adopt these values, you define their default values for the info page in the Module Course.
How the display settings of an individual implementation are changed is described in Course Planner: Implementations.
Tab Course planner
The "Course planner" tab contains the rights of the organisation role course planner. At the top, the tab shows the "Organisation role" with the fixed value "Course planner", below it the list of rights. It appears as soon as the module is switched on.
Rights
The list shows the areas, with their individual entries indented below. Two rights determine which columns the Booking orders report in the Course Planner contains:
- View course progress and status: the columns from "Score" to "Last visit", including "Success status", "Progress" and "Certificate".
- View events and absences: the columns "Units", "Attended", "Not excused", "Authorized" and "Dispensed".
If one of these two rights is not selected, its columns are missing in all reports of the category Booking orders.
Tab Element types
Element type overview
Element types define which elements a product can contain and give these elements a meaning. A hierarchical structure can be mapped when creating the element types. An example of a hierarchical product: a training program contains semesters, a semester contains modules, a module contains courses.
The overview table shows all element types that have been created. An element type is edited via the symbol. The type can be copied or deleted via the 3-dot link.
Table columns:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Title | The name of the element type |
| Reference | The unique value that distinguishes the element type from types with the same name |
| State | Whether the type is available for selection for new elements: "Active" or "Inactive" |
| For use as | Function of the element type in the product: "Implementation", "Element" or "Implementation or element (legacy)" |
| Subelements | Whether elements of this type can contain subelements |
| Content | Which course content elements of this type carry: "No content", "Single course" or "Course bundle" |
| #Uses | Number of elements of this type present in the system |
| #Parents | Number of superordinate element types that allow this type as a child element |
| #Children | Number of element types defined as child elements of this type |
Create and edit element types
Two buttons create new element types: "Create type for implementation" and "Create type for element". The button you choose determines the use of the type and cannot be changed in the dialog. An existing type is opened via the symbol.
Title (mandatory field)
The name of the element type that is shown in the selection when an element is created.
Reference (mandatory field)
A unique value that distinguishes elements with the same title. Appears as a selection option when a new curriculum element is created.
CSS class
frentix customers
For frentix customers, their customer advisor at frentix takes care of creating custom layouts.
Use the "CSS class" field to define your own layout for elements of this type.
Description
Explanatory text for the element type.
Features
- Absences: Course planners get the "Absences" tab on elements of this type and can view the absences of all participants. Prerequisite: the Absence management module is activated.
- Timetable: Combines all course calendar dates of the courses assigned to the product element.
- Progress: Shows the learning progress in learning path courses as a pie chart. With several subelements, the average of the subelements is calculated.
In the "Configuration" section you define the structure:
Configuration
For use as
Shows the function of elements of this type in the product. The value results from the button you chose and cannot be edited:
- Implementation: Elements of this type are implementations (the topmost parent element). They have an implementation period and are the starting point for automation rules.
- Element: Elements of this type are subelements below an implementation and have no implementation period of their own.
- Implementation or element (legacy): Elements of this type can be used both as an implementation and as a subelement. Existing product structures carry this value; it is not available for new types.
Subelements
- No: Elements of this type stand alone, with no subelements.
- Yes: Elements of this type can contain subelements.
Content
- No content: The element carries no course. It is a pure structure element, comparable to the course element "Structure".
- Single course: The element has exactly one course.
- Course bundle: The element can have several courses.
Parent elements and Child elements
For an existing type you determine here under which types it may be used and which types can be subordinated to it. This is how the hierarchy of a product is built.
State
- Active: The type is available for selection when creating new elements.
- Inactive: The type is hidden and is no longer available for selection for new elements. Existing elements of this type are retained.
Automation rules per element type
Automation rules can be defined for each element type. These rules serve as a template for all elements of this type: elements can adopt the template or override it individually (see Automation in the settings of an implementation).
Configuring automation rules
Open the desired element type via the symbol and switch on "Automation" in the "Automation" section. The table below shows the rules of the element type. New rules cannot be added: you switch each rule on or off in the column "Rule". You adjust the condition of a rule, for example trigger and relative date, via the more menu (⋮) of the row with "Edit automation rule". The tabs above the table narrow it down: "All" shows every rule, "Relevant" only the rules switched on, "Implementation" or "Element" and "Content" the rules of the respective context.
For element types with the usage "Implementation or element (legacy)", the section only shows a note. Implementations and elements of this type cannot be automated. To automate an implementation, assign it an element type with the usage "Implementation", for an element one with the usage "Element".
The columns of the table describe each rule:
- Context: What the rule acts on. "Implementation" or "Element" stands for the object itself, "Content" for its courses.
- Automation: What the rule does. "Status change" sets the status to the value in the column "Target status", "Instantiation" creates courses from the templates of the implementation or element.
- Condition: When the rule applies. In the dialog "Edit automation rule" you choose a "Trigger" for this:
- On status change: The rule applies as soon as the implementation or element has one of the statuses under "On status".
- Time-controlled: The rule applies at the point in time you define under "Relative date" before or after the begin or end of the execution period. "Only when current status is" limits it to certain statuses.
Context, automation and target status of a rule are fixed, in the dialog you only change the condition. The rules switched on run once a day.
Importing data into the Course Planner
Anyone who sets up a Course Planner with many products and implementations or updates them in large numbers does not have to record them one by one: course planners and administrators read products, implementations, users and memberships from an Excel file with the import wizard. The import is not a setting of the system administration. You start the wizard on the Course Planner start page via the more menu (⋮) at the top right with the entry "Import".
How the wizard checks the file step by step and what it creates or changes is described in the user manual on the page Course Planner: Import / Export. All error and warning messages as well as the field rules of the Excel file are listed in the Course Planner: Import/Export - Reference.
Further information
Mentioned on this page
Module Course >
Course Planner: Implementations >
Reports: Booking orders >
Course Planner: Import / Export >
Course Planner: Import/Export - Reference >
Further reading
How do I plan and run a course in several implementations with the Course Planner? >
How do I plan and run a product with several courses with the Course Planner? >
Course Planner: Overview >
Course Planner: Products >
Course Planner: Events >
Course Planner: Reports >