Events and Absences
What types of events are there in OpenOlat?
There are basically two types of events in OpenOlat:
- Basic events (entries in calendars)
- Events with additional options: They appear in Courses, in the Course Planner, and in Absence Management.
These events can be linked to online meetings, and it is possible to record absences. Coaches can also be scheduled for these events. (Note: Only coaches can be designated as teachers.)
Events with additional options can have the status "Scheduled", "Running", "Done" or "Cancelled".
If you do not have the necessary permissions, your view of events may be restricted.
| Basic event | Event with additional options | |
|---|---|---|
| Events in courses | x | |
| Events in course element appointment scheduling | x | |
| Events in Course Planner | x | |
| Events in the Absence management | x | |
| Events in Projects | x | |
| Events in (Project) To-dos | x | |
| Events in Personal Menu | x | x |
| Events in Calendars | x | |
| Events in BigBlueButton | x | |
| Events in Microsoft Teams | x |
Which events (with additional options) are displayed?
The visibility of events generally depends on
- whether the “Events/Absences” module is globally enabled in the administration panel
- whether the “Events” focus element is displayed
- whether there are actually any relevant events
- whether the event should be visible to the role
Where are the events with additional options displayed?
Participants can view their events in the Toolbar of the course under the "Events" icon. They only see their own events and cannot record absences.
Events are also displayed on the various dashboards of the coaches.
Event widgets are available on the overview pages, such as those in the Coaching Tool and the Course Planner.
Which information an event list contains depends on the area:
- In the Course Planner the list serves the planning. There is no absence management there.
- In the Coaching Tool coaches see the events of all their courses and also record the absences there.
- In the Toolbar of a course participants only see their own events with the information relevant to them.
What statuses can events have in OpenOlat?
Events with additional options (e.g., in the Course Planner or Coaching Tool) have one of the following status values:
- Scheduled
- Running
- Done
- Cancelled
The next upcoming event carries the label "Scheduled next" instead of "Scheduled".
In the event lists, the status is shown in the "Status" column.
Which absences can be administrated?
General note
Administrators can configure the settings in Absence Management in great detail. If any of the options described are not available to you, please contact your administrator.
General note
In OpenOlat, absences are recorded as a matter of principle, not attendance.
Absences
The presence or absence of participants can be recorded in the following categories:
- Present
- Excused absence
- Unexcused absence
- Dispensed
Absences are usually recorded during attendance checks by the coaches.
Participants can find their recorded absences in the personal menu.
An attendance rate is calculated from the recorded absences. By comparing this with a specified permitted absence rate (e.g., 80%), it can be calculated whether a course can be considered attended.
Cancellations
Participants may be allowed to sign out in advance in the personal menu.
Excused Absences
It can be set system-wide that excused absences are counted as "present" for the calculation of the attendance rate.
Dispense
There are various reasons why a participant may not be able to or required to attend a specific part of a course. In this case, an exemption can be arranged.
Appeals
Participants have the opportunity to appeal against a decision made by coaches, e.g., a supposedly unexcused absence. Appeals are also recorded in OpenOlat.
Where can I find the absence management?
A distinction must be made between
-
the general activation and configuration of absence management by administrators in the system administration at:
Administration > Module > Events and absences
More about that > -
the configuration of absence management in a course
The configuration of the event and absence management for a specific course is done by the course owners in the course administration:
Course > Administration > Settings > Tab "Execution" > Section "Configuration event and absence management in course"
More about that > -
the recording and management of absences in a course by course owners
Recording and administration is carried out in Run Mode (i.e., at runtime, not in the editor) by course owners at:
Course > Administration > Events and absences > Tab "Participants"
More about that > -
the recording and management of absences in a course by coaches
Recording and administration by coaches takes place at:
Toolbar > Events
More about that > -
the overview of personal absences
You and all participants can find your personal absences in your personal menu. Here, administration is only possible to a limited extent and for yourself, e.g., in the form of deregistration.
More about that > -
the cross-course absence recording by coaches
Coaches can find the option to record absences in various courses in the
Coaching tool > Button "Events/Absences"
More about that > -
cross-course absence management by authorized persons with the role of absence administrator:.
Administration includes, for example, processing exemptions and appeals. This administrative task goes beyond simple data entry and is therefore assigned to a separate role. Authorized users can find the tools in the
Header menu > Absence management
More about that >
Further information
Activation and configuration of absence management by administrators >
Configuring absence management in a course >
Recording and managing absences in a course by course owners >
Recording and managing absences in a course by coaches >
Personal absences >
Cross-course absence recording in the coaching tool >
Cross-course absence management by absence administrators >