- -
Chamilo 1.9
-Teacher's Guide
- -Table of content
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- Chapter 1 Introduction -
- 1.1 What is Chamilo? -
- 1.2 About this guide -
- 1.3 Who is this guide for? -
- 1.4 How to use this guide. -
- 1.5 General usability -
- 1.5.1 Terminology -
- Chapter 2 Why Chamilo? -
- 2.1 Learning paradigm -
- 2.2 Common interface elements -
- Chapter 3 The Chamilo homepage -
- Chapter 4 Register on the platform -
- Chapter 5 Finding your way in Chamilo -
- Chapter 6 Course creation -
- Chapter 7 Control course access -
- Chapter 8 Organizing courses -
- 8.1 Personal categories -
- 8.2 Subscribing to other courses -
- 8.3 Courses management icons -
- Chapter 9 Course administration -
- Chapter 10 Course homepage -
- 10.1 Introductory text -
- 10.2 Authoring tools -
- 10.2.1 Course description -
- 10.2.2 Documents -
- 10.2.3 Tests -
- 10.2.4 Learning Paths -
- 10.2.5 Assessments -
- 10.2.6 Attendances -
- 10.2.7 Links -
- 10.2.8 Announcements -
- 10.2.9 Glossary -
- 10.2.10 Course progress -
- 10.2.11 Blogs -
- 10.2.12 Search -
- 10.3 Interaction tools -
- 10.3.1 Agenda -
- 10.3.2 Dropbox -
- 10.3.3 Groups -
- 10.3.4 Assignments -
- 10.3.5 Wiki -
- 10.3.6 Forum -
- 10.3.7 Users -
- 10.3.8 Chat -
- 10.3.9 Surveys -
- 10.3.10 Notebook -
- 10.3.11 Video-conference -
- 10.4 Administration tools -
- 10.4.1 Projects -
- 10.4.2 Settings -
- 10.4.3 Reporting -
- 10.4.4 Backup -
- Chapter 11 First Steps: Documents -
- 11.1 Create a directory -
- 11.2 Quick-change of directory -
- 11.3 Importing a document -
- 11.4 Authoring content in Chamilo -
- 11.5 Saving documents -
- 11.6 Deleting a file or a directory -
- 11.7 Watching course quotas -
- 11.8 Slideshow -
- Chapter 12 Interactivity: Tests -
- 12.1 Introduction -
- 12.2 Creating a new test -
- 12.3 Feedback, score and correct answers -
- 12.3.1 Automated feedback -
- 12.3.2 Scoring tests -
- 12.3.3 Displaying correct answers -
- 12.4 Test types -
- 12.5 Adding questions to the test -
- 12.5.1 Type 1 : Multiple choice – Single answer -
- 12.5.2 Type 2 : Multiple choice – multiple answer -
- 12.5.3 Type 3 : Fill the blanks -
- 12.5.4 Type 4 : Matching -
- 12.5.5 Type 5 : Open question -
- 12.5.6 Type 6: Audio answer -
- 12.5.7 Type 7 : Hot spot, or image area -
- 12.5.8 Type 8 : Exact combination -
- 12.5.9 Type 9 : Unique answer with unknown -
- 12.5.10 Type 10 : Multiple answer True/False/Don't know -
- 12.5.11 Type 11 : Combination True/false/don't know -
- 12.5.12 Type 12 : Global multiple answer -
- 12.6 Recycling existing questions -
- 12.7 Importing: HotPotatoes, IMS/QTI2, Excel -
- 12.8 Test results -
- Chapter 13 Communication : Forums -
- 13.1 Using forum views -
- 13.2 Add forum categories -
- 13.3 Add forum -
- 13.4 Manage forum categories -
- 13.5 Manage forums -
- 13.6 Start a new topic -
- 13.7 Manage discussion threads -
- 13.8 Manage messages -
- 13.9 Give your learners a score -
- 13.10 Give a score from a message -
- 13.11 Add a message to a thread -
- 13.12 Reply to a specific message -
- 13.13 Quote a previous message -
- 13.14 Reply or Reply to this topic -
- 13.15 Search a forum element -
- Chapter 14 Structure: Learning paths -
- 14.1 Introduction -
- 14.2 Create a learning path -
- 14.2.1 Learning path's settings -
- 14.3 Add Learning Objects and Activities -
- 14.3.1 Create a new document -
- 14.3.2 Use existing resources -
- 14.3.3 Add a new section -
- 14.3.4 Display the learning path -
- 14.4 Import AICC and SCORM -
- 14.5 Managing learning paths -
- 14.6 Prerequisites -
- 14.7 Generating certificates -
- Chapter 15 Reporting -
- 15.1 Tracking learners -
- 15.2 Show individual learner's details -
- 15.3 Course reporting -
- 15.4 Resource Reporting -
- 15.5 Test/exam Reporting -
- Chapter 16 Assignments -
- 16.1 Assignment creation -
- 16.2 Completion of assignments by students -
- 16.3 Manage assignments -
- 16.4 Setting up the assignment evaluation -
- 16.5 Assignment expiry dates -
- 16.6 Marking assignments -
- Chapter 17 Users -
- 17.1 Subscribe users -
- 17.1.1 Add teachers -
- 17.1.2 Unsubscribe a user -
- 17.1.3 Add/update a user's description -
- 17.1.4 Search for a subscribed learner -
- 17.1.5 Export the list of subscribed users -
- 17.1.6 Display learners reporting -
- Chapter 18 Assessments -
- 18.1 Assessments pre-configuration -
- 18.1.1 Total weight and minimum certification score -
- 18.1.2 Weights -
- 18.1.3 Skills ranking -
- 18.1.4 Certificate template -
- 18.2 Add a classroom activity -
- 18.3 Add an online activity -
- 18.4 List view -
- 18.5 Manage activities -
- Chapter 19 Wiki -
- 19.1 Starting the wiki -
- 19.2 Add a new linked page -
- 19.3 Add a new orphan page -
- 19.4 Commenting a page -
- 19.5 Other wiki features -
- Chapter 20 Links -
- 20.1 Links categories -
- 20.2 Links -
- 20.3 Manage links -
- 20.4 Links checker -
- Chapter 21 Announcements -
- 21.1 Add an announcement -
- 21.2 Announcements management -
- Chapter 22 Glossary -
- 22.1 New term -
- 22.2 Glossary terms management -
- Chapter 23 Attendances -
- 23.1 Create an attendance sheet -
- 23.2 Recording attendances -
- Chapter 24 Course progress -
- 24.1 Create a thematic section -
- 24.2 Define the thematic plan -
- 24.3 Create steps for the course progress -
- Chapter 25 Agenda -
- 25.1 Adding an event to the course agenda -
- 25.2 Import and export events -
- 25.3 Adding an event to the personal Agenda -
- Chapter 26 Dropbox -
- 26.1 Folders -
- 26.2 Send a file to specific users -
- 26.3 Managing dropbox files -
- 26.4 Read and add comments on a file -
- Chapter 27 Groups -
- 27.1 Create a group -
- 27.2 Groups settings -
- 27.3 Auto-filling a group -
- 27.4 Fill a group manually -
- 27.5 Getting into a group space -
- 27.6 Overview /Export of group members -
- 27.7 Groups management -
- Chapter 28 Chat -
- 28.1 Send a message -
- 28.2 Empty messages -
- Chapter 29 Survey -
- 29.1 Survey creation -
- 29.2 Add survey questions -
- 29.3 Survey preview -
- 29.4 Survey publication -
- 29.5 Results -
- 29.6 Surveys management -
- Chapter 30 Notebook -
- 30.1 Notes creation -
- 30.2 Sort notes -
- Chapter 31 Projects -
- 31.1 Project creation -
- 31.2 Subscribe learners to a project -
- 31.3 New article/task -
- 31.4 Roles management -
- 31.5 Assign a role to a learner -
- 31.6 Indicate the execution of a task -
- 31.7 Learners' task management -
- Chapter 32 Course settings -
- 32.1 Update general course settings -
- 32.2 Visibility and access -
- 32.3 E-mail notifications -
- 32.4 User rights -
- 32.5 Chat settings -
- 32.6 Learning path settings -
- 32.7 Thematic advance settings -
- Chapter 33 Backup -
- 33.1 Create a backup -
- 33.2 Import backup -
- 33.3 Copy course -
- 33.4 Empty this course -
- 33.4.1 Delete the course area -
- Chapter 34 The Reporting tab -
- 34.1 Own courses and sessions reporting -
- Chapter 35 Social network -
- 35.1 Profile information -
- 35.2 Internal messaging -
- 35.3 “Friends” -
- 35.4 Social groups -
- 35.5 My files -
- Chapter 36 Session view -
- 36.1 Courses tab -
- 36.2 Learning paths tab -
- 36.3 My MCQ tab -
- 36.4 My statistics tab -
- Chapter 37 Appendix -
- 37.1 Glossary -
- 37.2 Frequently asked questions -
- 37.2.1 How can I set a survey as a requirement to complete a course? -
- 37.2.2 How can I create a crosswords-type question? -
- 37.3 Document license -
- 37.4 Illustrations index -
- 37.5 Alphabetical index -
- 37.6 Document history -
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to support the teacher in better responding to their students’ needs, and
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to make it so easy to build and edit high quality digital learning -materials that the teacher can not only create but be inspired to -develop and continuously improve their courses' content.
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import or create documents (audio, video, images) and publish them,
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build tests and exams with automated scores and feedback as required,
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set and receive virtual assignments,
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describe the components of the course through description sections,
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communicate through forums or chat,
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publish announcements,
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add links,
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create work groups or laboratory groups,
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set up a virtual classroom (through the videoconference extension),
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manage scores through the assessments tool,
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create surveys,
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add a wiki to create documents collaboratively,
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use a glossary,
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use an agenda,
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manage a project (through the blog tool),
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enable tracking of learners in your courses,
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register attendances,
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elaborate a class diary (course progress).
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Once the login and password have been registered, connecting is -straightforward (the administrator allocates permissions to users -depending on the platform configuration).
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It is possible to register on the platform using a simple form (Register).
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In case you lose your password, a new one can be generated easily (using the link I lost my password).
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Access to the Chamilo community's forum is provided through the Forum link in the Help box.
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List of courses to which the user is subscribed. A pencil appears -next to the courses for which the user has teacher permissions (and is -thus allowed to update the course's settings)
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Shortcut to the Social Network tool (which we will analyze in Social network, Social network)
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A non-admin teacher can create a course4
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Teachers and learners can subscribe to more existing courses
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Teachers and learners have access to the history of their courses sessions.
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a category within the ones offered in the drop-down box6 (this is optional),
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a course code Pick a code that matches the course title - associated with e.g. a numerical classification. (n.b. Even if entered -in lowercase, the course code will be automatically uppercased and -symbols like (-, _ and spaces will be removed from the code),
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the course admin this option is automatically filled with your name and cannot be updated,
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the language used to display the course environment -(nothing stops you from using e.g. French even if the platform is -installed in English). The language choice doesn't influence the course -content, only the course interface7
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the course can be filled with some demo content to indicate to - the new course administrator the sort of thing s/he can create inside -the course (typically an exercise, forums and an introduction section). -Alternatively, this can be left completely empty.
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going straight to the newly created course (through a link on the course title),
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going directly, by clicking on the relevant icon, to one of the most common course configuration steps:
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Public : means it is accessible to any user, registered on this portal or not
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Open : means all users registered on the portal -can access the course as long as they have previously subscribed to it -(they can do this through the courses catalog). This is the default option
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Private : means the course is only available to students who have been subscribed to it by a teacher or administrator. Make sure the Subscription option is set to be only available to trainers, though, as otherwise students might be able to subscribe themselves.
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Closed : means the course is only available to its teacher or the administrator. Other users cannot access it, even if they have previously been subscribed to it. This last option is recommended during the building or maintenance periods of the course.
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Authoring : tools for creating course content,
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Interaction : tools for teacher-learner or learner-learner interaction within the course,
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Administration : tools for the management of course options.
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hide all the tools (by clicking the eye, which must be closed and grayed)
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right-click on any tool to which the learners need access
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select Copy link location
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left-click on Add an introduction text
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place an introduction text (use the table tool -
-, - or an external HTML-editing tool if you wish, to position elements -precisely) and a new icon/graphic representing the tool requiring access
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click an icon to select it then click the link creation tool -
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« paste » the link that was saved a few steps before (CTRL-V should work just fine)
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click the save intro text button
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« Course description »,
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« Objectives »,
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« Topics »,
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« Methodology » etc,
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click on the Create folder icon,
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enter the directory name,
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click on the Create the folder button,
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The new directory has been created and can be used right away to store new documents.
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If you want to create a sub-directory, open the directory you want to create it in and follow the same procedure.
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feedback can be provided either at the end of the test or withheld, e.g. for an exam
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questions can be presented either on a single page (e.g. for a brief -text quiz) or on separate pages (e.g. when the question and answers are -lengthy or incorporate media)
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scores and correct answers can be shown (e.g. for an interactive exercise) or hidden (e.g. for an exam).
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Questions and answers can follow a pre-determined sequence or be randomized and shuffled
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The relevant questions category can be displayed or hidden
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The number of attempts allowed can be limited to a given number - “infinite” attempts might suit a “practice” exercise
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Start and end times for the test can be set and the time allowed to -complete the test can be limited; )a real-time counter will appear to -the user10)
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Negative scores can be “zeroed” or carried forward to the next question
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Students can review their answers before submitting the test
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A pass percentage can be set to indicate success or failure to the student
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A closing message to be viewed on completion can be composed.
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Exams refers to (generally time-controlled) exercises for -which no immediate feedback, nor any answer, is given to the -learner : he will obtain his results when the teacher considers it -right. This type of summative assessment is often undertaken at the end -of a course and may carry a high weighting in the overall assessment of -the student. Because of its significance scoring and feedback are -generally withheld until the teacher has had the chance to go through at - students' results with a “fine-tooth comb”.
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Exercises allow the teacher to assess the learner throughout -the course e.g. at the end of a lesson, unit or module. Less formal than - an exam, such tests might allow students three or more attempts and -represent a more formative approach to assessment, involving plenty -supportive feedback. Some elements of these tests might not be fully -automated, requiring some level of direct assessment by the teacher. -Most scoring would be immediately supplied, but feedback would tend to -fall short of displaying the correct answer directly, challenging -students to apply themselves to study revision and reflection to work -out the correct answer for themselves.
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Automated tests can generally be available to take an -unlimited number of times. Their key purpose would be to allow the -learner to “drill” himself, e.g. to learn vocabulary in a language -course, rehearse a particular mathematical algorithm or memorize a -safety procedure. Such tests would be free of any time constraints and -would be fully automated displaying scoring, feedback and even correct -answers to encourage improvements through practice.
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Scenarios represent a more advanced form of interactive -exercise where the teacher can pre-determine alternative next steps in -the test predicated on student's response to a question, leading the -student through a particular path of questioning. This type of activity -can be achieved using Chamilo's Tests tool and can provide -students with a very effective interactive on-line learning experience, -but of course is by its very nature quite complex and demanding to set -up.
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The “Comment” column will only be shown if you selected the show feedback option to in the advanced settings when - you created the test (if you don't want to show any feedback, then -there is little point in showing this column on the page.)
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Any fields marked with a red asterisk * must be completed.
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Every question has a title and an “enriched” description. We -generally recommend putting a short title in the title box, and putting -the real question in the enrich question box. This will allow you to present a much fuller, more meaning question, use images, and/or include audio or video.
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All answer and comment boxes have editing tools which are hidden by -default but can be viewed by clicking the small black arrow on the -top-left corner of the text box. This will allow you also add images, -links and audio to your answers or feedback comments.
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Every question type involves the allocation of scores. In the -case of questions requiring scoring later by a teacher, this will simply - be a maximum score against which the teacher will mark the test. In the - case of objective tests involving learners selecting an answer, the -score for each right or wrong answer chosen can be set, and can include -negative values. Teachers should give some thought, particularly in -tests involving different question types, to what weighting within the -overall test each question should carry.
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Teachers should also consider the number of options they wish to -offer in the case of multiple choice type questions – this can be -determined using the red and green remove/add answer option buttons at the foot of the form.
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If you have a lot of questions covering several topics, you may find -it useful for organizational reasons to assign individual questions to -categories in the advanced options – particularly if you plan to recycle questions. (You need to create the categories first of course, choosing the create category option -
-on the main test page. This allows to create a category - with a description which will appear in a drop down list.) Using -categories is optional but we would strongly advise you do so if you -have any number of questions, for sake of future editing or recycling of - questions.
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You can also assign a difficulty level for each question in the advanced options. - This can be handy for later fine-tuning the evaluation of students' -work, or reviewing the test overall. It can also be very useful when it -comes to recycling questions, allowing you filter questions by -difficulty.
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List view : simply shows messages in chronological order,
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threaded view : shows only one answer thread at a time,
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nested view : uses the threaded view but displays a complete subject.
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click the New category link,
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give it a name,
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add a comment if needed,
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click Create category.
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Click New forum,
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give it a name,
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add a description if necessary,
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in the advanced settings, it is possible to:
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authorize learners to modify their own answers,
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authorize learners to create new discussion threads,
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set the default view,
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decide if the forum is the one of a group, if it is public or private,
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click the Create forum button.
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click on the New message link,
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complete the Name and Description fields,
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advanced settings allow us to
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score a discussion thread as a teacher and give it a maximum score. To do this:
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select the “Mark this thread” box
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set a maximum score to reflect the learners participation in a discussion thread,
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enter or update the title of the corresponding column for the assessments tool,
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give a weight to the participation in the discussions thread in comparison to the other components of the assessment tool.
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receive e-mail alerts if an answer is added to the discussion thread,
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set a discussion thread to appear on top of the threads list,
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add an attachment to any message, together with a comment,
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Click Create thread
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click on the Learners list icon -
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scroll down to see the list of learners,
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click on the grade activity icon -
-next to the learner's name
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on the new page, locate the list of all the contributions (messages) -written by the learner scored as well as a statistical table based on -these same contributions,
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enter the score you want to assign the learner: with the help of the -list of contributions, choose a qualitative evaluation for these -contributions. The statistical table allows a quantitative evaluation of - the contributions,
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Click the Grade this thread button.
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Click on the Grade activity icon -
-under the user's picture,
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The new page gathers the list of all messages posted by the learner as well as a statistical table based on these messages,
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Click the Grade this thread button.
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clicking the icon will give you access to the on-line editor to write - your message. An area allowing you to read the other messages of the -thread appear at the bottom of the page,
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give a short topic to your message,
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enter your message,
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choose whether you want to be notified by e-mail in case anybody answers your message,
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attach a document (optional) and, if you do, add a small comment describing the document,
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click on the Reply to this thread button.
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the forum category,
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the forum title,
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the title of the thread in which the searched words have been found.
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update the learning path's settings -
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add and order elements as you build the learning path -
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add an activity / object / document -
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add a new section -
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use a preview screen to check how it's going to look for learners -
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click on the Create assignment tool -
-in the Assignments page:
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give your new assignment a name,
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add a description (optional),
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click the Validate button.
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Assign a maximum score for the assignment
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Include the assignment in the assessment/grade-book tool
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pick a deadline for the assignment to be completed and sent
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pick a final end date for the assignment (and hide it to students)
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Include the deadline in the course agenda/calendar.
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Allow students to hand in their assignment directly from the assignment editor
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click on the Advanced settings link in the Create/edit assignment page
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assign a Maximum score greater than 0
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check the Add to grade-book box
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choose the relevant assessment from the drop-down list
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assign a weighting within the assessment
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click on the Validate button.
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a “handing over” deadline: the date past which all assignments sent -by the learners to the platform are marked as expired in red in the list - of assignments. Past this date, assignments can still be sent, but they - are marked to indicate late delivery.
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a “final acceptance” date: this is the date past which it becomes -impossible for the learners to send an assignment . It is the definitive - date after which the teacher will not consider any more work sent.
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Click the Edit icon -
-to the right of the relevant user's entry to view the user's basic details;
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Complete/update the Description field to inform other users of the role played by this user;
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Save changes.
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Tests,
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Assignments,
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Learning paths,
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Forum threads,
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Attendances,
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Surveys
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Click the Edit this page icon -
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Remove the existing content and replace it by new content (for example, a list of links pointing to other pages of the wiki),
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Add a comment explaining your contribution,
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Click Save.
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click the Edit this page icon,
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click the line you want to add the link on, then either:
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add the text between double square brackets [[link to the page to be created]]. Once saved, the text entered between brackets will be transformed into a link to a new empty page,
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-or click the Insert/Edit Wiki Link icon in the editor to indicate the name of the new page to be created,
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click Save.
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search titles or contents of pages,
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display a list of all the pages,
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list only the latest modifications,
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remove the whole wiki (be careful with this command!),
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see the most active users,
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see the most visited pages,
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see the most updated pages,
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see all orphan pages,
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see all empty pages (wanted pages) created as such in order to invite somebody else to add content on a given topic.
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Click the Add a category icon -
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Give a clear name to your category,
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Add a description if needed,
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Click the Add a category button.
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Click the Add a link icon -
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Add the link's URL,
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Give it a label,
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Add a description of what is on the other side of the link, if desired,
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Select a category if desired,
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Choose whether to show the link on the course homepage or not,
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Click the Save link button.
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-click the Add an announcement icon --
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Illustration 118: Add an announcement
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by default, the announcement will be sent to all users, but it is possible to edit the list of recipients by clicking on the visible to link -
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the announcement can be sent by e-mail to the course users (check the Send this announcement by email to selected groups/users box),
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add an announcement subject,
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write the main announcement using the editor,
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add an attachment if desired,
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click Send announcement.
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click on Add new glossary term -
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enter the term in the first field,
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give the term's definition,
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click the Save term button.
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click the Share a new file icon -
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click the choose file button and select the file on your computer,
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decide whether to overwrite other files with the same name
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in the Send to list, select the people to share the document -with (groups can also be selected by holding the CTRL key pressed while -clicking the names)
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click the Upload button.
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give the article a name,
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enter or edit the course title,
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enter/edit the general category to which the course belongs,
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choose the language in which the course interface is set (this can be - set to language other than that of the platform, - particularly useful -for a “total immersion” language course).
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enter a Department name and/or web address
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add a picture to be displayed in the course catalogue (important for “marketing” your course)
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choose a stylesheet for this course from a drop down menu (by default that of the platform)
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allow self-subscription and unsubscription
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provide a registration password to allow access by unsubscribed users
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establish legal terms to be displayed on entry to the course
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click on the Create backup link in the Backup and import section -
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choose the source of backup: either a .zip file on your computer or one stored on the server,
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choose whether you want to import the whole course or only specific sections (to be selected in the next screen),
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decide whether to duplicate specific files during the importation operation or to replace them,
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click Import backup to start the import.
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click Copy course,
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select the destination course
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select the elements to copy (all or part of the origin course)
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select what to do when the files in the destination course already exist (rename or overwrite),
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click the Copy course button.
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click on the Empty this course link,
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select whether you want to empty the whole course or just specific tools,
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click the Empty this course button to proceed.
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click the Edit profile link,
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update the fields,
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click Save settings.
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click the Messages link below your picture,
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enter the subject and message (optionally you can add an attached file),
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clicking the Invitations link in the left menu -
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click Search.
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public (everybody can join)
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private (the group administrator must authorize the membership request)
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Administrator : The “master” user who controls and manages the Chamilo portal globally.
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Course administrator : See teacher
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Student : See learner
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Course assistant : a learner with additional rights limited to - a specific course: he can track other learners' results, check their -assignments and their test results
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Coach : a teacher of a course in the context of a Session
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Trainer : See teacher
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Training : See course. In versions 1.8.5 to 1.8.8 of Chamilo, the term Training replaced the term Course, resulting - in an awful lot of confusion, not only in English, but also in other -languages which depended on English for translations. The term can be of - course be redefined on each portal depending on needs through the -portal administration interface, but Course is the term used globally now.
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Teacher : The user who creates and/or controls a course (outwit h the Session context)
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Tutor : See Coach
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User : Any user who has an access to your Chamilo portal, regardless of his role
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Introduction
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What is Chamilo?
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Chamilo LMS is a learning management system designed to support effective online education (often referred to as e-learning). - It is “free” software which has been developed through the -collaboration of various companies, organizations and individuals -according to a model known as open-source, but with stricter ethical values.
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This means that you are free to download and use Chamilo, -provided you accept its license terms, (detailed under the GNU/GPLv3 -license1). As long as you undertake to maintain them, this confers four essential freedoms to you: the freedom to use, study, modify and distribute the software.
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In addition to having been developed collaboratively by dozens of people across the world ; Chamilo is also supported by The Chamilo Association, - a non-profit organization whose key objective is to support the -platform and ensure its continuity. Such guarantees of continuing open -access make Chamilo LMS unique as an e-learning system.
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Please feel free to contribute to Chamilo too! You can do this by - promoting its use, reporting errors, suggesting improvements, -translating it (or its manuals) into your native language, or even -developing extensions or fixes by yourself.
- -About this guide
-This guide has been written through the collaboration of various -organizations and individuals who share a common goal to contribute to -education around the world. You can contribute to the writing and -improvement of this guide too. All you need to do is drop us an e-mail -at info@chamilo.org with your -suggestions for improvements – you could attach you own modified version - of paragraphs, chapters, screen-shots or even the whole manual! It's -that easy!
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Who is this guide for?
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This guide has been written with educators in mind: the many -teachers, tutors, trainers, instructors and others involved in education - who find themselves faced (through choice or necessity) with -responsibility for managing an e-learning course.
-Entering the world of e-learning can present a complex, even -daunting, challenge, but we believe Chamilo LMS in itself provides a -welcome solution for newcomers. Learning how to use Chamilo will take -you a long way along the road to mastering many key aspects of -e-learning.
-If you are already an educator with experience in e-learning, you -should find this guide a useful, detailed explanation of the workings of - Chamilo, and will be able to use it to further your skills in using -e-learning tools to develop your courses.
-Chamilo has two key aims:
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How to use this guide.
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This reference guide is designed to lead you smoothly through a -clear learning path, introducing you first to the most commonly used -tools, then guiding you progressively through more complex and/or seldom - used features.
-(The exception to this pattern is the description of the social -network tool, which is explained separately at the end of the guide. -We've placed it there to offer some light relief following the preceding - three or four chapters, which are a little bit more challenging than -the others! )
-Following this, you'll find a description of alternative approaches -to setting up Chamilo which you should find useful when organizing -courses for your students, simplifying your tracking work and helping -you easily identify and support “flagging” individuals while progressing - with the course overall.
-We recommend you take a quick look at the Glossary (section 37.1). It - will give you an overview of the terms used throughout this guide and -hopefully help avoid confusion in some sections.
-If you already have a teacher account in a Chamilo portal, you can -move directly to Chapter 5, which describes the Chamilo interface. If -you are familiar with this, move on to Chapter 6 which explains how to -create a course. If you are already a course administrator (i.e. a -teacher who has also created courses), you should go directly to Chapter - 9, which is the initial chapter explaining the course tools. For those -who are familiar with the tools, much in this guide will already be -familiar, though you may find it handy to explore updated features, such - as chapter 36 The Social Network.
-This guide can also serve, in its PDF version, as a handy quick reference, thanks to the Alphabetical index.
-If you have further questions about using Chamilo. you can visit the Chamilo forum (http://www.chamilo.org/forum), where numerous other users, teachers, administrators and software developers will be happy to help you find the answers.
-If you have more demanding requirements, you might consider hiring one of our official providers (http://www.chamilo.org/en/providers), - a group of companies and institutions which offer professional services - supporting Chamilo. The official providers have a record of tried and -proven serious involvement in the project and are committed to -sustaining its collaborative model. By hiring them, you already support -the Chamilo project.
- -General usability
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Chamilo has been designed to provide help and support within the -application. The icons are intended to symbolize what they represent, -independently of any particular language or culture. Furthermore, each -icon has a “mouse-over” description. If you allow your mouse to “hover” -over an icon for one second (without clicking), you will see a simple -pop-up description of the icon's function (Illustration 2: Icons label).
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There is also an online help facility on most pages which -appears as a partially hidden lifebuoy ring on the top right side of -your screen (see Illustration 3: Folded help) and clicking it will open a - window explaining the feature you're in and how to use it (see -Illustration 4, Unfolded help ).It remains in place when you scroll the -screen so that it's constantly available and you can open and close it -without affecting your current work. When you click the buoy, a small -guide will open up, explaining the tool you're in and how to use it (see - Illustration 5: Contextual help pop-up).
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- Illustration 3: Folded help |
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- Illustration 4: Unfolded help |
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Terminology
-At the time of writing, Chamilo is being used by almost six thousand -organizations around the world, in many different languages, including -primary schools, colleges, higher education institutes, universities, -NGOs, small, medium and large companies.
-Obviously, all these bodies and institutions tend to use slightly -differing terminologies. For example, some institutions will call their -courses “Training sessions”, others will call them “Learning spaces” and - others simply “Courses”. This presents challenges for the design of a -“one-size-fits-all” e-learning platform (or even user guide), so we have - sought the middle road, and employ a simple, universal terminology -which we trust will make sense to all our users.
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Of course, because we understand your organization may prefer a -specific terminology, we have equipped Chamilo with a way to edit any -interface term from within the platform administration. (this requires -administration skills and is thus described in the Chamilo Administration Guide). Should you urgently require a customization, you can ask one of our official providers2 for a customized language pack to be imported into your platform.
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In this guide, we have endeavored to employ a universal terminology so, for example, the common education term “student” has been replaced by more neutral terms like “learner” - which applies equally well in the business world. When referring to all - kinds of users collectively, we have decided to use the term “user”.
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This manual is available in several formats, so you can always download it in editable format from our website3 - and do a quick search & replace operation to make it fit your -needs. Don't hesitate to send us the updated version back for sharing -with others at info@chamilo.org. You'll be amazed at how this can benefit you in return, as other communities build up on your work to make things even better.
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The somewhat ambivalent term “training” which had been employed in previous versions of the software has now been replaced by the more understandable term “course”, while the previously ousted term “learning path” has now been reinstated after a short and unpopular change to “course”. - You will find all these terms defined and explained in the following -guide. If in any doubt, make sure you check our Glossary on page 168 -Don't forget: you can customize these terms with the help of your -Chamilo administrator (if that's you, check the Chamilo Administration Guide).
- - -Why Chamilo?
-Chamilo is an e-learning and collaboration platform which comes bundled as open-source software (or as purists will say, Free Software) which can be adapted to educational or professional projects. It is distributed under the GNU/GPLv3+ license, which you are bound to accept when using it.
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A teacher using Chamilo can access a series of useful tools -allowing them to easily and efficiently create an effective learning -environment. On creating/editing a course he (or she) can:
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The Chamilo platform is extremely flexible. All its tools can be customized according to the needs of each course. It provides a friendly and intuitive user interface which requires no special prior technical knowledge or skills.
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Learning paradigm
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Some learning management systems fall into the trap of attempting - to support a specific learning/teaching methodology (e.g. social -constructivism), perhaps in order to win some short-lived pedagogical -credibility. While focusing on a single paradigm is appropriate, even -desirable, on the part of individual teachers or organizations, Chamilo -resists the temptation to limit the design of the platform to one -specific approach in this way.
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In our experience, the role of a Learning Management System is to - provide a tool that can adapt to the needs and wishes of the user. -Providing “the right tool for the job” may be fine for single-purpose -tools (a hammer, a fork or a pencil). For a complex tool such as a LMS, -however, it is a combination of the platform's wide range of flexible -and adaptable features and the teacher's creative use of those features -that will, in time, result in courses which reflect an appropriate -specific learning methodology, be it social constructivism, -instructionalism, behaviorism, radical constructivism, symbolic -interactionism, etc. Chamilo acknowledges the role of the teacher in -choosing their own teaching approach, and strives to ensure that all of -these educational paradigms can all be effectively implemented using -various combinations of the flexible tools provided on its platform.
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Chamilo LMS enables you to develop a course using whatever -paradigm/approach/method you as a teacher (or your institution/company) -feel comfortable with and, as such, makes sure you have the right tools -for the job.
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Common interface elements
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Because we know that common conventions make things easier for -everybody to remember and manipulate, we use a set of common visual -symbols throughout Chamilo. These symbols might stand alone representing - an action, or be coupled with another symbol representing the object of - the action.
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Below are listed some of the most commonly used symbols on the platform:
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- The pencil tool allows the updating of a specific piece of information or content |
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- A blue arrow pointing down generally means download some file or data. |
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- A blue arrow pointing upwards generally means upload some file or data. |
The Chamilo homepage
-The homepage is the first visible page. It contains the login form and a few other important elements:
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Note : To view the courses with restricted access, you -must be registered on the platform and must be subscribed by the course -teacher, through the course users list.
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- -Register on the platform
-As for any web platform, users wishing to access the platform contents must register with their user name and password.
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Once connected, the teacher has access to any courses on which (s)he is registered:
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Note : Although the help feature link has been -replaced (since version 1.8.8) by a more dynamic, JavaScript-based box, -it remains fully accessible to people with impaired vision, which might -be navigating the platform through a text-based browser. Version 1.9 -also offers a font resize feature for people with slightly impaired -vision.
- - -Finding your way in Chamilo
-Most pages are quickly accessible via the tabs at the top of the page:
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The “tabs” provide access to the homepage, the courses list, your -agenda, the reporting/tracking page, the social network and (if you are -is lucky enough to be a portal administrator) to the dashboard and -administration pages. The last tab shows the user's name (so he can -check he's not mistakenly using another user's account) and the red -“power” button -
lets the user log out at any time with a a single click. --
Browsing through a course offers the same kind of navigation you -will find on any computer software. In Chamilo, it is referred to as the - breadcrumb navigation, (a reference to a popular folktale motif, as in Little Thumbling5 who - saved the lives of his brothers by leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in a -dark forest so they could find their way home.) This type of navigation -allows the user to find its way back to his starting point.
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The first “breadcrumb” link, on the left, displays the name of -the course, and allows the user to return to the course homepage -directly. The links to the right of this point directly to the elements -of the course in which the user is currently located.
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Within a course, Learner view allows the teacher to view the course as a learner. The link then changes to Teacher view. Just click the new link to get back to the normal “teacher” view:
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Course creation
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Note : on some portals, teachers might not have permission -to create new courses and are simply assigned pre-created courses by the - administrator.
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Click on Create course. Fill the mandatory fields (see Illustration 13: Creating a course – short version) and click the button. That's it.
-The course will be visible by the course creator and (later) by the -users subscribed to it. By default, the person who creates the course is - responsible for this course's administration. She is generally referred - to as the Course owner or Course creator.
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To create the course, you need only enter a single element, i.e. a clear and detailed title.
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Additional options (entirely optional) are available by clicking on the Advanced settings link:
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A course creation follow-up page is displayed, which suggests:
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This empty course structure created, the next step is to enrich this -course through the addition of text, multimedia documents, audio tracks, - links etc. etc.....)
- - -Control course access
-During the creation of the course, it is recommended you don't allow -learners access before it is ready so they don't see an incomplete -course.
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In order to do this, access has to be restricted by going to the course Settings tool:
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Illustration 16: Course administration tools
A series of choices are available to the teacher.
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- -Organizing courses
-With Chamilo, one can end up managing a large quantity of courses. In addition to general course categories, all course creators have an option to create personal categories, visible only to the user who created them, to help him organize his courses.
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Note : This feature is not supported by the -platform's developers anymore, and might be abandoned in the future. It -can result in a conflict with the courses order on the My courses page when these are registered within sessions.
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Personal categories
-Go to My courses, option Sort courses in the menu, to get to the courses sorting tools page. Click on the Create a personal course category, and fill the name of the new personal category to be created. Finally, click the Add category icon.
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The new personal category appears in a list at the top of the page. It is possible to create several personal course categories.
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Click the pencil icon next to each course to set a category for -it. In the drop-down list, select the personal category with which the -course will be associated, then click the confirmation button. With -courses sorted and linked to personal categories, the courses homepage -is more readable. Courses not associated with any personal category are -shown at the top of the page.
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To remove a category, click the red cross and confirm.
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Subscribing to other courses
-Teachers and students can subscribe to courses. When a teacher -subscribes to another course by himself, he is considered student in -this course, and will thus not have access to the normal teacher tools. -If you want to register to be registered to someone else's course as a -teacher, you will have to ask the current teacher of that course or the -administrator to register you, as a teacher, to that course.
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Clicking on the Courses catalog link, then on Subscribe to a course, - and the general courses categories list appears. You can look for the -course in the suggested categories, or find it by searching for all or -part of the course title via the search box on the top-right part of the - page.
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Once the course has been found, click on the Subscribe icon to subscribe to it. The subscription gives the user subscribing learner status.
- -Courses management icons
-In the courses management interface, you will see the following common icons and buttons.
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- -Course administration
-The My courses tab the teacher to see a list of the courses -which they can manage. (These display a pencil icon on the right side of - the course's box, as opposed to courses on which they are subscribed as - learners).
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You just need to click on the course name to access its homepage. The various tools are arranged in three categories:
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The teacher can choose to hide or show distinct tools using the eye icon under each tool, so that the course doesn't intimidate the new learner with too many options.
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Note : In some cases the administrator may make tools -unavailable to course teachers or enable tools which depend on specific -extensions (like the full-text search or the video conference), so what -you see entering the course might not be the same as described here.
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Course homepage
-In this chapter, we will present a brief overview of the various -tools available. Each tool will be examined in more detail in later -chapters.
- -Introductory text
-Just before looking at any particular course tool, note that it is -possible to present a welcome message to a course. Click on the Add an introduction text icon -
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This feature, although very simple to use, is also very powerful: it -can simply present a few words of introduction, but it also enables you -to redesign the entire course homepage simply by hiding all the course -tools and writing a large introduction text/page including icons with -links to the course tools' internal pages.
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To do this :
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You now have an entirely personalized course homepage! The only remaining other visual elements are the header and the footer.
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Authoring tools
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Course description
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The description tool presents several sections which provide the -course author with a simple suggested structure for their course -description. (The teacher doesn't have to use these, of course; if the -proposed sections do not match requirements, other sections can be -created with the preferred titles). The sections include:
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At any time, a section can be removed by clicking on the Delete icon -
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The description is available to learners inside the course, but can also be viewed in the course catalog (via the Description button). This button opens a pop-up window showing the description provided by the teacher.
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Documents
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Tests
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Learning Paths
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Note: If you come from a Moodle background, this feature can be compared to the ordering of blocks on your course homepage.
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Assessments
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Attendances
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Links
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Announcements
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Glossary
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Course progress
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Note : The learning paths created inside the course can -also be made visible in the « Authoring » section, which could - generate redundancy. It is possible to show or hide them using the -double square icon in the learning paths list (« Make visible to -learners »)
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Search
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Interaction tools
-The objective of the interaction section is to group tools which -facilitate communication between learners as well as between learner and - teacher. Unlike the Authoring tools which are primarily for teacher use, The Interaction tools are provided mainly for use by other users also, to support their learning.
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Agenda
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Dropbox
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Groups
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Assignments
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Wiki
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Forum
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Users
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Chat
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Surveys
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Notebook
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Video-conference
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Administration tools
-The administration section groups tools that the learner never - needs access to – there is therefore no option to hide or show the -tools, which are designed for teacher use only.
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Projects
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Settings
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- Manage and update elements such as the course title, category, language, picture, etc. |
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- Configure course access updates (visibility, subscription and other permissions) |
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- Configure of the agenda, announcements or picture display inside the forum |
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- Configure how the chat tool opens |
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- Enable the graphical theme of the learning path, as well as various other learning path settings |
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- Decide whether course progress information should be shown on course homepage |
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Reporting
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Backup
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First Steps: Documents
-The normal first step any teacher takes when needing content for a course is to go to the Documents tool -
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Chamilo allows for the import of all types of documents (HTML, -MS-Word®, MS-PowerPoint® MS-Excel®, PDF, Flash, Quicktime®, -OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice, MP3, OGG, AVI, etc.) and can first be used -as a simple documents catalog while the teacher builds up a bank of -materials (a few weeks, depending on the context).
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You can rename documents at any time and arrange them in -directories/folders. The only provision is that the user must, of -course, have the requisite software installed on his computer to read -the files at his disposal. We recommend the use of standard and open -formats (see note below) to avoid the need for the learner to download -or buy costly software which might be overly specific (i.e. with no -other use) or prove difficult to maintain.
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With regard to file storage, you do need to be sure to organize the Documents tool carefully to make it easy to find a document later on.
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Note : The Chamilo community strives for a complete freedom -in the distribution of (distance) learning material. From this -perspective that a high priority is given to the support of open formats - and applications, like LibreOffice® and its OASIS format rather than -the Microsoft® Office® suite; OGG (and its variations) rather than MP3® -or DivX®; etc. So we'd like to remind you that all features of Chamilo -can be used with a simple, open spec. browser, the only exception to -which is the video-conference and the hot spot exercises, which require -the Flash® plug-in (which is free but not open). We are working on this -last element to increase the availability of this type of exercise to -devices that do not support Flash®.
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Create a directory
-To achieve a clearer storage structure, Chamilo lets you create -directories (folders) and sub-directories by clicking on the folder icon - with the yellow star symbol -
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To create a directory:
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Quick-change of directory
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When creating a new course with example content, the Documents tool contains several directories (audio, flash, images, etc) by default.
-These directories are meant to provide additional help organizing -resources inside the course. Once there are over twenty or so documents -in the root directory, it becomes difficult to locate a document when -needed, because you will have to scroll up and down to get to see all -the files. Because of this, we recommend not having more than twenty -files in a single directory - general good practice in file management -anyway.
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These directories are by default invisible to learners. It is up -to the teacher to decide whether learners should see these directories' -contents or not (by clicking on the eye icon -
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Of course, it is possible to create several other directories using -the folder creation icon. In order to navigate swiftly within the -directories tree, a drop-down list called Current folder is available on the top left of the screen allowing any level of documents-directory to be readily accessed.
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Importing a document
-Import a new document by going to the desired destination folder and clicking the Upload documents icon -
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The following screen appears:
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Click on the green area to explore the files on your disk and select one(s8) - to upload. Inside the pop-up window, click the confirmation button. The - documents upload starts. If you send several files at the same time, -you will see their upload progress, live, as in the following -illustration.
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Once the upload is finished, the following validation list appears.
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Illustration 34: Documents – Document upload finished
The green ticks indicate that the documents have been sent to the -course successfully. Click on the blue arrow icon pointing left to get -back to the documents list.
-Note : The tab labeled Send (Simple) allows you to use the traditional “dialogue window” procedure to upload. We called it Simple - because users are generally more used to this one, though it's really a - bit more complicated to use! Document indexing options can only be -found in the Simple form (in case your administrator has enabled the -search feature) as well as an option to unzip a complete file hierarchy. -
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Authoring content in Chamilo
-A major advantage of Chamilo over other Learning Management Systems -is that it provides a wide range of inbuilt features supporting the -effective authoring of course content. The toolbar at the top of the -documents page displays a range of tools to support authoring:
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The icons marked with an a yellow asterisk represent creation tools. -First and foremost, the teacher can create new rich media documents -directly via the documents tool, without any need for an external -authoring system. Just click the create rich media page/activity icon -
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After naming the document, it is possible to use all the options in -the embedded rich text editor to format them. The editor supports a wide - range of elements, including tables,images, audio, video, flash, etc. -It includes an html editor which means that, for those with some -knowledge of scripting the sky's the limit in terms of rich content!)
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You can also use a series of document templates, (available in -the left column), or create and save your own templates for designing -further pages.
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Once the document has been created/edited, save it by clicking on the Create document button.
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Other types of documents can be created depending on your browser - and the portal configuration (ask your administrator to enable these -extra features if you don't see them in the toolbar).
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Saving documents
-Chamilo allows you to save all the documents, or a specific directory, simply by clicking on the Save (ZIP) icon -
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Deleting a file or a directory
-To delete, update, hide or show a file or directory, use the options in the right hand column of the documents listing:
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As you will realize yourself, the icons vary depending on the document type. HTML documents offer more possibilities.
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The magic wand icon allows you to use the selected document as a -template to create other documents. It thus becomes very easy to ensure a - consistent visual style for all documents in the same course.
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The PDF icon allows you to export the document in a PDF format. -This can be particularly useful if you wish to read your course in the -train or the plane, where you don't have access to your e-learning -platform.
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Watching course quotas
-By default, a course quota of 100Mb is set, but it is also possible -for your administrator to increase it. To check the space usage, look at - the indication at the bottom of your documents list. I will indicate -the percentage of your course that is being used.
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If you think you might reach the course limit in a few days, contact -your administrator to ask him if it is possible to increase the -available space. Only the platform administrator has the power to use -this feature.
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If you want to get a clearer view of what is occupying space in your documents directory, click the percent icon -
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Note : the space available in a course is only limited, in -Chamilo 1.9, to the use of the documents tool. Users will be allowed to -send numerous assignments without worrying about the space limit.
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Slideshow
-If you have a lot of images uploaded in your folders and want to see -them all at once, you can use the slideshow feature. Click on the -slideshow icon -
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You'll be presented with a type of “slideshow” view of the images - in that folder. Each image is captioned with its name, dimensions and -size on disk.
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A settings option -
Interactivity: Tests
- -Introduction
-The Tests tool -
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The value of this tool is evident : automatic scoring and -feedback of learners' answers means not only major time-savings for the -teacher, they also allow the learner to self-test repeatedly (without -feeling self-conscious) -for example when needing to learn language -vocabulary, or master difficult mathematical algorithms. They can enjoy -immediate automated feedback without depending on the presence or -availability of the teacher. Test scores can be automatically integrated - in each student's grade-book, and data such as dates, number of -attempts etc. forwarded to the reporting tool to assist the teacher in -tracking and monitoring students' progress.
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A well designed test can prove an invaluable motivational tool -for the learner. The teacher can build in extensive and meaningful -feedback and suggestions and design stimulating questions and feedback -which can involve not only text but graphics, audio video, etc.
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The “Tests” tool could equally be termed the “Exercises” tool, -inasmuch as its use is not restricted to simple “summative” quizzes at -the end of a chapter or module. For example, some teachers use the test -tool as the main vehicle for presenting new material (rather than simply - displaying a series of documents) in order to present materials in a -more interactive way (e.g. requiring the learner to complete a question -or two at the end of each page.) Using the test tool in this way to -create interactive exercises (involving formative rather than summative - assessment approaches) keeps learners alert and enriches their learning - experience. It is also enjoyable and rewarding for the teacher, -challenging him/her to develop ever richer and more stimulating course -content.
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Of course, there are times when the teacher simply wants to set a - formal, timed “Exam” for students, withholding feedback and scores for -sharing at a later date. The tests tool can be configured in this way, -too.
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Because the tests tool is very fully featured, it takes a little -time to learn how to use. The following sections explain in detail how -to make full use of the Tests tool in Chamilo.
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-Creating a new test is very easy. Click the create a test icon -
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Illustration 43: Exercises – Create a new test
If you opt to give a context to the test -
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The test will be displayed on the main page of the test tool, listed along with other tests created in the course:
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Because there are so many different ways the test tool can be used, -there is a good chance the default options are not entirely suitable -your needs. Be careful, therefore to consider the extensive Advanced settings section available in the create/edit test page:
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The settings are fairly self evident:
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Note : The platform administrator may enable an additional option in the “Feedback” section of the advanced settings: Self-evaluation (immediate feedback). This - option, if checked, enables the “scenario” question types which allows -teachers to devise quizzes based on multiple-choice or image mapping -questions which, depending on the answer given, lead the learner to -alternative subsequent questions. This is a powerful tool – however, be -aware that once self-evaluation is checked, these advanced settings cannot be changed: you will instead have to create a new test not based on the Self-evaluation (immediate feedback) option.
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Feedback, score and correct answers
-This section describes some of the key educational concepts which -have steered the design of the Tests feature in Chamilo. For teachers -new to on-line teaching and learning, it is useful to consider some of -the terminology Chamilo uses in relation to these concepts prior to -developing the tests themselves.
- -Automated feedback
-A major advantage in on-line learning is that it can offer the -learner enormous flexibility in terms of where and when he/she chooses -to study. A student can undertake a fully automated test if they wish -anywhere and at any time and receive their score immediately. However, -this freedom also means that there is no teacher to hand to explain why -they have got a question wrong in a test or exercise, as there might be -in a traditional classroom. In automated on-line tests, therefore, the -teacher needs to pay particular attention to the provision of automated -on-line feedback.
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This means that as well as receiving a score, the student can -receive a brief (pre-written) comment relating to their answer, whether -it is right or wrong. Typically, if he gives the right answer, you might - congratulate him: “Well done, I can see you have a good grasp of this -concept!”. If he answers incorrectly, you can offer immediate feedback -to encourage him to look beyond that demoralizing red “X”, and help make - the error part of the learning process. This is the best time for him -to learn where he went wrong and how to avoid the error next time. Use -hints e.g : “Sorry, wrong answer! Have you read the Open Standards - chapter deeply enough? A quick revision of Chapter 3 should help you -out! Remember the example of OASIS and how it was designed?”. (This -feedback could also contain a direct link to the “Chapter 3” example.)
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Such feedback can “humanize” the test and is often really -appreciated by students. It means a bit more work for the teacher when -creating the test, but provides an important way of encouraging and -correcting the learner during his auto-evaluation attempts.
- -Scoring tests
-Assigning a score represents a “raw”, even crude way of evaluating a -student's skills. Nevertheless, scores matter a lot to students even -though they are of limited use in terms of formative assessment. You -have a lot of flexibility in setting up scores, pass marks etc. in -Chamilo, including assigning overall weightings to tests and the option -to assign negative scores to individual answers. You should use these -features with care, and avoid careless errors especially (a wrong score -for a correct answer is incredibly frustrating for a student). If you -give a automatically score to a learner, it can prove difficult to -adjust it afterwards. Updating a score may be necessary under specific -circumstances (e.g. where the test is complex), and this will require a -manual revision by the teacher.
- -Displaying correct answers
-The option to display correct answers is a simple and direct way of -providing feedback by demonstrating to the learner what he should have -answered. Sometimes displaying the answers in this way is desirable, but - given that the learner may wish to re-take the test without being given - the answer, or that you may well want to re-use the test on a future -occasion, it is recommended you don't display the any answers, but -instead use feedback to let the learner know how (rather than what) he should have answered and set him on the right course to get it right next time through his own efforts.
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Test types
-You will have gathered by now that the term Tests used for -this tool is a generic term used to describe a range of on-line learning - activities which, along with assignments and forums, can be used to -generate evaluative information which can guide students' further -learning. A key aspect of the Tests tool is that it can be used -to provide instant automated responses to student input without the need - to wait for the teacher to respond. How such automated responses are -delivered and used however can vary widely in the course of the -student's journey through the course. Below are some suggested broad -categories of evaluative activity which can be effectively set up using -the Tests tool.
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The above descriptions demonstrate how the Tests tool can -function depending on how it is configured by the teacher. The tool is -designed to be as flexible as possible while remaining relatively easy -to use, so variations on all the above “models” can be achieved to meet -requirements.
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Adding questions to the test
-On creating a test, click Proceed to questions you will be taken to the questions page:
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In addition to the toolbar the page displays an array of different -types of question. (The same page can be accessed at a later time using -the edit icon for any given test listed in the Tests page.) It -offers a range of question types from which to choose, which are -described in this section. Each test can contain a combination of -question types – this can prove handy for ensuring tests don't become -monotonous.
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Fill banks/form
-multiple choice
-Open question
-image zones
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-multiple answer
-matching
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-exact selection
-Multiple answer T/F/ ?
-Global multiple answer
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Illustration 47: Exercises – Question types
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Questions are created using an on-line form which differs -according to the question type. The following subsections describe each -form in detail. Completion of the forms is quite intuitive. The -following general points regarding the completion of the on-line forms -apply to all or most types of question:
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Type 1 : Multiple choice – Single answer
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Illustration 48: Tests – Multiple choice, single answer
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Illustration 49: Tests – Multiple answer question
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Type 3 : Fill the blanks
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Illustration 50: Tests - Fill the blanks
The question will appear like this to the learner, who simply needs to type the correct word in to the blank fields:
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Type 4 : Matching
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Illustration 51: Tests – Matching text elements
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The learner will view the matching question like this:
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or, from 1.9.6, a draggable circle will make it a little more appealing to students.
- -Type 5 : Open question
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Illustration 52: Tests - Open questions
The learner will be presented with a text field in which to write. -(He can use the small arrow on the left of the top border of the field -to make use of a range of fields if he wishes to enrich his -presentation. e.g. with heading or highlighted text.)
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Type 6: Audio answer
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(note: This question type requires the learner to have Java -applets supported in his browser. If this is not the case, he will need -to to record the audio separately and then upload it as an MP3 file to -the server.) -
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Because of the additional requirements for this question type, -you should make sure your learners are aware that the test will contain -an audio question and that they have a more than one chance to try the -test to check whether their browser supports it or not. (Bear in mind -that taking a test is generally a stressful experience. You don't want -to give your learners a nervous breakdown because they can't manage to -record an audio answer!)
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Illustration 53: Tests – Oral expression
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The learner simply needs to press the Record answer when -he is ready to talk, and follow the instructions for the on-screen -Nanogong recorder, which will automatically send his recording to the -teacher for marking and scoring.
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Type 7 : Hot spot, or image area
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Having uploaded your image and named your question, you can add -or remove hotspots, and define the area using an ellipse, a rectangle or - a polygon shape. As with other question types, you can add comments for - feedback purposes and determine a score for each correctly identified -area.
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-The learner needs to click on the picture to identify the areas -listed – the numbers will appear on top of the areas on which he clicks:
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Illustration 55: Exercises - Hot spot learner view
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Illustration 56: Tests - Exact combination
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Illustration 57: Tests – unique answer with unknown
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Illustration 58: Tests – Multiple answer true/false/don't know
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Illustration 59: Tests – Combination true/false/don't know
The learner will view the question(s) and use radio buttons like this:
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(Note: a “don't know” will generate a zero score, so this format -might most fairly contain one or two questions – requiring prudent use -from the teacher.)
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Type 12 : Global multiple answer
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Illustration 60: Tests – Global multiple answer
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Recycling existing questions
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Any question created, independently of the test or course to -which it has been attached, feeds the questions database. This base can -be very useful for teachers wanting to re-use questions that are very -general or, needing questions to serve as “fillers” when you're short of - a few questions in a new test.
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During test creation, the database shows questions from other -tests, as well as orphan questions (i.e. those questions which have -belonged to a test which has been removed).
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When the question database shows, it presents a list of all -existing questions inside the course. This is where assigning questions -to categories and adding a difficulty to tests can prove very useful for - identifying individual questions: use the Filter and Difficulty drop-down lists to filter the questions accordingly.
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Illustration 61: Tests – Questions database
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Importing: HotPotatoes, IMS/QTI2, Excel
-As well as allowing teachers to create their own tests as described -above in sections 12.2 to 12.6, Chamilo enables teachers to easily -upload and include tests created in external tools, in particular tests -created using Hot Potatoes, Qti2 and Microsoft Excel. These are popular -authoring tools which can produce tests in a standard format suitable -for use in many, LMSes, including Chamilo. Details of how to use these -software packages are obviously outwit h the scope of this guide, but -experienced online educators may well be familiar with one or all of -them, and may have produced tests with them which they wish to upload to - Chamilo.
-To do so, the teacher need simply click on the relevant icon in the toolbar on the main Tests page and follow the dialogue box to locate and import the relevant file.
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Illustration 62: Tests – import external tests from Tests page
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Illustration 63: Tests - Import HotPotatoes, Qti2 and Excel tests
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Test results
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Illustration 64: Exercises - List
This will display a page listing all the results for the relevant test.
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Illustration 65: Exercises – Results list
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Communication: Forums
-Following on from the previous chapters you might be expecting to examine the learning paths - tool at this juncture. However, we'll look at this later (see -Structure: Learning paths on page 76). Instead, it actually makes more -sense here to take a look at the next most commonly used tool on the -platform.
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The Forum tool -
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The forum is an asynchronous discussion tool, i.e. the people -involved in a conversation do not have to be connected simultaneously to - participate. Email is also an asynchronous tool. However, a major -difference from e-mail is that the forum is a public or semi-public -space, where several people can see information (even if they were not -part of the discussion initially), boosting support for learning by -providing ready access to really useful information, inasmuch as a group - of students and teachers can exchange ideas together in their -specialist field.
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Forum management tools
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Name of forum
Illustration 66: Forum – Global view -Exchanges are organized hierarchically, as follows:
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-→ Forum
-→ → Discussion thread
-→ → → message
-→ → → → answer to the message
-→ → → → answer to the message
-→ → → message
-→ → → → answer to the message
-→ → → → → answer to the answer
-and so forth...
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Using forum views
-Depending on the complexity of exchanges on the forums, several -display modes can be used to simplify reading and answering discussion -threads.
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-Managing forum categories makes use of familiar icons:
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-Managing forums makes use of familiar icons:
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-When the content of a forum is shown:
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Manage discussion threads
-The day-to-day administration of topics (also referred to as -“discussion threads”) is identical to that of categories or forums. You -may, however, move a topic from one forum to another better suited,one.
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-A message is an answer within one of the discussion threads.
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-If you choose to score/grade a topic/discussion thread, you will -first need to assign a maximum score to this thread. This needs to be -done when the thread is created. Go to advanced settings in the create thread page and check the grade this thread box. An option to enter a maximum score will appear:
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The score given to the learners will be shown in the assessment tool.
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-In the list of tools for managing discussion threads, locate the Reply to this thread icon -
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The reply procedure is the same as the previous one, except the -message topic includes the initial message, prefixing it with a -« Re : » indicating the two messages are related.
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Quote a previous message
-Inside a thread, within a forum, it is often most practical to be -able to quote a whole or part of a message. This is the aim of this -operation, triggered by the double quote icon. The -
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Reply or Reply to this topic
-The main difference between those two options resides in the hierarchy of the different messages and their answers.
-Reply creates new answers which will be deleted altogether when the initial message s removed, while Reply to this thread creates messages which will be kept, even if the starting message is removed.
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Search a forum element
-All the screens of the Forum tool include a search feature. -The search can be executed in all the forums at once and you can combine - search terms with the “+” sign. The results are sent in the form of a -list indicating:
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- -Structure: Learning paths
- -Introduction
-A learning path in Chamilo is an organizational concept/tool -which presents activities or learning objects from the course in an -organized sequence to guide and support learning. It can be constructed -in various ways appropriate to course content. At its simplest it -constitutes a clear table of contents or, depending on the nature of the - activities involved, it can provide the necessary agenda for the -acquisition of a given area of knowledge, understanding or skill.
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A learning path can be sequenced in a way which is suggestive (simply displaying sections one after another like a menu) or prescriptive - (the learner is required to follow the sections in a given order). It -is important to bear in mind that a learning path is more than just -diced-up course content: it represents a pedagogical itinerary which -might include tests, discussions, evaluations, experimentation etc. -Structuring a path effectively to guide students through these learning -experiences is a key factor in good course design.
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On the course homepage, click on the Learning path link: -
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Using the learning path tool, you can either import an existing -AICC or SCORM course, create a new learning path within Chamilo or edit -an existing learning path:
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Create a learning path
-Click on the create new course* icon: -
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Give a name to your learning path and click Continue. The -learning path is created immediately (without content for the time -being). It will appear in the learning paths list. Once the learning -path is created, you get access to a series of tools to:
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Learning path's settings
-Clicking on the settings icon -
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Add Learning Objects and Activities
-As you build your learning path/course, you have the option to -include existing learning objects or activities or to create your own -using Chamilo.
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Create a new document
-This option allows you to generate a document which will be automatically added to the learning path and saved in .html format in the learning path documents.
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In essence, it is possible to use the rich text editor to edit -styles, add images, videos, etc. You can toggle between html and the -WYSIWYG editor to produce whatever content you wish. In other words, -Chamilo provides you with a complete learning path creation tool.
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To begin, click the Rich media page / activity icon -
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Use existing resources
-You can use any document you have previously imported or created in the documents tool of the course (e.g. a SCORM course, .html pages, videos, images, etc. - see Authoring content in Chamilo).
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You can also add tests, links, assignments and forums by dragging - them across to the learning paths list on the left of the page using -the green “handle” -
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Links, tests, assignments and forums can be created prior to building the learning path in the Authoring or Interaction - sections on your course's homepage, and then added from these sections -into your learning path via the relevant tab on the learning path page. -(Alternatively, they can be created directly from within the tabs -themselves as you build the learning path:) -
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Add a new section
-The Sections tool -
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Display the learning path
-Display the results of the learning path you just built:
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You can toggle between the above teacher and learner views by clicking the teacher/learner view button -
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Import AICC and SCORM
-Chamilo uses standards like SCORM and AICC for the exchange of contents. Importing such files couldn't be easier. Click the Learning Path icon -
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Click choose file to select the relevant document on your hard disk and send to upload it. That's it. Your imported course is ready to use.
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Note : Chamilo 1.8 and all its derivations (including D0keos) only support SCORM in version 1.2.
- -Managing learning paths
-Go to My courses, pick a course and click the Learning paths icon -
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The right-side column, Authoring options includes tools to manage your learning paths:
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Prerequisites
-If a learning path contains several elements, it is possible to -establish the completion of tasks and targets expected of learners -following the learning path using the prerequisites feature.
-Click on the prerequisites button -
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This allows the teacher to require the learner to have completed -another task in the learning path (e.g. the preceding task) before they -can access this element, and also, e.g. in the case of a test or -assessment, to have achieved a given minimum score.
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Using the prerequisite options button in the toolbar, -prerequisites to complete the preceding step can be set globally for all - steps in the path, or alternatively all prerequisites can be cleared -from the path.
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Generating certificates
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You can readily create a certificate for students successfully -completing the course. To do so, just make the last step in your course a - certificate which students can view or print off. You can upload an -existing pre-made certificate to the course documents area (e.g. an -image or .pdf file). Alternatively, Chamilo offers a tool for creating -certificate templates, which allows for the automatic generation of a -certificate detailing relevant data for each learner in the course (see -Chapter 18).
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- -Reporting
-Chamilo allows teachers to follow the progress of their learners using various tools, primarily via the Reporting tool -
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Tracking learners
-By default, clicking on the Reporting icon will display -summary details for a list of learners on the course. It includes -summary information about test scores, time spent on-line, login details - etc.
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On this page the teacher, as well as viewing a summary table of -students' overall activity and progress, can easily add columns to the -table drawing on students' profile information (country, date of birth) -as well as data held elsewhere in the course (course code, performance -data, assignments, messages, surveys). He/she can highlight -
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Show individual learner's details
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On the Reporting page, click the Details icon -
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The information can be printed -
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Clicking on the Access Details icon -
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Course reporting
-Clicking on the course report icon -
course as a whole that the teacher can use in evaluating or -developing the course. This includes information such as general -progress through learning paths, overall test scores, participation in -forum and chats, tools used, documents downloaded and links visited. As -with other reporting pages, information can be readily exported as csv -files or printed by clicking the relevant tool bar icons.
- - -Resource Reporting
-To access details of resources used on the course, click on the Report on resource icon -
resources added by students.
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A search facility allows teachers to filter and find the resources -they are interested in, and the links on the left allows him/her to -navigate easily to the resource. There are also links to the user -profile for the user adding each link, and even an IP address which can -be used to indicate the location of users.
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Test/exam Reporting
-The exam tracking tool is useful for teachers wanting to focus on monitoring learners' performance in tests. By clicking on the exam tracking icon -
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Assignments
-The assignments tool -
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Assignment documents are usually homework exercises set by the -teacher, but they could also be files of interest to others which a -learner may wish to share. The assignments tool can therefore be used to - receive individual or collective reports, to collect answers to open -questions, or indeed any other form of document developed by learners.
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The tool also allows the teacher to modify the default visibility - of the assignments sent/posted by learners. This ensures students can -sent files (exercises, reports, written production, …) in privacy to the - course for evaluation by the teacher or course delegate. Click on Assignment settings -
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Making assignments visible by default to all users enables learners -to check one another's assignments. This can be a valuable learning -technique, as pupils can learn a lot through sharing each other's work, -but it has of course to be used carefully; not all learners are not -ready to be given so much freedom! The choice between private (only visible to the teachers) or public - assignments (all learners can see assignments from others) can be made -by clicking the appropriate visibility settings. The teacher can make -any post visible or invisible to other learners by checking the -
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Note: A significant improvement in 1.9 is that assignments - can also now be written and submitted directly within the assignments -tool, instead of requiring to be uploaded as documents.
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Assignment creation
- -To create a new assignment:
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Illustration 92: Create a new assignment
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Advanced settings allow you to:
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Completion of assignments by students
- -Students have the option either to do their assignment on-line or to -upload a file or document they have chosen to complete outside of the -Chamilo platform (n.b. to ensure students have this choice, the teacher -will need to check the relevant box in the advanced settings options of -the Create assignment page) The student simply needs to click on the assignment title and then the submit paper icon -
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Manage assignments
-If the number of learners in your course is significant, there will be plenty of assignments to mark..!
-Chamilo eases the burden a little by keeping an organized record of -assignments set and student posts on the main page for each assignment -set. It lists the assignments completed by learners as each is -submitted, flags up clearly if they need to be marked, offers a record -of dates , allows quick navigation to each assignment exercise for -review and displays each learner's scores. Clicking on the column -headings allows for the quick and easy re-ordering of entries e.g. -according to date, students name, score etc. The toolbar includes -listings -
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Setting up the assignment evaluation
-The teacher's evaluation of student assignments can be automatically -included within the assessments tool. The marks assigned to corrected -assignments will form part of the overall assessment, and a weighting -assigned for each particular assignment.
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To include assignments' evaluation in the assessments:
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Assignment expiry dates
-Chamilo offers two time-based options for the assignments:
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To configure these, check the relevant boxes in the advanced settings of the Create assignment page.
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Illustration 96: Assignments – setting expiry dates
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Marking assignments
-To mark a document uploaded by a learner, go to the main page for the relevant assignment. In the right hand column headed Detail, click on the Save icon -
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To save the score/feedback, click the Update this task button.
- - - -Users
-The Users tool -
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Subscribe users
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Let's look first at how to subscribe new users as learners to the course. On the main Users page toolbar, click on the Enroll users to course icon -
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Illustration 99: Users – Action buttons
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To subscribe a single learner, just click the Register link -
To subscribe several learners at once, check the relevant boxes on the left hand side, then select the Register option in the drop-down list headed Detail at the bottom of the table (a - confirmation window appears to ensure you want to subscribe them: once -confirmed, a confirmation list appears indicating which learners have -been subscribed.)
Add teachers
-You can also subscribe another user as teacher in your course. Just click the second Enroll teacher icon -
Unsubscribe a user
-You can unsubscribe users individually or as a group from a course.
-To unsubscribe a single user, click the Unregister button -
To unsubscribe a group of users, check the relevant boxes on the left side of the table and select Unregister in the drop-down list headed Detail at the bottom of the table, then click Unregister.
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Note : As a teacher you cannot remove the main teacher of a - course (by default described in the listing as Trainer) from this -screen. Only the platform administrator can do that.
- -Add/update a user's description
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The Assistant box (previously titled Tutor) allows the teacher to assign a special Course assistant role - with its corresponding permissions. These permissions allow the -assistant to view test and assignments results from other learners in -the course, to help him assist the teacher in this role.
- -Search for a subscribed learner
-If the teacher needs to find a specific learner in the list of users -subscribed to the course, the search feature will allow him to find one -or several users from all or part of his first name or last name.
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Just fill in the search field with the relevant characters and click the Search button. A list of matching users will be displayed.
- -Export the list of subscribed users
-You might want, (independently of the backup copies taken by your -careful administrator!) to keep a separate copy of your users list. To -do so, from the main Users page, click one of the export icons in the toolbar (CSV export -
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Note: not all users details are exported through this -feature (their passwords, for example, are confidential information not -available to other users, not even to the teacher).
- -Display learners reporting
-The teacher can directly access details from the main Users page about each learner's participation in the course by clicking on the Reporting icon -
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- -Assessments
-The Assessments tool -
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Illustration 100: Assessments – Example teacher view
It allows you to prepare an overview report compiling learners' -achievements in the course overall, drawing on the results of activities - undertaken in virtually every part of the online course, but also -including “external” activities undertaken in your classroom, outside of - the online course.
-The learner can use the assessments tool as a “grade-book” to monitor - his own progress, and will see a simpler, personalized view when he -clicks on the Assessments tool which will look something like this:
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(Note: Before looking further into the assessments tool, make sure - you have at least one learner subscribed to your course. (This is why -we cleverly put the Users chapter before this one!). - In this chapter, it will be much easier to follow the examples if you -already have learners subscribed and a series of activities created. -Don't forget – until you choose to allow it, the user will not be able -to see the course anyway, as long as is configured as closed.)
- -Assessments pre-configuration
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Total weight and minimum certification score
-To view and edit this basic configuration , click on the edit icon -
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Illustration 102: Assessments – General settings
The Total weight of the course is important for assigning individual weightings to activities (see below). The Minimum certification score defines the pass-mark for the course.
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Weights
-The weights allow you to define the relative importance of each of -the activities (from the platform or in-person) within the assessment. -Click on the Weight in report icon -
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Illustration 103: Assessments - Weights
It is strongly recommended that you define the total of the weights -as 100 (or the equivalent total value for the course defined in the -previous section), otherwise it becomes really complicated to understand - all the possible relative scoring issues.
- -Skills ranking
-Skills ranking allow you to define ranks for the scores, so that they - can be more easily represented literally and graphically. Click on the -podium icon -
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Illustration 104: Assessments – Skills ranking
As well as a pass-mark, you can add additional options: e.g. the -names you want to give to any score band to make it faster to read -generic reports.
- -Certificate template
-Finally, it is possible to create a certificate generated -automatically using the learner's data stored in the platform. To set -this up, click the large certificate icon -
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Illustration 105: Assessments – Certificate template creation
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Illustration 106: Tags for use
-in the certificate template
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Note that above the main online editor, the page also displays a -list of tags which can be used to generate a certificate template -displaying the appropriate data for any given learner once he/she -finally fulfills all the assessment objectives.
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The main Certificate page lists the certificates that have been uploaded or created.
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Click on the -
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Add a classroom activity
-A “classroom” activity refers to any component of the overall -assessment not undertaken inside the Chamilo platform. Any assessed -activity can be added a classroom activity and therefore become -part of your overall course assessment. As such, you will of course need - to add the relevant details manually to the Assessments. To do this, in - the main assessment page, click on the Add classroom assessment icon -
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Illustration 108: Assessments – Classroom activity
The name, weighting and maximum score for the activity need to be -entered, and the teacher can also choose whether to make the activity -visible and whether to grade learners.
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You will only be able to add results for classroom activities for - learners subscribed to your course. Scoring the Classroom activity is -straightforward – click the relevant activity listed in the main Assessments page and then the edit icon -
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The scores will be added to the assessment data and included in each student's grade-book.
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Add an online activity
-Within the Chamilo course, not only tests but a whole range of activities can be scored and added to the Assessments tool for consideration in the overall grading of students. The Add an online activity tool -
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Illustration 110: Assessments – Add online activity
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Work through the drop-down lists to locate the activity visible in -the list of activities for this assessment, and click to include the -activity in the assessments so that it counts towards the learners' -overall grade.
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List view
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The list view -
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Note: This view only works if skills ranking rules have been fully defined.
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Manage activities
-It is possible to manage activities listed in the Assessments page quickly and efficiently using the icons found next to each individual activity:
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It is also possible to group assessment activities within several - “categories” within the overall assessment for the course. Be careful -when you do this about assigning total scores and weightings for the -overall course and for “categories” within the course – it can get your -head in a spin! To create a category folder, click the Create Assessment icon -
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Illustration 112: Assessments – creating categories
Assessment activities can be added to the various categories through -the drop down list in the creation/editing form for each activity. Quick - navigation is also possible from categories in the list to the weightings page -
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- -Wiki
-The Wiki tool -
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A wiki page can contain many links to other pages, which may or -may not (yet) have existing content. Wiki pages can be updated; each -contributor sharing the same rights to write and edit content. -Originally designed to support collaboration between learners, the wiki -may, at the beginning of a course, consist only of a list of links -inserted by the teacher, pointing to empty pages which each learner will - have to build using one another's ideas, views and experiences.
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Starting the wiki
-The main page is the entry point of the wiki. It can initially be -edited only by the teacher, who unlocks it through this initial action. -Until he does this, learners cannot access it.
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Add a new linked page
-From the page you're going to add the link to:
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Add a new orphan page
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Commenting a page
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Other wiki features
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The menu located in the top left corner (drop-down menu) gives access to other wiki features, regardless of the current page:
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Links
-The Links tool -
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Illustration 114: The Links page
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Links categories
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You can create links categories in Chamilo, allowing for a better - organizational structure when your library contains a lot of links.
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Illustration 115: Links - Add a category
Links
-A link can be added in a category or at the root level:
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Illustration 116: Links - Add link
To add a link:
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Manage links
-Links management uses the usual action icons:
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Links checker
-Since version 1.8.8.4, you can (manually) check whether a link is alive. To do this, click the small magnifier icon -
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Note: the links checker effectively tries to connect to the given link from the server. As - such, a link that works for you might not work for the server, and -vice-versa. This will require the server to be equipped with the CURL -library. Check with your admin if this is the case.
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- -Announcements
-The Announcements tool -
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These announcements can be used, for example, to inform learners -of the recent availability of a document, of the deadline for an -assignment or any news or information related to the course.
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Add an announcement
-From the main Announcement page:
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Note: since version 1.8.8.4, you can use tags inside your -announcements (just copy-paste them). These tags will be automatically -replaced by the corresponding value when sent by e-mail or displayed on -the platform to users.
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Announcements will appear to recipients like this on the platform: -
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Illustration 119: Announcements – learner view
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Announcements management
-Announcements can be managed through the familiar action icons:
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- -Glossary
-Chamilo integrates a glossary tool -
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New term
-To add a new term:
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A definition can be enriched by images and links:
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Illustration 121: Glossary – add a term
By default terms are displayed in Table view -
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Illustration 122: Glossary – List view
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Glossary terms management
-Glossary terms management is done through the usual action icons:
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Attendances
-In 2010, an academical institution co-financed the development of the Attendances tool -
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Before you go further with this chapter, do make sure you have -learners subscribed to your course, otherwise your attempts to use it -will not work. If need be, review the Users chapter on page 95. Without -learners subscribed, it is practically impossible to make sense of the -attendances tool.
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Create an attendance sheet
-To get started, click the Create a new attendance list icon -
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Illustration 124: Attendances – New attendances form
Fill in the main title/description fields and tick if you wish to -grade the attendances. If you do so you can select an assessment to link - attendances to, write a column header for the report and add a -
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Illustration 125: Attendances – Intermediary step for dates creation
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Selecting repeat date allows to you quickly generate a series dates and time for regular sessions e.g. weekly at 22.00 hrs. Click Save again to view a list of the dates chosen:
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Recording attendances
-Having set up your course sessions, you'll need to start recording your learners' attendances. You do this using the Attendances sheet, which you can access from the main Attendances page - by clicking on the relevant listing. You'll see a list of learners' -names in the first column, then one column for each attendance date. -Generally, the default column enabled will be the first one that hasn't -been modified yet.
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The Attendance sheet displays a table with columns listing users, their attendance and dates/times. What dates you view is controlled by the Filter drop down menu in the toolbar (choose “all” and click filter to see them all). To enable editing of each date column, click the “padlock” -
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Illustration 127: Attendances sheet
By default, the system assumes all learners are attending the course session, so only take note of missing learners, by unchecking the learner's box to mark his absence.
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A learner missing more than 10% of the total number of sessions -will be marked by an orange background. A learner missing more than 25% -of the sessions will be marked by a red background. (These colourings -are fixed parameters which cannot, at this point in time, be modified -inside the platform.)
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An attendance sheet can be included in the assessments tool as a -marked resource, to count towards a students overall grades for the -course.
- - -Course progress
-The Course progress tool -
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This tool is only useful in the case of “synchronous” courses, in -which the teacher and the learners progress through the course -concurrently. Configuring Course progress is quite easy, although quite a lengthy process.
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Create a thematic section
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The thematic sections represent the highest level in the course -progress' structure. You need to create sections in order to be able to -create other levels of the structure.
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On clicking Save you will be invited to create new thematic plan:
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Define the thematic plan
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Once the thematic section has been created, you can edit its entry in the Thematic plan column. The Thematic plan is the definition of the objectives, methodology and other details of the newly created thematic section. Click on the Thematic plan icon -
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Create steps for the course progress
-The steps (termed Thematic advance) are the dates on which you will teach the specific content of the relevant Thematic section. Having saved the thematic plan, return to the main course progress page using the breadcrumb navigation and click on the New thematic advance icon -
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Illustration 133: Course progress – Steps creation
Here you can, enter the date for each teaching session and the -contents of what is to be covered specifically in that session. You can -either enter dates and times manually or link to dates previously -defined in the attendance sheets (see Attendances-Attendances on -page 116). Where the Course progress tool is used, progress through the -course will be displayed on the main course page:
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- -Agenda
-The Agenda tool -
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Viewing and navigating the course Agenda and Personal Agenda is straightforward and intuitive. The user can choose a month, week or day - view using the buttons on the top right of the page, move forward and -backwards through the months/weeks/days using the left and right arrows, - and return to “today”'s view using the button on the left. Details of -each event can be viewed simply by hovering over or clicking on the -event title in the calendar.
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Adding an event to the course agenda
-Events can be added to the course Agenda in two ways. The simplest and quickest way is simply to click on the relevant date/day/time in the course Agenda (choose - week or day view to select a specific time or timescale). You can -select users who can see the event, add a title and a brief verbal -description, and decide whether to also send the event as an -announcement/email:
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Illustration 135: Adding an event directly to the calendar
For a more fully configured event entry, however, click the Add event icon -
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Import and export events
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The Chamilo Agenda tool supports the import and export of -standard calendar files (Outlook, iCal). To import an Outlook file, -click the Import Outlook icon -
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Users can export events as iCal from the pop-up window that -appears when they click on an event to view details. They can select the - appropriate iCal format (confidential, private, public) for the -export at the bottom of the pop-up window, and teachers can edit or -delete the event using the appropriate button in the pop-up window:
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Illustration 137: Export, edit or delete an event
Adding an event to the personal Agenda
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The Personal Agenda, available at any point while navigating -Chamilo via the relevant tab, works in exactly the same way as the -course Agenda, except that options to create events are limited to the -“direct” method (i.e. clicking/dragging on the relevant date/times to -open a simple pop-up dialogue window (see above). Deleting, editing and -exporting options for “personal” events can also be effected (as with -the course Agenda) simply by clicking on an event to display a -pop-up dialogue box. Teachers and learners need to bear in mind that the - (blue) personal events cannot be viewed by anyone other than -themselves.
- - -Dropbox
-The Dropbox (document-sharing) tool -
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While the basic concept of this tool is similar to popular tools -such as Dropbox or Google Drive, it actually predates these modern tools - and doesn't work in quite the same way. For example, when working -collaboratively on one document, rather than open the “shared” file to -view and edit it directly users simply download the shared file, work on - it, and upload it again to the dropbox (e.g. with changes). By default, - altered files won't over-write the original version even though the -filename is the same, effectively making it easy to manage “versions” of - a document differentiated by date/time of upload. All users have the -option to add a comment within the dropbox window to a shared document, -again a useful device for serious collaborative work. For example, it -allows a teacher to make a brief note about each student's contribution.
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Folders
-The teacher can add folders to categorize his files a bit more -clearly. The shared folders (be they sent or received) are invisible to -learners and are only there for organizational purposes.
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To create a new folder, click on the Add a new folder icon -
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Send a file to specific users
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Illustration 139: Dropbox – Sending a file
Files will be listed under the “sent files” tab if they have been -uploaded by the user, and under the “received file” tab if the file was -uploaded by someone else all files can be instantly accessed by the -recipient as well as the sender.
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Managing dropbox files
-As well as the familiar icons, the dropbox tool offers a series of new management icons:
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Read and add comments on a file
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illustration 140: Dropbox - Comments
Groups
-The Groups tool -
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The Groups tool allows a teacher to assign a range of -Chamilo tools (documents, agenda, assignments, announcements, forum, -wiki and chat) to a group which can be configured as private to the -group, effectively providing students with secure online workspaces -which cannot be viewed by other learners or groups.
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Create a group
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On the main Groups page, click the Create new group(s) icon -
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Illustration 141: Create a group
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Give it a name, enter the number of empty seats you want in the group, and click Create group(s). The new group will appear in the listings in the main Groups page. It can be deleted using the usual Delete icon -
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Groups settings
-A teacher can access settings for the group from the toolbar in the main Groups page. Clicking the Edit settings icon -
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Illustration 142: Groups- settings
Remember to click the Save settings button at the bottom of the page. These default settings can be edited by the teacher for each group using the Edit this group icon -
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Auto-filling a group
-To quickly add course members to a group, click the Add users icon -
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Fill a group manually
-For a variety of reasons, a teacher may want to select group members -manually, i.e. choose which learners will work together, e.g. learners -with similar interests or goal, or an experienced learner with a -latecomer to the course. To do this, (whether or not the groups have -already been auto-filled) click the Edit this group icon -
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Select and add/remove users as required using the arrows. Any user can be added as a coach (i.e. group leader, tutor etc.) or as a Group member – this will be shown in the listing.
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Getting into a group space
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Group members can access the group's “workspace” simply by clicking the name of the relevant group in the listing on the main Groups page. - The page will display the group description (e.g. a list of aims and -objectives) and details of membership, as well as it's own “toolbar” of -links to the group's various tools (Forums, Documents, Agenda, Assignments, Announcements, Wiki and chat) which link to the various (private) group workspaces:
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Illustration 145: Groups – Group space
From the group space, you can query a learner's information sheet by -simply clicking on her name in the list of members in the lower part of -the page.
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Overview /Export of group members
-A teacher can quickly view a list of group members by clicking on the Groups overview icon -
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Groups management
-A teacher can manage groups in two ways – using the icons on the -right of each listing in the main Groups page (listed below) to manage -individual groups, and using the “batch management” feature (tick boxes, - buttons and drop-down lists) displayed on the same page, which allows -the teacher to apply the same functions to several or all groups at -once. Using these methods together can save the teacher a lot of time -consuming organization.
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-The Chat tool -
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While it may seem rather slow (three seconds per post) and -limited in features to todays online users, the big advantage of this -tool compared to e.g. Skype, Facebook chat tools is it works as -part of the platform and, as such, does not require any external tool, -being guaranteed to work on all computers with the capability to use -Chamilo.
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Illustration 146: The chat window
-If users have configured their picture in the Social network (or Profile) tab, it will appear next to their name. It's up to the teacher to delete previous messages when he considers it necessary.
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Send a message
-Enter the text inside the field located at the bottom of the page, then click the Send message button. Inside the messages list, the messages from the teacher appear with a corresponding icon in front of the user's name.
- -Empty messages
-You can disconnect from the platform and still have access to previous messages, providing your reconnect the same day.
-To delete a conversation before starting a new one, click the Clear the chat link.
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Note: Chat history logs are normally saved inside the documents tool, in a hidden folder called Chat history. Clearing the chat will also delete the history of the chat for this whole date.
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- -Survey
-The Survey tool -
Survey creation
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Illustration 147: Surveys – Creation form
Complete the fields, giving your survey a Code, a Title, and a Subtitle (description). - Optionally, you can set a start and end date so the survey is only -available for a limited time. You can choose whether your survey will be - anonymous (users' answers will not be identifiable) by checking the -relevant box. Finally, write a survey introduction (this is a text that -will appear just before the user starts the survey) and a Final thanks - message (this will appear when the users finish the survey, to thank -them and maybe inform them of when the results will be compiled and -used).
- -In the Advanced settings, you can choose whether you want this survey to be considered an essential element of the Assessments (Gradebook)stool - , whether you want it to be attached to a parent survey (not documented - in this guide yet), whether you want to have one question per page or -whether you want to shuffle questions.
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Remember to click the Create survey button.
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Add survey questions
-Once the shell of your survey has been created, you'll have to define - a series of questions using a few pre-defined types (similar in many -ways to the Tests tool): Yes/No, Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer, Open, Dropdown, Percentage, Performance, Comment.
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To create questions, click the relevant icon and fill in the relevant fields as required.
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Survey preview
-Once the questions have been created, you can preview your survey before publishing it Click the Preview icon -
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Survey publication
-If you are satisfied with the survey, you just need to publish it -(make sure you don't contradict yourself with the start date, sending -the invitation by e-mail for a survey which is not yet available!)
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Illustration 150: Surveys – Publication: select course members
In addition/alternatively, send invitations using the same form -directly by e-mail (separate email addresses using semi-colons). -Invitations can be sent to people who are not registered users on the -platform (e.g. you may wish to send the invitation to potential -customers, or to parents of learners):
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Illustration 151: Surveys – Publication: email additional recipients
Once you have completed the fields, remember to click the Publish survey button.
-Note: you can also invite anonymous individuals without -requiring an email address (e.g. visitors to a web page) using the -Generate access link icon -
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Results
-Analyzing survey results can be an exhausting process. The tools -provided in this section should be of great assistance. Click the Reporting icon -
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Illustration 152: Surveys - Results
Surveys management
-A series of common icons are made available for the management of surveys, as well as a few specific icons.
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- -Notebook
-The Personal notes (or Notebook) tool -
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Notes can be updated as needed and dates of creation and latest -update are saved. Notes taken by a user are not visible by other users. -In this sense, they are, indeed, personal.
- -Notes creation
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-The Projects or Blogs tool -
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The teacher takes responsibility for choosing learners who will -contribute to the blog, and defines the project and the assignment of -tasks (or roles taken by the learners). The creation of articles is -shared between the teacher and the learners.
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The tool can, however, be used as a classic blog.
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Note : When a new project is created, it appears in the -list of course Authoring tools on the course homepage. Its visibility -can be controlled like that of other tools. One main difference by -comparison to other tools is that one can create several blogs in the -same course. They will appear as multiple entries in the Authoring tools - in much the same way as with links and learning paths.
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Project creation
-From the projects homepage:
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Subscribe learners to a project
-Your can manage several projects within the same course, and therefore select individual learners to contribute to each project.
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Illustration 157: Projects – Users management
New article/task
-From the project's homepage:
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Illustration 158: Projects – New task
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Illustration 160: Projects – Roles management page
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From the Roles management page you can create detailed tasks of a project step or assign roles to the members of a project.
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- -Assign a role to a learner
-Once the role has been created, you must assign it to a learner:
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Illustration 162: Projects – Assign a role
Indicate the execution of a task
-Whether for a teacher or a learner, tasks assigned to any user are shown at the bottom left of the projects page under section My tasks.
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The execution report of the task appears as a comment to the article.
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Illustration 163: Projects – Tasks comments
Learners' task management
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Illustration 164: Projects – Users management
Course settings
-The Settings tool -
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Note: Course tutors using the course inside the session -will not have access to this tool as configuration changes might affect -other sessions.
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Update general course settings
-By default, this page (a series of vertical tabs) displays the main Course settings where you can:
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Illustration 166: Courses catalog – Example of courses illustrations
Note : the Department is a feature -for which support has been dropped so far. Depending on visual styles, -the department might appear as a link in the campus header (for old, -deprecated styles). This is all a department will change. In more recent - version of Chamilo 1.8, if you need to manage courses by departments -inside a university, we recommend you use the multi-url feature, -described in the administrator's guide, little brother of this guide.
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Visibility and access
-The Course access section -
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Illustration 167: Course settings – E-mail notifications
In this section, you can choose to receive an e-mail notification if:
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Illustration 168: Course settings – Users rights
Chat settings
-In the Chat section -
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Learning path settings
-The Learning path section -
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The auto-launch feature allows the teacher to select one specific -learning path to auto-start when the user enters the course homepage. In - order to use this feature, you'll need to enable the option in the -course settings (remembering to save the changes) then go to the -learning paths list and click on the rocket icon which represents the -auto-launch of one of the learning paths:
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Only one learning path can be set as auto-launch at a time, and it -will start as soon as the learner enters the course homepage. Other -learning paths show a gray rocket icon. To test this option, you'll have - to connect as a learner as it has been disabled for teachers for -practical reasons.
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As long as the platform administrator has enabled this feature, the teacher can select the Allow training theme option - to choose the graphical style of his course. It is also possible to -select a separate theme for an individual Learning Path. This means that - a learner might theoretically enter his Chamilo campus, see the -platform in a particular visual style, (e.g. mostly blue), enter a -course and see the style change to red, then enter a learning path and -see the style mostly green... For visual comfort, it is recommended, -however, to avoid style changes unless they are justified for real -pedagogical reasons.
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Note : a learner will be able to return to the course -homepage from the left menu inside the learning path. The idea here is -not to disable or hide the course homepage, but rather to speed access -to the course content.
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Thematic advance settings
-This Thematic advance section -
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These options require a proper understanding of the course progress -tool. The results of the third option, for example, will be similar to -the ones show in the illustration below).
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Illustration 173: Course progress – Display on course homepage
Backup
-Chamilo makes a distinction between maintenance tools and course -settings to simplify course maintenance and backup. Deleting, emptying, -copying, saving or recovering the contents of a course (partly or -completely) can be executed quickly and efficiently using the Backup tool -
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Illustration 174: Backup - General
Note : Features for saving, copying, recovering etc. have been developed with the intention of managing content. - For this reason, interactions with or between users are not saved. To -save them, you'll have to ask your platform administrator to do a full -backup of the portal. If you are the administrator, this procedure is -described in the admin guide.
- -Create a backup
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For security and procedural reasons, it is recommended that you -create a backup copy of the complete contents of your course. This -procedure is automated. It allows you to create either a complete backup - or a partial backup, based on your selection of what to save, using a -few simple clicks. To begin backup:
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Illustration 175: Maintenance – Backup creation
The backup is made available in the form of a compressed file which -you can download on your computer. It is also stored on the server for -quick restoration if needed.
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Import backup
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Each backup is a compressed file (a Zip file) which is stored on the server (in the archive/ directory). It can also be downloaded to your computer.
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Chamilo also allows you to import the contents of a backup copy -inside a new empty course. This can be useful for a teacher creating a -new course.
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Illustration 176: Backup - Import
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Copy course
-The Copy course feature -
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From the Backup page:
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Note : A message will confirm if the course was successfully copied
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Illustration 177: Maintenance – Empty course
Delete the course area
-Click the Delete the course area -
Given the fact there's no way back from this, we highly recommend you consider this twice before confirming it.
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The Reporting tab
-This chapter related to Reporting tab as opposed to the reporting tool - discussed in earlier chapters which is accessed from the course home -page and relates only to that specific course. The Reporting tab allows you to get an overview of what's happening inside all your courses or sessions. The Reporting link - inside a course is essentially just a filtered version of the following - and has been described in detail in chapter 15, so you can refer to -that chapter as regards the details of the reporting pages.
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Own courses and sessions reporting
-The main page of the Reporting tab displays summary tables -offering a general overview, some statistics relating to users on your -courses (each entry shows some statistical data which allows you to -track the progress and the results of all learners as an average value) , - and a list of courses and sessions for which you are responsible:
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Illustration 179: Reporting tab – main page
Clicking the Details icon -
Social network
-Chamilo recognizes that effective online social interaction is an -important element in successful online learning. The Social Network -facility offered on the platform is designed to optimize support, within - the platform, for teachers and learners wanting to make use of various -social network features as an integral part of their online learning -(and teaching) experience. These include simple profiling, an internal -messaging system available to users and the facility to create interest -groups. (Note that some of these features need to be enabled by the -platform administrator.)
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Profile information
-To enter/edit your personal details, go to the Social network tab:
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Profile options allow you to edit your name, your Chamilo code, your email and you phone number, as well as a profile picture and preferred language. Other fields (if enabled by the administrator) allow you to choose a graphical theme and enter details of personal competences, diplomas (qualifications), and what you are able to teach. You can upload any relevant file using productions, and write any other relevant information in my personal open area. More recent versions of Chamilo also invite you to enter/edit your password, tags, rss feeds, timezone, email notifications, your Google calendar URL, your country, your birthday and even a range of personal social networking links:
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Illustration 181: Social network – Extended profile update
Remember to click the save button when you've completed entering/editing your profile details!
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Internal messaging
-From the Social network tab (left menu) the Messages entry allows you to send or receive messages. It is similar to most messaging tools.
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Illustration 182: Social network – Internal messaging - Inbox
To write a message to another user (or a friend) subscribed to the platform:
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If the recipient has entered their email in their profile, the message will also go automatically go to their email address.
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Note: If the other user has chosen to, the message will also -be sent to his e-mail as a notification of internal message. However, he - will have to enter the platform to answer you.
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“Friends”
-In the Social network tab, you can make contacts and invite them as Friends (a rather free use of the term friend!). You can search for people by:
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By simply entering a few characters of the user's first or last -name, Chamilo will help by proposing a list of users matching these -characters. The invitation can then be sent to the user, who can choose -whether to accept or refuse it.
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Illustration 183: Social network – send and receive invitations
The Friends link -
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Illustration 184: Social network – Shared profile
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Social groups
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There are two types of groups, depending on access:
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Illustration 185: Social network – Social groups
The My groups tab lists the groups of which you are a member. -These groups work as a forum. The administrator (or moderator) creates -discussion topics and users start contributing.
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Illustration 186: Social network – Social groups interface
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My files
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Illustration 187: Social network – My files
Files can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on them.
- - -Session view
-From Chamilo 1.8.8 platforms onwards, if your platform uses Course sessions a new view type has become available from the My courses - tab. This is a special “sessions” view, which you will find is a very -different way of presenting courses and tools (specifically learning -paths and tests).
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Illustration 188: My courses - Sessions
One main difference from previous versions of Chamilo is that the -session title is now a link which leads directly to a page whose -appearance differs in many ways from the rest of Chamilo. (This is a new - format of presentation that we will be studying over the next few -months, and we're counting on your help and feedback. Do let us know -what you think on the Chamilo forum: http://www.chamilo.org/)
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This new concept relies essentially on a new way of setting up -tests and learning paths based on timescales. By making sure each -exercise and learning path has a start and end date, the data shown in -these screens make far more sense. (As such, it is not well suited to -asynchronous teaching i.e. purely remote e-learning, with its relatively - free timescales.)
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Illustration 189: Sessions – New session screen
Click on the relevant session icon -
Courses tab
-The Courses tab shows a list of courses available inside the -sessions. Click on one of these courses (the text will turn black) to -filter the rest of the tabs to show only items from this course.
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Clicking directly on one of the tabs will show a complete list of - all corresponding resources in the session (if you don't click on one -specific course in the first tab, the Learning paths tab will show all learning paths in the session, all courses mixed up).
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Learning paths tab
-The Learning paths tab shows a list of learning paths in the -session, filtered according to course (as long as you clicked a course -in the first tab).
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Illustration 190: Sessions – Learning paths
The publication date of each learning path gives you an idea of the -chronological order of the learning paths. Where you have several -simultaneous courses (which might be the case in a session) all offering - several learning paths, organizing the right learning paths schedule -will provide the learner with a clear indication of the order in which -we expect him to follow them. The learner can enter a learning path -directly from this screen, simply by clicking its name.
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Note : there are three view types for learning paths: All, Per week, By course. They do not affect the way contents are ordered, so don't hesitate to try them out.
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My MCQ tab
-The My MCQ tab contains all tests pertaining to courses in the - session, sorted by publication date. Because the display of these test -is relative (comparing results to those of other learners) and is in a -chronological order, it is doubly critical to establish publication -dates for all your tests.
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Illustration 191: Sessions – My QCM tab
Exercises which have not yet been attempted are indicated by a yellow star -
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My statistics tab
-The My statistics tab offers teachers and learners an -innovative set of features, provided publication dates have been -established for exercises. Learners will then be able to see a visual -result of their scores in comparison with those of other learners.
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Illustration 192: Sessions – My statistics tab
By clicking the double blue arrow for any course, you'll be able to view a series of more detailed result information:
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This detailed view presents a graphical visualization of the scores -repartition. Each bar represents a rank of results (0-20%, 21-40%, -41-60%, 61-80%, 81-100%). The global chart represents the repartition of - all students' results for this exercise. The orange bar is the bar in -which the current user's results are located. You can click the chart to - get an exploded view.
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- -Appendix
- -Glossary
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Frequently asked questions
-This list of short questions and answers might help you sort out how -to do specific things with Chamilo which are not explicitly explained in - the previous chapters.
- -How can I set a survey as a requirement to complete a course?
-The notion of “completing a course” can only be built upon the Assessments - tool, by setting up a certificate that will only be generated when -achieving a certain set of learning objectives (exercises, learning -paths, assignments, etc). Surveys can then be configured as a “locking” -mechanism where a student cannot get a certificate if he doesn't -complete the survey.
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To do this, go to the survey tool and create your survey. In the Advanced settings, check the Qualify in gradebook box and select a weight of 50 (yes, 50, that's usually quite large).
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Now go to the Assessments tool and click the percentage icon (Weight in report). - Whatever the total weight has been set to, ensure that the survey is -worth half of it (if the total weight is 100, the survey must weight 50, - but you can also set the total weight to 200 and make the survey weigh -100). The other objectives, combined, will be worth half the weight. -This means that, even if the learner has the best results, he will only -ever be able to achieve a 50% score, which shouldn't be enough to get -the certificate. Because the survey is just a yes/no type of result -(answered or not answered), there is no other easy way to make the -survey be a required element.
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Once the learner has completed the survey, his results will jump up to the sufficient result to get his certificate.
--
Just make sure that the availability dates for your survey do not - prevent completely a user getting his certificate, just because he -can't take the validation survey.
- -How can I create a crosswords-type question?
-In any exercise, create a new Fill the blanks type question. In the question editing box (online media editor), click the Table - icon and choose how many rows and columns you want your crosswords to -be. Now fill the crosswords with letters. Once you're done, select the -letters you want users to find out and replace them with the same letter - with brackets around it. These letters will now disappear from the -student view and they'll be able to complete the table that way.
--
- -
Document license
--
All right reserved.
--
Rights given by the copyleft licenses are indicated below.
--
Copyright (c) 2007 2i2L Sarl. Permission is granted to copy, -distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free -Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the - Free Software Foundation ; with no Invariant Sections, no -Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is -included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
--
The contents of this tutorial are available under a double copyleft license:
--
GNU FDL : http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.txt
-and
-CC-BY-SA : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/fr/
--
A small amount of illustrations have been borrowed from the OpenClipart library.
--
In the true spirit of software freedom, all fixes and updates to this tutorial are welcome at this e-mail address: info@chamilo.org
-- -
Document history
-|
- Date |
-
- Collaborator |
-
- Contact |
-
- Updated |
|
- 2010 |
-
- 2i2l.fr, Anaël Boulier |
-
- info@2i2l.fr |
-
- Rédaction du manuel pour Chamilo 1.8.7. |
|
- Avril 2011 |
-
- BeezNest Belgium SPRL, Yannick Warnier |
-
- info@beeznest.com |
-
- Mise à jour pour 1.8.8, correctifs, mise on page, ajouts de détails. |
|
- Juillet 2011 |
-
- BeezNest Belgium SPRL, Yannick Warnier |
-
- info@beeznest.com |
-
- Mise à jour pour 1.8.8.4 and réorganisation des chapitres ; -réécriture de l'introduction, listing des options, ajout des nouvelles -fonctionnalités, révision du texte. À revoir : outils Suivi and -Réseau social. |
|
- August 2011 |
-
- BeezNest Belgium SPRL, Yannick Warnier |
-
- info@beeznest.com |
-
- Added FAQ, fixes and details. -Basic translation to English. |
|
- March 2013 |
-
- BeezNest Belgium SPRL, Yannick Warnier |
-
- info@beeznest.com |
-
- Updated to 1.9.6. |
|
- April 2013 |
-
- Steve Miller |
-
- stephanibus@gmail.com |
-
- Complete revision and update of English text and screenshots based on - 1.9.4. Icons added inline to text for clarity. Some additional -paragraphs on pedagogical use. |
-
- - - -http://www.chamilo.org/, documentation tab
If the administrator didn't disable this option
Or “Le petit Poucet” in French, see http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Petit_Poucet
Only the administrator can redefine global courses categories
To one exception: if the demo content is enabled, this content is -created in the language of the course. Modifying the course language -afterwards will have as minor consequence to have the interface in one -language and the contents in another.
To select more than one file, use the CTRL key in combination with the left mouse button.
In all recent browsers except Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8, where this feature is not implemented.
If the learner disconnects from the exercise, his time will continue -counting down until it is completely expired, but he will be able to -reconnect and continue his exercise right whee he left it. The time -counter only works in one question per page mode.
Note that Chamilo uses the simple term “course” here rather than -“learning path”. Don't confuse this with the the term “course” as -applied to the overall course (Learn English in the illustration)
-
on the main reporting page,
+the teacher is provided with a list of tests and students' scores/percentages, including number of attempts.
+They can select individual tests and filter results by a given percentage e.g. to display a list of students
+passing a course, or excelling in their score. This data can be exported as a standard MS-Excel file®.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Exam tracking_
+
+## Inside the _Tests_ tool
+
+Inside the _Tests_ tool itself, the teacher will also find a large amount of reporting options.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Tests list_
+
+Note that the broom(s) icons are meant to *delete all previous user results* from the database, so do not use them
+without thinking thoroughly about the impact they might have on your tracking.
+
+### Export all results as individual PDFs
+
+In the actions bar on top, a PDF icon 
called "Export all results of all
+tests" allows the teacher (since version 1.11.20) to download a zip file containing one zip for each test. Inside
+this last zip file, each test attempt by any student is represented by a different PDF file bearing the name of
+the user and the unique internal ID of the attempt.
+
+Note the zips themselves are named based on internal IDs of the session (S) (if any), the course (C) and the test (T).
+While these IDs are not readily visible in Chamilo, you can usually find them in the URL or hovering over an icon.
+
+Although not covered completely in this manual, the same kind of report can be generated, with the addition of a date
+filter, from the administration page, "Course sessions" block, "Export all results from an exercise" link.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Link to PDF export of all results_
+
+On this page, you can filter by session, course, test and start/end dates.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: PDF export page for all tests_
+
+This latter feature is only available to administrators as it spans all sessions, courses and tests.
+
+## Within a test
+
+By clicking the charts icon 
next to one specific test, you will get access
+to a large set of reports on that specific test.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Test reports page_
+
+On this page, everything has to do with reporting, so let's dive into more details.
+
+### Live results
+
+The _Live results_ icon 
allows you to access a "live" view of students
+taking the exam.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Test report "live"_
+
+On this screen, you can see that 2 users are currently taking a 3-questions test. One of them started at 10:46 AM, the
+second one at 10:47 AM.
+
+The first user only answered 1 question so far (column _Questions already answered_ only showing partially in this
+screenshot), while the second user already answered 2 questions.
+
+However, their score is the same, meaning the second user has made a mistake already (otherwise, given the test
+contains 3 questions and (s)he already answered 2 of them (s)he would have obtained 67% progress).
+
+This type of report is particularly practical while watching over a group of students in a common room, as you can
+then intervene and check if everything is alright *before the end of the test*.
+
+For example, getting all answers correct very quickly might mean the user is using some cheating technique.
+
+On the opposite spectrum, if users take a long time and answer most questions incorrectly, they might have some
+technical issue or mental stress that you might be able to help with.
+
+### Report by question
+
+
+
+The second icon, a standard pie chart icon, brings you to a report page all about questions.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Test report by question_
+
+The table is divided into two different sections.
+
+The first one is a synthesis of each question:
+- Question title.
+- Question type.
+- Number of learners who "selected" it, meaning the number of users who had this question appear in their test. It's important to note that, in tests with questions picked at random in a questions bank, not all users will see all questions.
+- Lowest score: the lowest score obtained on that question. This is *usually* 0, except if no-one got it completely wrong.
+- Average score: the sum of scores on that question, divided by the number of times it appeared to a student.
+- Highest score: the highest score for that question. If a question does not have the top score there at all, it means that *no-one* got it 100% right, so it would look like the question itself might be a bit too difficult or out of context. A good hint for teachers.
+- Score: this is the highest possible score for that question (to be compared with the _Highest score_ column).
+
+The second part of the table focuses more on the possible answers, and tries to provide some insight into how well
+these possible answers have been prepared:
+- Question title.
+- Answer: each of the possible answers.
+- Correct: whether that specific answer is considered correct for the question.
+- Number of users who selected it: the number of users who selected *that* specific answer when answering the question.
+
+If a question has well-designed "possible answers" and you have a normal set of learners, it is likely that each answer
+would be selected at a reasonable frequency. If an answer is never selected, then either:
+- all of your learners are amazingly good at this
+- that answer is too obviously wrong
+- your data set is not large enough to make this analysis relevant (only a few learners or so)
+
+Note you can export this report using the icons in the action bar.
+
+### Report by attempt
+
+
+
+The _Report by attempts_ icon brings you to a page focused on counting attempts, essentially.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Test report by attempt_
+
+The table shows the following information:
+- Username
+- E-mail
+- One column for each question (hovering the ID will show you the question title), giving you the number of times each question appeared during the attempt (0 or 1 time)
+
+By clicking the cells with something different than 0, you open a modal window showing you the answer of that specific
+user to that specific question.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Detail of question attempt_
+
+Note you can export this report in .xlsx format.
+
+### Export un-detailed results
+
+The _Export_ icon 
simply
+allows you to export a CSV or XLS version of the report you see on screen.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Export results options_
+
+An option allows you to include user profile fields (if they have been defined by the administrator and marked as
+available for filtering) in the export.
+
+### Recalculate results
+
+This is not a report per se, but the double arrow, _Recalculate results_, icon 
+allows the teacher to recalculate all scores for this test.
+
+Recalculating scores can be useful if you have modified a question in a way that fixes an issue but can have an impact
+on previous users' scores to the test.
+
+For example, let's say you had a unique-answer question and, while designing the question, you made a mistake and
+marked answer 2 as correct whereas it should have been answer 3.
+
+Learners who (erroneously) marked answer 2 would have gotten a score for a correct answer (+1, for example) while they
+should have gotten 0 or -1. Similarly, learners who marked the correct answer 3 would have had a score of 0 or -1 to
+that question.
+
+One learner reports that this question was incorrectly scored (or maybe you noticed it yourself), so you decide to fix
+the question by changing the correct answer and the corresponding score.
+
+Now your question is fixed, but the scores of learners who took the test previously are still considering that answer 2
+was the correct one.
+
+To fix this, simply click the _Recalculate results_, either in the action bar (applying to all attempts) or next to one
+specific attempt to only affect that one. Chamilo will then recalculate the scores based on the answers selected by the
+learners, but taking into account the correct score.
+
+Of course, this might lead to confusion within your group of learners, so make sure you communicate correctly around
+this change. You can do so through the "Announcement" tool of the course.
+
+### Export all results from an exercise
+
+Similarly to the _Export all results as individual PDFs_ section at the beginning of this page,
+the 
+is one of those dangerous icons that will delete attempts from the database.
+
+In this case, a calendar allows you to pick the date after which attempts will *not* be deleted.
+
+This option is often used in the absence of sessions management, where the same course is used over and over again
+across calendar years, so you want to clean up what other learners did before, so you have a clean sheet to work with.
+
+However, we strongly recommend using sessions and keeping reporting data untouched.
+
+### Questions stats report
+
+The _Question stats_ button leads you to a table putting in evidence the number and rate of wrong answers to each
+question. Similarly to the _Report by question_ we saw a few sections back, this report helps you identify the
+questions that have the highest probability of being improved by reformulating, as it is not "normal" that most
+learners would fail it.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Questions statistics report_
+
+Note you can export this report in XLS format, and you can filter the results by group or by user.
+
+### Comparative group report
+
+The _Comparative group report_ button leads you to a page that allows you to compare the relative performance between
+user groups (as defined in the _Groups_ tool of the same course).
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Comparative group report_
+
+The report is very short and shows the average score for each group.
+
+Note that this report is based on an average of *all attempts* by users. If a user has 3 attempts, then the average
+will include those 3 attempts.
+
+You can export this report in XLS format.
+
+## Within an attempt
+
+Finally, on the main results page, you already have relevant and important data...
+
+The page is paginated, which means you can have as many results there and you can choose the number of results
+shown per page.
+
+Most columns are sortable and searchable, so if you have a lot of data there, you can quickly filter by users'
+lastnames, for example.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Test reports page, more results_
+
+Let's review the available columns:
+- First name.
+- Last name.
+- Group: the user group to which this user belongs, in the course (this is *not* the global class).
+- Duration: in minutes, the amount of time the user took to finish this attempt. Note that while the test is unfinished, this number remains set to 0. To see a "live" attempt, check the _Live results_ report.
+- Start Date: the date and time the user started the test (expressed in your timezone if you have set one, otherwise the system time).
+- End Date: the end date. If the test is unfinished, this is the time of the last interaction (saving an answer, for example).
+- Score: the user's score for this attempt. The format of that information can be reconfigured at the global level. By default, it shows the percentage and the absolute score on top of the maximum achievable score for this test.
+- IP: if not disabled by the admin, the system registers the IP address of the user (IPv4 or IPv6) and shows it to teachers, in an attempt to ease identification of fraudulent simultaneous attempts by the same user from 2 different IP addresses.
+- Status: an indicator of the current state of the test. Can be "Unclosed" if still unfinished, "Not validated" if finished but the teacher did not yet validate the test results manually, and "Validated" when (s)he did.
+- Learning path: in case this test is used in a learning path, the name of the learning path will be shown in this column for informative purposes.
+- Detail: a series of actions that can be executed on the attempt, or basic information:
+ - Teacher icon: identifies if the user who took this test was a learner or a teacher (usually, results from teachers can be ignored, but we still include them where we feel it would confuse teachers not to include them).
+ - Lock icon: whenever a test is in the "Unclosed" state, teachers can force the closure of the test, in which case it changes to "Not validated".
+ - Test icon ("Grade activity"): allows the teacher to move to the detailed report of attempt for this attempt and give feedback or set scores in the case of open-type questions.
+ - Pencil icon ("Edit"): only appears if the test was already validated before, to allow for another layer of validation.
+ - Compass icon (IP address appears on hover): check where in the world the IP address that was registered is located (approximately).
+ - Cross icon ("Delete") to delete the attempt (which will allow the user to take the test again, except if it was limited in dates of availability).
+
+### Test attempt detail
+
+When clicking that test or pencil icon in the "Detail" column of any attempt, the teacher is sent to the same kind of
+page as the user itself will see upon finishing the test if some feedback or results are set to be shown.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Test attempt detail_
+
+Except the teacher can provide feedback (if the question is auto-evaluated) or feedback *and* a score if the question
+is of "open" type.
+
+At the end of the page, a checkbox allows the teacher to decide whether the feedback provided should be sent by e-mail
+to the user or not.
+
+If the test was not entirely auto-evaluated, the manual evaluation is a necessary process. We recommend to teachers to
+do that quickly, as users love rapid feedback.
+
+Obviously, the ideal solution in terms of immediate feedback is still
+not to include any question that requires manual evaluation.
+
+This detail page can also be exported to PDF.
diff --git a/teacher-guide/reporting/tracking_learners.md b/teacher-guide/reporting/tracking_learners.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4a842482
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/reporting/tracking_learners.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# Tracking learners
+
+By default, clicking on the _Reporting_ icon will display summary details for a list of learners on the course. It includes summary information about test scores, time spent on-line, login details etc.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Reporting – Learners_
+
+On this page the teacher, as well as viewing a summary table of students' overall activity and progress, can easily add columns to the table drawing on students' profile information \(country, date of birth\) as well as data held elsewhere in the course \(course code, performance data, assignments, messages, surveys\). He/she can highlight learners absent from the course for a specified length of time and at one click notify learners with an appropriate announcement using a configurable announcement tool \(see chapter 21\) accessed by clicking the notify button  . The teacher can also print out the table  or export it as a csv file .
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/session_view/README.md b/teacher-guide/session_view/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1d196dc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/session_view/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Session view
+
+From Chamilo 1.8.8 platforms onwards, if your platform uses _Course sessions_ a new view type has become available from the _My courses_ tab. This is a special “sessions” view, which you will find is a very different way of presenting courses and tools \(specifically learning paths and tests\).
+
+
+
+_Illustration: My courses - Sessions_
+
+One main difference from previous versions of Chamilo is that the session title is now a link which leads directly to a page whose appearance differs in many ways from the rest of Chamilo. \(This is a new format of presentation that we will be studying over the next few months, and we're counting on your help and feedback. Do let us know what you think on the Chamilo forum: [http://www.chamilo.org/](http://www.chamilo.org/)\)
+
+This new concept relies essentially on a new way of setting up tests and learning paths based on timescales. By making sure each exercise and learning path has a start and end date, the data shown in these screens make far more sense. \(As such, it is not well suited to asynchronous teaching i.e. purely remote e-learning, with its relatively free timescales.\)
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Sessions – New session screen_
+
+Click on the relevant session icon  displayed in the _My courses_ page The main screen displays four tabs: _Courses, Learning paths, My MCQ \(Multiple Choice Questions\), and My statistics_
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/session_view/courses_tab.md b/teacher-guide/session_view/courses_tab.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ef6b0913
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/session_view/courses_tab.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Courses tab
+
+The _Courses_ tab shows a list of courses available inside the sessions. Click on one of these courses \(the text will turn black\) to filter the rest of the tabs to show only items from this course.
+
+Clicking directly on one of the tabs will show a complete list of all corresponding resources in the session \(if you don't click on one specific course in the first tab, the _Learning paths_ tab will show all learning paths in the session, all courses mixed up\).
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/session_view/learning_paths_tab.md b/teacher-guide/session_view/learning_paths_tab.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bc9ebdf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/session_view/learning_paths_tab.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Learning paths tab
+
+The _Learning paths_ tab shows a list of learning paths in the session, filtered according to course \(as long as you clicked a course in the first tab\).
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Sessions – Learning paths_
+
+The publication date of each learning path gives you an idea of the chronological order of the learning paths. Where you have several simultaneous courses \(which might be the case in a session\) all offering several learning paths, organizing the right learning paths schedule will provide the learner with a clear indication of the order in which we expect him to follow them. The learner can enter a learning path directly from this screen, simply by clicking its name.
+
+> **Note** : there are three view types for learning paths: _All, Per week, By course._ They do not affect the way contents are ordered, so don't hesitate to try them out.
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/session_view/my_mcq_tab.md b/teacher-guide/session_view/my_mcq_tab.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..04d4871e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/session_view/my_mcq_tab.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# My MCQ tab
+
+The _My MCQ_ tab contains all tests pertaining to courses in the session, sorted by publication date. Because the display of these test is relative \(comparing results to those of other learners\) and is in a chronological order, it is doubly critical to establish publication dates for all your tests.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Sessions – My QCM tab_
+
+Exercises which have not yet been attempted are indicated by a yellow star . The number of attempts is indicated as well as the exercise results, and also the highest scores obtained by any learner in the session. Finally, the position in the table reflects a learner's relative results within this session. By clicking the test title, the learner goes directly to the test or, once all attempts have been exhausted, directly to the test results screen.
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/session_view/my_statistics_tab.md b/teacher-guide/session_view/my_statistics_tab.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b8e15735
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/session_view/my_statistics_tab.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# My statistics tab
+
+The _My statistics_ tab offers teachers and learners an innovative set of features, provided publication dates have been established for exercises. Learners will then be able to see a visual result of their scores in comparison with those of other learners.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Sessions – My statistics tab_
+
+By clicking the double blue arrow for any course, you'll be able to view a series of more detailed result information:
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Sessions – Statistical details_
+
+This detailed view presents a graphical visualization of the scores repartition. Each bar represents a rank of results \(0-20%, 21-40%, 41-60%, 61-80%, 81-100%\). The global chart represents the repartition of all students' results for this exercise. The orange bar is the bar in which the current user's results are located. You can click the chart to get an exploded view.
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/social_network/README.md b/teacher-guide/social_network/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..046d7276
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/social_network/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# Social network
+
+Chamilo recognizes that effective online social interaction is an important element in successful online learning. The Social Network facility offered on the platform is designed to optimize support, within the platform, for teachers and learners wanting to make use of various social network features as an integral part of their online learning \(and teaching\) experience. These include simple profiling, an internal messaging system available to users and the facility to create interest groups. \(Note that some of these features need to be enabled by the platform administrator.\)
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Social network - Home_
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/social_network/friends.md b/teacher-guide/social_network/friends.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9b4ff531
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/social_network/friends.md
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# “Friends”
+
+In the _Social network_ tab, you can make contacts and invite them as _Friends_ \(a rather free use of the term _friend_!\). You can search for people by:
+
+* clicking the _Invitations_ link in the left menu ,
+* click _Search_.
+
+By simply entering a few characters of the user's first or last name, Chamilo will help by proposing a list of users matching these characters. The invitation can then be sent to the user, who can choose whether to accept or refuse it.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Social network – send and receive invitations_
+
+The _Friends_ link  gathers all friends you have linked to on the platform. It allows you to see the shared profile of the user and send him a message with a click on his name.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Social network – Shared profile_
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/social_network/internal_messaging.md b/teacher-guide/social_network/internal_messaging.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a236fc4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/social_network/internal_messaging.md
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# Internal messaging
+
+From the _Social network_ tab \(left menu\) the _Messages_ entry allows you to send or receive messages. It is similar to most messaging tools.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Social network – Internal messaging - Inbox_
+
+To write a message to another user \(or a friend\) subscribed to the platform:
+
+* click the _Messages_ link below your picture,
+* click the _Compose message_ icon ,
+* Chamilo will auto-complete the send-to field with known contacts,
+* enter the subject and message \(optionally you can add an attached file\),
+* click the _Send message_ button.
+
+If the recipient has entered their email in their profile, the message will also go automatically go to their email address.
+
+> **Note**: If the other user has chosen to, the message will also be sent to his e-mail as a notification of internal message. However, he will have to enter the platform to answer you.
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/social_network/my_files.md b/teacher-guide/social_network/my_files.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d07dd2a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/social_network/my_files.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# My files
+
+A user can use the _My files_ link  in the social network to upload and store personal files \(e.g. profile pictures, notes, assignment documents etc.\). The link brings up an interface where the user can upload and organize files on the server:
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Social network – My files_
+
+Files can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on them.
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/social_network/profile_information.md b/teacher-guide/social_network/profile_information.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..78aab19f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/teacher-guide/social_network/profile_information.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Profile information
+
+To enter/edit your personal details, go to the _Social network_ tab:
+
+* click the _Edit profile_ link,
+* update the fields,
+* click _Save settings_.
+
+Profile options allow you to edit your _name_, your Chamilo _code_, your _email_ and you _phone_ number, as well as a profile _picture_ and preferred _language_. Other fields \(if enabled by the administrator\) allow you to choose a _graphical theme_ and enter details of personal _competences_, _diplomas_ \(qualifications\), and _what you are able to teach_. You can upload any relevant file using _productions_, and write any other relevant information in m_y personal open area_. More recent versions of Chamilo also invite you to enter/edit your _password_, _tags_, _rss_ _feeds_, _timezone_, _email_ _notifications_, your _Google calendar URL_, your _country_, your _birthday_ and even a range of personal social networking links:
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Social network – Extended profile update_
+
+Remember to click the _save_ button when you've completed entering/editing your profile details!
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/social_network/social_groups.md b/teacher-guide/social_network/social_groups.md
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+++ b/teacher-guide/social_network/social_groups.md
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# Social groups
+
+The _Social groups_ link  compiles together all groups that exist on the platform. These groups can only be created by administrators, unless they have enabled this option for all users.
+
+There are two types of groups, depending on access:
+
+* public \(everybody can join\)
+* private \(the group administrator must authorize the membership request\)
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Social network – Social groups_
+
+The _My groups tab_ lists the groups of which you are a member. These groups work as a forum. The administrator \(or moderator\) creates discussion topics and users start contributing.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Social network – Social groups interface_
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/structure_learning_paths/README.md b/teacher-guide/structure_learning_paths/README.md
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+++ b/teacher-guide/structure_learning_paths/README.md
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+# Structure: Learning paths
+
diff --git a/teacher-guide/structure_learning_paths/add_learning_objects_and_activities.md b/teacher-guide/structure_learning_paths/add_learning_objects_and_activities.md
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+++ b/teacher-guide/structure_learning_paths/add_learning_objects_and_activities.md
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+# Add Learning Objects and Activities
+
+As you build your learning path/course, you have the option to include existing learning objects or activities or to create your own using Chamilo.
+
+
+
+_Illustration: Adding a learning object or activity to a course_
+
+## Create a new document