The course element Check List allows the tutor to create to-do lists. Learners can work their way through these to-dos and mark them as done. Depending on the configuration, check lists can also be shared with other participants so that the list can be processed together.

 

Content

 

Usage: Learners' View

Overview

The course element Check List allows you to keep track of upcoming tasks and/or tests. For this reason, all existing open tasks as well as already completed tasks are clearly listed.

Open:

In the example check list, some to-dos are still open. The entry "Lectures" is shown in grey, which indicates that this entry was locked by the course author and cannot be marked as done.

In the example, the task "Media Technology" contains the note only once editable. As soon as the item is marked as done, this status cannot be reset.

Done:The learner has marked the tasks "Press" and "Cash Desk" as done. The status of the entry "Press" cannot be reset because it is locked and displayed in grey.

Automatic progress

If the course progress indicator is activated for a course, the course element will automatically be marked as completed upon the first finished attempt of the user. This process is independent of any possible assessment.


Course element check list

Functions for users

As a user, you can use the following functions in a course element of the type Check List:

Mark entry as done

  1. Open the course element Check List.
  2. Activate the checkbox in front of the check list item you want to mark as done.
Select check list item(s)
3. The entry will now appear in the Done section.Done section

Reset entry

  1. Open the course element Check List.
  2. In the section Done, you will find all check list items which have already been marked as done.

  3. Remove the checkmark in front of all entries you want to reset.

    A task can only be reset if the course author has configured the option Permanently editable.

Remove checkmark(s)
4. The check list item will automatically reappear in the list of open entries.Open tasks section

Configuration: Authors' View  

Functions in the course editor

The following functions are available to the course author in the course editor:

Add a course element check list

To integrate a course element into your course, proceed as follows:

1

Open the course you want to edit.

Use the pencil icon at the top of the page to open the editing mode.

Switch from the course view to the editing mode

2

Select a course element from the menu on the right.

Select course element

3

In the new window, you can define the position of the new course element within your course structure (left navigation pane). The available positions are marked with an insert icon.

To insert the new course element into an existing substructure, you need to open the substructure by clicking on the small triangle symbol next to its title. The area will open and you will again see insert icons at the positions which are available.

Click on the insert icon at the desired position within the structure. The selected area will be highlighted.

Confirm your choice with Insert course element.

Insert course element into the course tree

4

The element will be inserted into the course structure at the selected position.

Depending on the course element, you have to make additional configurations or add content in order to complete the configuration.

For these changes to take effect, you must publish the course. The course element will then also become available in the course view.

Configure and publish course element



General configuration settings

In the course editor, you will find the following configuration tabs:

Title and description

Course editor settings in the tab title and description

ElementsDescription
Title

You need to enter a title for the course element. The title can comprise a maximum of 100 characters. All special characters and numbers are permitted. The title will appear in the navigation menu of the course and also as a heading in the content area.

(warning)  If you change the title of the first course element, the new content will only be applied to the main course node and then displayed in the opened course. If you wish to edit the course title or description, you can do so using the more settings menu of the course.

SubtitleYou can enter a subtitle for the course element with a maximum of 255 characters. All special characters and numbers are permitted. The title will appear as a tooltip in the navigation menu and - if selected and configured accordingly - as a subtitle in the content area.
Description

Here you can describe the course element. The description will appear in the content area below the title.

Depending on the settings configured in the element Display, this additional text is displayed to the user when opening the course element. The user can expand or collapse the view of the text.


Display

Define which information about the course element should be displayed in the course view. In addition to the content, you can optionally display the title and description. All course elements are provided with a reasonable presetting, which mostly includes the setting Title, description and content. You can adjust this setting in accordance with the options available for each course element. For an example of the different setting options, refer to the help page Displaying information about the course element.

Set link for this course element

Each course element can be accessed via fixed link addresses. Therefore, an internal and an external URL is assigned to each course element. These direct links to concrete elements can be used within courses or provided to learners. The URLs are located below the title and description of the element and will appear upon selecting Set link for this course element.  

  • External link: To refer to this course element from outside of the course or learning platform, you can use the external link and insert it, for example as a href attribute, into the desired HTML page.
  • Internal link: To set a link to another course element within the same course, you can insert the internal link as a href attribute into the desired HTML page.
IDYou will need the ID number of the course element (on the bottom right), for example, if you wish to use the expert mode in the visibility or access tab.


Visibility

In the areas Visibility and Access, authors and course owners can individually determine the presentation of course elements. If no input is made in the access area, the content of a course element will by default be visible to all course participants after publishing the element. Apart from the general options listed below, additional configuration options are available depending on the course element.

The following general options are available for the configuration of visibility and access:

Course editor - Tab visibility and access


General configuration optionsDescription
Only blocked for guests

Ist diese Checkbox markiert, ist das Element oder die Funktion ausschließlich für angemeldete Lernende, Betreuer und Administratoren des Kurses verfügbar.

Diese Checkbox ist nur notwendig, wenn Sie in einem sonst öffentlichen Kurs (Publikationsstatus "Öffentlich - Für jeden sichtbar" bzw. BARG ) einzelne Kursbausteine oder Funktionsabschnitte dennoch für Gäste sperren und nur für angemeldete Nutzer zugänglich machen wollen.

Hat Ihr Kurs den Publikationsstatus "Öffentlich - für registrierte Nutzer" haben nicht angemeldete Nutzer (= Gäste) grundsätzlich keinen Zugang zum Kurs.

Blocked for learners

Wenn Sie die Checkbox markieren, ist der Bereich oder Funktionsabschnitt ausschließlich für Betreuer und Administratoren des Kurses sichtbar bzw zugänglich. Angemeldete Lernende und auch nicht registrierte Gäste sehen das Element nicht bzw. haben keinen Zugang zum Inhalt.

Block access or visibility for learners
Depending on dateMark this checkbox to specify a particular access time. You can set individual dates or date ranges by filling in only one or both input fields respectively. You can also create or delete dates via the + and - buttons.

Set access or visibility rights depending on dates

Depending on group

Select this checkbox to restrict the accessibility of the course element to learning groups or learning areas. You can then select existing groups and areas or create new ones.

If you set restrictions with the configuration option "depending on group", the corresponding course element will be restricted for all non-members of the group. This includes, for example, users who have not yet confirmed the group invitation or who are on the waiting list for a group. Such users cannot yet see or access the restricted course element.


Set access or visibility rights depending on groups

Depending on assessmentHere, you will find all assessable course elements. These include, for example, the elements test, assessment, task, or structure. 

If you select the option Check for "passed", you will be able to choose a course element from the input field Course element, which the user must have passed as a prerequisite to accessing this course element. 

If you select the option Check score, you can indicate a number of points in the input field "Passing score", which have to be achieved in order to be able to access the course element.

Set access or visibility rights depending on assessments

Depending on attribute

Whether or not this option is displayed is system-dependent. You can use it to set visibility or access privileges according to user attributes. Only users who meet the predefined conditions will see the course element or have access to its content. If you want to use several attributes, you need to link them with one of the operators (AND/OR) above the attribute list.

The following comparison operators can be used depending on the selected attribute:


  • "contains the value"
  • "does not contain value"
  • "has exactly the value"
  • "does not have value"
  • "starts with value"
  • "ends with value"
  • "greater than" (>)
  • "less than" (<)
  • "greater than/equals" (<=)
  • "less than/equals" (>=)

See the Overview of OPAL-Shibboleth attributes page for a list of attributes available for selected institutions.

OPAL School authors can use the Main school attribute to restrict course access to their own school. An example can be found on the Publish course only for users of one/my school help page.

The verification of the created attribute rules is not case-sensitive to the specified values. That means, for example, if your access rule reads "Study group" attribute contains the value "Law", the actual verification will be done with the word "law" in lowercase. As a result, the course element will be accessible both to users in the "Law" and to users in the "Family law" study group alike.



Set access or visibility rights depending on attributes

Apply rules also for author, owner and tutorThis option does not become visible until one of the other options has been selected. If you activate the checkbox, the same access rules which apply to users will also be valid for tutors and course administrators.

Apply rules also for author, owner and tutor

PasswordThis option is only available in the area Access and can either be applied to the whole course or a structural element of the course. Enter the desired password, which users will need to use in order to gain access to the course content, in the text field.

Set access or visibility rights depending on passwords

Display expert modeClick on the button Display expert mode to open an input field, which allows you to perform a more complex configuration according to your needs. For more detailed information about the expert mode, see the help page Publishing within courses (expert mode).
Set access or visibility rights in the expert mode
Advanced configuration optionsIn the case of individual course element types, there are further attributes to configure access to editing rights for course participants.

If various restrictive single options are set, they will be linked with AND, i.e. all conditions of the single options must be met for the user to see and have access to the course element. The only exceptions are the single options Attributes. In this case, various restrictive single options can also be linked with OR. The OR linking only requires the fulfilment of one condition in order to enable visibility or access, unless other restrictive single options prevent this.

All restrictions are also automatically valid for all subordinate course elements.

Note about hiding access restrictions

If a course element is visible, but there are

  • current or future access restrictions or
  • restricted rights for the course element,

the user will be informed accordingly when accessing the course element. This information helps the user to learn more about the functions available, e.g. which functions will be available at what time and under what conditions.

If required, however, you can hide this information text (from the user) for each course element individually.

Notification message about existing access and authorisation restrictions in the course view:

Course element with notification message about authorisation restrictions

1

To hide this message, open the course editor and switch to the Visibility tab of the respective course element.

In the section Information if course node is visible but not accessible (max. 248 characters), remove the check mark in front of the entry Show access restrictions below the text field.

Publish your changes.

Course editor setting to hide notification message

2

The note will no longer be visible in the course view.

Course element without notification message about authorisation restrictions


Access
ConfigurationIn this tab, you can, among other things, administrate the check list, add or delete tasks, and choose between different modes. Detailed instructions are given in the following section Special configuration settings.
MultilingualismIn this tab, different translations can be added to individual course element areas.

Special configuration settings

In the tab Configuration of a check list course element, you have the following options:

Administrate check list

The function Administrate check list allows you to see which user has already completed which check list item. Moreover, you can reassign check list items to individual users.

  1. Open the course editor.
  2. In the tab Configuration, click on Administrate check list. A new window opens in which you can see who has already completed which check list entries.
Administrate check list button

3. Use Edit in the last column of the table to reassign the tasks for each person individually.

You have the possibility to export the check list to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file. Just click on Export in the window Administrate check list.

Course editor - Administrate check list

4. The current editing state of a user opens in which you can execute the desired modifications. Confirm your settings with Save and Close.

Course editor - Edit user check list

Shared check list

By default, each learner has its own check list and thus processes the tasks alone. If the option Shared check list is activated in the course editor, the course participants can process the to-dos together.

  1. Open the course editor.
  2. In the course element Check List, click on the tab Configuration.
  3. Activate the option by checking the box next to Shared check list.
Shared check list option

Edit check list in the editor

Create entry
  1. Open the course editor.
  2. In the course element Check List, switch to the tab Configuration.
  3. Click on the plus symbol to add a new entry.
Use the plus symbol to add a new entry

4. Enter a title and optionally a description.

5. Change the mode if required.

  • Editable once:  This entry can only be selected once. Deselecting the entry is not possible, which is indicated by the warning message only once editable.
  • Permanently editable: This entry can be repeatedly selected and deselected by the learner.
  • Hidden: This entry cannot be marked as done and is invisible to learners.
  • Locked: This entry cannot be marked as done and is invisible to learners. 
Title, description, and mode

6. Confirm your settings with Save.

Save button
Edit entry
  1. Open the course editor.
  2. In the course element Check List, switch to the tab Configuration.
  3. Select the entry you want to edit and make your desired changes by clicking in the respective text field.
  4. Confirm your changes with Save.
Edit entry
Delete entry
  1. Open the course editor.
  2. In the course element Check List, switch to the tab Configuration.
  3. Select the entry you want to delete and click on the minus symbol. The item in question is deleted without showing a delete confirmation prompt.
  4. Confirm your settings with Save.
Minus symbol

For course supervisors, the options create entry, edit entry, and delete entry are also available in the course view. More detailed information is given in the following section.

Functions in the course view

In the course view of a check list, you have access to all functions available to users. Only as a course supervisor, you can also create and edit check list entries in this view.

Edit check list in the course view:

Create entry

  1. Open the course element Check List in the course view.
  2. Click on + Create above the section of open check list entries.
Create button

3. The window Add check point opens.

4. Assign a title to the new check list entry and enter a description if necessary.

Enter title and description

5. Set the Mode to one of the following options:

  • Editable once: This entry can only be selected once. Deselecting the entry is not possible, which is indicated by the warning message only once editable.
  • Permanently editable: This entry can be repeatedly selected and deselected by the learner.
  • Hidden: This entry cannot be marked as done and is invisible to learners.  
  • Locked: This entry cannot be marked as done and is invisible to learners.

6. Confirm your settings with Save at the bottom of the window.

Set the mode


Edit entry

  1. Open the course element Check List in the course view.
  2. Click on the edit button next to the list item you want to edit.
Edit check list entry

3. It opens the window Edit check point.

4. Make your desired changes and confirm your settings with Save.

 Edit check point window


Delete entry

  1. Open the course element Check List.
  2. Select the entry you want to delete by clicking on the trash can icon next to the entry.
Delete check list entry

3. Confirm the deletion process with OK.

Confirm deletion process


Mark entry as doneThese functions are also available to users. Detailed instructions on how to use them can be found in the section Functions for users.
Reset entry