The course element Assignment of dates allows authors to create lists of dates, which can be made available to learners to sign in. Such lists can, for example, be used to assign dates for presentations or office hours.



Content

Usage: Learners' View

Overview

The course element Assignment of dates gives an overview of all the course dates open to learners for registration. Next to the name of the date, you will also be shown information about the time, location, duration and available number of places.

In the example, dates are assigned for an oral exam. The colour of the number of places indicates whether there are still places available so that learners can enrol for their desired date. If there are still open places for this date, the icon will be highlighted in green. If all places have been filled for this date, the icon’s colour will change to red.

In the example, the dates have the following status:

  • The first date has already been appointed to a user. Since there is only one free slot per date, the icon appears in red. This means all available places for this date have been taken.
  • The second date has been appointed to the user, who has just opened the date assignment. This user can deselect the date at any time using the Withdraw button and decide for another open time slot.
  • All other dates in this example have not been assigned yet. This is also indicated by the green icons. Users can still select these dates.

Overview of the course element assignment of dates

Functions for users

Select a date

With this option, you can select and register for a date.

  1. Open the course element Assignment of dates and pick your desired date.
  2. Then click on Select .

Select button

3. Depending on the course author’s settings, you may now add a comment for the date . This comment will also be visible to other users.

After drafting your comment, click on Enrol and add a comment to complete the enrolment process. Alternatively, click on Just enrol .

The date will now appear in the My Dates portlet on the home page as well as in your personal calendar.

Add a comment

Withdraw

You may withdraw from a date at any time and select a new one.

Whether or not withdrawing from a date is possible, depends on the settings of the course author. If they have disabled this function, learners will not be able to withdraw from dates.

  1. Open the course element Assignment of dates and select the date you wish to withdraw from.
  2. Then click on Withdraw .

Withdraw button

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Configuration: Authors' View

In the course editor

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

Add course element

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 see the following configuration tabs for a course element Assignment of dates :

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 define general settings for the course element Assignment of dates . You also have the option to manage events and participants. 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

General settings

Open the course editor of the course element Assignment of dates and go to the Configuration tab to define general settings. The following options are available:

  • Removing enabled: Learners can withdraw from dates.
  • Learner may add comment: Learners can add comments to their dates. Learners can, for example, use this field to publicly enter their name for group appointments. The comments will be displayed for all course participants in the summary table.
  • Seamless date enrolment: The dates will be assigned consecutively, with no free slots between. Participants are unable to choose their dates; rather, they will be assigned the next open date.
  • Number of selectable dates per user: Enter the number of dates participants may select. Type "0" to allow participants to select an unlimited number of dates.

Confirm your settings with Save .

General settings

Manage events

For users with appropriate rights, these functions are also available in the course view. They can be used to create, edit and delete events as well as to manage participants and send emails to participants.

Create event

This option allows you to create new events.

  1. Open the course editor of the course element Assignment of dates and go to the Configuration tab.
  2. Click on Manage events .

Manage events button

3. Then select Create event(s) .

Create event(s) link

4. Now enter the following content in the respective text fields:

  • Title: Describes the event, e. g. oral exam
  • Begin of event: Indicates on which day and at what time the first event will begin
  • Duration of event: Determines how long a single event will last
  • Interval: Describes if there is a break between events and how long it will take
  • Number of events: Defines how many events of this type will occur
  • Number of participants per date: Indicates how many participants are allowed per date
  • Location: Defines the location where the event will take place
  • Comment (optional)

Settings for the new event

5. Click on Save to complete the creation process.

Save button

Edit event

Events can be edited at any time.

  1. Open the course editor of the course element Assignment of dates and go to the Configuration tab.
  2. Click on Manage events .

Manage events

3. Select the events you wish to edit by ticking the checkboxes next to them.

To edit all events, click on Select all below the overview. All events will be marked with a checkmark.

Select events

4. Now click on Edit .

Edit button

5. Make your desired changes and click on Save and close to complete the editing process.

Save and close button

Delete event

Events can be deleted at any time.

  1. Open the course editor of the course element Assignment of dates and go to the Configuration tab.
  2. Click on Manage events .
Manage events

3. Select the events you wish to delete by ticking the checkboxes next to them.

To delete all events, click on Select all below the overview. All events will be marked with a checkmark.

Select events

4. Now click on Delete . The event will be deleted immediately without further confirmation.


Delete button

Manage participants

Add participants manually

Here you can add one or more participants and assign events manually.

  1. Open the course editor of the course element Assignment of dates and go to the Configuration tab.
  2. Click on Manage participants .
Manage participants
3. Select the event to which you wish to add a participant and click on Manage .

Manage link

4. Now click on Add participants .

Add participants button

5. Enter the first name , last name , email address and institution of the user in the appropriate text fields. Then click on Search .

User search

6. Select the desired users by ticking the checkboxes next to their names. Confirm your choice with Choose .

Choose users

Delete participants

You have the option to remove enrolled participants.

  1. Open the course editor of the course element Assignment of dates and go to the Configuration tab.
  2. Click on Manage participants .

Manage participants

3. Tick the checkbox next to the event whose participants you wish to remove.

4.  Then click on Delete participants .

Delete participants

5. If the affected participant should receive an email notification about the removal, select the checkbox next to Send email .

6. Then click on Next .

Email notification

Send email

This option allows you to send an email to all or selected participants.

  1. Open the course editor of the course element Assignment of dates and go to the Configuration tab.
  2. Click on Manage participants .
Manage participants

3. Tick the checkbox next to the event with those participants you wish to send an email to.

4. Now click on Send email .

Send email

5. Enter a subject and your message in the respective text fields. Optionally, add an attachment.

6. Then click on Send .

Email content

In the course view

Apart from the options described in the section Functions for users , course authors can use the following functions in the course view:

  • Via the buttons above the table: Add events, send an email to all users enrolled in the event, remove all users enrolled in an event and delete events
  • With a click on an event title: Edit the selected event, add participants to it, manage them and send an email to individual participants.

Summary table of dates

Buttons above the appointment table

1

Select this button to create one or more new appointments.

Add appointments

2

A dialogue window opens in which you can enter all the necessary information about the new appointment:

  • Appointment titles: Describes the event, e. g. oral exam
  • Location: Defines the location where the event will take place
  • Start: Indicates on which day and at what time the first event will begin
  • Duration of appointment: Determines how long a single event will last
  • Pause between appointments: Describes if there is a break between the events of a recurring appointment and how long it will take
  • Number of appointments: Defines how many events of this type will occur
  • Number of participants per appointment: Indicates how many participants are allowed per appointment
  • Description (optional)
3Click on Create to complete the creation process.

You can easily send a message to all participants enrolled in an appointment by email.

1

Mark the checkbox next to one or more appointments.

Send an email to enrolled participants

2

Select the letter icon from the table header.

3

An email dialogue opens in which you can enter your message.

4

Click on  Send message  to send the emails to the enrolled participants.

If you wish to send an email to a single enrolled user, click on the appointment title in the table. This will make you switch to the editing view of the appointment. There, you can select individual participants from the Manage participants tab and send them a message.

With one click, you can remove all participants from an appointment.

1

Select the checkbox next to one or more appointments from which you wish to remove enrolled participants. 

Delete participants
2Click on the letter icon in the table header.
3Confirm the dialogue with Cancel membership .

Appointments can be deleted at any time.

1

Mark the checkboxes next to the appointments you wish to delete.

.
Delete appointment
2

Then select the recycle bin icon from above the table.

3

A dialogue opens.

4Confirm the dialogue with Delete .


Edit appointment and manage participants of an appointment

Edit single appointment

Click on an appointment title in the appointment table to open it in the edit view.

1

Click on the title of the desired appointment.

Edit appointment
2

The edit view of the selected appointment opens.

3Save your changes.
Manage participants of an appointment

Click on an appointment title in the appointment table to open it in the edit view. In the Manage participants section, users can be added, confirmed or removed. Apart from that, it is also possible to send emails to individual users.

1

Click on the title of the desired appointment to open the edit view. Then switch to the Manage participants tab.

Manage participants
2

Add users to an appointment using the quick or advanced search.

If you decide for the advanced search, you can also optionally send the participant an email with all important appointment details.

3Use the buttons for sending emails and deleting users in the course view analogous to the appointment management.