Learning Development Services VLE Staff Development 2012 Introductory Anglia Learning and Teaching Inspiring Academic Excellence June 2012
VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Contents Purpose of this booklet 2 Changed Terminology 2 Section1: Copying sites using the Site Copier 3 Section 2: Changing Navigation 8 Section 3: Uploading a single file to a document library 10 Section 4: Renaming the homepage of copied Module Content 13 Section 5: Using the Editing Tools toolbar to re-format copied Content pages 15 Section 4: Creating and editing Weblinks 19 Section 7: Editing the Tutor Space Homepage 22 Section 8: Editing the Learning Space Homepage 25 Section 9: Creating an Announcement 29 Section 10: Creating a Calendar Event 33
Purpose of this booklet This booklet supports module leaders and module tutors to populate their VLE sites. It can be used in the developmental workshops (June September 2012) or in self-directed learning. The booklet is complemented by another booklet which covers more advanced editing. These guidance notes will be provided on the Anglia Learning and Teaching web site. Changed Terminology Current Renamed Description Portal site Tutor Space Can only be accessed by Module Leaders and Tutors and not be used for module delivery Module Delivery site Learning Space This space will be used to deliver a module occurrence and is accessed by students directly and by the module leader and tutors via the Tutor Space. Demo site Development Space This site will be used to make an existing delivery (site) available to all module delivery leaders to copy all or elements of it into their Learning Spaces as appropriate. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 2
Section1: Copying sites using the Site Copier This tutorial shows you how to copy an existing /modules site into a new site / space. For 2012/13 every module has been provisioned with a Tutor Space (Module Portal) and Learning Spaces (sub-sites) for each delivery of the module. In addition to the Tutor and Learning Spaces, there is a Development Space which is used to provide a copy of your delivery site for other module tutors to copy. The important change for 2012/13 is that all deliveries will take place in Learning Spaces. As module leader, if you manage several deliveries for one module, you would initially copy your existing delivery into the Development Space of the new module and update the content in order to make it available to module tutors to copy into their Learning Space(s) as appropriate. The three stages are: 1. Copy last year s module content into this year s Development Space. 2. Review and update your content. 3. Copy your updated content from the Development Space into your Learning Space(s). If you only have one delivery and if, as module leader or tutor, you have an existing site you want to use, you can copy directly from your current site into a new Learning Space for 2012/13. You can copy a site (not including sub sites) in its entirety or copy selected elements of a site e.g. only the Module Documents. The section explains how you can complete each of these. How to copy last year s delivery into the new Development or Learning Space To copy your existing site into the new module site, you start in the Development or Learning Space you want to copy into and then copy the content of the existing site into the new Space. Step 1: Navigate to the new Development Space or Learning Space. You can do this by accessing the Development or Learning Space from the Tutor Space homepage of your 2012/13 module site. Learning Space Development Space VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 3
Step 2: Access the Site Copier In the Development or Learning Space click on the Site Copier link on the left hand menu Step 3: Complete the fields of the first dialogue box Choose the correct descriptions of the module site you want to copy: modules (or courses, sites, pathways) the year e.g. 2011/12 the module code e.g. CC430010S Note: You can find your module codes in the online Module Catalogue http://web.anglia.ac.uk/modulecatalogue/ Then click on Next. Step 4: Choosing what to copy You now have a choice which site you want to copy e.g. Sem 1 or Sem 2 delivery, or Portal site. This will depend which site you used for your delivery in 2011/12. If you are a module tutor and leading a delivery, you may also find the updated content of a delivery in the Development Space prepared by the module leader for you to copy. You can also choose if you want to copy All Content of the chosen site or Selected Content. Once you made your choices, click on Next. Note: If you delivered your module in the Portal site in the previous year you can copy the portal site but VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 4
without its subsites. If you have chosen to copy the Portal site you can only copy Specific Content. Step 5 a: Choosing Specific Content Portal site Delivery sites Click all the items (lists or libraries) you want to copy. Then click Next. (Note: The display below will be different for your site. The example used is from a module which used several discussion boards) VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 5
Confirmation screen. Click on Proceed. Step 5 b: Choosing All Content Click All Content if you want to copy an entire module site. Then click Next. Confirmation screen. Click on Proceed. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 6
Completion Message Step 6: Check that everything has copied as expected VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 7
Section 2: Changing Navigation This tutorial shows you how to change your navigation in the Tutor, Learning or Development Space including deleting unused navigation links and changing their order. While this function, which you access on the homepage, will cover basic navigation editing, a more extensive Editing Navigation feature is explained in the Editing Navigation tutorial (Advanced booklet), which includes adding new or retrieving deleted navigation links. How to change your navigation Step 1: Access Change Navigation on the left hand menu on your Tutor or Learning Space (in this example the Tutor Space is shown). Step 2: To edit a link, click on the icon next to the link to access the edit menu (in this example Home) Step 3: Here you can: change the link name (Type the description), then click OK. delete a link. Note: If you need to add a new link, then use the Editing Navigation guide, which you can find in the VLE Staff Development Advanced booklet. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 8
Step 4: You can also change the order of the navigation links by accessing the Change Order link Change the numbering of the items to move them up or down. Then click OK. Note: Use the extended Editing Navigation feature to browse for links to tools or files within your module site. You will find this guide in the VLE Staff Development 2012 Advanced booklet. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 9
Section 3: Uploading a single file to a document library What are document libraries and why do we need to upload files to them? This tutorial shows you how to upload documents i.e. files like PowerPoint, Word, et cetera, that you may wish to use for your teaching to one of the document repositories usually referred to as document libraries in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). These document libraries are very similar to file folders or directories in Windows. There are a few restrictions on what you can upload: File and folder names cannot include the following characters: &,?, %, or.. (two full stops together). Executable file types are blocked by default to avoid the spread of malicious code or viruses. In the Tutor Space, we have the Resources library which gives the module leader and tutors the opportunity to share files with each other, and the Cross-Delivery Documents which allows the module leader to make files accessible to students in their learning spaces In a Learning Space, we have the Documents library, which is for teaching materials and resources for students, and the Shared Documents library, which facilitates the uploading of files by all the students on the learning space, enabling them to view each other s work, edit, comment, et cetera. Notes: It is important to consider copyright before uploading files. Although audio and video files can be uploaded, make sure file sizes are reasonable (max. 50 MB). For media it is advisable to use my.player and link to it from your Learning Space. When uploading files to these document repositories, it is good practice to organise files in a directory / folder first before uploading them onto the VLE. When uploading your files, you may be asked to login more than once, depending on where you are accessing the VLE from. How to upload a single file Step 1: Choose the document library you want to access e.g. the Documents library in a Learning Space. Click on the Documents link on the left hand navigation menu. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 10
Step 2: In the library access an existing folder by clicking on it (e.g. Guide). Alternatively you can create a new folder. Click on Documents on the Ribbon and the New Folder icon on the task bar. Type in the name of your new folder in the text field and click Save. Folder name Step 3: Open the folder by clicking on it and click on Add a document. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 11
Step 4: Browse for your file on your hard disk or other storage device. The file will appear in the folder. Note: Once you have uploaded a file, you may have to refresh the browser to see the file in your document folder. Note: You can also upload multiple files as well as folders using Window Explorer. Please see guidance document for uploading multiple files in the VLE Staff Development 2012 Advanced booklet. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 12
Section 4: Renaming the homepage of copied Module Content When you copy a Module Content wiki from a 2011/12 site into a new Learning Space, the navigation link in the new Learning Space will be broken as it points to a Start rather than the Home page. This tutorial shows you how to rename the homepage of a copied Module Content wiki from Home to Start. This will avoid confusion with the Learning Space homepage and link to the correct Content homepage on the navigation menu. Note: This procedure will only be necessary once for 2011-12 sites copied into 2012-13 module sites as future copies will maintain the changed name. How to rename the homepage of copied Module Content Step 1: After you have copied your module content into your Development or Learning Space, access your Content wiki by clicking on the navigation link on the left hand side. Then click on Content in the Breadcrumbs to access the list view of all your wiki pages. You notice that you have a Start and a Home page. Home is the name of the (Module) Content homepage imported from the previous site, whilst Start is the name of the homepage on the new site. We need to delete the Start page and rename the Home to Start page. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 13
a) Deleting Start page: When you hover your mouse over the Start link a downwards arrow appears. Click on it and a drop-down menu appears. Click on Delete. b) Rename Home page: When you hover your mouse over the Home link a downwards arrow appears. Click on it and a drop-down menu appears. Click on Edit Properties. Change the Name from Home to Start and click Save. The navigation link Content will now link to the revised Start page. Note: If you have several pages linked together in your Content wiki, the links within the wiki will be updated automatically taking account of the name change. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 14
Section 5: Using the Editing Tools toolbar to re-format copied Content pages What is the Editing Tools toolbar? The Editing Tools toolbar becomes active in the Ribbon when an edit function is selected in the following places in the VLE: The Description text on the Home Page A content page The body text of an Announcement The body text of a Discussion posting The Edit Tools toolbar has 2 sub-tabs, one to Format Text and one to Insert other objects such as Links (to other websites, documents or tools in the relevant Learning or Tutor Space). Inserting a link or an image etc. may then activate additional tabs and toolbars specific to that type of insertion. A reference guide to these toolbars is available in the VLE Staff Development 2012 Advanced booklet. This is a step-by-step guide to how to use the Editing Tools Format Text toolbar to clear out and reset the formatting of text in a Content page that has been copied over from a 2011-12 VLE site. How to strip the format from copied text Step 1: Enter Edit mode in your Content page by clicking on the Edit shortcut icon or via the Page tab and choosing the Edit button there. In the Ribbon area you will see the Editing Tools toolbar, normally with the Format Text tab active in the foreground. Select all the text in your page by clicking on the Select button and choosing, Text Division to highlight all the text on the page. Alternatively you can click into the text field and use CTRL + A to highlight. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 15
Step 2: With the text highlighted, click on the Format Stripper button from the Format Text toolbar. This removes all font formatting from the text but leaves links in place (although some direct links may need editing to point at the correct location in the new Learning Space) How to apply text formatting Step 1: To re-apply text formatting, e.g. headers etc., you should highlight the particular section of text to which you want to apply the formatting and then click on the Markup Styles button to select the style you wish to apply e.g. Heading 2. Repeat with other sections of text to get the desired effect. Additional text formatting such as Bold, Italics etc can be applied as required after the styles have been applied. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 16
How to revise links Step 1: To revise links to features (e.g. Discussions) within the Space so that they point at the correct location, click anywhere in the link. This activates the Link Tools tab. Click on the tab to bring the Link Tools toolbar into view then click on the Select Link button. This opens up a window that allows you to browse to the appropriate location within the Space to make a new link. Once you have browsed to the correct location, you should click on OK to insert the new link Note 1: You will need to make sure that the relevant feature or document exists in your new space (e.g. has been copied over) before you try to make the new link. You can upload a file but cannot create a feature in this location. Note 2: This listing can also include the Tutor Space and other Learning Spaces to which you may have access so take care to check that you are in the correct space. Remember that students can t see the Tutor Space. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 17
Step 5: You will be returned to the page with the Link Tools toolbar open. Add some descriptive text and decide whether to open the link in a new window or tab by ticking the relevant box. Step 6: When you have finished setting up your link, you can continue editing or save your changes via the Save and Close button via the Page or Format Text tabs. (Note: If you have checked out your content page you will need to save your changes using the Check-in button) VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 18
Section 4: Creating and editing Weblinks This tutorial shows you how to create new and edit existing Weblinks in the Tutor, Development and Learning Space. How to create new and edit existing Weblinks Step 1: Access your Weblinks by clicking on the link on the left-hand menu. Weblinks in Tutor and Learning or Development Spaces Step 2: Click into the Weblinks area (second column) to activate the Ribbon. Note: You can also activate the editor by clicking on the edit icon of a link or folder. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 19
a) Adding new Web link (New Item): Click on the New Item link on the Ribbon and complete the fields in the dialogue box. Click Save when finished. New link including Notes. (Links will also display if the Notes field were not filled in). b) Change the order of links: You can reorder links by clicking on the Change Items Order button on the Ribbon. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 20
c) Deleting a link or folder: Tick the link or folder to be deleted and choose the Delete Item the Ribbon. link on d) Renaming a link or folder: Tick the link or folder to be renamed and choose the Edit Item link on the Ribbon. Change the name (Description) or Web address and then click Save. You can use the Notes field for a short description of the link. Note: If you want Web links to open in a new browser window, click on them with a right mouse click and choose Open in New Tab or Window. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 21
Section 7: Editing the Tutor Space Homepage What is the Tutor Space Homepage and which parts can be edited? The Tutor Space Homepage consists of a series of zones (left, centre and right) in which panels or Web Parts are displayed. Most of these Web Parts display information pulled from either SITS (for example: the top section of the Information panel on the right hand-side) or from elsewhere in the site (for example: the Activity Panel in the centre displays content posted in the Announcements tool). The information pulled from other areas is not editable but some parts of the Tutor Space Information panel are designed to be customised by the Module Leader with additional information that will be useful to the Module Tutors and this document provides a step by step guide to editing that customisable information. Notes: Only the Module Leader (and any other colleagues who are given owner rights to the Tutor Space) can edit the Tutor Space Home Page. Separate guides to setting up announcements to display in the Activity Panel, as well as creating and editing Weblinks and uploading documents to Resources and the Cross Delivery Documents are available in this booklet. If the Module Leader information on the Information Panel provided by SITS is not correct, please change your module details on Manage My Curriculum (SITS E:Vision https://evision.anglia.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn) How to edit the Information Panel Step 1: At the Tutor Space home page, use the Edit button on the Ribbon or under the Page tab to start the Web Part editing process. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 22
To edit the Information Web Part, locate it on the right hand side of the screen, click the arrow button alongside the Web Part title then choose Edit Web Part from the dropdown menu that appears. This opens up a dialog box to the right of the screen with a field for adding the contact phone number for the Module Leader. Enter the number and then click on OK to add the number to the Information Panel. Step 2: To add some descriptive text about the module to the Tutor Space, click on the link to Click here to add new Content below the Description title. (Note: The Description title is only visible in Edit mode). At this point you can start typing some text to describe the module and its objectives. Alternatively, you can copy and paste text from a Word document such as the Module Guide or the MDF. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 23
The text Editing Tools taskbar has become available and you can apply formatting such as bold etc. to the text if desired, as well as inserting images etc. (Note: A more detailed guide to using the Text Editing ribbon is available separately in the VLE Staff Development 2012 Advanced booklet.) Step 3: When you have completed your edits, you need to check them in to make them visible to your colleagues. To do this, go to the ribbon and click on the Page tab, then click on the Check-In button to save and publish your changes. (Note: The Save & Close option will save your changes but they will not be visible to your colleagues until the changes have been checked in.) You will be offered the opportunity to add a comment about the update if you wish, then you should click the Continue button to finalise the Check In process. Your changes will now be visible on the Tutor Space home page. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 24
Section 8: Editing the Learning Space Homepage What is the Learning Space Homepage and which parts can be edited? The Learning Space Homepage consists of a series of zones (left, centre and right) in which panels or Web Parts are displayed. Most of these Web Parts display information pulled from either SITS (for example: the top section of the Information panel on the right-hand side) or from elsewhere in the site (for example: the Activity panel in the centre displays content posted in the Learning Space Announcements tool, whilst the Forthcoming Events panel on the right-hand side shows events added to the Learning Space Calendar). The information pulled from other areas is not directly editable but some parts of the Learning Space Information panel are designed to be customised by the Module Leader / Tutor with additional information that will be useful to the students. This document provides a step-by-step guide to editing that customisable information. Notes: Only the Module Tutor and Module Leader (plus any other colleagues who are given owner rights to the Learning Space) can edit the Learning Space Homepage. Separate guides to setting up Announcements to display in the Activity panel and Calendar Events to display in the Forthcoming Events panel, as well as creating and editing Weblinks and uploading documents to Documents are available in this booklet. How to edit the Information Panel Step 1: At the Learning Space home page, use the Edit button on the Ribbon or under the Page tab to start the Web Part editing process. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 25
To edit the Information Web Part, locate it at the right-hand side of the screen, click the arrow button alongside the Web Part title then choose Edit Web Part from the drop-down menu that appears. This opens up a dialog box to the right of the screen with three fields for adding the following details for the module tutor: contact phone number Office Location Office Hours (in this field only, enter a comma between the listed times to get them to display on different lines) Enter the details and then click on OK to add the number to the Information Panel. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 26
Step 2: To add some descriptive text about the module and the specific delivery to the Learning Space, click on the link to Click here to add new Content below the Description title. (Note:The Description title is only visible in Edit mode) At this point you can start typing some text to describe the module and the specific delivery. Alternatively, you can copy and paste text from a Word document such as the Module Guide or the MDF. The text Editing ribbon has become available and you can apply formatting such as bold etc to the text if desired, as well as inserting images etc. (Note: A more detailed guide to using the Text Editing ribbon is available separately.) Step 3: When you have completed your edits, you need to check them in to make them visible to the students. To do this, go to the ribbon and click on the Page tab, then click on the Check-In button to save and publish your changes. (Note: The Save & Close option will save your changes but they will not be visible to the students until the changes have been checked in.) VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 27
You will be offered the opportunity to add a comment about the update if you wish, then you should click the Continue button to finalise the Check In process. Your changes will now be visible on the Learning Space homepage. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 28
Section 9: Creating an Announcement What are Announcements and how are they used Announcements are used in both the Tutor and Learning Spaces of a VLE module and recent announcements are displayed in the Activity panel on the Homepage of the relevant Space. In the Tutor Space they are used by the Module Leader to highlight new information for the attention of Module Tutors. In a Learning Space, they are used by the Module Tutor to highlight new information for the attention of the students in that Learning Space Note: Only staff with Owner rights in a particular Tutor Space (normally, the Module Leader) or Learning Space (normally the Module Tutor and the Module Leader) can add, edit or delete announcements in that Space. Creating a new announcement Step 1: At the relevant Tutor or Learning Space homepage, click on the Announcements link in the Navigation Menu on the left-hand side. This opens up the Announcements screen where any existing announcements are listed. To create a new Announcement, click on the link to Add new announcement. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 29
Enter a title and the body of the announcement (applying text formatting and inserting links or images etc, if required, via the Editing Tools ribbon toolbar). It is a good idea to set an Expiry Date, then click the Save button. Your new announcement now shows in the Announcements list. Step 2: If you return to the Home page of the Tutor or Learning Space, you will see that your announcement is now listed in the Activity Panel. How to Edit an Announcement Step 1: To edit an announcement, click Announcements on the navigation menu to go to the list of announcements. Then click on the title of the announcement you want to edit to open up the detail view of the item. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 30
Click on Edit Item in the View toolbar to open up the edit view of the announcement. Make your changes to the announcement, then click the Save button. Step 2: The updates to the Announcement are now visible in the Activity Panel on the Home page. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 31
How to delete an announcement Step 1: To delete an announcement, go to the list of announcements, and hover your cursor over the title of the announcement you want to delete, and click in the box that appears to the left of the title. With the announcement selected, click on the Delete Item option in the toolbar. Confirm you want to send the item to the Recycle Bin and it is removed from the list of announcements and from the Activity panel on the home page. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 32
Section 10: Creating a Calendar Event What are Calendar Events and how are they used Calendar Events are used in the Learning Spaces of a VLE module when the Module Tutor wants to highlight forthcoming events such as assignment deadlines or relevant extra-curricular events for the attention of the students in that Learning Space. Recently added calendar events are displayed in the Forthcoming Events panel on the Home page of the relevant Learning Space. Note: To avoid the possibility of presenting conflicting information to students, staff should not duplicate information relating to events that are scheduled via the centralised timetabling system such as lectures. Creating a new calendar event Step 1: At the Learning Space homepage, click on the Calendar link in the Navigation Menu on the left-hand side. This opens up the calendar for the Learning Space in the month view for the current month. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 33
To create an event for a particular date, navigate to that date and hover your cursor over the date to activate the Add link, then click on the link to open up the new event window. (Alternatively, you can click the Events tab in the Ribbon and select new Event). In the New Calendar Item window, enter a title for the event and a Start and End time you must complete these three fields. You can then add further information, such as such as a location, a description, etc. It is also possible to attach a file (for example a map of how to get to a location, or perhaps a flyer for an event) to give additional details about an event. You can also insert a URL directly into the Description field. When you have completed entering the information for your event, click the Save button (you may need to scroll down to see the Save button at the bottom but there is one in the ribbon as well). The event is now listed in the Calendar under the chosen date. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 34
If you return to the home page for the Learning Space, the event is also now visible in the Forthcoming Events panel on the right hand side of the page. How to Edit a Calendar Event Step 1: Click on the title of the event in the Forthcoming Events panel (or go to the Calendar via the Navigation menu and click on the event from there) to open up the View Event window. Click on Edit Item. In the Edit view, make the changes you want to the settings of the event, then click the Save button (either on the ribbon as shown here or scroll down to the bottom of the screen where another Save button is available). The revised title is now displayed in the Calendar and the Forthcoming Events panel on the Home page. VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 35
How to delete a Calendar Event Step 1: As when editing an event, click on the title of the event in the Forthcoming Events panel (or go to the Calendar via the Navigation menu and click on the event from there) to open up the View Event window. At this point, choose the option to Delete Item and confirm you want to send the item to the Recycle Bin. The Calendar event has now disappeared from both the Calendar display and from the Forthcoming Events panel on the Home page VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 36
Contact Anglia Learning and Teaching Call: 0845 271 2639 Email: lta@anglia.ac.uk Web: www.anglia.ac.uk/lta Author(s): Kate Outhwaite and Uwe Matthias Richter Version: 1.1 (June 2012) Anglia Learning and Teaching, Anglia Ruskin University2012 Any part of this document may be reproduced without permission but with attribution to Anglia Ruskin University and the author(s) CC-BY-SA (share alike with attribution) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 VLE Staff Development 2012 - Introductory Page 37