CLASSROOM MANAGER STANDARD The learner s manual
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CONTENT About this documentation... 4 First steps within the Classroom Manager Standard... 5 1 About the Classroom Manager Standard... 5 2 Logging into the Classroom Manager... 5 3 New registration... 6 4 The User Interface... 8 4.1 Main Navigation... 8 4.2 Side Navigation... 9 4.3 Content window... 9 5 Editing your personal data... 9 Working with the Classroom Manager... 10 1 The Home Area... 10 1 Start screen... 10 2 Courses... 11 1 Registering for a course... 12 3 Forums... 13 1 Creating a new topic within a forum... 13 2 Creating topic contributions... 14 3 Editing your own contributions... 14 4 Deleting your own contributions... 15 4 News... 15 5 Appointments... 15 6 Recommendations... 16 6.1 Viewing learning recommendations... 17 6.2 Creating a learning recommendation... 17 6.3 Fulfilling tutor recommendations... 18 6.4 Deleting recommendations... 19 7 Notes... 19 7.1 Creating general notes for yourself... 19 7.2 Creating course-specific notes... 20 7.3 Editing notes... 21 7.4 Deleting notes... 21 2
8 Personal knowledge base... 22 8.1 Uploading new documents to your personal knowledge base... 22 8.2 Deleting files from your personal knowledge base... 23 2 The Course details area... 23 3
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENTATION The manual is intended for all learners within the Classroom Manager Standard. This documentation will show you how, as a learner, you can work with the Classroom Manager Standard in a goal-oriented manner. The following icons and conventions are used in the manual: Bold type Italics For elements within the interface, such as menus, buttons, and element labels For emphasis and values Attention: Warning or safety information Note, reference or general comment Tips and advice References to other places within the manual (chapter or section, pages, etc.) Note: The functions described in this manual correspond to version 5 of the Classroom Manager Standard. 4
FIRST STEPS WITHIN THE CLASSROOM MANAGER STANDARD In this section you will find out what the Classroom Manager Standard is and how to log into it. You will become familiar with the user interface and its elements and learn how to edit your personal data. 1 ABOUT THE CLASSROOM MANAGER STANDARD The Classroom Manager Standard (CRMS) is a virtual learning environment which enables you to achieve your learning targets effectively and efficiently. You are assisted by expert tutors who provide you with support and help in resolving any problems that may arise. The Classroom Manager Standard also provides the option of exchanging information with other learners in forums, and by e-mail, of working on joint projects and solving challenges together. 2 LOGGING INTO THE CLASSROOM MANAGER Before you can work with the Classroom Manager, you must first log in. You will receive a link to the Classroom Manager. If your administrator has already registered you as a user, they will also send you your access data. Note: The Classroom Manager Standard also has a self-registration option. However, this function must be activated by your system administrator. Enter the link to the Classroom Manager in your browser. The login screen opens. Select the language you want to use. Enter your access data: Input your user name in the Users field 5
Input the associated password in the Password field. Note: If you have forgotten your password, simply click on Forgotten password? to request a new one. Then enter your e-mail address and submit your request. The new password will be sent out to you immediately. 4. Click on Login, to log into the Classroom Manager. You are now logged into the Classroom Manager. To exit the Classroom Manager, click on Logout. 3 NEW REGISTRATION If specified in the configuration of your CRMS version, you may first have to register as a user in the Classroom Manager. Your administrator will send you a link for this. Enter the link to the Classroom Manager in your browser. The login screen is now opened. Click on Register now to open the registration form. 6
4. Select the language you want to use. Now enter your data in these fields: enter your first name in the First name field enter your surname in the Last name field enter your e-mail address, which will also be used for future communication, in the E- mail field enter the user name that you want to use, to log into the system, in the Login name field enter your password in the Password field. 5. Click on Register. You will be now sent a confirmation link to the specified e-mail address. 6. Open your e-mail and click on the link to complete the registration. You are now registered as a user and can log in with your Classroom Manager access data. 7
4 THE USER INTERFACE The Classroom Manager s user interface is divided into three main areas: the Main Navigation bar the Side Navigation bar the Content window The Classroom Manager's user interface Tip: Direct help and the manual If you have any questions, you will find a direct help icon on each page of the Classroom Manager. The manual is also available as a PDF document: Click on to open the direct help. Click on to open the manual. 4.1 Main Navigation Use the Main Navigation bar to navigate through the Classroom Manager. Click on the navigation icons to access the different areas within the Classroom Manager: Home area with the corresponding sub-navigation options Personal course area with the corresponding sub-navigation options (this icon appears in the Main Navigation bar as soon as you have opened a course). Tip: Hiding the Side Navigation bar You can hide the Side Navigation bar, and display it again as required. 8
The Main Navigation area also has what is known as a "breadcrumb trail": Path in the Main Navigation bar This shows the path from the home area to the current page and gives you an additional option for navigating in the course. 4.2 Side Navigation Use the Side Navigation bar to navigate through the sub-sections of the Classroom Manager. As the Side Navigation bar is context-sensitive, you will always see the appropriate overview for the area you selected. 4.3 Content window The Content window displays the contents provided within the Classroom Manager. The contents displayed in this window depend on which area is selected. For example, it can display course information, news, appointments etc. 5 EDITING YOUR PERSONAL DATA You can view your personal data at any time, and modify it if necessary. Click on Home in the Main Navigation. Then, in the Side Navigation bar, click on Personal data personal data. Make the required changes: to display an overview of your In the Personal data fields you can change your first name, last name, and e-mail address. In the Login data fields you can change your access data. Under Portrait you can upload a portrait photo. 4. Click on Save user to save the changes. Your changes have now been saved. Tip: Undo changes Click on Reset fields to undo any changes that have not yet been saved. 9
WORKING WITH THE CLASSROOM MANAGER In this chapter you will learn about the Home and Course details areas and find out how to work with the Classroom Manager Standard. 1 THE HOME AREA To display the Home area, click on the Home icon in the Main Navigation bar. The Home area with Side Navigation The Home area is divided into several sub-areas, which can be accessed from the Side Navigation bar. Note: Depending on the configuration of your Classroom Manager, other areas may be displayed or hidden here. The settings that control this are usually made by a user who has the appropriate authorisations. These areas are described below. 1 Start screen The Start screen gives you an overview of the courses you most recently visited, or have registered for. It also displays the newly available courses in the Classroom Manager. Area Description Last courses attended Here you see the courses you visited most recently. 10
New enrolled courses New available courses Here you see the courses you enrolled in most recently, or the most recent courses that were assigned to you. This overview displays the very latest courses that are available to you in the Classroom Manager. You can also view your recommendations, notes and appointments: Area Recommendations Notes Appointments Description This is an overview of your own recommendations and the ones from your tutors. Here you see your notes (the ones you created yourself or those created by a tutor). This is an overview of your appointments. The start screen also has quick links to the most important pages in the Classroom Manager. 2 Courses The Courses area gives you an overview of the courses provided for you in the Classroom Manager. You will also see course information, such as the learning time and the appointments for the start and the end of the course. Personal course overview 11
The overview is split into: Enrolled courses Available courses All courses Area Description Enrolled courses Available courses All courses In this tab you see all the courses for which you are already registered. In addition to the course name, you see the course status and your current learning progress. The credits show how many course credits you have achieved so far. The status shows whether you have already visited the course, passed the course etc. The blue status bar displays the quantitative learning progress. The green status bar displays the qualitative learning progress. Remember: different settings can affect the information displayed in this view. This tab shows an overview of all the free available courses in which you have not yet enrolled. This overview lists all the courses currently available in the Classroom Manager. You can see your status in all the courses in which you are currently enrolled: Courses you have already registered for Courses you haven't yet passed Courses for which you are registered, but have not yet visited 1 Registering for a course Every learner has the option of registering for particular courses. Note: You will find three different types of courses in the Classroom Manager: Freely accessible courses Courses which require permission from a tutor Courses which can be assigned directly to the users Courses that are not free available are not displayed in the course overview. A course is only displayed if you have been specifically assigned to it. To enrol in a course, click on Home. in the Main Navigation bar and then click on Courses You now see an overview with the Enrolled courses, Available courses and All courses tabs. Click on the Available courses tab to open an overview of courses that are available to you. To display a course's detail view, select the course. 12
4. Click on to enrol in this course. You are now registered for the selected course. Note: Depending on the course settings, your registration may need to be approved by a tutor. In this case, you will be notified about this after your registration. You cannot start the course until the tutor has approved it for you. 3 Forums The Forums overview displays all the forums that are available to you. The Classroom Manager has general and course-specific forums. General forums deal with general topics. They can be accessed by any user from the home area. Course-specific forums deal exclusively with topics that refer to the relevant courses. These can only be accessed by course participants. Course-specific forums are accessed via the course structure. The Forums overview 1 Creating a new topic within a forum You can create a new topic in your forums at any time. To do this, click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then click on Forums to open the forums overview. Select a forum. Click on New topic in the toolbar. 4. Enter a Topic name and then a Text for the new topic. 5. Click on Send to create the topic. The topic you have just created now appears in the topic overview window. 13
2 Creating topic contributions You can create contributions in any forum that is available to you as a learner. To do this, click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then click on Forums to open the forums overview. Select the forum in which you want to create a contribution. You can either select an existing topic or create a new one. 4. Click on New contribution in the toolbar. 5. Enter your Text. You can also format this text if necessary. 6. Then click Save to create the contribution. Your contribution now appears in the contributions overview for the selected topic. Tip: Attaching files to your contributions In the editing view, you can also attach files to your contribution. To do this, click on the Browse button and then select and import the appropriate file. Tip: Reference contributions You can also reference contributions that are already present. To do this, click on Reference. You can then edit the copy of the existing contribution. 3 Editing your own contributions You can edit your own contributions as long as no one has answered them. Simply select the required contribution. Then click on Edit Finally, click on Save to edit it. to save the edited contribution. Your edited contribution now appears in the contributions overview of the selected topic. 14
4 Deleting your own contributions You can also delete any of your own contributions as long as no one has answered them. Simply select the required contribution. Then click on Delete to delete it. The contribution is now deleted from the overview. Warning: When you delete a contribution, its data is lost and cannot be recovered. Only delete a contribution if you are sure it is no longer required. 4 News The News events. area is where you can call up the latest news about your courses and current Click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then on News. This opens an overview of all the news that is available to you. The News overview To select the news you want, simply click on its title. The detail view now opens. 5 Appointments The Appointments area gives you an overview of all your upcoming appointments. Click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then on Appointments. This opens an overview of your appointments. The Classroom Manager has two types of appointments: General appointments, for example event dates or exam dates Course-specific appointments, for example a course start date: These appointments are automatically added to the appointments overview by the courses, and are useror course-specific. 15
Appointment overview Select the appointment you require, to display its details. Note: You can only display the details of general appointments. Tip: Selecting a time period Use the drop-down menu to select a time period for the calendar overview. You can select either a daily, weekly or monthly overview. You can also display past and upcoming appointments. 6 Recommendations Learning recommendations are comments on the learning materials within a course. They can be used as a reminder to help you when you are processing a topic. The Classroom Manager Standard has 2 different types of recommendations: recommendations the learner creates for themselves and recommendations created for the learner by a tutor. 16
Overview of learning recommendations 6.1 Viewing learning recommendations All the learning recommendations (those you create yourself and those assigned to you by your tutor) are listed in an overview. To view your recommendations, click on Home Recommendations. in the Main Navigation bar and then on This displays an overview of all the learning recommendations. 6.2 Creating a learning recommendation As a learner, you can create learning recommendations for specific courses or for learning materials within a course. Click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then on Courses. This displays an overview of your courses. Open a course and click on the learning material for which you want to create a recommendation, for example a WBT page. Click on Recommendations in the Side Navigation. 17
Creating a learning recommendation 4. Click on Add current page learning material. to create a learning recommendation for the current course or You can now input your own learning recommendation, which then appears in the learning recommendations overview. Tip: Displaying the overview of learning recommendations: Click Overview of learning recommendations overview. to display the learning recommendations 6.3 Fulfilling tutor recommendations Learning recommendations that your tutor has assigned to you have a status. Your tutor can tell whether their recommendations have been followed by the status. To fulfil a recommendation from your tutor, click on Home then on Recommendations. This displays an overview of your recommendations. Select which learning recommendation you want to fulfil. in the Main Navigation.bar and Click on the checkbox next to the learning recommendation title to mark it as fulfilled. This changes the recommendation's status. 18
6.4 Deleting recommendations You can delete a recommendation you created yourself at any time. Click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then on Recommendations. This displays an overview of your recommendations. Click the appropriate checkbox to select the recommendation you want. Note: Remember, you can only select the recommendations you have created. Click on Delete. The recommendation is deleted from the overview. Warning: When you delete a learning recommendation, its data is lost and cannot be recovered. Only delete a recommendation if you are sure it is no longer required. 7 Notes Notes are comments about the learning materials in a course. They can be created either by you or your tutor. The Classroom Manager has general and course-specific notes. To view the notes, click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then on Notes. This displays an overview of your notes. Overview of notes 7.1 Creating general notes for yourself You can create a general notes at any time, about any topic. These notes are personal reminders, and you are the only person who can view them. To create a general note, click on Home. This displays an overview of your notes. in the Main Navigation bar and then click on Notes 19
Click on New Note. This opens a detail window for the new notes. Enter a title, and the text of your note in the corresponding fields. 4. Then click on Send to save the note. Your note is saved in the notes overview. Tip: Adding files to notes In the editing view, you can also add files to your note. To do this, click on the Browse button and then select and import the appropriate file. 7.2 Creating course-specific notes You can also create notes for courses that have been assigned to you. To do this, click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then on Courses. This displays an overview of your courses. Open the course and the corresponding learning material, for which you want to write a note. For example, a WBT page. In the Side Navigation bar, click on Notes to open the notes input screen. 20
Creating course-specific notes 4. Create a note and then click on Save. Your note is now saved in the notes overview. 7.3 Editing notes You can add to, and edit, notes you have created yourself at any time. Click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then on Notes. This displays an overview of your notes. Click on the note you want to edit to open its detailed view. Make the required changes and then click on Send. Your changes are saved automatically. 7.4 Deleting notes You can also delete a note you created yourself at any time. Click on Home in the Main Navigation bar and then on Notes. 21
This displays an overview of your notes. Click on the corresponding checkbox to select the note you want to delete. Click on Delete. The note is deleted from the notes overview. Warning: When you delete a note, its data is lost and cannot be recovered. Only delete a note if you are sure it is no longer required. 8 Personal knowledge base Your personal knowledge base give you the option of uploading your own documents or learning materials into the Classroom Manager to help you with the learning process. Personal knowledge base Note: The personal knowledge base module is available separately and is not included in the standard Classroom Manager Standard system. 8.1 Uploading new documents to your personal knowledge base To upload a document to your personal knowledge base, click on Home Navigation bar. In the Side Navigation bar, click on Personal knowledge base. in the Main This displays an overview of the files you have already uploaded to your personal knowledge base. Click on New to open the detail window. 4. 5. 6. Enter a Title for your document. Click on Browse to navigate to the relevant document, and then click on Open to upload it. Click on Save. The file is now attached and appears in your personal knowledge base overview. 22
Tip: Modifying a file name You can modify the name of the files in your knowledge base at any time. To do this, click on a file in the overview and then click on Edit. 8.2 Deleting files from your personal knowledge base You can also delete the files you have uploaded to your personal knowledge base at any time. To do this, click on Home. in the Main Navigation bar and then on Personal knowledge base This opens an overview of your files. Click on the appropriate checkbox to select the file you want to delete. Click on Delete. The file is deleted from your personal knowledge base. Warning: When you delete a file, its data is lost and cannot be recovered. Only delete a file if you are sure it is no longer required. 2 THE COURSE DETAILS AREA The Course details area provides detailed information about the currently selected course. The course details are displayed as soon as you select a course in your course overview. Course details area 23
The Course details area consists of the following sub-areas: Area Personal course overview Recommendations Description This is where you see all the learning materials used in the selected course, for example individual WBT pages. You can also view your credits and the status of the course, for example, visited, passed etc. Your learning progress in each of the materials also displayed here: The credits show how many credits you have achieved so far. The blue status bar displays the quantitative learning progress. The green status bar displays the qualitative learning progress. Remember: different settings can affect the information displayed in this view. Tip: Opening a learning material Click on a specific learning material to open it in the content window, unless the higher-level chapter requires specific authorisation to do this. Here you can see the recommendations created for the page that is currently open. Reference: See 6 Learning recommendations Notes This is where you can view and create notes for the page that is currently open. Reference: See 7 Notes Overview of users Here you see an overview of all the users who are also enrolled in the selected course. Tip: Contacting other users Click the e-mail icon to contact other learners. Overview of tutors Here you see who is the tutor for the selected course. Tip: Contacting a tutor Click the e-mail icon to contact the tutor. 24