Styles and layout - book (resource)
A FLO book is an organisational tool that allows you to structure your topic in a meaningful way that may reduce scrolling on the topic homepage. Students are able to see the relational elements in your topic (e.g. key information, module content) in one convenient place, and can print if they need to. The book tool enables a teacher to create a multi-page resource in a book-like format, with chapters and sub-chapters. Books can contain media files as well as text, and are useful for displaying lengthy information which can be broken down ('chunked') into sections. You could use a book to display reading material for individual modules of study, or as a showcase portfolio of student work. Create a book and add chapters
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Styles and layout - create a stealth activity/resourceThis entry relates to styles and layout.
A stealth activity is an activity that is hidden from students but accessible if you have a link to it. Watch this video explaining stealth activities (duration 2.44 mins):
Note that the layout in this video is quite different to FLO, but the principles are the same.
Changing stealth settings from the front page of a topic
Changing stealth settings from an edit settings page
Alternatively, if you are editing the settings of an activity or resource:
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Styles and layout - file (resource)
Files are an organisational/layout feature in your topic. You may want to store key files in one place so that students can access them quickly. You can provide a file (eg PDF, Word doc, image) as a topic resource. The file may include supporting files, for example, an HTML file may have embedded images. Students need to have the appropriate software on their computers in order to open the file. Ensure that the files are of reasonable file size to reduce upload/download times - see Optimise files for tips to reduce file size.
Do not upload third party or published material (including journal articles, book chapters etc.) directly to FLO. These should instead be added to your Readings so the Library can meet licensing and legal requirements.
Upload a fileUploading (adding) a file to your FLO site is an easy process. You can either upload the file to:
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Styles and layout - folder (resource)
A FLO folder is an organisational tool that allows you to structure your topic in a meaningful way that may reduce scrolling on the topic page. Students are able to see relational files in one convenient place. Examples of folder use:
Create a folder
Create a subfolderOnce you have created a folder, you can create a subfolder/s. (Note: You can add a subfolder/s when you create a folder):
Add a zip file, then unzip (and move to a subfolder)A zipped folder may be uploaded and unzipped for display, or an empty folder created and files uploaded into it.
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Styles and layout - HTML editorThis entry relates to styles and layout. The HTML editor (also known as the 'html toolbar' or 'text editor') allows you to format text, create links, and insert multimedia. It can be used when setting up your topic site to add instructional or narrative guidelines for students/users. The HTML editor is available to students when they add content to forums, blogs, glossaries, databases and wikis. Despite its name, you do not need to know HTML to use it. The default HTML editor is Atto:
The HTML editor is used almost everywhere you can enter text. Most activities incorporate the HTML editor, commonly found in the Description field for an activity or resource. The functions of the HTML editor are particularly useful when adding content to pages, books, labels, forum posts and wikis (or wherever scaffolding is needed). Expand the HTML editorBy default, the HTML editor is minimised and not all functions are visible. Click the Show more buttons icon to view all functions. ![]() You will then see the following options (note that these are updated from time to time).
To enlarge the page content box in the HTML editor, click and drag from the bottom right corner.
Editing featuresListed below are the features of the HTML editor you are most likely to use. There are other features, and the features available may change over time. Click on the link/s to find out how to use the particular feature.
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Styles and layout - insert a horizontal rule
This style can make it easier to differentiate between sections in a module (or book chapter, page etc) and is a usability feature.
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Styles and layout - insert (and edit) a table
Tables are useful for data. Avoid using a table for layout purposes. This is an accessibility issue and will confuse screen readers (for users with a sight disability). If you want to layout content in columns, use the Bootstrap Grid icon
Steps – insert and edit
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Styles and layout - insert an image
Images can add value to your FLO site if they are:
Table of contents
Sourcing and using imagesAll images you use should be referenced with the author and source (either a URL or publication title).
Wherever possible, you should use your own images or source ‘openly licensed’ images where the owner has given upfront permission for reuse (this is not automatic, even for images from the internet). If it is necessary to use other copyrighted images,
the University has a paid licence that covers this use as long as you provide the appropriate copyright notice. If using images in a PowerPoint
presentation, download the PPT teaching template so that the appropriate copyright notice is automatically included in your slides.
When uploading a third party image, you should select the relevant licence according to the terms/conditions the image was accessed under. For example, if the image sourced was licensed as ‘All rights reserved’, you should choose ‘All rights reserved’ when you upload it to FLO (see instructions below). If the image is available under a Creative Commons licence, look at the individual licence conditions to ensure you select the correct licence. For more information on locating images appropriate for reuse, see the Using images in teaching page in the Copyright for academic staff FLO site.
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Styles and layout - insert columns in a resource/module
For content layout (eg text/images), you may want to divide a resource/module into two or more columns, or narrow and widen columns. It is good web practice to use the <div> tag to do this, rather than formatting using tables (an accessibility issue).
The Bootstrap Grid icon
The HTML editor is used almost everywhere you can enter text. Most activities incorporate an HTML editor, commonly found in the field where you enter the description, content or text of an activity or resource.
The functions of the HTML editor are particularly useful when adding content to pages, books, forum posts, wikis and labels. StepsThe grid option means that you have 2 distinct columns, so (for example) if you include an image in one column and text in the other, if there is space under either column it will not wrap text.
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Styles and layout - label (resource)
A label can be used for layout (eg a horizontal rule), text, images, tables and other information formats. Using a label in your topic homepage allows you to:
Please note: Pages, URLs, forums and other FLO activities/resources have their own Description option which can be displayed on the topic homepage if you choose, so they don't necessarily require a separate label.
Steps
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Styles and layout - main entryStyles and layout are an important part of the user experience, and support the usability and accessibility of multimedia products (eg websites). Look and feel enables user (eg student) engagement. FLO has various tools that facilitate structure and layout. Style tools | Layout tools | Resource types || SupportGood practice guides and tip sheets
Good practice guides and tip sheets have been developed to support quality in both curriculum design and teaching practice. Good practice guides provide a pedagogical overview and tip sheets provide you with practical strategies and ideas for implementation. Links to styles and layout-related resources are provided below. Accessible and inclusive learning | Accessibility and inclusivity in FLO When you set up/layout your topic site, it is always a good idea to test how it looks using the Preview as a student function. Style toolsThe HTML editor is available in any activity and resource (Description field). The toolbar for the HTML editor has many functions (create heading styles, create text styles, add an image, embed a video etc).
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Training and support |
Troubleshooting |
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Training Support |
Currently, there are no known issues.
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Styles and layout - page (resource)
A FLO page is an organisational tool that allows you to structure your topic in a meaningful way that may reduce scrolling on the topic homepage. Students are able to see the relational elements in your topic (eg key information, module content) in one convenient place, and can print if they need to. Using the HTML editor, a page can display text, images, sound, embedded video, web links and embedded code, such as Google maps. A page could be used to present the topic summary or to embed several videos together with some explanatory text. A page reduces the amount of content on your topic homepage and limits the amount of scrolling. A page resource is more accessible (eg to users of mobile devices) and easier to update. For large amounts of content, we suggest you use a book rather than a page.
Create a page
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Styles and layout - URL (resource)
The URL resource enables a teacher to provide a web link as a topic resource. Anything that is freely available online (eg documents or images) can be linked to; the URL doesn't have to be the homepage of a website. The URL activity is particularly useful for linking to open educational resources (OERs). Linking externally ensures that you are not breaching copyright. URLs can also be added to any other resource or activity type through the HTML editor (hyperlink icon). Add a URL
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Subtopic - Library World1. Options | 2. Set up | 3. Administer | 4. Reports || Support
Library World is an introduction to using information at university. The Library interviewed over 40 Flinders academics and students to share their experience and expertise in finding information. From these interviews, we made 11 videos to give students a good foundation in what is quality and credible information at university, how to follow the scholarly conversation, what tools to use in research, and where to go for help. You will need to ask your eLearning support team to add the subtopic on your behalf. Can I use it as an assessment item in my topic?Yes. The assessment in Library World takes the form of reflective questions. Before viewing any of the videos, students are asked three quick questions about their current information seeking practices. After working through Library World, students are asked the same questions so they can reflect on what they have learned and what they will now do differently to find information at university. You can add Library World to your topic as a subtopic and use as either an assessment item or a resource. Can I use it as a resource that is not assessed?Yes. Let your eLearning support team know that you want Library World added as a resource only. To get grades for Library World you need to click the Where can I get help?
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Subtopic - main entry1. Options | 2. Set up
| 3. Administer | 4. Reports
|| Support
The subtopic activity has to be added by your eLearning support team. Please contact them if you want this activity added to your topic.
The subtopic activity connects students from your topic to another FLO site, and periodically pulls grades from that site into your topic.1. OptionsThe following Subtopics can be added to your topic:
2. Set upYou will need to ask your eLearning support team to add the subtopic on your behalf.
Once the activity has been added, you will have a limited number of settings that you can edit:
Timeline block: The Subtopic activity will not show to students in the Timeline block.
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Training and support |
Troubleshooting |
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Support |
No known issues with this tool |
Tool options - communicate with studentsFLO ecosystem |
Tool options (specific purposes) ||
Support
These tools are available in FLO. For external tool options, contact your local eLearning support team.
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Tool options - quiz and surveyFLO ecosystem | Tool options (specific purposes) || Support These tools are available in FLO. For external tool options, contact your local eLearning support team.
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Tool options - resourcesFLO ecosystem |
Tool options (specific purposes) ||
Support
These tools are available in FLO. For external tool options, contact your local eLearning support team.
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Topic administration - course sites1. How sites are created |
2. Topic settings
| 3. Editing your topic
| 4. User management
| 5. Reports
|| Support
This entry relates to topic administration.
Good practice guides and tip sheets
Good practice guides and tip sheets have been developed to support quality in both curriculum design and teaching practice. Good practice guides provide a pedagogical overview and tip sheets provide you with practical strategies and ideas for implementation. Links to topic administration-related resources are provided below. Course sites are like any other FLO sites, allowing you to share information and create interaction, except they are not controlled by the University timetable. This allows you to determine who has access and for how long. They can be used to facilitate
the sharing of information and collaboration between groups residing outside of a single topic. The following steps are necessary when thinking about using course sites:
1. Plan the siteWhen designing a course site, it is crucial to think about the site’s purpose and audience before you request it. Planning will determine the site’s structure/content and ultimate success. You may want to have a conversation with your local eLearning support team. Some of the advantages of using course sites are:
Your audience/users might be:
2. Request a course siteAs the site administrator/s or course coordinator, use Service One to send a request to your local eLearning support team. They will set up the site and allow access for specified users. You will need to provide key information with your request:
3. Build the siteFLO Staff Support contains the following resources to may help you develop your site:
You may also consider adding a course site welcome video which help your students connect with their course coordinators and provide a more personalised approach to the site. Below you can find an example of a short welcome video
for the Bachelor of Criminology course site.
4. Evaluate the site (post set up)If you are a site administrator, you will want to evaluate the site’s usage on a regular basis (e.g. twice per year). Some suggested approaches are:
Once that you have collected and analysed your data, you can re-evaluate your site:
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Topic administration - FLO topic production cycle1. How sites are created |
2. Topic settings
| 3. Editing your topic
| 4. User management
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5. Reports
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This entry relates to topic administration.
Topic rollover is the process of creating a new topic space in FLO, applying a template, and applying content to it in line with the topic coordinators’ requirements, all in preparation for the next teaching period. FLO topic rollover checklist (updated February 2022) Use this checklist after your FLO site has been rolled over. It lists the essential tasks to do in your FLO site before students have access. This checklist is updated each semester and will also be emailed to you as part of FLO rollover communications.Once topics have been rolled over, there are additional support resources that may be helpful:
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