Thursday, 1 June 2023, 4:58 AM
Site: Flinders Learning Online
Topic: FLO Staff Support (FLO_Staff_Support)
Glossary: How-to glossary
EXTERNAL TOOL

External tool - Readings

This entry relates to the list of External tools

Readings iconThe Readings tool allows you to assemble materials of all types – physical books, ebooks, online or digitised book chapters, scholarly articles, videos, newspaper articles, websites, and more – in a structured, comprehensive resource list. 

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 readings-related resources are provided below. 

Considerations associated with compiling a reading list | Considerations associated with selecting a textbook




1. How does Readings work?

You can put any number of resource types into your readings list including (but not limited to):

  • books and book chapters
  • streaming videos
  • government reports
  • blogs
  • websites
  • lecture slides
  • an image from the Online Collections Catalogue (Flinders University Museum of Art)



2. Where can I find it?

Readings is added to every topic. If it has been removed from your topic, please contact your eLearning support team.
Readings logo



3. What can I do in Readings?

  • Build your readings list from:
    • the Library collection
    • online browsing
    • databases
    • your own personal collection
  • Manage and update all your readings lists in one place, throughout the teaching period
  • Structure reading lists to your own teaching practices
  • Monitor student engagement through system analytics – view reports to see what citations students are looking at, see full-text access views, and when students are accessing resources

The Library will:

  • appropriately source licensed resources and manage copyright compliance
  • automatically add resources from Flinders' licensed subscriptions
  • maintain links and access


Support

  • View the Readings Workshop FLO site for written instructions
  • Contact the Learning Access Team via the Readings query in Service One (Education Services).

Statement of Assessment Methods (SAM)

A piece of paper with a series of ticks on it.The Statement of Assessment Methods (SAM) lists the assessment requirements for each topic. SAMs for each topic are found in that topic's FLO site but are edited in Flex.



    Where to find the SAM for your topic

    The SAM is located in the Assessment module in each topic:

     

    It shows any available SAM for your topic. If 'not available' appears in the 'Link to SAM' column, this means your SAM has either not been created or is currently in draft format and not yet published.

    SAM

     


    Where to go for SAM's support

    Please visit the dashboard in FLEX  https://flex.flinders.edu.au.   This contains a complete guide for all of your SAM’s questions


    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 assessment-related resources are provided below. 

    Authentic assessment | Assessment principles | Completing Statement of Assessment Methods for 2022 | Developing learning outcomes | Policy implications for assessment design | Students are engaged in authentic and experiential learning |  Using gradebook | Moderation | Providing students with comprehensive assessment information and support in FLO | Constructive alignment in FLO | Negotiated assessment



    FEEDBACK

    Engaging content - polling

    Students provide responses to questions or surveys. Polling can be synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous or real-time polling in class allows you to display and analyse the results immediately. Asynchronous polling can be used prior to a teaching session where you collect and analyse results to inform delivery of your class.

    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 polling-related resources are provided below. 

    Design principles for creating engaging digital contentSourcing and creating digital content






    Active Quiz icon

    FLO Active Quiz

    Active Quiz is designed for in-class quizzes. The quiz uses questions from the question bank, questions can be timed/not timed, grades are reported back to the Gradebook. You can view student responses in real time to offer in-class discussion about the results. Students can use any device. Group quizzing is supported.

    Good for

    • Delivery of time-boxed questions (synchronous)
    • Multiple poll questions in one session where the availability of each question is controlled by the teacher
    • Use in-class to check understanding of materials during presentations to allow for clarification
    • Use in-class to explore class views on issues for discussion

    Useful features

    • Active quiz is a synchronous (real-time) timed quiz
    • Multiple choice (MCQ) and True-False questions will generate a dynamic histogram of answers, making them good for polling
    • Functions in group mode
    Cautions

    • In a live classroom setting, be careful what your screen is displaying – questions other than MCQ and T/F will display identified student answers
    Tips

    • Create a QR code of the Active quiz URL. Insert into your lecture presentation to make it quick and easy for students to access
    • Advise students in advance to have a suitable device. Have students log into FLO at the beginning of the class
    Help resources





    Choice iconFLO Choice

    The Choice activity allows you to ask a question and set up radio buttons which learners can click to make a selection from a number of possible responses. They can choose one or more options, and they can update their selection if you allow them. Choices can be useful as a quick poll to stimulate thinking about a topic, to allow the class to vote on a direction for the course, or to gauge progress.

    Good for

    • Asynchronous use (eg asking a question pre-class to explore class views on issues for discussion)
    • Single in-class question where time-boxing of answer is less important
    • Use at beginning of class before presentation commences
    • Use at end of class to determine comprehension

    Useful features

    • Designed as a single question asynchronous (not real time, students working on it individually at own pace/time) polling activity
    • Can be used in a live setting (synchronous/real time)
    • Can display a histogram of responses
    • Results can be exported
    • Can be run in group mode
    Limitations

    • Teacher will need to refresh their screen to display the choice results
    • Limited layout and styling control
    • Only one question per choice activity
    Tips

    • Generate a QR code form the choice URL. Add to lecture slide to take students directly to the poll
    • Advise students in advance to have a suitable device. Have students log into FLO at the beginning of the class
    Help resources

     






    Feedback iconFLO Feedback

    The Feedback activity allows you to create and conduct surveys to collect feedback. Responses can be anonymous. There are a number of question types including MCQ, True/False and free text.
    Good for

    • Asking multiple questions, including free text
    • Asking the class what material they would like further clarification on in tutorial or revision sessions

    Useful features

    • Can deliver more than one question
    • Designed for surveying, responses can be anonymous
    • Can be used as a live activity in class
    • Results of some question types can be displayed as a histogram
    Limitations

    • Teacher needs to refresh the results page to see incoming responses
    • Limited layout and styling control
    Tips

    • Create a QR code from the feedback activity's URL. Place the QR code into a lecture slide to make it efficient for students to get to the activity on a mobile device
    • Advise students in advance to have a suitable device. Have students log into FLO at the beginning of the class
    Help resources

    Feedback - main entry

    Whether you are starting from scratch or working with a feedback activity already created, using the feedback activity in a topic ideally consists of 5 stages, in a looped process."]

    1. Plan  |  2. Build  |  3. Test  |  4. Administer  |  5. Review  ||  Support 

    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 assignment-related resources are provided below. 

    Communication, interaction and collaboration tools in FLO | Facilitating Student-Teacher interaction in FLO | Designing holistic rubrics | Constructive alignment in FLO

    Feedback icon A feedback/survey/poll activity is an asynchronous way to measure how students are engaging with your topic materials. It might be useful to do this early on in the topic to check progress and identify any issues, which may allow you to make changes/adaptations that better meet student needs. A feedback activity mid-topic could help you determine how to scaffold activities that lead to topic completion and achievement of the learning outcomes. 


    1. Plan

    The feedback tool enables a teacher to create a custom survey for collecting feedback from participants using a variety of question types including multiple-choice, yes/no or text input. Feedback responses may be anonymous if desired, and results may be shown to all participants or restricted to teachers only.

    Feedback activities may be used to:

    • provide formative feedback about student learning (for example the Touchpoint survey)
    • evaluate a topic, helping improve the content for later participants
    • enable participants to sign up for events, etc.

    Example: Touchpoint survey

    This short survey is designed as a ‘snapshot’ to provide formative feedback about student learning. You can use it once or more in your topic to see how students are going with their learning.

    You can request the Touchpoint survey  from your eLearning support team and change the questions to suit your needs.


    2. Build

    You have planned your feedback. Now you are ready to set up your feedback. Below are instructions for creating a feedback activity and adding questions. Alternatively, you could ask your eLearning support team to add the Touchpoint survey to your topic, and alter the questions if you need to.


    Create a feedback activity
    1. Turn editing on using the green button – this button is available top left of screen on the topic homepage
      Turn editing on button

    2. Go to the module where you would like the Feedback activity to appear

    3. Click the Add an activity or resource link at the bottom of the module
      Add an activity or resource link

    4. Select Feedback from Activities tab
      Feedback activity option

    5. Give the feedback a Name and Description(optional)
      Feedback activity add name

    6. Open the Availability section and set an opening and closing date
      There are two settings under availability - 'Allow answers from' and 'Allows answers to'

      Timeline block: The 'Allow answers from' date will show to students in the Timeline block.

    7. Under Question and submission settings, set the Record user names option to either Anonymous or User's name will be logged and shown with answers
      Feedback activity record user names

    8. Under After submission, set the Show analysis page to Yes if you want students to see a summary of responses, otherwise leave as No
      Feedback activity show analysis page

    9. Click Save and display
      Save and display button


    Add questions to a feedback activity

    1. In the feedback activity, click Edit questions
      Edit questions tab

    2. Using the Select menu, choose the type of question to add
      Add question


      The types of questions are as follows:

      • Longer text answer
      • Multiple choice
      • Multiple choice (rated)
      • Numeric answer
      • Short text answer


      You can also add information and structural elements such as

      • Page break
      • Captcha
      • Label
      • Information
    3. Complete the required information and click Save question button


    3. Test

    Once you have set up the activity, ask your local eLearning support team to check it for you (especially if this is the first time you have set up this activity).


    4. Administer

    These instructions include the use of the Touchpoint survey.

    View the results of a feedback activity

    1. Click the feedback tool from the topic page 
      Feedback activity Touchpoint icon 

    2. To view an analysis of submitted responses, select the Analysis tab 
      Analysis tab 

      By default, the responses from all participants will display in this view.  

      To view only the results submitted by members of a specific group, select that group from the drop-down menu. The option to view groups is only available if groups have been enabled in the administration settings of the activity (feedback administration>edit settings>common module settings) 

    3. To view responses on the individual level, select the Show responses tab 
      Show responses tab 
      If the survey is not anonymous, it is possible to view the set of responses submitted by each respondent. Filter by group or by first or last initial, then click on the date beside the respondent's name 
      view responses 
      Anonymous surveys responses can also be viewed at the individual level. Anonymity is maintained by the removal of the student's name, which is replaced by a response number.  
      show anonymous responses 
       
    4. To export responses, select the required format and click Download
      Export to Excel button


    5. Review

    How did your feedback activity go? Would you set up the activity differently next time around? If you used the Touchpoint survey, did you make changes to your topic during the teaching/learning process? If yes, were the changes successful? Talk to your colleagues and/or your local eLearning support team to get ideas for improvement. 


      Training and support

      Troubleshooting

    Training / Support

    Contact your college eLearning support team

    • If notifications of submissions are enabled, they will also be sent to staff who have lost access to the topic. View bug report



    Feedback - Touchpoint survey

    1. Plan  |  2. Build  |  3. Test  |  4. Administer  |  5. Review  ||  Support 

    Feedback activityThis entry relates to the Feedback activity.

    The Touchpoint survey is a short survey designed as a ‘snapshot’ to provide formative feedback about student learning. The survey can be added to your topic early, mid and late (eg weeks 3- 4, 7, 11 or equivalent, depending on the topic structure), or just once in the topic. It prompts students to voluntarily and anonymously give feedback about their experience of the topic so far. 

    The questions are:

    • How are you going with this topic so far?
    • Is there any topic content (covered so far) that is not clear to you?
    • Are you having any difficulties with the topic? If so, what?
    • Could anything be improved about this topic or the teaching?

    These questions can be easily altered to suit your needs. The data provides formative feedback about where students are at, to allow adequate time to make changes to teaching if needed. It also helps reinforce that students are an active part of their own learning. The data from the survey remains with (is stored in) the topic.


    Use the Touchpoint survey in your FLO site

    1. Make a request to your local eLearning support team to have the tool added to your FLO site
    2. Unhide the tool (you can also edit/add questions if you like)
    3. Prompt students to use it via an announcement
    4. Later, click into it and check responses using the Show responses tab at the top (in the Analysis tab you can also Export to Excel)
    5. Think about what the results means for topic design and teaching
    6. Thank students and summarise your response via another announcement (to reward their efforts)
    7. Make any adjustments to the topic accordingly
    FLO BASICS

    FLO interface - main entry

    Flinders Learning Online (FLO), Flinders University's web-based learning and teaching platform, facilitates the creation of online educational environments by non-technical users. FLO can be used to create entire online topics and courses or to provide interactive tools that supplement or complement existing topics and courses. All topics at Flinders have a FLO site. FLO is a 'suite' of technologies. The core of FLO is Moodle, but it also includes related educational technologies.

    1. Layout  |  2. Customisation  |  3. Topics  |  4. Browser compatibility  |  5. Log out   ||  Support 

    Anyone with a Flinders FAN can log into FLO. Each topic has a FLO site automatically created. Staff may request other sites (eg for courses, collaborative projects, committees) by contacting the eLearning support team in their college.

    A link to the FLO login page is provided in the Quick links menu in the top banner of the University website or via Okta. Otherwise, type https://flo.flinders.edu.au/ into your browser address bar; this link will redirect you to Okta to sign in. Once signed in you will be redirected to FLO. 


    Table of contents

    1. Layout
    2. Customisation
    3. Topics
    4. Browser compatibility
    5. Log out



    1. Layout

    My FLO homepage

    When you first log in to FLO, you will see the My FLO homepage. The My FLO page lists every topic you have a role in. Your topics are arranged in a Card layout under My Topics.

    The top of the 'My topics' block


    You can also see the items and topics that you have most recently accessed.

    The 'recently accessed topics' and 'recently accessed items' blocks.


    Blocks

    The standard layout of the FLO homepage (My FLO) consists of blocks on the right of the screen, with the content on the left. A block is a widget that can provide a link to a feature, or can aggregate content from different areas of the site. Blocks available from My FLO can link you to upcoming assessments and latest announcements.

    flo layout


    In your topics, the blocks can be accessed from the Topic Blocks button in the banner (top-right corner).

    The topic blocks button is in the top-right corner of the screen


    The blocks panel is divided into three columns. Column 1 has the Topic Links, Clock and Activities blocks. Column 2 has the Teaching team block and Column 3 has Lecture recordings and other blocks you would like to include.

    The block layout inside a topic.

     


    2. Customisation

    My FLO page customisations

    To control which topics appear on your dashboard, you can star or remove them:

    1. Under the topic click on the three dots
    2. Choose Remove from view to hide the topic
    3. Choose Star this topic to add it to your Starred list. You can access the starred list from the filter in the top-left corner of the My Topics block (FLO remembers the last filter you chose each time you come to this page).

    The three dots are marked with a red border in this picture.

    Profile customisations (includes photo)

    Every user in FLO has a profile page that is displayed to other users. To edit your profile click the picture next to your name and select Profile from the drop-down list, then the Edit profile link in the user details box.

    edit profile

    You can edit your location, time zone and add a description about yourself. Your name and email address will be automatically added.

    You can also add a picture of yourself or something you want to be identified by. You can by scrolling down to the User picture section do this by clicking the add button add buttonor drag and dropping a picture into the box with the dotted lines. You can also provide a description for the picture. Adding a picture gives you a 'social presence' in FLO and will show in some FLO activities (eg forum posts) and the Teaching Team block.

    add picture

    Click the Update profile button  to save your changes.

    Preferences settings

    Preferences, available through the profile menu, allow you to control settings that primarily control how you receive information from FLO. The following settings are available:

    Setting
    What it does
    Edit profile
    Preferred language
    • The default language is set to English.
    Forum preferences
    • How often you are notified about new posts
    • How you subscribe to forums.
    • Have new posts marked
    • Forum tracking
    Editor preferences
    • Choose which text editor to use. Note that access to the video platform is only available through the Default/Atto editors.
    Topic preferences
    • Turns on a comprehensive activity chooser. If disabled separate choosers for activities and resources are provided instead.
    Calendar preferences
    • Choose between a 12 & 24-hour calendar
    • Choose the first day of the week
    • The number of upcoming events that are displayed
    Message preferences
    • Control how you are notified about new messages
    • Prevent non-contacts from messaging you.
    Notification preferences
    • Control where and how you receive notifications for every activity in FLO
    You can return to the My FLO page by clicking the link in the topic breadcrumbs at the top of the screen. 

    breadcrumbs




    3. Topics

    FLO topics consist of resources (eg lecture notes, files, URLs, and video files) and activities (eg assignment dropboxes, quizzes, discussion forums).

    Orientation to FLO and quick editing tips:


    Find your way around (FLO features)

    Tools for managing learning (such as the Gradebook) can be used to record and monitor student progress In the Flinders My Topics area – this is a listing of all the topics you have access to and you can decide how you would like to view your topics – in progress, past, future or starred topics.

    my topics

    The standard layout for each topic consists of content (modules/weeks) in the centre, navigation menu on the left, and topic blocks in the banner image.

    The top module can be used for resources that are needed throughout the semester and do not sit specifically into a weekly module, or one of the modules included in the starter site.  Note: If you are using a Collapsed topic format, the user cannot collapse the top module, and so consideration should be given to the number of resources in the top module to avoid a long scrolling experience. 

    topic layout


    Edit content in a topic
    The editing aspects of the topic are located at the top of the screen. The Topic Management, Navigation menu and Quicklinks appear at the top of your screen in every topic, along with the Turn editing on button. To edit or add content to your topic, select the  Turn editing on button.  


    Edit week/modules and activities/resources

    With editing on, next to each activity you will see an Edit drop-down menu. This menu will allow you to move, hide, duplicate or delete the activity. 

    The options in an edit menu - edit settings, move right/move left, hide/show, duplicate, delete.  

    A week/module or activity/resource can be quickly renamed using the pencil icon and moved easily using the move icon.
    move and pencil icon

    Note: If you using a weekly format and change the default module titles by renaming them, remember to check that date-specific resources like lecture recordings appear in the correct location before teaching begins.


    Add a block

    There are various blocks you can add to a topic. See the list in Add a block located at the top of the page in Topic Blocks:
    add a block    

    When you have finished editing, ensure that you Turn editing off.


    Add/delete a module

    1. If deleting a module, delete all of the contents of the module. Otherwise, skip to the next step.
    2. Scroll to the end of the FLO topic homepage, and select either the add or delete option. blue plus and minus icons
    3. If adding a mdoule, change the module name using the pen icon, and move to the position you want it (eg below Module 0) using the icon at the left of the module name
      move module
     
    Customise the My Topics block (My FLO)

    The My Topics block has filters to help you find your FLO sites. The following filters are available:

    All All your FLO sites, (except for any you have hidden)

    In progress All sites currently running (e.g. the topics you are currently teaching in)

    Future Topics you will be teaching in the future. Topics will move to In progress at the start of the semester

    Past Topics where teaching has finished

    Starred – Topics you have marked for easy access (see below)

    Removed from view Topics you have removed from the All filter.

    Whenever you log in to FLO, you are taken back to the filter you last chose. If you find that you are suddenly missing a topic, this can probably be fixed by checking which filter is selected.


    Create starred topics for quick access (My FLO)

    To access frequently used topics, you can 'star' a topic, which makes it easier to filter when you log in to FLO.

    1. First, click on My Topics list in the navigation menu:

      My FLO is the first item in the navigation menu

    2. Scroll down and find the topic you would like to star

    3. Click on the three dots

    4. Click on Star this topic

    Your topic will now appear in Starred, when you filter the list under My Topics.

    The filter is directly underneath the 'My Topics' heading.



    4. Browser compatibility

    FLO is compatible with any standards-compliant web browser. We regularly test FLO with the following most up-to-date browsers:

    Desktop: Chrome | Firefox

    Mobile: Safari | Chrome

    For the best experience and optimum security, we recommend that you keep your browser up to date.



    5. Log out

    Once you have finished in FLO remember to log out.

    1. Click on your profile menu
    2. Click on Log out
      log out menu



     Training and support

      Troubleshooting

    Training

    Contact your eLearning support team for any training required

    Support

    For further assistance please contact your local eLearning support team

    You may have one of the following issues:

    FLO interface - troubleshooting

    1. Layout  |  2. Customisation  |  3. Topics  |  4. Logout  ||  Support 

    This troubleshooting guide relates to the FLO Interface.


    Questions/problems




    FLO sends me too many emails

    You can control which email notifications you receive from FLO by locating your name (once logged in) in the toolbar/banner at the top of the screen. Use the drop-down arrow to go to Preferences, then Notification preferences. From here you can disable email notifications for particular activities.

    notification preferences email



    The file I want to upload is too big

    FLO has a default upload size of 50MB per file. You can change this using the following steps:

    1. On your topic's home page, click on the Topic Management button



    2. Click on the Cog icon

      The cog is in the top right corner

    3. Select Edit settings

    4. edit settings

    5. Scroll down to the Files and uploads section and select the topic size you require from the Maximum upload size drop-down list (if using Video we recommend using MyMedia instead of increasing the file limit)



    6. Click Save and display to apply changes



    I can't delete the topic links block

    This block provides key information to students about the topic and cannot be removed.



    When I delete the announcements it keeps coming back.

    The announcements activity is a key part of communicating with students on FLO and cannot be removed.



    What is the FLO starter site?

    The FLO starter site is a pre-configured starting place for a FLO topic and can be customised to work with the needs of a course or topic. Read more about the FLO starter site.

    FLO interface - WebPET (Web Presence in Every Topic)

    1. Layout  |  2. Customisation  |  3. Topics  |  4. Logout  ||  Support 

    This entry relates to the FLO interface.

    This information has now been replaced by the digital learning guidelines.

    What is 'WebPET'?

    WebPET (Web Presence in Every Topic) aims to provide:

    • a coherent and flexible student-University interface 
    • students with ready access to information which is timely, current and unambiguous 
    • a base for further use of technology to enhance the quality of teaching and learning 
    • minimum expectations of support - 'As a Flinders student I can expect…..'. 
    • efficiencies for academic and support staff 

    And in addition:

    • a more widespread and consistent use of FLO 
    • increased provision of online lecture recordings 
    • increased use of online assignment submission 

    Students are generally happy with using FLO for their studies but have expressed their desire for more consistency across their topics. 

    What does it look like?

    As a minimum, each FLO site has:

    • a topic links block (including links to topic information, library services, the SET system, a marks/grades tool, an email address lookup tool, and a link to staff and student help services) 
    • a general discussion forum 
    • an announcements forum and latest announcements block 
    • a calendar block 


    Expectations of staff

    All staff are required to:

    •  make all handouts available electronically through FLO (including the Statement of Assessment Methods
    •  post all important topic messages through the announcements forum 
    •  provide lecture recordings to students via FLO
    •  allow electronically-produced assignments to be submitted and returned electronically


    What you can expect from the University

    The University will:

    • automatically set up new FLO sites to contain the minimum tools and links
    • automatically generate the required information within sites
    • automatically insert recorded lectures into FLO sites 
    • provide support for the electronic assignment functionality 

    Topic administration - main entry

    The topic administration section describes how you administer your topic in FLO.

    1. How sites are created  |  2. Topic settings  |  3. Editing your topic  |  4. User management  |  5. Reports  ||  Support 

    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 assignment-related resources are provided below.

    Structuring your FLO site | Culturally responsive digital learning |  Teaching first year | Supporting students to successfully engage with the topic

    Once you have built, adjusted the settings, and edited your topic in preparation for student access, you can preview it as a student to see what it looks like from a user perspective (rather than as an administrator).



    1. How sites are created

    Topics are automatically created in FLO using data from Student Two. If your topic does not appear, contact your local eLearning support team for assistance. Staff have access to topics 77 days prior to the teaching start date, with students getting access 7 days before the start of teaching. See:

    Both staff and students have access for 730 days after teaching finishes, except when a student withdraws or a staff member is removed from the teaching team in Student Management.

    Shared topics

    A shared topic combines several cohorts (topic availabilities) into one FLO site.  View more information and guidelines

    Course sites

    Depending on its purpose, a course site may be set up to support students across topics/programs and/or staff. View more information and how to set up

    Short courses

    It is possible to create a non-award (short) course in FLO using existing infrastructure, though some processes are less automated than what is possible for award topics. View more information



    2. Topic settings

    You can do many things under the Topic management menu.

    Topic coordinator/teacher role options

    The Topic management panel can be opened by clicking the button (cog icon) on the main menu. As a teacher, you will see more options than a student. It gives you access to activities, the question bank, badges and user links. If you are on your topic's home page, you will also be able to access topic administration features (through the Actions menu actions menu).

    Cog icon main menu

    Topic management window 

    Change your topic format

    You can use different formats to change the organisation and structure of your topic.

    1. On the homepage of your topic, open the Topic management window and click the Actions menu cog
      Topic management window
      Topic management window and Actions menu cog

    2. Select Edit settings in the drop-down list
      Edit settings

    3. Under Topic format, change Format to either Grid format or Collapsed modules. See examples of topic formats (Example FLO sites)
      Topic format menu 
      Collapsed modules – shows your topic in a format where modules can be toggled/collapsed (recommended).
      Grid format – shows your topic in a visual grid format (alternative format, requires images and may have additional rollover tasks each semester).

    4. Select the number of modules you require
      Number of modules setting

    5. In the Hidden modules section, select your preference ( Hidden modules are completely invisible is recommended)
      Hidden modules settings

    Upload a banner to your topic

    A banner is designed to give a face to your site and make it recognisable to your students. The banner is visible on top of the site, as well as on the topic 'card' on the MyFLO page.

    Change the maximum upload file size available in your topic

    This is managed in the Files and uploads section. By default, topics are set at 40MB but can be changed to accept files up to 2GB. If you need to upload video/audio, please follow the Kaltura (My Media) process.

    Maximum upload size setting

    Turn on completion tracking in your topic

    This setting controls completion tracking topic wide. By default, completion tracking is not enabled.

    Completion tracking settings

    Manage groups in your topic

    A group or grouping can be used on two levels — topic level and activity level. When the group mode is switched on at the topic level this is the default for all activities in the topic (including filtering in the gradebook and in participants/enrolled users pages). To enable group mode in a topic, follow the steps below.

    1. In the Groups section, select either Visible groups or Separate groups

      Separate groups – Each group can only see their own group, others are invisible.
      Visible groups – Each group works in their own group, but can also see other groups. (The other groups' work is read-only.)
      Groups settings

    2. If Force group mode is set to Yes, the Group mode setting is applied to every activity in the topic. Group mode settings in each activity are then ignored.

    3. Assign a default grouping (if required)

      Note:
      Students can see the membership of any group, so don't name groups based on extensions, grades, language proficiency or medical conditions.



    3. Editing your topic

    In this section, we go through the editing within the topic using an activity, resource or block.

    1. To begin editing your topic, click the Turn Edit On button
      turn editing on 

    2. To add a new activity or resource, click the Add an activity or resource link that will now be available at the bottom right corner of each module 
      Add an activity or resource button 

    3. The activity chooser window will open – it has tabs for different views:

      Starred – any activity or resource you (the teacher) 'star' as a favourite or frequently used activity
      All – all  Activities and Resources together
      Activities – only Activities
      Resources – only Resources
      Activity chooser

    4. To edit existing activities and resources, select an option from the Edit menu that appears as a drop-down list alongside each item and click Edit settings
      edit a resource or activity

    5. To change the name of an activity or resource, you can also click the Edit title button. Press Enter on your keyboard to save the new title
      Edit title icon

    6. To move activities and resources up and down the page, hover over the Move resource icon and then click and drag the item to its preferred location. Activities and resources can be moved both within and between modules
      Move icon

      Blocks can be moved in a similar fashion. Click the Topic Blocks button to view existing blocks. Blocks can be positioned in Column A, Column B or Column C by clicking and dragging using the Move block icon. A block can also be moved up and down within the same column.


      Blocks layout



    4. User management

    In the User management section, you can do a variety of tasks relating to users in your topic.

    View a list of participants

    You can view a list of all users in your topic on the Participants screen.

    1. Open the Participants screen via the Participants link in the Navigation menu (left of your screen)
      Participants from navigation menu

      Or open the Topic management window and select Participants in the User Links section
      topic management cog
      finding the participants link

    2. A list of participants will show

    3. You can use the search filter to find participants in the FLO site based on:
      • Name
      • Student ID or FAN
      • Role (e.g. student, tutor)
      • Group name
      • Who currently has access (active)
      • How long they have been inactive

      Participants filter

    Contact a student (messaging tool)

    You can contact a student via FLO by sending a message.

    1. Open the Participants screen via the Participants link in the Navigation menu (left of your screen)
      Participants in navigation menu

      Or open the Topic management window and select Participants in the User Links section
      Topic management cog
      Navigate to Participants

    2. A list of participants will show

    3. Use the search filter to search for people with a particular role, inactivity, or membership to a group. At a minimum, it is recommended to at least add a status filter to select active students (otherwise you'll message students who have withdrawn from the topic).
      Participants filter

    4. Select individual students by clicking in the box by their name 
      Student list 

      or tick the Select all box at the top of the list

    5. At the bottom of the page, click the With selected users menu and select Send a message. A message box will appear – type your message in the box and click send
      Send a message

    Download a list of student list FANs (for emailing)

    You may wish to export a list of students to aid the import groups process or extract a list of FANs.

    1. Open the Participants screen via the Participants link in the Navigation menu (left of your screen)
      Participants in navigation menu

      Open the Topic management window and select Participants in the User Links section
      Topic management cog
      Navigate to Participants

    2. A list of participants will show

    3. Use the search filter to find participants with a particular role, inactivity, or membership to a group
        Participants filter

    4. Select individual students by clicking in the box alongside their name 
      Select students 

      or tick the Select all box at the top of the list

    5. Select the required format from the With selected users... drop-down list
      Export participant list 
      The .csv or .xlsx file can be opened in Excel.



    5. Reports

    You can view a wide variety of reports in your topic. Available reports:

    • Competency breakdown – allows teachers to view the competencies of each student in their topic, along with their ratings
    • Dates – allows you to filter by activity and change the dates for multiple activities all on the one screen
    • Engagement analytics – provides information about student progress against a range of indicators
    • Logs – provides logs for the topic activity for users, these can be generated by selecting any combination of group, student, date, activity, actions and level
    • Live logs – provides live logs for the topic including time, user name, topic, component, event name, description, origin and IP address
    • Activity logs – shows the number of views for each activity and resource
    • Topic participation – a report for a particular activity can generate a list of who has participated in a given activity, and how many times. This can be filtered by role, group, and action (view or post).
    • Resource activity – this report details a list of activities showing the number of views, students, not accessed and last accessed
    • Statistics – generates graphs and tables of user activity

    View Reports - main entry for more information. You can also contact your local eLearning support team.



    Training and support

    Troubleshooting

    Training

    Contact your local eLearning support team

    Support

    eLearning support teams

    No known issues

      FORUM

      Forum / Announcements - create a discussion forum

      1. Plan  |   2. Build   |  3. Test   | 4. Administer   |  5. Review   || Support

      forum iconThis entry relates to the Forum activity.

      You can create a discussion forum in any topic module. Note: The Announcements forum is included in all topics (you do not need to create it).



      Set up a forum

      1. Turn editing on

      2. In the module where you want to add the forum, click Add an activity or resource 
        Add an activity or resource

      3. Select Forum and click Add

      4. Give the forum a Name and Description

      5. Select Forum type from the drop-down menu:
        • A single simple discussion – A single discussion topic which everyone can reply to (cannot be used with separate groups)
        • Each person posts one discussion – Each student can post exactly one new discussion topic, which everyone can then reply to
        • Q and A forum – Students must first post their perspectives before viewing other students' posts. For students to be able to post to a Q and A forum, a teacher must first post a question for students to respond to
        • Standard forum displayed in a blog-like format – An open forum where anyone can start a new discussion at any time, and in which discussion topics are displayed on one page with 'Discuss this topic' links
        • Standard forum for general use – An open forum where anyone can start a new discussion at any time

          forum type

      6. Enable Availability (if required). If enabled, students will retain their ability to view the forum outside of the dates supplied, but will be prevented from further posting. Choose the Allow posts from (open) and Due date (close) dates. Note that the Allow posts from date will not block students from replying to posts. If you want students to reply during a specific period, use the 'Display period' instead. The 'Display period' settings are located under 'Advanced' when writing or editing a post. Note the Due date will not stop students from posting or replying to discussions. Use the cut-off date to set a hard due date where students will not be able to post or reply to the discussion after the date chosen.

        You can also set a date time for an individual forum to show/hide in the Display period section of a forum post.

      7. availability

        Timeline block: The 'due date' will show to students in the Timeline block.

      8. In the Attachments and word count option, select Yes to enable (if required), and set a maximum number of attachments and the size
        word count

      9. In the Subscription and tracking section, set the subscription mode and the read tracking (optional or off)
        subscription tracking

      10. In the discussion locking section, you can automatically lock a discussion after a specified time has elapsed since the last reply
        discussion locking

      11. If required, students can be blocked from posting more than a given number of posts in a given time period. This restriction can prevent individuals from dominating discussions
        block threshold

      12. Select an Aggregate type for the forum to appear in the Gradebook. If 'No ratings' is selected the activity will not appear in the Gradebook
        rating aggregrate type
        Ratings can be restricted to items within a selected date range, select your aggregate type and tick the Restrict ratings to items with dates in this range: and select the date range.

      13. Group mode can be selected in Common module settings

      14. Click Save and display

       


      Set up marking in a forum

      There are two ways to mark a forum in FLO:

      • Whole forum grading allows you to mark a student’s entire contribution to a forum as a cohesive whole
      • Ratings allow you to rate individual forum posts and choose how those ratings aggregate to a final score

      Whole forum grading
      1. Create or edit a forum and open the Whole forum grading settings

      2. Choose Point or Scale from the Grade menu

      3. Choose Checklist, Marking guide or Rubric from the Grading method menu. For more information about these options, view our resource on setting up a feedback template

      4. Click Save and display

      5. Once you have saved your changes, click on the cog icon in the top right corner of the page, and then select Advanced grading


      6.  On the Advanced grading page, select Define a new grading form from scratch

      Rating individual posts

      1. Create or edit a forum and open the Ratings section

      2. Set the Aggregate type
        • Average of ratings (default) – useful if there is more than one post/one marker
        • Count of ratings: The number of rated items becomes the final grade. Note that the total cannot exceed the maximum grade for the activity
        • Maximum rating: The highest rating becomes the final grade;
        • Minimum rating: The lowest rating becomes the final grade
        • Sum of ratings: All ratings are added together. Note that the total cannot exceed the maximum grade for the activity

      3. Set the Scale:
        • if set to Scale, the Scale will automatically be set to Non-graded pass so no Maximum points can be set
        • if set to Point, you can set the Maximum points (default is 100)
          Note: You can leave the default at 100, as if you set the weighting of the final grade for this assessment in Gradebook, the grade will be automatically scaled down

      4. If you tick the box Restrict ratings to items with dates in this range: you will need to set the dates
        • From: The date and time that ratings can begin being submitted – this could be a few days before the forum closes
        • To: The date and time that ratings will no longer be accepted – this could be the forum close date
          forum ratings

      Forum / Announcements - create separate discussion forums for groups in a topic

      1. Plan  |  2. Build  |  3. Test  |  4. Administer  |  5. Review  ||  Support

      forum iconThis entry relates to the Forum activity.

      You can create separate discussion forums for groups of students in a single forum activity (you don't need to create a separate forum activity for each group).

      Note: Before creating your group discussion forum, you will need to organise your students into groups and add these groups to a grouping

      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 group-related resources are provided below. 

      Group work 

       


      Create a group discussion forum

      1. Turn editing on 

      2. In the module where you want to create the forum, click Add an activity or resource  

      3. From the Activities tab, select Forum 

      4. Give the forum a Name and Description

      5. Apply other settings as necessary (see Set up a forum)

      6. Under Common module settings, change Group mode to Separate groups to give each group their own private forum, or Visible groups to create a forum for each group and allow other groups to view (but not post to)
        Group mode setting

        For the Grouping setting, select the grouping containing the groups you want to use for the forum
        Grouping setting

      7. Click Save and display

      Forum / Announcements - exporting forum posts

      1. Plan  |   2. Build   |  3. Test   | 4. Administer   |  5. Review   || Support

      forum iconThis entry relates to the Forum activity.

      Once the forum is made available to students (via the Forum settings), you may want to do one or more of the following actions, depending on the forum settings.


      Export an entire forum, or part of a forum

      1. Open the forum, then click on the cog icon in the top-right corner of the page (parallel with the title of the forum). Select Export from the bottom of the list

      2. You can choose to export the entire forum or add filters to export part of it:
        • Specific students
        • Specific discussion topics
        • Posts within a particular date range

      3. Choose a file format. The default file format is a CSV file, which opens in Excel, but there are other file formats you may prefer. Note that all the export options show data in a tabled layout.

      4. Under the Export options section, make sure that both boxes are ticked (these make the exported file easier to read).

      5. Click the Export button


      Export a discussion thread

      1. Open the forum and open the discussion topic you wish to export.

      2. Above the first post, select Mahara ePortfolio from the File Download menu, then click on the Export whole discussion to portfolio.


      3. You will be asked if you want to confirm if it is in HTML (a web page) or Leap2A format (a Mahara compatible format), then confirm the export.

      4. The exported HTML file will download to your computer. The exported Leap2A file will be available in Mahara.

      Alternatively, if you want to export the discussion topic without sending it to Mahara, you could print the page as an Adobe PDF file.



      Export a single post

      You (or a student) can export a post to a portfolio.

      1. Find the post you wish to export

      2. In the bottom right-hand corner of the post, click on the Export to portfolio link.


      3. Select Mahara ePortfolio from the Select destination menu

      4. You will be asked if you want to export the post as a HTML file (a web page) or Leap2A file (a Mahara compatible format). Then click Next.

      5. Confirm your export by clicking Continue

      6. The exported file is now available in Mahara.

      You can also copy and paste the post’s text into Mahara. While this easier, be aware that it doesn't carry across the post date and time, so won’t be suitable in all situations.

      Forum / Announcements - main entry

      Whether you are starting from scratch or working with a discussion forum already created, using the forum activity in a topic ideally consists of 5 stages, in a looped process.

      1. Plan  |  2. Build  |  3. Test  |  4. Administer  |  5. Review  || Support

      forum icon

      Forum and Announcements are the same activity. However, you do not need to add a discussion forum for Announcements as this activity will already be set up in your topic. The difference between Forum and Announcements is that announcements are for teacher use only – students cannot add a discussion post or reply to an announcement. When you set up a forum in your topic, students can interact with you and other students.

      Announcements are a way of generating social presence/active teaching in your FLO topic. You can provide information to all students using the 'Latest announcements' block on the topic homepage. This is handy for important information (eg changes to lecture/tutorial times, assessment reminders). Remind your students to check their emails regularly. 

      Forums enable participants to have asynchronous discussions (ie discussions that take place over an extended period of time). Discussion forums provide opportunities for social presence and can foster a community of practice in your FLO topic. Participation in the forum could contribute to an assessment grade, and could also indicate problem areas. Participants can subscribe to a forum to receive notifications of new forum posts. 

      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 fourm-related resources are provided below. 

      Inspirational and engaged teaching | Designing assessmentIncorporating Socratic questions into your FLO siteProviding constructive feedback in FLO | Communication, interaction and collaboration tools in FLO | Facilitating Student-Teacher interaction in FLO | Designing holistic rubrics | Online topic orientation | Rubrics | Providing students with comprehensive assessment information and support in FLO

       


      1. Plan

      Announcements

      Announcements are a timely, active element in the topic – use them to post reminders, pose challenging questions, generate curiosity, answer a common FAQ, or respond to 'muddy points'. Announcements are posted to all enrolled students in the topic within 30 minutes of posting (assuming that they have not disabled email notifications in their personal preferences).


      Forum

      Discussion forums can have many uses, formal and informal:

      • a social space for students to get to know each other (eg a 'student lounge')
      • discussing topic content or reading materials
      • preparing for an assessment item, or as an assessment item (this can reduce emails to staff)
      • troubleshooting (a great way to foster a community)
      • continuing online an issue raised in a face-to-face session
      • a 'help centre' where tutors and students can give advice
      • teacher-only discussions (using a hidden forum)
      The forum's purpose will determine the type of forum you set up. For example: 

      Are you going to assess forum participation? | What type of forum will you set up? | Will you set up ratings in the forum?

      Suggestions to help with planning:

      • Talk to teaching peers about issues around forum participation and assessment.
      • Decide what marks to assign to the forum (it could be a non-graded pass or a percentage).
      • Give students a rubric/marking guide that shows them what effective participation means – criteria could include originality, scholarly argument, type of interactions between students and demonstration of critical thinking skills (quality), as well as the number of posts and word length.
      • Decide whether to use peer assessment (ratings) – this approach could help create a sense of community and deepen learning: 
        • Ask your local eLearning team to set up the forum to allow peer assessment.
        • Decide on the range of ratings (eg 5 which means students can rate each other on a scale of 1-5)
        • How might students give feedback other than just a rating? It might be to reply to the rated post saying why they think it is worth x, and their own response. This is forum etiquette anyway when replying to posts (‘I don’t agree with…’ etc) and helps develop a critical but constructive approach.


      2. Build

      Announcements

      You do not need to build the Announcements forum activity as it will already be set up in your topic. It will likely be sitting in Module 0.

      Forum

      Forum posts can be rated by teachers or students (peer evaluation). Ratings can be aggregated to form a final grade which is recorded in the Gradebook.


      3. Test

      You could ask your eLearning support team to check the settings for your forum, to make sure it serves the purpose you had in mind in the planning stage.


      4. Administer

      Announcements
      Forum

      View some tips for fostering a community and facilitating/monitoring a discussion forum (PDF file).

      In FLO (tracking tips)


      5. Review

      The observations you note whilst the forum is running will help you fine-tune it for the next iteration of your topic, for example:

      • Would a different forum type be better?
      • Did students participate as much as you wanted? If not, why not?
      • Did student feedback tell you anything? (eg Touchpoint survey, class discussion, emails)
      You could troubleshoot with your eLearning support team or colleagues to refine your approach.


        Training and support

        Troubleshooting

      Support
      eLearning support teams

      Forum / Announcements - manage a discussion forum

      1. Plan  |   2. Build   |  3. Test   | 4. Administer   |  5. Review   || Support

      forum iconThis entry relates to the Forum activity.

      Once the forum is made available to students (via the Forum settings), you may want to one or more of the following actions, depending on the forum settings.



      Add, delete or move posts

      Once a discussion forum is open for student posts, teachers will need to manage the forum – moderate posts (eg around  netiquette, 'muddy' points/teachable moments, drifting conversations), assess forum participation, rate posts etc. Students may also need to manage their and others' posts – follow the conversation, export their posts, use them in an eportfolio/for an assignment etc.

      Staff can delete, move or export posts. Students can delete (their own post, within a 15-minute time frame) or export their posts.


      Add a post

      1. Click on the forum

      2. Click the Add a new discussion topic button

      3. Add a Subject and Message

      4. Click on the Advanced link to:
        • add an attachment
        • set dates when the topic should or should not display
        • pin the topic to the top of the forum
        • post the topic instantly (there is a 15 minute period before notifications are sent to students)

      5. Click Post to forum

      Delete a post

      Teaching staff may want to delete a post if it is inappropriate (eg flaming).

      1. Click on the post you want to delete in the Discussion column

      2. In the next screen, click on the Delete option in the right-hand corner of the post
        delete prompt
      3. You will be asked if you are sure you want to delete the post. Click Continue to delete the post, and any replies to that post.

      4. Check in the post list screen to make sure it has been deleted

      If you feel it is necessary to remove a post from a forum, but would prefer the post were not strictly deleted, please contact your eLearning support team to discuss splitting the post.


      Move a topic

      You can move a topic to another forum where it is more appropriate/relevant (eg a query about assessment may belong in a forum set up especially for this rather than where it has been posted).

      1. Click on the topic you want to move in the Discussion column

      2. In the next screen, in the top right-hand corner of the post click on the pull-down menu next to the Move button
        move discussion

      3. Choose the forum you want to move the topic to, and click Move

      4. Check in the original forum and the forum you have moved the topic to, to make sure the topic has moved

      View a student's posts

      A teacher can view the posts of a particular student and see all posts or any discussions started by that student. This is a useful feature if you want to provide feedback on a student's posts or see how often they are posting in a forum/s. 

      1. Click on the Participants link in the Topic Management panel (under User Links)
        Participants

      2. Click on the student's name (this will load their profile)
        participant's name

      3. Click Forum posts
        Forum posts

      4. You should see a list of the student's posts and the name of the forum/s the posts were made in – you can click the options Permalink, Show parent, Edit, Split, Delete, Reply or Export to portfolio
        forum options


      Post a question to a Q and A forum

      1. Enter the forum by clicking on the activity on the topic homepage
        Q and A forum

      2. Click Add a new question
        Add a new question

      3. Enter a question Subject and Message
        Add question etc

      4. Press the Post to forum button

      5. The student will be able to view the question by clicking on the discussion Subject, and can post a response by hitting the Reply button. To see the other responses, they must first post their own.

        question posted

        post reply


      Reply privately to a post

      You can reply privately to a student’s post to give individual feedback within a forum. To reply privately, commence a reply as normal, and tick the Reply privately box underneath the text box.

      The reply privately box is the third option under the text box. 

      Students can not reply back to a private reply you have left. If you need to initiate a discussion with a student, use a different communication method.


      Control how long forum posts are visible

      You restrict student access to the forum in the Availability section of the forum settings, when you are setting up the forum. Once the forum is open to students, you can also set the dates when a topic is visible (or not visible).

      1. If creating a new topic, click on the Advanced link and open the display period.
        edit a forum post
      2. If the topic has already been created, open the topic you wish to restrict, then click on the Edit option below the post
        edit a forum post

      3.  Open the Display period tab, and select the Enable boxes to set dates for displaying the post (show/hide)
        display period options

      Forum / Announcements - manage announcements

      1. Plan  |   2. Build   |  3. Test   | 4. Administer  |  5. Review   || Support

      forum iconThis entry relates to the Forum activity.

      Each topic contains an Announcements forum. Only staff members are able to post into this forum and students will be sent an email copy of each message posted into this forum, assuming that they have not disabled email notifications in their personal preferences. Posting an announcement is an easy and reasonably effective way to communicate important information to students.

      You could post an announcement:

      • when students get access to the topic (usually 1 week prior to topic commencement), as a welcome/orientation
      • when assessment item due dates are approaching, to support students being on task
      • when a guest lecturer is presenting, to encourage students to attend

      Post an announcement – steps

      1. In your topic, locate the Announcements forum (usually in module 0) 

      2. Click on Add a new topic

      3. Enter a Subject and Message
        add a subject and message

      4. Select Pinned (under Advanced, see image above) if you'd like the message pinned to the top of the list
        pinned

      5. Select Post instantly (under Advanced, see image above) if you'd like the message to be emailed and made visible to students instantly. If post instantly is not selected, the post will be emailed 15 minutes later, giving you time to correct any mistakes you make after posting (depending on the students forum email digest settings in their profile)
        post instantly

      6. Select Post to forum

      Forum / Announcements - marking a forum

      1. Plan  |   2. Build   |  3. Test   | 4. Administer   |  5. Review   || Support

      This entry relates to the Forum activity.

      Forums have the ability to be marked. For information on how to enable marking in a forum view Create a discussion forum.

      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 assessment-related resources are provided below. 

      Rubrics and marking guides in FLO

       


      Whole forum grading (individually)

      If the forum has been set up for grading it will automatically appear in the Gradebook

      Whole forum grading allows you to view all of a student’s posts in a particular forum and mark them as a whole, using either a numerical mark (Simple direct grading) or advanced grading methods (Checklist, Marking guide or Rubric). To do this:

      1. Open the forum, and click on the Grade users button
        grading users

      2. Click on the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the page to search for a particular student, or use the arrow buttons to move through students sequentially
        image of a not graded student

      3. On the left-hand side of the page, you will see all of the posts from the student you selected.
        image of grading
      4. If a student’s post is part of a thread, you can click on the View parent post link to see the post the student is replying to, or click on the View discussion link to see all posts in that particular discussion.

      5. On the right-hand side of the page, you can enter the student’s mark and choose whether the student will be notified that they have been graded.

        If you want to give written feedback, you can use the advanced grading features, which will appear here as well (the marking guide and checklist allow for individualised comments). You can also use private replies
        to give feedback within the forums, though you can’t add private replies from the marking screen.
        grade forum image
      6. Click on the Save button to save your changes. Once you have saved, the students status will change to Graded.
        save changes image

      Whole forum grading (by group)

      If the forum has been set up for grading it will automatically appear in the Gradebook

      Whole forum grading allows you to view all of a student’s posts in a particular forum and mark them as a whole, using either a numerical mark (Simple direct grading) or advanced grading methods (Checklist, Marking guide or Rubric). To do this:

      1. Click the 'All participants' dropdown to select the group you wish to grade
        Selecting group for grading

      2. Select the group that you wish to grade (Group 1 in this example)
        Selected group for grading

      3. Once the group is selected from the dropdown, click on the Grade users button
        grading users

      4. Click on the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the page to search for a particular student, or use the arrow buttons to move through students sequentially
        image of a not graded student

      5. On the left-hand side of the page, you will see all of the posts from the student you selected.
        image of grading
      6. If a student’s post is part of a thread, you can click on the View parent post link to see the post the student is replying to, or click on the View discussion link to see all posts in that particular discussion.

      7. On the right-hand side of the page, you can enter the student’s mark and choose whether the student will be notified that they have been graded.

        If you want to give written feedback, you can use the advanced grading features, which will appear here as well (the marking guide and checklist allow for individualised comments). You can also use private replies
        to give feedback within the forums, though you can’t add private replies from the marking screen.
        grade forum image
      8. Click on the Save button to save your changes. Once you have saved, the students status will change to Graded.
        save changes image

      Rate a forum post

      If the forum has been set up for ratings, it will automatically appear in the Gradebook.

      1. Go to the forum, open a forum post (click on the link) and rate it using the drop-down rating box. (In the example below, the scale is out of 5). To give written feedback, add a private reply.
      2. You could sample one post for rating, or go into each post and rate them all (depending on the marking/assessment strategy). If the marking strategy involves marking multiple posts, be aware of the aggregation method used:

      • Average or ratings: the mean of all ratings given
      • Count of ratings: the number of ratings given is the mark
      • Maximum rating: the highest rated post determines the mark awarded
      • Minimum rating: the lowest rated post determines the mark awarded
      • Sum of ratings: all ratings are added together, and the total is the mark awarded

        rate
      1. If you wish to moderate the mark awarded, staff with the Teacher and Topic coordinator roles can override the grade using manual grading.

      Forum / Announcements - troubleshooting

      1. Plan  |   2. Build   |  3. Test   | 4. Administer   |  5. Review   || Support

      forum iconThis entry relates to the Forum activity.


      I'm not receiving forum posts to my email

      There might be several reasons for this problem:

      • You may not be subscribed to the forum/s
      • You may not have your forum tracking set properly
      • You may be receiving daily digests
      • Your forum notifications may be disabled

      You may not be subscribed to the forum/s

      You will need to subscribe to forums before you receive new posts in your email. (Note: everyone in the topic is subscribed to the Announcements forum by default.)

      1. Click on your profile picture/name (grey toolbar top of screen)

      2. Click Preferences
        Preferences

      3. In the User account area select Forum preferences
        forum preferences

      4. In the Forum auto-subscribe section select Yes: when I post, subscribe me to that forum discussion
        subscribe

      5. Click Save changes


      You may not have your forum tracking set properly

      When you are notified of a forum post, you can choose whether this should mark the post as read for the purpose of forum tracking. 

      1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above

      2. In the Forum Tracking drop down list select Yes: highlight new post for me 

      3. In the When sending forum post notifications drop-down list select Do not mark the post as read – this will ensure when you receiving notifications posts are not marked as 'read'
        profile forum preferences

      4. Click Save changes


      You may be receiving daily digests

      By default, users receive forum posts compiled into a single email sent daily, usually overnight. (The exception is Announcement posts, which are sent out within 30 minutes.) You can change your notification settings to receive individual emails.

      1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above

      2. In Forum preferences section, change Email digest type to No digest (single email per forum post)
        forum preferences

      3. Click Save changes

      Your forum notifications may be disabled

      You can choose to turn off forum notifications. To turn them back on:

      1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above

      2. In the User account area select Notification preferences
        notifications

      3. In the Forum section, make sure all four Email boxes are set to On
        forum email notifications

      4. Click Save changes


      Students can't post to a Q and A forum

      For students to be able to post to a Q and A forum, a teacher must first post a question for students to respond to.

      Below is the student view of a Q and A forum without a teacher-initiated question. Note that it does not yet have buttons where students can post a reply.

      Q & A student view

      Gradebook - build and edit a checklist for online marking (assignments and forums)

      gradebook icon

      This entry relates to the Gradebook.

      You can design and use checklists to mark assignments and forums online.

      See also Mark in FLO using a checklist (assignments)

      Please note: Currently, the checklist can only be used in marking assignments (not forums).


      Build a checklist

      1. Before you can build a checklist, you need to set up the assignment/forum for online marking using a checklist

      2. Give your checklist a name (required) and description (optional)
        name and description

      3. Add a name for your group in the Click to edit group area
        edit group name

      4. Add a description for your item in the Click to edit item area
        edit item

      5. To add more items, click the +Add item button
        add item button

      6. To add more groups, click the +Add group button
        add group button

      7. Select options for your checklist
        checklist options

      8. Click the Save checklist and make it ready button


      Edit a checklist

      To edit a checklist (prior to opening the assignment for submissions):

      1. Open the activity

      2. Select Advanced grading from the Actions menu cog
       Advanced grading

      1. On the Advanced grading page, click Edit the current form definition
        Text

Description automatically generated 

      2. To edit, click on the group name or checklist item (see step 3 onwards under Build a checklist above). To delete an item, click the cross icondelete icon

      3. Once you have finished making changes, click the Save button


      Student view

      Students can view the checklist (Grading criteria) before they submit their assignment on the Submission status screen:

      checklist student view

      Gradebook - build and edit a marking guide for online marking (assignments and forums)

      gradebook icon

      This entry relates to the Gradebook.

      You can design and use marking guides to mark assignments and forums online.

      See also Mark in FLO using a marking guide (assignments and forums)

       


      Build a marking guide

      1. Before you can build a marking guide, you need to set up the assignment or forum for online marking using a marking guide

      2. Give your marking guide a name (required) and a description (optional)
        name and description

      3. Add a name for the criterion in the Click to edit criterion name area
        edit criterion name

      4.  Add a description for students – type in the Click to edit area. You can also add a description for the markers (if required)
        description for students

      5. Allocate a mark for the criterion, type a number into the Click to edit area for Maximum score
        maximum score

      6. Click the Add criterion button to add extra criterion
        add criterion

      7. Move your criterion up and down using the arrows, or delete (x)
        move or delete

      8. At Frequently used comments, type in the Click to edit area to enter a comment, then click the +Add frequently used comments button until you have finished entering the comments you want markers to use
        frequently used comments

      9. Select options for your marking guide
        marking guide options

      10. Click the Save marking guide and make it ready button

       


      Edit a marking guide

      Edit a marking guide (prior to opening the assignment for submissions)

      1. Open the activity
      2. Select Advanced grading from the Actions menu cog

      3. On the Advanced grading page, click Edit the current form definition
      4. Once you have finished making changes, click the Save button




      Student view

      Students can view the marking guide (Grading criteria) before they submit their assignment on the Submission status screen:

      student view of marking guide

      Gradebook - build and edit a rubric for online marking (assignments and forums)

      gradebook icon

      This entry relates to the Gradebook.

      You can design and use rubrics to mark assignments and forums online. 

      See also Mark in FLO using a rubric (assignments and forums)

      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 assessment-related resources are provided below. 

      Rubrics and marking guides in FLO | Constructive alignment in FLO | Designing holistic rubrics | Negotiated assessment



      Build a rubric

      1. Before you can build a rubric, you need to set up the assignment/forum for online marking using a rubric

      2. Give your rubric a name (required) and a description (optional)
        name and description

      3. Add criterion in the Click to edit criterion area
        Add criterion

      4. Add performance standards in the Click to edit level areas
        add performance standard

      5. To add more performance standards, click the Add level button
        add more performance standards

      6. Add marks per performance standard – click the points areas
        add marks per performance standard

      7. To add extra criterion, click the Add criterion button
        Add criterion button

      8. Move your criterion up and down using the arrows, or delete (x). You can copy a criterion (with performance standard and marks) via the duplicate icon – the copy will appear at the end of the list
        move and duplicate criterion

      9. Select options for your rubric
        Rubric options

      10. Click the Save rubric and make it ready button



      Edit a rubric

      1. Open the activity

      2. Select Advanced grading from the Actions menu cog
        advanced grading menu

      3. On the Advanced grading page, click Edit the current form definition
        edit the current form definition

      4. Once you have finished making changes, click the Save button



      Student view

      Students can view the rubric (Grading criteria) before they submit their assignment on the Submission status screen:

      student view of rubric