This entry relates to the Gradebook.

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

• Build a rubric
• Edit a rubric
• Student view
  

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)
   
   

3. Add criterion in the Click to edit criterion area
   
   

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

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

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

7. To add extra criterion, click the 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
   
   

9. Select options for your rubric
   
   

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
   
   

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

This entry relates to the Gradebook.

If you set up a checklist (an advanced grading feedback form) when you created an assignment, you can mark online in FLO.

Steps

1. Open the assignment. On the Grading summary page, either:
• click the View all submissions button and then click the Grade button for a particular student; or
• click the Grade button to grade the first student in the list of submissions
  
  
2. The checklist will appear on the right side of the page in the Grade section
   
   
   To enlarge the feedback form:
   
   

   Option 1
   
   Click the Zoom in/out of region icon (in the grade section)
   
   
   

   Option 2
   
   Click the Collapse review panel button (bottom right of page)
   
   
   
   Click the Restore default layout (middle) button after you have finished marking

    
3. The checklist will be made up of items in a group/s. Click on an item (it will appear in green) and enter any comments in the comments box
   

   
   

4. Continue until all relevant items in the group/s are selected and comments entered
   
   

5. At the end of each group of items, you can provide overall comments. Group points are shown underneath the comments box
   
   

6. Save your changes

This entry relates to the Gradebook.

If you set up a marking guide (an advanced grading feedback form) when you created an assignment or forum, you can mark online in FLO.

• Mark an assignment using an online marking guide
• Mark a forum using an online marking guide

Mark an assignment using an online marking guide

1. Open the assignment. On the Grading summary page, either:
• click the View all submissions button and then click the Grade button for a particular student; or
• click the Grade button to grade the first student in the list of submissions
  
  
2. The marking guide will appear on the right side of the page in the Grade section
   
   
   To enlarge the marking guide:
   
   

   Option 1
   
   Click the Zoom in/out of region icon (in the grade section)
   
   
   

   Option 2
   
   Click the Collapse review panel button (bottom right of page)
   
   
   
   Click the Restore default layout (middle) button after you have finished marking

    



3. Click in the text box underneath the criterion to type any comments and/or click the Insert frequently used comment button if comments were set up when building the marking guide

   
   
   

4. Click in the grade box to provide a mark for the criterion

   
   
   
5. Continue including comments and a grade for all criterion

6. Save your changes

Mark a forum using an online marking guide

1. Open the forum and click the Grade users button
   
   
   
2. To search for a particular student to mark, click the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the grading area, or use the arrow buttons to move through students sequentially
   
   
   
3. The marking guide will appear in the grading area on the right 
   
   
   
4. Enter a grade in the Score out of ... text box and any feedback in the Additional comments text box for all criterion
   
   
   
5. Click the Save button (top right of screen)
   
   Note: The Close button returns you to the forum activity

This entry relates to the Gradebook.

If you set up a rubric (an advanced grading feedback form) when you created an assignment or forum, you can mark online in FLO.

• Mark an assignment using an online rubric
• Mark a forum using an online rubric

Mark an assignment using an online rubric

1. Open the assignment. On the Grading summary page, either:
• click the View all submissions button and then click the Grade button for a particular student; or
• click the Grade button to grade the first student in the list of submissions
  
  
2. The rubric will appear on the right side of the page in the Grade section
   
   
   To enlarge the rubric:
   
   

   Option 1
   
   Click the Zoom in/out of region icon (in the grade section)
   
   
   

   Option 2
   
   Click the Collapse review panel button (bottom right of page)
   
   
   
   Click the Restore default layout (middle) button after you have finished marking

    



3. Click on the relevant performance standard for each criterion, they will appear in green

   
   
   

4. Click in the text box at the end of the criterion to type any comments

   
   
   
5. Save your changes

Mark a forum using an online rubric

1. Open the forum and click the Grade users button
   
   
   
2. To search for a particular student to mark, click the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the grading area, or use the arrow buttons to move through students sequentially
   
   
   
3. The rubric will appear in the grading area on the right 
   
   
   
4. Select the relevant performance standard option for each criterion (the default option is Not set) and include any comments in the Additional feedback text box
   
   
   
5. Click the Save button (top right of screen) to save the grades
   
   Note: The Close button returns you to the forum activity

This entry relates to the Gradebook.

If you set up a marking guide, rubric or checklist (an advanced grading feedback form) when you created an assignment or forum, you can mark using the feedback form online in FLO.

• Mark in FLO using a marking guide (assignments and forums)
• Mark in FLO using a rubric (assignments and forums)
• Mark in FLO using a checklist (assignments)
  Please note: Currently, the checklist can only be used in marking assignments (not forums)

This entry relates to the Gradebook.

Set up an assignment for offline marking using a feedback template

Uploading a feedback template (usually a Word document) will allow you (later, during the marking process) to download a zip folder containing a copy of the marking guide for each student with the correct naming convention to be uploaded back into the assignment. FLO refers to these as feedback files. You will then be able to complete the feedback file (marking guide/rubric etc) for each student, zip up all feedback files and return to FLO in a one-step process.

1. Create an assignment (Turn editing on > Add an activity or resource > Assignment)

2. On the settings page, look for the Feedback template option (under Feedback types)

3. Click Add to upload a file, and select the file on your computer. Alternatively, you can drag the file from your computer onto the file upload box

   
   
   
4. Click Save and display

Set up an assignment/forum for online marking using advanced grading

First, you need to decide which advanced grading method best suits your needs – a marking guide, rubric or checklist (see examples below). You can experiment with all of them, but once you have set up one type you will lose the settings you created if you switch to another type (ie you will have to build the new one from scratch).

Set up – all options (marking guide / rubric / checklist)

Marking guide example

A marking guide allows for a comment and score against each criterion. The score is determined based on marker discretion, out of a maximum score for each criterion. You can also set up frequently used comments. Build a marking guide

Rubric example

A rubric allows for a number of performance standards, a score and a comment for each criterion. The score is prescribed based on the performance standard reached. Build a rubric

Checklist example

A checklist allows for a series of items (ie criterion) and point values for each. The maximum value of the checklist is equal to the sum of all items. Students are awarded either all or no points for each item. Build a checklist

This entry relates to the Gradebook.

By default, students who lose access to a topic do not appear in the gradebook, assignment or quiz, to focus attention on current students. However, on some occasions it is necessary to review their work.

• Gradebook
• Assignment
• Quiz
  

Gradebook

1. Go to the Gradebook Setup tab, and select Preferences: Grader report.
   
   
   
2. Scroll down to the General section. Change Show only active enrolments to No
   
   
   
   

Assignment

Quiz

1. View the list of attempts in the quiz
   
   
2. In the section What to include in the report (at the top of the page), change Attempts from to all users who have attempted the quiz
   
   
   
3. Click on the Show report button
   

1. Plan

2. Build

You have planned your attendance activity. Now you are ready to set up your attendance activity. 

• Step 1: Create an attendance activity
• Step 2: Add session(s)
• To create sessions to allow students to record their attendance, see Attendance - Student self recording.
• Step 3: Set up grade acronym, description and points

Step 1: Create an attendance activity

1. Click Turn Edit On button
   
   
   
2. Click Add an activity or resource to open the activity chooser
   
   
   
   
3. Click the Attendance icon
   
   
   
   
4. Name the attendance sheet (eg Tutorial Attendance)
   
   
   
   
5. Assign a grade type other than None to create an entry for this activity in the Gradebook. You are advised to select Point, not Scale, for the grade type. If you wish to use Scale, select Point as the grading method until all attendances are marked (ie all data is in the Gradebook), then change the grading type to Scale. Keep the grades hidden until you change to Scale (close the eye for this activity in the Gradebook), then release the grades. Students will still be able to view their attendance during the topic 
   
6. To mark attendance for a group of tutorials, under Group mode select Visible groups. Under Grouping, select the appropriate option. If your topic has scheduled tutorials in the timetable, you should see an option starting with the topic code and ending with 'Tutorial' (for example, NURS1003_2018_NS1_Tutorial)
   
   
   
7. Click Save and display 

Step 2: Add session(s)

1. Click the Add session tab
   
2. There are two types of sessions: All students and Group of students. Ability to add different types depends on activity group mode (refer to step 6 under 'Create an attendance activity')
   • In group mode "No groups" you can add only All students sessions.
   • In group mode "Visible groups" you can add All students and Group of students sessions.
   • In group mode "Separate groups" you can add only Group of students sessions. 

Note: If you want to link the sessions to the Student Management groups (for example, Tutorial or Practical), add your sessions using Group of students. This will also keep the list of students within the groups updated via the integration.

Click and hold the Ctrl key to select multiple groups.

3. Fill in details about the session you wish to record attendance for
   
   
   
4. To create a repeating series of sessions (eg weekly tutorials), open the Multiple sessions section, and tick 'Repeat the session above as follows'. Select the day the specific session repeats on (if a tutorial session this will most likely be one day per week), frequency (Repeat every) (again, if a tutorial session this will most likely be one day per week), and session end date (Repeat until):
         
   
   
   
5. Click Add
   
   
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 to add sessions if required 

Step 3: Set up grade acronym, description and points

By default, the status descriptions are Present, Excused, Late, Absent and the allocated points are 2, 1, 1, 0 respectively.

1. Click the Status set tab
   
   
2. To update an existing text/value, select the text box and enter a new text/value
   
   
3. To set up a new status, fill in the line starting with an * and click the Add button
   
   
4. Click Update
   

3. Test

4. Administer

To administer your attendance activity, you can use a variety of functions (listed below). 

• Mark attendance for my topic
• Change a student's attendance record
• Edit sessions

Mark attendance for my topic

1. Enter the Attendance activity
   
   
2. Make sure the Sessions tab is selected
   
   
   
3. To mark attendance by group (for example Tutorial group), select the dropdown list under Sessions
   
   
   
   
4. Click the Take attendance icon next to mark the session
   
   
   
   
5. Give each student a mark:
   
   P (present) - worth 2 points
   E (excused) - worth 1 point
   L (late) - worth 1 point
   A (absent) - worth 0 point.
   
   You can also enter remarks for each.  These grades will be available in the gradebook.
   
   If the activity is set to 'visible', students will be able to view their status and any remarks
   
   
   
   
6. Click Save attendance

Change a student's attendance record

1. Locate the session you wish to alter, and click the green Change attendance icon.
   
   
   
2. Update the attendance record and click Save attendance

Edit sessions

1. To edit a session, click the Edit session icon
   
   
   
2. To delete a session, click the Delete session icon
   
   

5. Review

How did your attendance activity go? Would you set up the activity differently next time? Talk to your colleagues and/or your local eLearning support team to get ideas for improvement.

 This entry relates to the Attendance activity.

• Set up grade acronym, description, points and options specific to student self-recording attendance
  
• Add session(s)
• Create repeating sessions
• Student self-recording options
• Managing attendance
• Session(s) with QR code enabled and password protected
• QR Code scanner on mobile devices
• Session(s) with automatic marking

Set up grade acronym, description, points and options specific to student self-recording attendance

By default, the status descriptions are Present, Excused, Late, Absent and the allocated points are 2, 1, 1, 0 respectively. 

Click the Status set tab 

  

To update an existing text/value, select the text box and enter a new text/value


To set up a new status, fill in the line starting with an * and click the Add button


Two options are specific to student self-recording of attendance:
• Available for students (minutes) – Enter the number of minutes after the session starts that this status is available. If empty, this status will always be available, If set to 0 it will always be hidden to students. Refer to the screenshot below for an example of how to restrict the first 10 minutes of the session for students to mark their attendance as Present 
  
  
  
• Automatically set when not marked – In a session's setting, if automatic marking has been set to 'Set unmarked at end of session', the selected status takes effect if a student has not marked their own attendance. Refer to screenshot below for an example where students are marked as Absent if they have not marked their own attendance.
  
  
  
Click Update 

Add session(s)

1. Click the Add session tab 
   
   
   
2. There are two types of sessions: All students and Group of students. Ability to add different types depends on activity group mode (refer to step 6 under Create an attendance activity)
   • In group mode "No groups" you can add only All students sessions.
   • In group mode "Visible groups" you can add All students and Group of students sessions.
   • In group mode "Separate groups" you can add only Group of students sessions. 

* If you want to link the sessions to the Student Management groups (for example, Tutorial or Practical), add your sessions using Group of students. This will also keep the list of students within the groups updated via the integration.

Click and hold the Ctrl key to select multiple groups.

3. Fill in details about the session you wish to record attendance for

Create repeating sessions

Student self-recording options

1. To allow students to record their attendance, go to the Student recording section
   
   
2. Tick Allow students to record own attendance
   
   
3. Under Automatic marking, choose one of the following options
• Disabled – Students will need to access the Attendance activity and mark themselves as Present
• Yes – Students will be automatically marked depending on their first access to the topic
• Set unmarked at end of session – Any students who have not marked their attendance will be set to the unmarked status selected. (Note: For this option, the unmarked status needs to be set first before you can add the session(s))  
  
  
4. Under Student password, you can enter a custom password or tick Random password for the system to automatically create a random password. There is also the option Include QR code which displays a QR code containing a URL that students can scan with a mobile device to take them directly to the page where they record their attendance (see instructions below – this happens just before or during class time)
   
   
5. Click Show more... to see more options
   
   
6. Under Require network address, you can restrict attendance recording to particular subnets by specifying a comma-separated list of partial or full IP addresses. Untick this option if it is not relevant
   
   
7. Under Prevent students sharing IP address, select Yes to prevent students from using the same device to take attendance for other students
   
   
8. Click Add
   
   
9. Add session(s) for other groups of students if required   

Managing attendance

Sessions with QR code enabled and password protected 

For sessions where Automatic marking has been set to either Disabled or Set unmarked at end of session, the Include QR code option is ticked, and a password has been entered manually or randomly generated, you can display a QR code containing a URL that students can scan with a mobile device. 

To display the QR code:

1. Select the Sessions tab
   
   
   
2. The list displays sessions in the current week by default. To see all sessions, click the All button
   
   
   
3. Click the key icon next to the session
   
   
   
4. Click Show QR code
   
   

Note: The QR code is unique and specific for each session. When students scan the QR code with their mobile device, it takes them directly to the page where they record their attendance, and fills in the password for them too. They only need to select the status 'Present' and record their attendance. 

To view attendance:

1. Click the green icon next to the session
   
   
   
2. In this case, the remarks contain the text 'Self-recorded'. You can change a student's attendance status at this point if required
   

QR code scanner for mobile devices 

• iOS - iPhone and iPad devices running iOS 11 or newer has QR code recognition built into the camera app. More information at Scan a QR code with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. For older versions of iOS, search the app store using keywords such as 'QR code' to find free QR code scanners.
  
• Android - The Google Lens app supports scanning of QR codes. Download it from the Google Play store.

Sessions with automatic marking

1. Select the Sessions tab
   
   
   
2. The list displays sessions in the current week by default. To see all sessions, click the All button
   
   
   
3. Click the green icon next to the session to view the attendance
   
   
   
4. In this case, the remarks contain the text 'system auto recorded'. You can change a student's attendance status at this point if required
   
   

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

Questions/problems

• I've marked attendance incorrectly for the wrong session

I've marked attendance incorrectly for the wrong session

Once attendance has been marked, unfortunately it is not possible to undo it. You could either:

• Delete the session and create a new session, or
• Mark the incorrect attendance as 'Excused' and enter a remark

The Clock block displays the time in both Adelaide and the student's location elsewhere in the world. It helps students determine how times referred to in FLO relate to their local time.

The Clock block is a handy resource for enrolled students from different time zones (overseas or interstate). This feature is particularly relevant if the topic is fully online, if students will be interstate or overseas, and can be helpful for time-dependent activities such as Collaborate, quizzes and assignments.

How it works: when a student accesses your FLO site from a computer or device in another time zone, in the Clock block they will see the time according to the FLO server in Adelaide and their local time, according to the device/computer used to access FLO. 

Whilst the Clock block provides a useful visual help for students to understand time zone differences in their topics, it is important to provide clear guidance to students on why you have added the Clock block to your topic site and how you expect students to use it.

Important Clock block tips

• The Clock block is a visual guide and like many online tools, accuracy may depend on the functionality of the user's browser and security settings.
• The Clock block will show the current time for the student, based on their local computer time settings.
• If a student changes their computer time zone, or the computer time is incorrect on the computer they use to access FLO, this could make the Clock block inaccurate.
• If a student changes their time zone settings in their FLO profile settings, the Clock block time will not reflect this change.

The Clock block displays the time as 12-hour by default. We do not recommend changing this setting to 24-hour because students see the time displayed in 12-hour format in FLO. If you are using the Clock block for international students, you may want to edit the Clock block setting Show day name to Yes.

To add the Clock block in your FLO site:

1. In your topic Turn editing on
   
   
2. Open the Block menu in the top-right of the topic's home page.
   
   
3. Locate the Add a block menu (usually on the right-hand side) and select Clock
   
   
   
   

The newly created Clock block will display two clocks; Server time and your time




4. To reposition the block, hover over the move icon then click and drag. We recommend positioning it under the 'Topic links' block (the top block), so it is readily visible each time students go to your topic.
   

Blocks appear in the Topic Blocks menu in the top right corner of each FLO site. 'Topic Links' is a standard block, with links to topic information, grades, SETs etc. Different kinds of blocks can be added (eg Activities, Teaching team, Upcoming events), or you can add an HTML block and use it to feature the textbook/s or for some other topic-related purpose.  

1. Plan

Some blocks are standard in topics, as part of the college template or starter site. Others you will need to add yourself. You can also move blocks up/down to emphasise important ones.

The Activities block is particularly useful if you have lots of activities and resources in your topic, as it is a navigational tool for students.

Types of blocks

2. Build

• Add blocks to your topic
• Add a teaching team block
• Change your user image (via the Topic welcome block)
• Add a Clock block (separate entry)
  
• Timeline block (separate entry)
  

Add blocks to your topic

1. In your topic, click Turn editing on
   
2. Locate the Add a block menu (usually on the right-hand side)
   
3. Select the type of block you wish to add
   
   

Add a teaching team block

The teaching team block lists the names, photos and optionally contact details of the teaching team. Your block is included in the FLO sites so you will not have to create it yourself unless it has been deleted. 

Note: To add/alter your profile picture displayed in the Welcome block, see how do I upload a profile photo.

1. In your topic, click the Turn editing on button
   
   
2. Open the Topic blocks menu
   
   
3. Locate the Add a block dropdown menu (usually on the right-hand side) and select Topic welcome
   
   
4. When the new block appears, click the cog icon to configure the block (see more information below)
   
   
   
5. In block title, add the text 'Teaching team'
   
   
6. In Roles to display, tick 'topic coordinator', 'teacher' and 'tutor'.
   
   
7. To show more contact methods change the Contact methods to display options.
   
   
8. In Course welcome text
   
   If your topic uses the starter site, enter a space into the text box. If you want to introduce yourself to students, use a welcome video instead
   
   If your topic is not yet using the starter site, you can add some introductory text for students here. Try to keep the text short – if you have a lot of content, consider using a welcome video or page resource instead.
   
   
9. When you have finished configuring the block, click Save changes
   
   

Change your user image (via the Topic welcome block)

1. If you have previously uploaded a profile image, it will automatically display in the welcome block. To add or change your user image, click the edit your profile here link in the block
    
2. Upload your user image clicking the Add button or by dragging and dropping the file into the area indicated
   
   
   
   
3. Click Update profile
   
   
4. Your chosen image will now appear in the Welcome block, in addition to many other locations in FLO (eg forum posts)
   

The Timeline block on the My FLO homepage shows students the upcoming due dates of the most common FLO activities for the topics they are enrolled in. Students can also use the timeline to jump into activities in FLO sites.

Staff will see activities that have specific dates for them, for example, when a 'remind me to grade by' date is set for an assignment.

The timeline can be sorted in either date or topic order and can show dates between 7 days and 6 months ahead.

For the most common activities in your topics (e.g. assignments, quizzes, feedback, forums, etc) the block will show students the due date you have set in the activity's settings. Some activities (e.g. self and peer assessment, chat) also have additional options and settings for displaying dates in the timeline.

When using topic completion, any Expect completed on dates will also show in a student's timeline:

• This can be used to add due dates to the timeline (in addition to its intended purpose) when the activity does not have one
• If an activity does have a due date, students will get two sets of dates.

The Calendar helps students keep track of events within the topic (including assignment due dates) and take responsibility for their learning. They can also export the Calendar into their personal calendar (eg Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar) for better access.

The calendar is enabled in all topics by default, but you are encouraged to add the upcoming events block, which shows students a streamlined view of upcoming dates.

1. Plan

Think about how your students might use the calendar tool to help them successfully engage with your topic, and promote it to them in your introduction/orientation to the FLO site.

2. Build

• Add key dates to the calendar (new event)
• Export the calendar to Outlook (or another calendar)

Add key dates to the calendar (new event)

Most assessment dates will automatically go in the Calendar (cut off dates being the exception) but you can also manually add key dates (students can also add dates.)

1. Open the Calendar from the navigation menu (within a topic, the calendar link is below the topic’s links so you will need to scroll down the list).
   
   
   
   
2. Click on either the date of the booking or the New event button.
   
   
3. Specify the Event title
   
   
4. Choose the Date and time of the event
   
   
5. Specify the type of event.
   
1. If Topic, the entry will be shown to the entire class.
   
2. If User, it will be private to you only
3. If Group, it will be visible to only the group you choose
   
   
6. To add an end date, description or set it as a repeating event, click on the Show more link
   
   
7. Click the Save button
   

Export the calendar to Outlook (or another calendar)

You can import events in your FLO site into your Outlook calendar (or another calendar). This may help you manage the topic/events. There are two steps in this process: in FLO and in your calendar in Outlook.

Note: External calendar programs such as Outlook may only sync to calendars periodically, so the calendar may not update instantly. Outlook will sync every three hours.

In FLO

1. Open the calendar from the Navigation menu.
   
   
   
   
2. Click on the Export calendar button underneath the calendar.
   
   
3. Choose which events and the time frame you wish to export. For the most information, select ‘all events’ and ‘custom range’.
   
   
   
   
4. Click on the Get calendar URL button. Copy the Calendar URL that will appear underneath the button.
   
   
5. You can now import the calendar. The steps from this point vary depending on what website/app you use.
   
   

In Microsoft Outlook

1. Open Outlook on your computer and select Add Calendar > From Internet from the Calendar tab
   
   
   
2. Paste the Calendar URL you copied in the indicated space and click on the OK button
   
   
3. Click Yes when asked to receive updates from the Calendar
   
   
   

The blog tool in FLO (OU blog) is intuitive for users (there is a 'New blog post' prompt and the user can use the HTML editor to add/edit their post entry). Blogs are usually organised as a chronological series of postings created by the author/s of the blog (the student/s). 

You may want to prompt students what to blog about (this might be assessment information), either in the introduction or somewhere else in the FLO site depending on the blog's purpose. A blog can be used for formative assessment (eg reflections) or summative assessment (eg a final account of their learning).

1. Plan

What is the purpose of the blog – what do you want students to do using this tool? 

• Do you want the blog to be private (separate individual blog) or public (visible individual blog, or blog together)? 
• Is the blog a task that students will do iteratively during the semester, or will it fall within a set timeframe? 

2. Build

Once you have determined your blog's purpose, you can set it up. 

1. Click Turn editing on button
   
   
   
   
2. Click Add an activity or resource to open the Activity Chooser
   
   
   
3. Click the OU blog icon
   
   
4. You will be taken to the Adding a new OU blog screen where you can set the parameters of your blog.
   
   
5. Give the blog a Name and Introduction.
   
   
6. If desired, use the Individual blogs drop-down menu to select individual blogs. If individual blogs are not required, leave this menu at the default no (blog together or in groups)
   
   
   
7. The Blog can be marked by grade or rating. Select Teacher grades students if you want to give the student an overall grade for the Blog activity.
   
   Rating allows you to rate individual blog post which can then be aggregated to produce a final grade for the student. One of the aggregate options must be selected if rating is used as a grading method.
   
   
   
8. Click the Save and display button
   Timeline block: The Blog tool does not show to students in the Timeline block.

3. Administer

View the participation of a user

1. Click into the module from the topic homepage
   
   
2. Click Participation by user
   
3. To limit participation by date, click enable and select dates.  Click Update.
   
   
   
4. Results will display below.  
   Click Details beside user name to view that user's posts and comments.
   
5. Use tabs to toggle view between posts and comments
   
   

Grade a blog activity

Teacher grade students

1. Open the blog and click on the Click Participation by user button
   
   
   

1. Select a rating from the drop-down list for each post.
   
2. Based on the aggregation type, grade will be automatically calculated in the gradebook. 
   
   

The Timeline block on the My FLO homepage shows students the upcoming due dates of the most common FLO activities for the topics they are enrolled in. Students can also use the timeline to jump into activities in FLO sites.

Staff will see activities that have specific dates for them, for example, when a 'remind me to grade by' date is set for an assignment.

The timeline can be sorted in either date or topic order and can show dates between 7 days and 6 months ahead.

For the most common activities in your topics (e.g. assignments, quizzes, feedback, forums, etc) the block will show students the due date you have set in the activity's settings. Some activities (e.g. self and peer assessment, chat) also have additional options and settings for displaying dates in the timeline.

When using topic completion, any Expect completed on dates will also show in a student's timeline:

• This can be used to add due dates to the timeline (in addition to its intended purpose) when the activity does not have one
• If an activity does have a due date, students will get two sets of dates.

The Calendar helps students keep track of events within the topic (including assignment due dates) and take responsibility for their learning. They can also export the Calendar into their personal calendar (eg Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar) for better access.

The calendar is enabled in all topics by default, but you are encouraged to add the upcoming events block, which shows students a streamlined view of upcoming dates.

1. Plan

Think about how your students might use the calendar tool to help them successfully engage with your topic, and promote it to them in your introduction/orientation to the FLO site.

2. Build

• Add key dates to the calendar (new event)
• Export the calendar to Outlook (or another calendar)

Add key dates to the calendar (new event)

Most assessment dates will automatically go in the Calendar (cut off dates being the exception) but you can also manually add key dates (students can also add dates.)

1. Open the Calendar from the navigation menu (within a topic, the calendar link is below the topic’s links so you will need to scroll down the list).
   
   
   
   
2. Click on either the date of the booking or the New event button.
   
   
3. Specify the Event title
   
   
4. Choose the Date and time of the event
   
   
5. Specify the type of event.
   
1. If Topic, the entry will be shown to the entire class.
   
2. If User, it will be private to you only
3. If Group, it will be visible to only the group you choose
   
   
6. To add an end date, description or set it as a repeating event, click on the Show more link
   
   
7. Click the Save button
   

Export the calendar to Outlook (or another calendar)

You can import events in your FLO site into your Outlook calendar (or another calendar). This may help you manage the topic/events. There are two steps in this process: in FLO and in your calendar in Outlook.

Note: External calendar programs such as Outlook may only sync to calendars periodically, so the calendar may not update instantly. Outlook will sync every three hours.

In FLO

1. Open the calendar from the Navigation menu.
   
   
   
   
2. Click on the Export calendar button underneath the calendar.
   
   
3. Choose which events and the time frame you wish to export. For the most information, select ‘all events’ and ‘custom range’.
   
   
   
   
4. Click on the Get calendar URL button. Copy the Calendar URL that will appear underneath the button.
   
   
5. You can now import the calendar. The steps from this point vary depending on what website/app you use.
   
   

In Microsoft Outlook

1. Open Outlook on your computer and select Add Calendar > From Internet from the Calendar tab
   
   
   
2. Paste the Calendar URL you copied in the indicated space and click on the OK button
   
   
3. Click Yes when asked to receive updates from the Calendar
   
   
   

Chats are especially useful when the group chatting is not able to meet face-to-face, such as:

• regular meetings of students participating in online topics so they can share experiences with others in the same topic but in a different location
• a student temporarily unable to attend in person chatting with their teacher to catch up with work
• students on work experience discussing their experiences with each other and their teacher
• a question and answer session with an invited speaker in a different location
• sessions to help students prepare for tests or exams where the teacher, or other students, pose sample questions.

1. Plan

For considerations and questions, you might ask when planning/designing

2. Build

Create a chat room

The chat activity provides a real-time text chat interface for users in the topic.

1. In your topic, click the Turn editing on button
   
    
   
   
2. In the week/module where you would like the chat to appear, click Add an activity or resource
   
    
   
3. Select Chat  , then press Add 
   
   
4. Add a Name and Description for your chat
   
   
   
5. If you want to set a particular date/time for the chat session, open the Chat sessions section and set the Repeat/publish session times.
   Timeline block: 'Repeat/publish session times' will show to students in the Timeline block.
   
   
6. Click Save and display
   
   

3. Test

Once you have set up the Chat 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). It is best to amend mistakes before students have access to the chat.

• dates (has been rolled over from a previous year?)
• availability (is it available to students?)
  
• groups/grouping
• restrict access (does it need to be restricted to a certain cohort of students?)

4. Administer

Users have the option of accessing the chat tool via an accessible interface. Users with visual impairments should use the accessible version.

5. Review

How did your chat activity go? Would you set up the activity differently next time around? Talk to colleagues and/or your local eLearning support team to get ideas for improvement.

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

The choice (poll/survey) activity is a way of engaging with students in your topic, and applying a just-in-time or responsive approach to your teaching. It is an example of active teaching and feedback. Using the choice activity or a similar tool in a lecture adds interactivity.

The choice tool enables a teacher to ask a single question and offer a selection of possible responses. 

In this guide, find out how to:

• Create a choice activity
• View the results of a choice activity
• Make a selection on behalf of a student

Create a choice activity

1. In your topic, click to turn editing on
2. In the week/module where you want to create the activity, click
   
   
3. Select Choice
    
4. Give the choice a Name and Description
   
   
   
5. Under Options, enter the different options students can select.
   
6. If you need more spaces, click
   
   
   
7. Under Availability, select when you want to allow the responses from and until
   
   Timeline block: 'Allow responses until' will show to students in the Timeline block.
   
   
8. Under Results, select if/when results are displayed to students. Note that students only see aggregated results, they do not see who selected which option.
   
   
   Students will be told when they submit give an answer if/how their answers will be seen by others.
   
   
9. Click
   
   

View the results of a choice activity

1. In the choice activity, click on View X responses
   
2. This will show votes for each option.

Make a selection on behalf of a student

As a teacher you can now make a selection on behalf of a student.

1. In the choice activity, click on View X responses
   
2. Select the student
3. In the Choose an action drop down list select a preference
   
   

The choice (poll/survey) activity is a way of engaging with students in your topic, and applying a just-in-time or responsive approach to your teaching. It is an example of active teaching and feedback. Using the choice activity or a similar tool in a lecture adds interactivity. The Active Quiz has a greater level of interactivity.

The choice tool enables a teacher to ask a single question and offer a selection of possible responses. Choice results may be published after students have answered, after a certain date, or not at all. Results may be published with student names or anonymously. The choice can not be graded (for a gradeable alternative, check out the Active quiz). 

1. Plan

Creating a choice activity requires you to know what you are going to ask your students. Do you have more than one question? How many options/responses are you going to offer? Is the activity going to be anonymous?

A choice activity may be used:

• as a quick poll to stimulate thinking about a module
• to quickly test students' understanding (e.g. in a lecture/workshop)
• to facilitate student decision-making (e.g. allowing students to vote on a direction for the topic)

2. Build

Creating a choice poll can be completed once you have the question and answers/options created.

1. Create a choice activity
2. View the results of a choice activity

3. Test

• The first time you use the Choice activity, it recommended to do so with a small group of students.
  
• Preview the choice activity in FLO (Profile >Switch role to> Student)

4. Administer

• Be sure to check your responses and acknowledge the results  
  
• Share the results with your students - either automatically through the Choice tool or afterwards using a visualisation tool, like a word cloud or pie chart

5. Review

Before using the same choice activity, consider reviewing your activities prior to use.

• View the choice as a student - switch your role and vote
  
• Evaluate the purpose of the choice activity - what does it add for your students? When is it best utilised?