FLO Staff Support

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.  

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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

Block name	Description
Activities	Lists all activities used in the topic, with links to show all activities of each type
Attendance	Provides a link to the attendance register. Requires the Attendance activity
Comments	Allows students to post comments on the page. Comments will be visible to all users in the topic
Completion progress	The Completion Progress is a time-management tool for students. It visually shows what activities/resources a student is supposed to interact within a course. It is colour-coded so students can quickly see what they have and have not completed/viewed.
Engagement analytics	Moodle Engagement Analytics allows you to easily track student engagement on Moodle against three different indicators of progress. The analytics examines how much students are engaging in: Forum activity. Login frequency.
Feedback	Provides a link to provide feedback. Requires the Feedback activity
HTML	Allows you to enter custom text, links and images
Inactive user alert	The Inactive users alert block allows instructors to create alerts per course to determine if students have not accessed the course or important activities by specific dates
Lecture recordings	Provides a link to the lecture management interface (QStream)
Logged in user	Shows the current logged in user (you)
Messages	Links to the Messages tool
Module links	Provides a table of contents of modules in the topic
People	Links to the Participants tool
Quiz results	Shows results from quizzes in the topic
Random glossary entry	Shows a random glossary entry. Requires the Glossary tool
Recent activity	Shows the most recent activity in the topic
Remote RSS feed	Allows you to import RSS feeds from external websites
Search forums	Provides a tool to search all forums in the topic
Self completion	Displays progress on self completion in the topic
Timeline	Shows students upcoming due dates
Upcoming events	Shows calendar events for the next 7 days

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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)
   

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Training and support	Troubleshooting
Training/Support Contact your local eLearning support teams	No known issues with this tool