Online/Offline Guideline

1 Description

There are several issues that would benefit from a general online/offline handling of repository objects:

• Offline tag for objects that determine the learning progress
• Course offline notification for course admin/tutor inside courses

Technical Options:

• Add "offline" field to obj_data (Problem: there are other settings, e.g. for scheduled activation for course items, that determine the availability)
• Try to get all properties out of ListItemGUIs and display them where apropriate. (or just the "alert" properties)

2 Status

• Scheduled for Release: not scheduled yet
• Funding: Required
• Development: Feature is to be developed by tbd

3 Additional Information

• If you want to know more about this feature, its implementation or funding, please contact: alex.killing (at) gmx.de

4 Discussion

gaertner:
Suggestion for naming the obtject attribute: "visible" and "hidden" or "invisible" instead of online/offline

YS, 17th April 2014:
We support the idea of a guideline for online/offline- and availability-concept, we put our suggestion in the "Online/Offline Guideline" above.

JF 28 Apr 2014: @YS: It is not possible to identify your comments. Please put your name in front of all your comments/suggests, better would be to use the discussion section, if possible.

YS, 29th April 2014: I'm sorry to have confused you with my comments. First we had put our comments above in "Section 2". But now – to be clearer what's our suggestion – I have taken it to this discussion-section and unite it in this orange block. I hope it's becoming clear now.

We'd like to streamline the availability part of settings and rename the description of "online" checkbox.

1. The availability part in settings tab will be streamlined
   • An object has an "Online" checkbox and a "Limited Availability Period" checkbox (same implementation for every object, see pic. "Online screen type 1"). If a user can edit, change, fill out or start an object, this object need an "online" checkbox.
   • An object hasn't any online checkbox. If a user can use an object without doing anything else but clicking on it to open it, then this object do NOT need an "online" checkbox.
2. The description of "Online" checkbox will be renewed
   • The "Online" checkbox should make clear, that I have to set an object "online" to activate all my settings I've made (f.e. a course can be online but it isn't available at this time, because there's a limited availability period. So the checkbox didn't tell "it's available" but it's "active/all settings will be active").
   • English: Set online to activate all settings.
   • Deutsch: Setzen Sie das Objekt online, um die Einstellungen zu aktivieren.
   • For courses: Set the course online to activate all settings. If not, only course administrators and tutors will have access to it.
3. Give title and description in same time while you set it online
   • On the screen of adding a new object (mostly you set a title and a description there), you can set it "online", even you weren't in the setting tab yet (see pic. "Title/Description screen").
   • Exception: F.e. test and survey (they need first questions, you can't set them online before). If an object need content (otherwise a user can't do anything), it has an "Online" checkbox only in settings tab.

Overview which object should have (not) an online checkbox

Online checkbox	No Online checkbox
exercise	session
blog	item group
forum	file
media pool	webfeed
survey question pool	weblink (special with "active")
test question pool	chat
poll	folder
survey
test
mediacast
data collection
glossary
learning module ILIAS
learning module HTML
wiki
group
course

Inconsistent use of availability in ILIAS 4.4

At the moment there are three different implementation of availability in the settings tab of object: There are objects they need "Online with Limited Availability", "Online means Visible/Hidden" (but availability can be set by "Action > Availability") and "No online checkbox".

That's the implementation of all objects in ILIAS 4.4

Online with Limited Availability Period (type 1)	Online means visible/hidden (type 2)	No online checkbox (type 3)	Active (no settings tab)
course	survey question pool	blog	Weblink
group	learning module ILIAS	forum
test	learning module HTML	session
poll	booking pool	item group
survey	wiki	chat
portfolio template	glossary	file
	data collection	webfeed
	mediacast	media pool
	test question pool	exercise

JF 12 May 2014: Thanks for the clarification. Matthias and Alexander will read the guideline in detail and work out a proposal.

YS 15 May 2014: I'll see forward to your proposal.
Please consider, that test and survey also have a setting with "start date" and "end date". At the moment it's not so clear for users, which of the setting manage the access to the object and which manage the starting date when learners can fill out their survey/test. See Mantis Bug #11510.

AT 2015-02-18: YS has compiled very helpful information in deed.
 
I am very sorry to add to further complexitiy to this issue. Please check Availability in Action-Menue and Settings-Tab.
 

Suggested Rule: The availability part in settings tab will be streamlined

• An object has an "Online" checkbox and a "Limited Availability Period" checkbox (same implementation for every object, see pic. "Online screen type 1"). If a user can edit, change, fill out or start an object, this object need an "online" checkbox.
• An object hasn't any online checkbox. If a user can use an object without doing anything else but clicking on it to open it, then this object do NOT need an "online" checkbox

AT: The above rule would forbid that a folder has an online setting. But it would be nice: I prepare it while it is offline and then switch it online and it is to be used.
This is why I cannot support the rule.

Suggested Rule: The description of "Online" checkbox will be renewed

• The "Online" checkbox should make clear, that I have to set an object "online" to activate all my settings I've made (f.e. a course can be online but it isn't available at this time, because there's a limited availability period. So the checkbox didn't tell "it's available" but it's "active/all settings will be active").
• English: Set online to activate all settings.
• Deutsch: Setzen Sie das Objekt online, um die Einstellungen zu aktivieren.
• For courses: Set the course online to activate all settings. If not, only course administrators and tutors will have access to it.

AT: The above rule would puzzle users. If it would only 'save the settings' we should call it 'save the settings'. But in a majority of cases setting the course online will publish it to users.
I know that "online = available to users" is not always valid. But if people check those extra boxes like 'limited availability period' or specify Start Dates, well they oviously want something extra.
To accomodate those few who make this extra setting and are then not competent enough to live with their own choices, I would not jeoparise the straightforwardness of the 'online' setting.
 
I oppose this rule.
 

Suggested Rule: Give title and description in same time while you set it online

• On the screen of adding a new object (mostly you set a title and a description there), you can set it "online", even you weren't in the setting tab yet (see pic. "Title/Description screen").
• Exception: F.e. test and survey (they need first questions, you can't set them online before). If an object need content (otherwise a user can't do anything), it has an "Online" checkbox only in settings tab.

AT: Which object does not comprise content but only a title and a description? Why would I care to put the title and the description online as fast as possible, faster than any content?
If you import or copy you might feel the need, but not in creating.
 

5 Follow-up