Learning Sequence: Make Completion more Visible

1 Initial Problem

The Learning Sequence is a Container object like the Group, Category and Course. It bundles various subobjects that contain the actual learning content and adds a sequencing layer on top of these objects. Although one might expect a Learning Sequence to be completed once the last subobject is completed, this is actually not the case: As a Container, the Learning Sequence has its own Learning Progress Settings that define if and when a Learning Sequence is completed.

It might well be possible to configure a Learning Sequence in a way that it is completed after, say, the fifth object, while the user may follow up in a sixth and seventh object. These possibilities exists deliberately to allow administrators to freely define requirements for earning the Learning Progress Status "completed" at a Learning Sequence.

Due to the presentation of the content of the Learning Sequence in a Kiosk Mode it is not possible for users to easily determine if and when they have completed the Learning Sequence. While outside of the Kiosk Mode they can use standard means to get that information, like the according icon in the Repository view of the Learning Sequence. While inside the Learning Sequence, there is no indication that they have reached the status. This might be confusing, as a user might e.g. feel forced to work through material that the author of the Learning Sequence intended to be optional.

2 Conceptual Summary

When the user is in the Kiosk Mode of the Learning Sequence and the status of the Learning Sequence changes to "completed", a Standard Toast with an according message should be displayed. The title should say "Congratulations" and the description should say "You have just completed this Learning Sequence. You might still keep looking through the content.", where the texts are determined by the lang files.

3 User Interface Modifications

3.1 List of Affected Views

• Kiosk Mode of the Learning Sequence

3.2 User Interface Details

• A toast will be displayed in the Learning Sequence when the Learning Progress changes to "completed".

3.3 New User Interface Concepts

None.

3.4 Accessibility Implications

None.

4 Technical Information

The feature will require an additional polling mechanism in the Learning Sequence. Currently, we only poll the learning progress for objects, that do not implement a kiosk mode themselves. When this feature request is implemented, the polling will also happen on pages that implement the learning progress. This will cause according traffic on the installations. This feature will use the configured polling intervall for the learning sequence.

5 Privacy

None

6 Security

None.

7 Contact

• Author of the Request: Klees, Richard [rklees] according to an idea on a workshop with the FH Bielefeld
• Maintainer: Klees, Richard [rklees]
• Implementation of the feature is done by: CaT ILIAS Team

8 Funding

No additional funding required.

9 Discussion

Suittenpointner, Florian [suittenpointner], 2022-12-12:
An alternative approach could be that the workflow listing is enabled to display what steps are compulsory or from which step on the workflow is done.
The UI Framework already knows different status of steps (availability, completion ...), and obligation would be a consistent next step ...

Klees, Richard [rklees], 2023-01-19:
We also discussed this idea (as far as I remember) and I think that it is viable and also a good idea. Even if we'd implemented that idea, I still think that the Toast would be a good idea, as users might easily miss the cue from the Workflow Listing. Also, congratulations would be nice =)

Brockmann, Nils Arne [Nils_Brockmann], 2023-01-31:

We (FH Bielefeld/Uni Freiburg/DigikoS) highly support this feature. Nevertheless we have some concerns related to the Standard Toast.

Finishing a learning sequence is/might be a substantial step during learning processes. Consequently it is important that the completion-message is noticeable. However the Standard Toast is only shown a few seconds on the right top screen in a small window. Additionaly the Toast disappears, if crossed by the courser. Therefore it can be expected that students overlook the message or are not able to read it properly.

For this reason we prefer the implementation of modals over the standard toast. If the Standard Toast is chosen, it should be secured, that students get the completion-message (e.g. Toast is shown for 10-15 seconds in a bigger window). In this case we can create an appropriate Mantis Report, because other scenarios where toasts are intended to be used might also be affected.

Furthermore we suggest to develope a concept which differentiates between active and passive messages. Finishing a task like a learning sequence would cause an active messages and getting a competence while conducting a test would cause a passive message.      

Klees, Richard [rklees], 01 FEB 2023:

@Nils: Thanks for the feedback and for looking into this. I see you concern that the toast won't be noticeable enough. Like Yvonne I do not see that a modal is a good substitute, though. As the documentation of the UI framework states: "The Modal forces users to focus on the task at hand.". This is not what happens here. Toasts, on the other hand, fit very well: "Toasts are temporary messages from the system published to the user. Toasts are used to attract attention from a user without affecting the user experience permanently.". I do support the idea to add a variant if the toast that is a little more persistent then the current component.

10 Implementation

The toast on completion of a learning sequence has been added as described above. In addition, a notification is generated which can be seen by clicking on the notification bell after closing the learning sequence view.

Test Cases

Test cases completed at {date} by {user}

• C58104 : Benachrichtigung über erfolgreichen Abschluss der Lernsequenz 

Privacy

Information in privacy.md of component: no change required

Approval

Approved at 2023-03-15 by Brockmann, Nils Arne [Nils_Brockmann].