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Categorize Add New Item list

1 Requirements

With each new version the "Add New Item" list becomes longer and longer. The current list in version 4.3 contains up to 27 items. This view is very cluttered and is not clearly arranged.
The Items should be categorized and displayed in groups comparable to the admin menu.

Update 2013-06-12:
Category for each object should be configurable in administration. So only a default arrangement needs to be discussed.

Proposal according to Feature Wiki:

Learning and Content

• Blog
• Data Collection
• File Object
• Glossary
• Learning Module HTML
• Learning Module ILIAS
• Learning Module SCORM
• Mediacast
• Poll
• Webfeed
• Weblink
• Wiki

Course and Group

• Course
• Course Refernece
• Group

Communication and Syndication

• Chat
• Forum
• Virtual Classroom (Plugin)
• Etherpad Lite (Plugin)

Exercise, Survey and Test & Assessment

• Exercise
• Test
• Question Pool Test
• Survey
• Question Pool Survey

Stucture

• Category
• Category Reference
• Folder
• Media Pool
• Item Group ?

Plugins

Repository object plugins willl need new entry in plugin.php

2 Status

• Scheduled for: Release 4.4
• Funding: FH Aachen
• Development: Feature is to be developed by Leifos

3 Additional Information

• If you want to know more about this feature, its implementation or funding, please contact:j.erkens@fh-aachen.de

4 Discussion

HL, 25.2.2013.
Good idea. One problem is, that different institutions have their ideas how to group these items.
 
In our course-docus we use the following chapters: "Inhaltswerkzeuge", "Werkzeuge zur Einforderung studentischer Arbeiten", "Kommunikations- und Kollaborationswerkzeuge", ...
 
Another idea is: "Kollaboration", "Assessment & Umfragen", "Termine und Ressourcen", "Medien & Module", ... (see usability report "Lange Listen.pdf".
 
So maybe we should add the possibility for ILIAS-admins to choose between:
- Flat hierarchy style (with the possibility to change the order)
- Categorized by ILIAS OS
- Adapted categories (with the possibility for ILIAS-Admins to create an own arranged system)

HL, 25.2.2013.
With ELBA, we already discussed this topic. Due to missing time and funding, we did not realised it. But we do have a good usability-report with different solutions (see attachment below). A good idea is, that often used tools can be shown at the top of the list AND in the category.

JE, 27.2.2013
The option to switch of the categorization - for those who do not like it - is also OK for us.
 
The categorization above is just a first idea. We are open to other proposals and hope for a good universally valid solution by JF-Team.

JF 4 Mar 2013: We highly appreciate the idea and schedule it for 4.4. We agree that ILIAS should support two options:

• Categorized by ILIAS OS
• Adapted categories (with the possibility for ILIAS-Admins to create an own arranged system)

We keep the discussion open for the first "default" ordering.

Florian Suittenpointner 6 Mar 2013:
Some remarks about the proposal above:

• "Course and Group" and "Structure" don't need to be separated - it's all about container objects.
• "Session" is missing (could also be treated as a container object)!
• "Poll" should be a part of "Exercise, Survey and Test & Assessment".
• With some object types, I find it hard to tell whether they are "content" or "communication", e.g., blogs, wikis, data collections.I rather prefer categorizing them as communication objects.
• "Booking Pool" is missing (could also be treated as a container or communication object)!

And we should also distinguish between courses and groups.

• In courses, we wish a categorized item list
• In groups, we limit the tools, group-admins and group members use groups for collaborative work. Only document, folders, forum, link and wiki are allowed. For groups, we like a flat item list.

HJL, 8.3.2013 - We suggest another categorization
 
»File
»Category
»Session
»Exercise
 
Organisation
»Session
»Booking Pool
»Item Group
 
Content
»File
»Cloud
»Category
»Category Reference
»Weblink
»Web Feed
»Blog
»Learning Module ILIAS
»Learning Module HTML
»Learning Module SCORM/AICC
»Glossary
»Data Collection
»Bibliography
 
Performance records
»Exercise
»Test
»Question Pool Test
 
Communication and Collaboration
»Group
»Forum
»Wiki
»Chatroom
 
Media
»Media Cast
»Media Pool
 
Feedback
»Survey
»Questionpool Survey
»Poll

Pascal, 21.03.13
Why not make it configurable in the admin panel? I think it is very hard or even impossible to find a good compromise within the community.

JE 12.6.2013: After having a look on all this diffrent views, we think Pascal is absoluly right. That will be the only way. ->Will add this to Feature Discription

Alex 12 Jun 2013: @Pascal and JE: Please have a look at the JF 4 Mar 2013 decision: We want a default categorization by ILIAS and the possibility to configure it in the administration. But we need a default categorization. The simple list will not work anymore.

AK 13 Jun 2013: Here are my thoughts on some of the terms currently discussed:

• "Learning(-) and Content(+)": Content is ok, but learning should take place with the help of other resources, too. I would suggest not to use the term Learning here.
• "Course and Group" (-): A title for a section should not include the names of its items. This is not extensible.
• "Exercise, Survey and Test & Assessment"(-): Like above, listing the items in a section header is pointless and not extensible.
• "Structure"(-): This is a very abstract term.
• "Organization"(+): I think this is a very good one, in the sense of organising resources and users.
• "Collaboration"(-): Of course we want to support collaboration, but many resources can be used for collaboration, mostly depending on permissions. Learners could collaboratively collect glossary items if you give them permission. In this case a glossary (or a data collection) could be as collaborative as a common use of a wiki. But in all cases they collect and create content.
• "Resources"(-): Also a very abstract term.
• "Media"(-): Having "media" besides "content" does not make much sense to me. All content resources can contain media.

 
And a suggestion for a default categorization:
 
Organisation

• Category
• Course
• Group
• Session
• Booking Pool
• Item Group

 
Content

• File
• Weblink
• Web Feed
• Blog
• Learning Module ILIAS
• Learning Module HTML
• Learning Module SCORM/AICC
• Glossary
• Data Collection
• Bibliography
• Mediacast
• Mediapool

 
Communication

• Forum
• Chatroom

 
Assessment

• Exercise
• Test
• Question Pool Test

 
Feedback and Evaluation

• Survey
• Questionpool Survey
• Poll

HL 13 June 2013
@Alex
 
a) Will there be a possibility to distinguish between courses and groups?

• First of all, in our courses, we need a categorized item list.
• But in our groups, we want a flat item list, because in groups, we offer only a few tools - for collaboration purpose.

b) In our suggestion, you see that we think it should be possible to place tools in different categories.
c) And you see that we think tools it should be possible to place tools in the main hierarchy level.

AK 13 June 2013, @HL:

• I would prefer not to distinguish between any container types, e.g. to have different categorizations in groups, courses, categories and folders. Section headers would not be displayed for empty sections. If only items of one section are presented, the section header could be omitted, too. Otherwise the structure should imo be always the same to make it consistent. Container type dependent settings would make the implementation much more complex. Moreover the reason you give is quite strange. Do all of your users in groups have the same permission set? Admins see all tools, tutors see a subset and learners may see an even smaller subset. Some groups may give more permissions than others.
• I would also prefer not to place the same tool in different categories. If a tool is listed or not depends on the permissions. If you put "File" into two categories and the user has only the permission to create files, two categories with the same "File" item would be displayed - awkward. I think a good categorization includes only disjunct categories.
• I would also prefer not to put items outside of any category. What would be the purpose of these items? Sounds like a category for frequently used tools. If so, why not adding a category "Frequently Used" or "Important Tools" or whatever. Having some tools outside of a category may look like a bug to some users.

It would be good to have the opinion of other users on these issues, since all of them would add complexity to code.

HL, 12 August 2013

• @AK. A very good implementation. Thanks.
• We decided to use the following categories:
  • Inhalt, Leistungen, Organisation, Kommunikation und Kollaboration, Befragungen
  • Content, Performance, Organization, Communication and Collaboration, Surveys
• see: http://www.ilias.de/docu/goto_docu_usr_8474.html: ILIAS-Tools kategorisieren.

JF 11.11.2013: We would like to make the following changes to the current 4.4 beta implementation:

• New Group "Templates" after "Feedback and Evaluation" containing the Portfolio Templates
• "Booking Pool" after "Item Groups"
• "Poll" before "Survey"
• "Folders" and "Session" at the beginning of "Organization"

5 Implementation

JL 30 Jul 2013: The add new item list can now be categorized (Administration > Repository > Modules). All add new item widgets have been migrated (Repository: Container, Session, Item Group; Personal Workspace: Folders). Only Repository objects can be categorized. The layout has been adapted to the administration main menu, the columns can be freely edited. The toggle button itself will be enhanced by Emphasized Buttons for Primary Action.
 
A "default" setting is still TBD.

JL 04 Nov 2013: A default structure has been implemented. (Updated 12 Nov 2013)