OpenOlat offers a lot of features for learners and teachers. A set of building blocks allow teachers to create courses using a variety of didactic methods while incorporating communication, collaboration and assessment. More learning resources and tools are available outside of the course system. Learning resources can also be made available to non-registered users, so-called guests. Using different booking methods, courses can also be made available at a cost. OpenOlat contains many elements typical for learning management systems: •
Learning Content Management System: Create and manage learning content using integrated editors for HTML, IMS CP and
IMS QTI •
Courseware: Course system providing a variety of building blocks and fine-grained rules for visibility and access •
Personal Learning Environment: Learning, assessment including evidence of achievement, personal notes •
Groupware: Work in learning groups, using collaboration tools like a wiki, a forum, shared folders, and more • Course catalog • Resource folder with document versioning • Coaching feature with logs • Assessments and self-tests with different question types, surveys • Task module and topic assignment •
WYSIWYG HTML editor •
Internationalization: OpenOlat is translated to more than 15 languages • User management, with import features • Role and rights management • Supports most browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer) • Integrates with existing systems, via
REST API,
LDAP,
oAuth,
Shibboleth,
BigBlueButton and
Zoom •
Course Planner: Manage all phases of course organization •
Certificate Program: Framework for issuing, validating, and recertifying certificates
Courses and learning resources The course system is the central element in OpenOlat. It is separated into areas for learners and authors. Users with author roles can create and manage courses and learning resources in the authoring environment. Using the various learning resources, many different learning scenarios can be represented in the integrated course editor, including areas for cooperation and collaboration. Learning resources can be created or imported, and can be integrated into one or even multiple courses by creating a reference. Changing a referenced learning resource changes it in all places where is used. The following learning resources are available in OpenOlat: •
Courses: The OpenOlat course is a
container format and OpenOlat's own document type. The course allows to map different didactic scenarios through the course editor, in which any number of course elements and learning resources can be integrated. •
CP-Lerninhalt: IMS Content Package, short IMS CP, is a learning content in a standardized e-learning format. An IMS CP can either be created in your own CP editor or imported. OpenOlat supports the IMS CP version 1.1.2. •
SCORM:
Sharable Content Object Reference Model, another standardized e-learning format for learning content. Any version 1.2 SCORM modules can be imported into OpenOlat. •
Wiki,
Podcasts and
Blogs •
Portfolio template: Portfolio templates are integrated into courses as portfolio tasks. Thus, learning outcomes and learning processes are documented. •
IMS-QTI-Tests: Tests can be included in OpenOlat as exam tests or as self-tests. Tests in IMS QTI 2.1 format can either be imported or created in the test editor. •
Resource folder: Resource folders are used to store documents and files that are either to be available in different courses or to be included as folders in the catalog. •
Glossary: A glossary can be used to display explanations of terms in learning content without including them in the learning content itself. •
Forms: In order to collect data, it is made possible for course owners to create surveys with forms that participants can fill out anonymously. •
Video: Videos can be imported from the Internet through links or as .mp4 files. You can configure them and add quizzes, annotations, jump tags and add subtitles to them. •
Others: In OpenOlat there are other file types that can be imported, such as PDF, PowerPoint, Excel and Word files, as well as image, music and animations. Word, Excel or PowerPoint files can be created directly in OpenOlat as a learning resource.
Tests and assessment (eAssessment) Tests in OpenOlat are used to quiz participants and to prepare them for final exams. Tests can be created and managed in the authoring environment or directly in the course editor. They can either be imported or created using the built-in
QTI test editor. OpenOlat supports the IMS-QTI format, version 2.1. Version 1.2 was definitely discontinued with the release of OpenOlat 16.0. The forms learning resource is useful for surveys. With the assessment tool and the test statistics, tests and questionnaires can be evaluated. •
Different types of tests and tasks: Test, Self-test, Survey, Portfolio task, Task, Video task, Group task •
Different question types:
Multiple Choice, Single Choice, Gap text (with dropdown), Kprim,
Essay, Match, Drag&Drop, Hottext, Hotspot, Upload file and Drawing, True/False, Numerical Input, Order, File Upload, Drawing •
Test questions: Question pool and randomized order; Feedback options •
Editing options can be set: Time allowed for completion, allowed attempts, note function; allow cancellation or interruption • Time limit can be set •
Display options in the course: Full screen, menu navigation on/off, question display, result display • Result assessment per test and per user including export • Graphical test assessment with key figures and bar charts
Assessment mode The assessment mode in OpenOlat is a course functionality that allows to run tests or exams with whole courses in protected mode during a specified time. Exams can be restricted to specific user groups. Exam security can be increased by means of restrictions on IP addresses. The exam can be performed in
kiosk mode if it is mandatory to use the Safe Exam Browser for the exam.
Question bank The question pool in OpenOlat is a
database of individual test questions, so-called items, usually in QTI format. Each item contains all associated information and metadata captured and compiled according to the
Learning Objects Metadata. Items are exported in groups from the question pool and made available as an OpenOlat test learning resource. Each item not only contains the question and the corresponding answers, but also information about e.g. author, date of creation, keywords, but also characteristic values for the
item analysis can be added. Items can be imported either as learning resources or external
XML files, or created directly in the question pool. Sharing in groups or pools allows test authors to work collaboratively on items and tests. • Test independent question creation • Different question types • Reusability of individual questions • Import and export of tests
Coaching, collaboration and communication Through the role based authorization system in OpenOlat, coaches can assigned to courses, groups, or individual users. Social tools like blogs, forums, wikis, podcasts, shared folders, mail, and chat enable communication and collaboration between OpenOlat users. Groups can be used for projects independently from courses, and can be created by learners themselves, depending on the system configuration.
Coaching Role assignments in groups and courses allow participants to be assigned to owners (course) or coaches (group and course), giving them access to the assessment tool and track records. While owners always have full access to all administrative tools of the resource including member management, coaches have somewhat limited access only after the learning resource has been published. •
Coaching tool: Coaches get an overview of all users assigned to them as well as access to their performance records in one tool. •
Learning resource view: Coached courses •
Assessment tool: With this, course participants are assessed and evaluated. All assessable course elements (Test, SCORM, Task, Assessment, Portfolio task, Check lists) can be assessed manually here •
Enrollment: With the help of the course element enrollment the number of participants of a course can be limited, with and without waiting list • Subscription function for new posts e.g. in Wikis, ePortfolio, File discussion, Blogs • Statistics tool
Collaboration In addition to the group system with the optional link to one or more courses, various course elements are available within the courses that allow collaborative work: •
Groups with different tools: Information, E-Mail, Participant calendar, Folder, Participant chat, Wiki, Virtual room and ePortfolio • Course elements
Wiki,
Forum,
Virtual Rooms (vitero,
OpenMeetings,
BBB,
Zoom and
Virtual classroom) and Topic assignment • Buddy List – Display of online contacts from groups • File versioning
Communication In addition to the integrated mail system, other communication functions are available for establishing contact: • Chat – OpenOlat, Course and Group, with Buddy List • Subscription function for new posts e.g. in
Forums,
Wikis,
Blog, Folder and
Calendar • Course elements
vitero virtual team room (commercial add-on software),
Virtual classroom,
OpenMeetings and list of participants as gallery
Personal Learning Environment OpenOlat supports different visibility and access rules to courses and other learning resources based on user roles and groups, as well as the curricular use of the learning resource catalog, a user-specific representation of courses and the learning platform itself.. The OpenOLAT Portal is the personalizable start page for users.
Learning Courses and assignments can be customized in appearance, content as well as e.g. delivery dates to the individual user. Visibility and access modifiers can be made dependent on time, groups, or previous achievements. So-called expert rules allow fine-grained control over which users have access to which learning resources.
Personalization OpenOlat has a customizable portal page, that users can personalize and adjust to their liking. Several portlets can be individually displayed and configured. Further personal tools and settings are found in the extendable personal menu. •
Configuration: Edit personal profile and public profile (business card) (incl. picture), set system settings, e.g. language and font size, change password, set chat settings, e.g. visibility • Personal calendar, into which OpenOlat-internal as well as external calendars like Google or Outlook calendars can be imported • Subscription management of all OpenOlat subscriptions. Can be displayed as RSS feed in popular newsreaders • OpenOlat bookmarks • Collected notes from courses • Display of all performance records • Mailbox •
ePortfolio-Module: Portfolio assignments from courses and private portfolio folders are edited and managed here. Shared portfolios of other users are also viewed and commented here.
Authoring – course editor, CP editor, test editor OpenOLAT has its own authoring environment, in which courses, learning resources and course elements are combined into e-learning courses. This environment allows easy management of all courses and learning resources. Courses have their own course editor for course-specific resource management and configuration. Courses are shared among OpenOLAT instances in a
zip file. • Course wizard • Course-specific layout, including preview image •
Supported e-learning standards: IMS Content Packaging, IMS QTI,
SCORM • Links to course elements, library and external sources •
Metadata and versioning • Finely adjustable visibility and access rules per course element as well as access groups and methods on course level • Glossaries •
WYSIWYG editor to easily import images, video, and audio • Editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations in ONLYOFFICE •
Publishing: Changes to a course only become visible once they have been published. Each course element can be published individually as desired •
Course preview: Courses can be previewed before publishing using different user settings
Integrated IMS-CP and QTI editors OpenOlat contains its own content packaging and test editors, which create
IMS content packages and
QTI tests. CPs and tests created in OpenOlat can be easily exported and imported into other LMS, that also support these standardized formats.
System administration System administrators manage OpenOlat in the administration tab. There, the default language can be set, the layout can be changed, quota and versioning settings can be adjusted, and many other settings can be changed to adapt the system to a variety of use cases. • Payment with
PayPal, Credit Points, invoice • Connection and integration via
REST-API •
Authentification options:
LDAP and
Shibboleth • Automatic password sending • Translation tool to translate OpenOlat into new languages or to adapt existing languages • Self-registration, access control and PayPal configuration • Table configuration •
User management: Create, import, customize and delete users; customize data of multiple users at the same time with the mass change feature •
Group management: Set up and manage cross-course groups •
Logging: Everything can be logged and checked •
System monitoring: Active monitoring of system availability and measurement of key performance indicators
LTI Integration OpenOlat supports the IMS LTI standard in version 1.1 and since OpenOlat 15.5 also in version 1.3. This allows any external tools to be integrated into OpenOlat. In version 1.3, both the platform and tool aspects have been implemented in OpenOlat. This means that not only can external tools be integrated into an OpenOlat course, but conversely, entire OpenOlat courses or groups can be integrated into other systems.
frentix plugins In addition to the features contained in the public release, frentix offers some custom features to its customers. Some of these have already been discussed in the previous text. •
Payment: Payment options for courses, like
PayPal or credit card payment. •
Library: Which is offering document management features that is completely separate from the course system. •
Members page: Which lists all users and has search tools. Can also be used for users who are not user administrators. •
Course database: Extra settings of courses can be edited and saved via
REST API. •
Admin consoles: Which simplify the management of admin features and settings. •
QTI test statistics: Which allow tests in courses to be evaluated. == Awards ==